466th Bombardment Group - RAF Attlebridge

The 466th Bombardment Group (H) was a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber group of the 8th Air Force's 2nd Air Division. The unit conducted strategic bombing operations from England between March 1944 and April 1945 as part of the Allied air campaign against Germany. The group was nicknamed the Flying Deck as each squadron was named after a different card suit. The 784th, or Red Squadron, was the Clubs, the 785th, or Gold Squadron, was the Diamonds, the 786th, or Blue Squadron, was the Hearts, and the 787th, or White Squadron, the Spades.

The group arrived in England in February - March 1944 and flew its first combat mission on 22 March 1944, for which they received official commendation from Lt Gen James H. Doolittle for combat achievement to a target in Berlin. It was the longest initial assault ever flown by any unit in the history of the European Theater and one of the heaviest bombardments on record of the German capital. The 466th Bomb Group operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organization, attacking such targets as marshaling yards at Liege, an airfield at St Trond, a repair and assembly plant at Reims, an airdrome at Chartres, factories at Brunswick, oil refineries at Bohlen, aircraft plants at Kempten, mineral works at Hamburg, marshaling yards at Saarbrucken, a synthetic oil plant at Misburg, a fuel depot at Dulmen, and aeroengine works at Eisenach. The group also conducted tactical missions attacking pillboxes along the coast of Normandy on D-Day (6 June 1944) and afterward striking interdictory targets behind the beachhead, bombing enemy positions at St Lo during the Allied breakthrough in July 1944. Oil and gasoline were supplied to Allied forces advancing across France in during the month of September 1944. German communications and transportation were bombed during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 - January 1945. The group bombed the airfield at Nordhorn in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine on 24 March 1945.

Several events stand out in the history of the 466th Bomb Group. On the afternoon of 18 August 1944, B-24 Liberators collected Major Glenn Miller and the American Band from the RAF Airfield of Twinwood Farm and flew them to the 355th Fighter Group base at Steeple Morden. There, Major Miller and his orchestra played a concert for the 355th Fighter Group and 91st Bomb Group from nearby Bassingbourn. Afterward, the B-24s flew the band and equipment back to Attlebridge. Between 8 and 9 pm that evening, Maj Miller and the band along with special guests Rudy Starita's All Girl Orchestra and Hollywood film star Col. James Stewart performed in the northern hangar. This concert was a 100-mission party for base personnel and was attended by 10,000 people from the base and surrounding area. After the concert, Maj Miller retired to the Officer's Mess where he met Capt. John Woolnough (466th BG) who asked Miller for a photograph to send to his brother who was a great fan. Miller requested the photograph be taken somewhere out of the limelight to avoid more requests for photos, but the only "private" room which could be found unlocked was the toilet. Maj Miller was reported to have been greatly amused by this unique picture of himself and Capt Woolnough taken by Sergeant Russell Clements.

Another event took place on 4 March 1945, when England was covered by a thick overcast. As the group was forming, B-17 group flew through the 28-aircraft in the 466th formation. Evasive action was taken to avoid collisions and despite a call from the mission Commanding Officer to abandon the mission, nine aircraft formed a reasonable formation and decided to bomb a target of opportunity. There was uncertainty whether the target of opportunity was Freiburg, Germany, or Basel, Switzerland. Not all aircraft dropped bombs, but the ones that did were within a 1000-foot circle at 100 percent. The rolling stock in the marshaling yard contained ammunition, as indicated by the tremendous explosions. However, an extensive investigation was made of the event after the planes returned and it was determined the target was in fact Switzerland. The U. S. Government paid $70 million in reparations for this event.

The 466th Bomb Group flew their last combat mission on 25 April 1945, striking a transformer station at Traunstein. By the end of the war the group had flown a total of 242 combat missions and destroyed approximately 59 enemy aircraft. The group lost 68 aircraft in combat and non-combat operations.

Campaigns
The 466th Bombardment Group participated in the following campaigns: Air Offensive - Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe.

Oversea Burials   466th Bomb Group Oversea Burials

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