492nd Bombardment Group - RAF North Pickenham

The 492nd Bombardment Group (H) was a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit assigned to the 8th Air Force's 2nd Air Division. It flew from RAF North Pickenham, England against German industrial, military, and transportation targets from April 1944 to August 1944. The group earned the nickname of "The Hard Luck Group" because of exceptionally heavy losses early in its combat operations.

The group was activated on 1 October 1943 and arrived in England in April 1944 to fly its first combat mission on 11 May 1944 with a target of aircraft and industrial facilities at Brussels, Belgium. In the initial phase, the 492nd Bomb Group conducted strategic bombing missions from May-August 1944 targeting airfields, aircraft factories, rail yards, V-weapon sites, oil and industrial infrastructure. Key targets included Brunswick, Munich, Hamburg and Kiel. The group suffered extreme losses during the period of June - July 1944 making it one of the most heavily attrited bomb groups in the 8th Air Force. Notable missions in June 1944 included Politz (synthetic oil plant) where 14 aircraft were lost and Hamburg where 7 aircraft were lost. By August 1944, losses were so severe that the group was withdrawn from conventional bombing operations and essentially disbanded as a standard heavy bombardment unit.

On 5 August 1944 a provisional group based at Harrington was redesignated as the 492nd Bombardment Group. Essentially the 492nd moved, but without aircraft, equipment, personnel or its commanding officer. This new group was reconstructed for clandestine operations under the Carpetbagger program flying B-24s, C-47s, A-26 Invaders and De Havilland Mosquitos. In this new role, the group dropped agents and supplies to resistance groups, primarily operating at night with modified, black-painted B-24s. Support was provided to underground movements in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Norway. These missions were flown from RAF Harrington and were very different from the 8th Air Force typical daylight strategic bombing. The group flew its last Carpetbagger mission in April 1945 with special operations supply drops over occupied Europe and subsequently ferried personnel and equipment to and from the continent until July 1945.

By the end of the war, the group had flown a total of 67 combat missions during the bombing phase (May - August 1944) making it one of the shortest combat lifespans of any 8th Air Force bombardment group. During this period, the group destroyed approximately 12 enemy aircraft and lost approximately 59 aircraft. Because of the clandestine nature of the Carpetbagger missions, records are less precise, but the best-supported historical estimates are aircraft combat losses from 6 to 8 B-24 aircraft with non-combat losses of 10 to 15 aircraft due to bad weather (a major factor in night operations), navigation errors, mechanical failures and landing/return accidents at night.

Campaigns
The 492nd Bombardment Group participated in the following campaigns: Air Offensive - Europe, Normandy, Northern France; Southern France, Rhineland, Central Europe.

Decorations
Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC): awarded for night special operations in Germany and German occupied Europe 20 March - 25 April 1945.

French Citation Award: Croix de Guerre with Palm from French government for 1944 operations over France where Carpetbagger missions supported the French resistance by supply drops and agent insertions prior to and after D-Day.

Oversea Burials   492nd Bomb Group Oversea Burials

Group Web Site   http://www.492ndbombgroup.com/