96th. Bomb Group, 8th. Air Force, USAAF
Part of the 'Silver Dream', a 12 metre stainless steel memorial designed by Martin Rance, made by Sinclair Stainless Fabrication Ltd and unveiled on 17th. May 2002.
Constituted as 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28th. January 1942, the group was activated on 15th. July 1942, flying the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The groups motto of 'E Sempre L'Ora' (It Is Always the Hour), was approved on 18th February 1943.
The group moved to England for duty with Eighth Air Force, firstly based from 16th April 1943 to 27th May 1943 at RAF Grafton Underwood (USAAF Station 106) in Northamptonshire, then moving to RAF Andrewsfield (USAAF Station 485) in Essex from 13th May 1943 to 11th. June 1943. On 12th. June 1943 the group arrived at RAF Snetterton Heath (USAAF Station 138), located 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Attleborough, Norfolk. The 96th. was assigned to the 45th. Combat Bombardment Wing (later 45th. Air Division), and the group tail code was a 'Square-C'. Its operational squadrons were:
337th. Bombardment Squadron, coded AW.
338th. Bombardment Squadron, coded BX.
339th. Bombardment Squadron, coded QJ.
413th. Bombardment Squadron, coded MZ.
The group entered combat in May 1943 and operated primarily in the strategic bombardment role, attacking shipyards, harbours, rail yards, airfields, oil refineries, aircraft factories, and other industrial targets in Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.
The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for withstanding a severe assault by enemy fighters while leading the Third Air Division on the first Shuttle Mission to North Africa, after bombing German aircraft factories at Regensburg on 17th. August 1943. Another DUC was received for leading the 45th. Wing a great distance through heavy clouds and intense anti-aircraft fire to raid aircraft component factories in Poznan, Poland on 9th. April 1944. The 96th. also led the 3rd. Division on the famous Schweinfurt mission of 14th. October 1943.
Other significant targets included airfields in Bordeaux and Augsburg, marshalling yards in Kiel, Hamm, Brunswick, and Gdynia, aircraft factories in Chemnitz, Hannover, and Diosgyor, oil refineries in Merseburg and Brux, and chemical works in Weisbaden, Ludwigshafen, and Neunkirchen.
In addition to strategic operations, tactical missions included bombing coastal defences, railway bridges, gun emplacements, and field batteries in the battle area prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, attacking enemy positions in support of the breakthrough at St. Lo in July 1944, aiding the campaign in France in August by striking roads and road junctions, and by dropping supplies to the Maquis, rural guerrilla bands of French and Belgian Resistance fighters, and attacking, during the early months of 1945, the communications supplying German armies on the western front.
After V-E Day, the group flew food to Holland and transported redeployed personnel to French Morocco, France, Ireland, and Germany.
The group left Snetterton Heath on 11th. December 1945, returning to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. On 21st. December 1945 the group was inactivated.
The 96th. had the second highest number of aircraft missing in action by any unit of the 8th. Air Force, 189 aircraft, and the highest loss by any bomb group in the 3rd. Division, with the highest number of losses of any bomb group between March and May 1944, 65 aircraft.
96th. Bomb Group, 8th. Air Force, USAAF
Part of the 'Silver Dream', a 12 metre stainless steel memorial designed by Martin Rance, made by Sinclair Stainless Fabrication Ltd and unveiled on 17th. May 2002.
Constituted as 96th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28th. January 1942, the group was activated on 15th. July 1942, flying the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. The groups motto of 'E Sempre L'Ora' (It Is Always the Hour), was approved on 18th February 1943.
The group moved to England for duty with Eighth Air Force, firstly based from 16th April 1943 to 27th May 1943 at RAF Grafton Underwood (USAAF Station 106) in Northamptonshire, then moving to RAF Andrewsfield (USAAF Station 485) in Essex from 13th May 1943 to 11th. June 1943. On 12th. June 1943 the group arrived at RAF Snetterton Heath (USAAF Station 138), located 6 miles (9.7 km) south west of Attleborough, Norfolk. The 96th. was assigned to the 45th. Combat Bombardment Wing (later 45th. Air Division), and the group tail code was a 'Square-C'. Its operational squadrons were:
337th. Bombardment Squadron, coded AW.
338th. Bombardment Squadron, coded BX.
339th. Bombardment Squadron, coded QJ.
413th. Bombardment Squadron, coded MZ.
The group entered combat in May 1943 and operated primarily in the strategic bombardment role, attacking shipyards, harbours, rail yards, airfields, oil refineries, aircraft factories, and other industrial targets in Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia.
The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for withstanding a severe assault by enemy fighters while leading the Third Air Division on the first Shuttle Mission to North Africa, after bombing German aircraft factories at Regensburg on 17th. August 1943. Another DUC was received for leading the 45th. Wing a great distance through heavy clouds and intense anti-aircraft fire to raid aircraft component factories in Poznan, Poland on 9th. April 1944. The 96th. also led the 3rd. Division on the famous Schweinfurt mission of 14th. October 1943.
Other significant targets included airfields in Bordeaux and Augsburg, marshalling yards in Kiel, Hamm, Brunswick, and Gdynia, aircraft factories in Chemnitz, Hannover, and Diosgyor, oil refineries in Merseburg and Brux, and chemical works in Weisbaden, Ludwigshafen, and Neunkirchen.
In addition to strategic operations, tactical missions included bombing coastal defences, railway bridges, gun emplacements, and field batteries in the battle area prior to and during the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, attacking enemy positions in support of the breakthrough at St. Lo in July 1944, aiding the campaign in France in August by striking roads and road junctions, and by dropping supplies to the Maquis, rural guerrilla bands of French and Belgian Resistance fighters, and attacking, during the early months of 1945, the communications supplying German armies on the western front.
After V-E Day, the group flew food to Holland and transported redeployed personnel to French Morocco, France, Ireland, and Germany.
The group left Snetterton Heath on 11th. December 1945, returning to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. On 21st. December 1945 the group was inactivated.
The 96th. had the second highest number of aircraft missing in action by any unit of the 8th. Air Force, 189 aircraft, and the highest loss by any bomb group in the 3rd. Division, with the highest number of losses of any bomb group between March and May 1944, 65 aircraft.