Donate      Newsletter Signup

PLEASE SUPPORT THE ARMY AIR CORPS MUSEUM! [MORE]
Ads help support our web operation, if you would like to turn them OFF for this visit;

451st Bombardment Group

Constituted as 451st Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 6 Apr 1943. Activated on 1 May 1943. Prepared for combat with B-24's. Moved to the Mediterranean theater, Nov 1943-Jan 1944, with the air echelon training in Algeria for several weeks before joining the remainder of the group in Italy. Operated with Fifteenth AF, Jan 1944-May 1945, functioning primarily as a strategic bombardment organization. Attacked such targets as oil refineries, marshalling yards, aircraft factories, bridges, and airfields in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Greece. Received a DUC for each of three missions: to an aircraft factory at Regensburg on 25 Feb 1944, to oil refineries and marshalling yards at Ploesti on 5 Apr 1944, and to an airdrome at Vienna on 23 Aug 1944; although encountering large numbers of enemy fighters and severe antiaircraft fire during each of these missions, the group fought its way through the opposition, destroyed many interceptors, and inflicted serious damage on the assigned targets.

 15th Air Force

At times the group also flew support and interdictory missions. Helped to prepare the way for and participated in the invasion of Southern France in Aug 1944. Transported supplies to troops in Italy during Sep 1944. Supported the final advances of Allied armies in northern Italy in Apr 1945.

The 451st returned to the US in Jun. Inactivated on 26 Sep 1945.

Squadrons. 724th: 1943-1945. 725th: 1943-1945. 726th: 1943-1945. 727th: 1943-1945.

Stations. Davis-Monthan Field, Ariz, 1 May 1943; Dyersburg AAFld, Tenn, 3 Jun 1943; Wendover Field, Utah, c. 18 Jul 1943; Fairmont AAFld, Neb, 9 Sep-16 Nov 1943; Gioia del Colle, Italy, c. 10 Jan 1944; San Pancrazio, Italy, c. 5 Mar 1944; Castelluccio Airfield, Italy, c. 6 Apr 1944-Jun 1945; Dow Field, Maine, c. 19 Jun-16 Sep 1945.

Commanders. Col Robert E L Eaton, c. 1 May 1943; Col James B Knapp, 19 Sep 1944; Col Leroy L Stefonowicz, Dec 1944; Maj William H McGuire, unkn-16 Sep 1945.

Campaigns. Air Combat, EAME Theater; Air Offensive, Europe; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Regensburg, Germany, 25 Feb 1944; Ploesti, Rumania, 5 Apr 1944; Austria, 23 Aug 1944.

Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986


VOLUNTEERING

Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. We also need assistance with retyping unit history documents.

Contact About Volunteering