455th Bombardment Group

Constituted as 455th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 May 1943. Activated on 1 Jun 1943. Trained with B-24's. Moved to Italy, arriving in Jan and Feb 1944. Served in combat with Fifteenth AF from Feb 1944 to Apr 1945. Engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets such as factories, marshalling yards, oil refineries, storage areas, harbors, and airdromes in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, and the Balkans.

Received a DUC for a mission on 2 Apr 1944 when the group contributed to Fifteenth AF's campaign against enemy industry by attacking a ball-bearing plant at Steyr. Although meeting severe fighter opposition and losing several of its bombers on 26 Jun 1944, the group proceeded to attack an oil refinery at Moosbierbaum, receiving another DUC for this performance. In addition to strategic missions in the Balkans, the group bombed troop concentrations, bridges, marshalling yards, and airdromes during the fall of 1944 to hamper the enemy's withdrawal from the region. The group also supported ground forces at Anzio and Cassino in Mar 1944; knocked out gun positions in preparation for the invasion of Southern France in Aug 1944; and assisted the final Allied drive through Italy in Apr 1945 by hitting such targets as bridges, gun positions, and troop concentrations. Inactivated in Italy on Sep 1945.

Squadrons

740th: 1943-1945
741st: 1943-1945
742d: 1943-1945
743d: 1943-1945

Stations

Alamogordo AAFld, NM, 1 Jun 1943
Kearns, Utah, c. 6 Sep 1943
Langley Field, Va, c. 5 Oct-2 Dec 1943
San Giovanni, Italy, 15 Jan 1944-9 Sep 1945

Commanders

Col Kenneth A Cool, c. Jul 1943
Col William L Snowden, c. 16 Sep 1944
Lt Col William R Boutz, May 1945
Maj Jerome Hoss, Jul 1945-unkn

Campaigns

Air Combat, EAME Theater
Air Offensive, Europe
Anzio
Rome-Arno
Normandy
Northern France
Scuthern France
North Apennines
Rhineland
Central Europe
Po Valley

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citations:
Steyr, Austria, 2 Apr 1944
Austria: 16 Jun 1944

Missing Air Crew Reports

Missing Air Crew Reports also known as MACRs are reports of US aircraft that went down, via enemy action or mechanical issues, behind enemy lines. These reports detailed the aircraft and crew along with their disposition; there were statements and eyewitness reports if available describing what they saw. The majority of these reports were completed in the years following the conclusion of World War II. This was so that the survivors who had become prisoners of war could provide statements of the events of that day. These reports differ from accident reports in that those documented aircraft that crashed on take off or landing; these events happened on allied lines.

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