490th Bombardment Group Roll of Honor
Details:
A large wooden board with the insignias of the 490th BG and 8th Air Force in top corners, showing dedication and 4 columns of names in gold-colored, uppercase, painted lettering. The project was set up by seven local residents in an effort to raise funds for a permanent memorial in the town to the lost US airmen. The memorial was dedicated in August 2015.
The 490th Bombardment Group was activated at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah on 1 October 1943, with four squadrons, the 848th, 849th, 850th, and 851st Bombardment Squadrons assigned. The 848th through 850th Squadrons were activated with the group at Salt Lake City, while the 851st, a former antisubmarine squadron that provided the group's cadre, was located at Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho.
In December, group headquarters and the three squadrons at Salt Lake City moved to Mountain Home, where they began training with Consolidated B-24 Liberators. The squadrons left their training base on 9 April 1944 for the European Theater of Operations. The group's ground echelon departed the port of embarkation at Camp Shanks, New York, sailing on the SS Nieuw Amsterdam on 11 April and arriving in the United Kingdom on 25 April. The air echelon flew its planes along the southern ferry route beginning on 12 April.
The group arrived at RAF Eye, its combat station, on 28 April. However, before the group could fly its first combat mission, the 850th Squadron was reassigned to VIII Air Force Composite Command to fly Operation Carpetbagger missions with the 801st Bombardment Group (Provisional). The remaining three squadrons of the group began combat operations on 31 May 1944. The group's initial missions were flown to prepare for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, as the squadron concentrated on targets in France. It supported the landings on D-Day and attacked coastal defenses, airfields, rail lines, and vehicles near the landings. It flew close air support missions to assist British forces near Caen in July and American forces near Brest in September. It was withdrawn from combat on 6 August 1944, to convert to the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress as the 93d Combat Bombardment Wing transitioned to make the 3d Bombardment Division an all B-17 unit. While the group was transitioning aircraft, the 492d Bombardment Group replaced the 801st Group in the Carpetbagger mission on 12 August. The 850th Squadron transferred its crews and B-24s to the 492d Group and returned to the 490th on paper to be included in the change to the group's new bomber.
Once the transition to the B-17 was completed on 24 August, the squadron concentrated on strategic bombing, attacking oil refineries, airfields, marshaling yards, and factories manufacturing aircraft and armored vehicles. It participated in raids against Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Hanover, Kassel, Merseburg, and Münster. The 490th flew its first mission with the B-17 on 27 August to Genshagen, Germany to attack the BMW engine factory although the mission was aborted due to weather. On occasion, the squadron was diverted from the strategic bombing campaign. It attacked enemy lines of communication during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945. In the last month of the war in Europe, it carried out interdiction missions to support advancing ground forces. The squadron's last combat mission was flown on 20 April 1945.
Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, en.wikipedia.org, www.edp24.co.uk
Monument Text:
490TH BOMBARDMENT
GROUP (H), EYE
(List of names, not by inscription order and number)
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2 Lt. Harold Adelman FO Warren J Allen S/Sgt Stephen J Andrews Sgt C Anderson 2Lt Raymond S Ankeny 2Lt R Ambrose 1Lt William I Audette S/Sgt Alfred J Aulicino t/Sgt Kenneth T Bagnell T/Sgt Helmer O Baland 1 Lt Herman L Ballard 2Lt William E Barnard S/Sgt Lawrence D Barnett S/Sgt John C Barry 1 Lt John D Beach S/Sgt Joseph T Beaudoin Jnr FO Nicholas W Beletzky T/Sgt Harold S Bennett Cpl Henry J Bennett S/Sgt Daniel C Bereck 1Lt Frederick L Black Cpl Lawrence L Boekeloo 2Lt Leo L Borden S/Sgt Paul Bowling S/Sgt Bruce O Boxburger FO Leo A Braddell 1Lt Clarence E Bridwell 2Lt Arthur R Bright T/Sgt James L Bruce S/Sgt George K Bryant 1Lt Arthur A Bubendorf Sgt James R Butterfield 2Lt Richard C Buttler 2Lt Ronald A Cargill S/Sgt Walter H Case Sgt Roy E Caver S/Sgt Ted R Chapin 2Lt Wiley G Comer S/Sgt Wendel E Cole S/Sgt Alfred W Cole Jnr 2Lt Dick W Colyer S/Sgt Raymond S Conroy 2Lt James A Cook S/Sgt Dallas G Couchman Sgt Teofilo III Crixell 2Lt Charles D Crofts Lt Philip H Davis 2Lt Jenner J De Santis Lt Edmund W De Wahl 1Lt Louis J Deputy Sgt George V Devlin T/Sgt Robert L Dittmer Sgt Lyle E Dole S/Sgt Earle L Dorr Jnr Mjr Francis H Dresser Pvt Virgil E Dupler 1Lt Marshall C Dunn 2Lt Charles S Elder S/Sgt Joseph T Elie T/Sgt Shirley F Elliott S/Sgt John L Emmons 2Lt Joseph M Farkas Sgt Willard E Fay 1Lt Richahrd W Fellows 1Lt Charlie JFowlkes Jnr S/Sgt Ralph W Franke 2Lt Charles S Frey Sgt Dardo Garbiero Sgt Donald R Garry. S/Sgt Dale W Golden 2Lt George I Gorham S/Sgt Thomas H Gossett 1Lt Donald C Grant Cap Ralph E Gregory Sgt Roy W Gripne T/Sgt Roy E Griswould 2Lt Lawrence E Grubisich S/Sgt Floyd G Hall Sgt John K Hamilton
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T/Sgt Elmer R Hammond S/Sgt Paul O Hartkof Maj Lamont D Hass. Sgt Jimmie R Heathman 2Lt Frank R Hedeen 2Lt Richard J Hermann T/Sgt Marvin Hild 1Lt Charles U Hillweg 2Lt George W Hixson 2Lt Donald J Hoeffler Sgt Edward C Holdren. Cpl Huddy James J S/Sgt Fred H Horton S/Sgt Lloyd M Hudson T/Sgt Sidney E Iglitzen Sgt James E Ireland 1Lt Robert L Jackson T/Sgt Albert E Jenkins Sgt Oscar Jensen JS/Sgt Robert A Johnson S/Sgt Carl B Johnson Jnr S/Sgt Robert E Joyce Sgt Herman J Kautz T/Sgt Claude E Keele T/Sgt Francis W Kemp Sgt Lloyd Kennedy E 1Lt david P Kilpatrick. 1Lt Charles R Kline 2Lt Jack F Knox S/Sgt Harold Kornely Jr. S/Sgt Bernard W Koutz 2Lt George R Kumm Cpl Donovan L Kunz. 1Lt George J Kurtz. T/Sgt Clifford A Kwasigroh FO Gordon P Lake Cpl George B Langley S/Sgt Glenn N Larson. S/Sgt Richard L Lemanski Cpl Edward A Lennon Sgt Charles G Lennon 2Lt Gary L Leonard. S/Sgt Wilbur L Lesh Sgt Robert N Lincoln. S/Sgt James E Lindeman T/Sgt Daniel B Lockstead T/Sgt Edward R Longer Sgt Lawrence C Lynn Cpl Drayton Mannies T/Sgt Peter Malires 1Lt Henry J Martinson S/Sgt Frank A Mateyka T/Sgt Clement T Mayer S/Sgt Donald R Mayhew 1Lt William McAllister 1Lt Paul E McGee S/Sgt Roy E McGhee 1Lt Walter A McGrath T/Sgt Clarence H McKinney 1Lt Martin F Meadows Sgt Hymie Mehlman S/Sgt Walter A Meyer Jnr S/Sgt Stanley N Milholen T/Sgt C. M. Morris. S/Sgt Robert M Moyer S/sgt Edward J Mulvihill T/Sgt Robert A Neuenschwander. Sgt Robert S Newsome FO Clifton W Nippert T/Sgt Charles R Noblin 2Lt Floyd R Norman S/Sgt Irving Norsoph 2Lt Frederocl B Ostler Lt. Owen Jack R. 2 Lt Philley Jack O. Sgt Phillips Richard B T/Sgt Pickens Lilbert D, Jr T/Sgt Pines Harry. T/Sgt Plein William J B.
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S/Sgt Plotner Charles M 2 Lt Pokrifcsak Peter G. T/Sgt Pooler Carlton F. S/Sgt Porterfield John H S/Sgt Price James C S/Sgt Price Thomas W. 1 Lt Primus Michael H. S/Sgt Pritchett Oral S. 2 Lt Provolt Jack J. S/Sgt Pugh Gordon W. 1 Lt Pulli Dominic A. Sgt Pulver Calvin C. 2 Lt Ransom Richard L. 1 Lt Ratliff Clifford A T/Sgt Rayberg Milton 2 Lt Redman Forest M. S/Sgt Richter Lawrence I. T/Sgt Ripple Joe W. S/Sgt Rivers James C. Sgt Rooney Lawrence J. 1 Lt. Roufs Darril F. Sgt Russell Donald L. 2 lt. Russell Robert E. S/Sgt Sarazewski Edward A 2Lt Willard Sawyer H Jnr. 2Lt Arthur A Saye Sgt Edward C Schanhaar 1Lt John J Schultz Sgt Merle S Schutt 2Lt Robert $ Schwabe T/Sgt William M Shiflett Jnr. S/Sgt Edward J Shively FO Lowell Shuman S/Sgt Martin Silver 2Lt Robert C Simmons T/Sgt Harvey C Smetzer S/Sgt Dean R Smith 2Lt Lorenzo G Smith Jr. 2Lt John J Smith 2Lt Paul A Snyder S/Sgt Gelo E Stagges Sgt Wayne W Stauffer 2Lt Ross E Stewart Sgt Carl E Sten 1Lt Arthur Stern S/Sgt Harry Stoever S/Sgt Edward T Sumrell Sgt John H Suttle 2Lt Billy B Swearengin 2Lt John O Terlecky Jnr. S/Sgt Patsy L Terling Sgt John B Terry Jnr. Sgt Edward T Tijan. Sgt John Till Sgt Charles L Todt T/Sgt Santi J Trimarchi 2Lt Joseph A Trojanowski Cpl Donald N Tuttle Jnr. 2Lt Charles Upshaw S/Sgt Amerigo Virgili S/Sgt James S Vogt T/Sgt John F Volin Jr. T/Sgt Walter M Walters Cpl Virgil W. Walton Sgt Wayne E Watson Cpl William D Weales T/Sgt Crawford D. Weaver S/Sgt Richard V Weber 2Lt Richard D Wilcox T/Sgt Louis A Wiley FO William Wilson 1Lt Ellington W Wiltshire 2Lt Donald L Wood 1Lt William F Wood S/Sgt Lawrence F Woods Sgt William G Zuendel Jr. |
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
490th Bombardment Group
848th Bombardment Squadron
849th Bomber Squadron, 490th Bombardment Group, Heavy
850th Bomber Squadron, 490th Bomber Group, Heavy
851st Bombardment Squadron
8th Air Force
US Army Air Corps
Wars:
WWII