2nd Lt James Coffey crew, 790th. BS, 467th. BG, Station 145 Rackheath, 8th. AF

The church gates of Holy Trinity at Rackheath were given in 1986 as a gift to the village for the kindness and support shown to the members of the James Gerald Coffey crew who flew Consolidated B-24 Liberator's with the 790th. Bomb Squadron, 467th. Bomb Group from USAAF Station 145 at Rackheath. The original gates were damaged by a lorry and a new set of gates were dedicated by the Bishop of Thetford in January 2008 with three members of the Coffey family present. This plaque is situated on one of the brick pier gatepost.

 

The crew were,

 

O-2058713 2nd. Lt. James Gerald Coffey, Pilot.

Born 15th. October 1924 at Wheeling, Ohio County, West Virginia.

Enlisted on 8th. December 1942 at Morgantown, West Virginia, discharged 14th. October 1945.

James died, aged 73, on 3rd. February 1998 at Chappaqua, Westchester County, New York and is buried at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Sleepy Hollow, Westchester County.

 

32917825 Tech. Sgt. Anthony N.M.I. de Baisse, Engineer/gunner.

Born 15th. August 1924 at Madison, Morris County, New Jersey.

Enlisted on 26th. April 1943 at Newark, New Jersey

Anthony died, aged 85, on 20th. July 2009 at Madison, Morris County, New Jersey.

 

31387705 Tech. Sgt. Donald Joseph Faford, Radio operator/gunner.

Born 12th. August 1925 at Burrillville Providence County, Rhode Island.

Enlisted on 27th. September 1943, discharged 8th. December 1945.

Donald died, aged 72, on 7th. February 1998 at Pawtucket, Providence County, Rhode Island.

 

15125249 Sgt. William Thomas Hayes, Gunner.

Born on 12th. May 1921 at Starr Township, Hocking County, Ohio.

Enlisted on 15th. April 1942 at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, discharged on 28th. October 1945.

William died, aged 87, on 22nd. March 2009 at Stockport, Morgan County, Ohio and is buried at Stockport Cemetery.

 

15122026 Sgt. Robert Leon Miller, Gunner.

Born on 28th. December 1925 at Mansfield, Richland County, Ohio.

Enlisted on 29th. January 1944 at Fort Benjamin, Harrison, Indiana.

Robert died, aged 89, on 2nd. November 2014 and is buried in Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta, Kalamazoo County, Michigan.

 

O-1034 Ft. Officer Albert Anthony Muller, Navigator.

Born on 29th. June 1920 at New York City.

Albert died, aged 91, on 21st. April 2012.

 

12239377 Sgt. Carl Richard Schaut, Gunner.

Born on 23rd. February 1926 at Bath, Steuben County, New York.

Enlisted on 19th. April 1944 at Camp Upton, Yaphank, New York.

Carl died, aged 93, on 23rd. November 2019 at Floral City Citrus County, Florida and is buried in Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Sumter County, Florida.

 

O-1092 Ft. Officer Harmon Joseph Small, Co-pilot.

Born on 26th. June 1920 at Pawtucket, Providence County, Rhode Island.

Enlisted on 15th. December 1942 at Providence, Rhode Island.

Harmon died, aged 70, on 18th. July 1990 at Stockton, San Joaquin County, California and is buried at Highland View Memorial Gardens, Farmington, San Joaquin County.

 

13172606 Sgt. William Jackson 'Jack' Smith, Gunner.

Born on 15th. January 1926 at Franklin, Venango County, Pennsylvania.

Enlisted on 18th. March 1944 at New Cumberland, Pennsylvania, discharged on 16th. March 1946 at Fort Sam. Houston, Texas.

William died, aged 68, on 30th. November 1994 at Franklin and is buried in Graham Cemetery, Franklin.

 

O-2072294 2nd. Lt. Robert Lewis Snyder, Bombardier.

Born on 30th. January 1925 at Wellsville, Columbiana County, Ohio.

Robert died, aged 84, on 3rd. April 2009 at Piqua, Miami County, Ohio and is buried at Forest Hill Cemetery, Piqua.

 

The crew were replacement crew number 4 and had an average age of 21. They were assigned 14 combat missions, flying 13 of them,

 

9th. March 1945 to Osnabruck, Germany in B-24J 42-51280 'Little Chum'.

 

14th. March to Giessen, Germany in B-24H 42-95237 'Normandy Queen'.

 

19th. March to Leipheim, Germany in B-24J 44-10496 'Rhinemachen'.

 

21st. March to Hesepe, Germany in B-24J 42-50737 'Hot Rock'.

 

24th. March 1945 to Nordhorn, Germany in B-24H 41-29378 'Homeward Bound'.

 

25th. March 1945 to Hitzacker, Germany in B-24J 44-10552

 

31st. March 1945 to Brunswick, Germany in B-24H 42-95237 'Normandy Queen'.

 

8th. April 1945 to Unterschlauersbach, Germany in B-24J 44-10496 'Rhinemachen'.

 

10 April 1945 to Rechlin-Larz, Germany in B-24H 42-50309 'Plow Jockey / Tenovus'.

 

14th. April 1945 to Pointe De Grave, France in B-24H 42-52394 'Palace Meat Market / Scrapper'.

 

15th. April 1945 to Royan, France in B-24J 44-10496 'Rhinemachen'.

 

16th. April 1945 to Landshut, Germany in B-24J 44-10496 'Rhinemachen'.

 

21st. April 1945 to Salzburg, Austria in B-24H 42-95237 'Normandy Queen'.

 

Mission not accomplished, 10th. March 1945 to Arnsberg, Germany in B-24H 42-95057 'Angle'.

 

The 467th. BG was established as a B-24 Liberator group in mid-1943 at Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho, and activated on 8th. September. It transferred to Kearns Center, Utah for personnel assignment and organization and was then sent to Wendover Field, Utah for combat training on 1st. November.

 

In January the group received deployment orders for the European Theatre of Operations (ETO). On 12th. February 1944 the ground unit went by train to Camp Shanks, New York. They sailed on the USAT Frederick Lykes on 28th. February 1944 and arrived on the Clyde on 10th. March 1944.

The aircraft left Wendover on 12th. February 1944 and took the southern Atlantic ferry route. One B-24 was lost with all the crew over the Atlas mountains. The group moved to RAF Rackheath during February and March 1944, and was part of VIII Bomber Command. The group was assigned to the 96th. Combat Bombardment Wing, with the tail code of a 'Circle-P'. Their nickname was 'Rackheath Aggies' and the operational squadrons were:

788th. Bomb Sqn, coded X7

789th. Bomb Sqn, coded 6A

790th. Bomb Sqn, coded Q2

791st. Bomb Sqn, coded 4Z

 

The group was commanded by Colonel Albert Joseph Shower, the only commander to stay with one group from the beginning to the end of the war. The marks of Liberator flown were B-24H, B-24J, B-24L and B-24M

 

The group began operations on 10th. April 1944 with an attack by 30 bombers on an airfield at Bourges in central France. In combat, the unit served chiefly as a strategic bombardment organization, attacking the harbour at Kiel, chemical plants at Bonn, textile factories at Stuttgart, power plants at Hamm, steel works at Osnabrück, the aircraft industry at Brunswick, and other objectives. In addition to strategic operations, the group occasionally engaged in support and interdictory missions. They bombed shore installations and bridges near Cherbourg naval base on D-Day, 6th. June 1944, and struck enemy troop and supply concentrations near Montreuil on 25th. July 1944 to assist the Allied drive across France.

Over two weeks in September 1944, the bombers flew fuel from Rackheath to Clastres airfield (A-71) in France for use by the US Army's mechanized forces. The group attacked German communications and fortifications during the Battle of the Bulge between December 1944 and January 1945. In March 1945 they hit enemy transportation to assist the Allied assault across the Rhine. The group set an unsurpassed record for bombing accuracy on 15th. April 1945 when 24 Liberators dropped 2,000 lb. bombs from 21,000 ft. and scored a 100% strike rate, destroying a German battery at Pointe de Grave, on the west coast of France.

 

The group flew its last combat mission on 25th. April 1945. During it's time at Rackheath the group flew 212 combat missions consisting of 5,538 aircraft sorties with losses of 235 aircrew and 46 aircraft. The total bomb tonnage dropped was 13,333 tons. The group had the best overall standing for bombing accuracy in the 8th. AF and B-24J 44-44052 'Witchcraft' of 790th. BS, coded Q2-M held the 8th. AF record of 130 missions with no turn backs and never having any crewmen injured or killed. Her last mission was flown on 25th. April 1945.

 

After the German surrender in May 1945, the group was ordered back to the United States for B-29 Superfortress training and redeployment to the Pacific Theatre of Operations (PTO). The air echelon departed Rackheath on 12th. June 1945. The ground units sailed from Greenock, Scotland on the Queen Mary on 6th. July 1945, arriving in New York on 11th. July 1945. Upon arrival, most of the group was demobilized due to their combat service in Europe, but a cadre of officers and men was formed at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota on 25th. August.

The unit was redesignated as the 467th. Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in August and was reformed with newly trained pilots, aircrews and ground personnel. The Japanese surrender in early August cancelled the planned deployment to the Pacific, however the group continued to train. In December 1945 the group was assigned to a permanent base at Clovis AAF, New Mexico as part of Continental Air Forces.

On 21st. March 1946, the group was assigned as one of the initial units of the new Strategic Air Command. The group however was inactivated on 4th. August due to personnel shortages and funding reductions in the immediate post war Air Force. The equipment and remaining personnel were reassigned to other SAC units, primarily the 301st. Bombardment Group at Smoky Hill Army Airfield, Kansas.

 

 

 

Done