330th Bombardment Group
The 330th Bombardment Group, nicknamed “Empire Busters,” was a United States Army Air Forces B-29 unit that conducted bombing operations against Japan in 1945.
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Overview
The 330th Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces bomber formation active during and immediately after the Second World War. Although the supplied subject is a military unit rather than a commercial brand, it is retained here as the authoritative Wikipedia entity identified by the requested wiki path. The group was organized in Utah in 1942 and initially operated as a B-24 Liberator replacement-training unit under the Second Air Force. Its early task was to prepare aircrews for operational service rather than to conduct combat missions. Training took place at Alamogordo Army Airfield in New Mexico and later at Biggs Field near El Paso, Texas. In April 1944 the organization was redesignated the 330th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and converted into a Boeing B-29 Superfortress operational bomb group. It was assigned to the 314th Bombardment Wing and moved to Walker Army Airfield in Kansas for aircraft conversion, crew formation, and intensive operational preparation. The group included the 457th, 458th, and 459th Bombardment Squadrons, along with the 26th Photo Laboratory. During the summer of 1944 its personnel were divided between Walker and a headquarters-manpower echelon at Dalhart, Texas, before the elements were reunited at Walker in August. Aircrews and support personnel joined during the autumn, allowing the group to train as a complete B-29 formation. The group deployed to Guam in early 1945. Its ground echelon traveled by rail to the Fort Lawton staging area in Seattle in January and then sailed for Guam aboard the Army transport Howell Lykes. Ground personnel reached the Port of Agana on 18 February, while the first group aircraft arrived at North Field on 25 March. The unit became part of XXI Bomber Command within the Twentieth Air Force and flew its first combat mission on 12 April 1945 against the Hodogaya chemical plant in the Yokohama area. Its later missions included attacks on industrial, urban, and airfield targets in Japan, including operations connected with the campaign against Japanese airfields used in support of kamikaze attacks. The 330th flew both daylight precision and nighttime incendiary missions. Daylight formations assembled near the Japanese coast and attacked under the direction of lead aircraft; night operations commonly used Pathfinder aircraft to mark target areas with incendiaries. The group’s aircraft carried a distinctive black square tail marking with a large “K,” later given an orange-yellow infill for improved recognition. As a 314th Wing unit, its aircraft also used “City of …” nose titles, combining a globe design with a flag identifying a crewman’s or aircraft commander’s hometown. The design supported a proposed postwar bond-tour concept intended to raise funds for the war effort. The group’s final wartime record included 1,320 combat sorties, 18,978 combat hours, and approximately 7,039 short tons of high-explosive and incendiary bombs delivered. It received two Distinguished Unit Citations for incendiary raids against the Japanese home islands. The group returned to the United States in November and December 1945 and was inactivated on 3 January 1946. It was later reconstituted in the Air Force Reserve as a medium bombardment group in 1949, but its personnel were ordered to active duty in 1951 and transferred to Korea; the organization was then inactivated without personnel. A further redesignation as the 330th Troop Carrier Group preceded another inactivation in 1952. Its lineage and honors were subsequently associated with the 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, which was permanently inactivated in 2010.
History
The 330th Bombardment Group was activated in 1942 as a Second Air Force replacement-training unit for B-24 Liberator crews. Its training locations included Alamogordo Army Airfield, New Mexico, and Biggs Field, Texas. In April 1944 it became a very-heavy bombardment group equipped with B-29 Superfortresses and was assigned to the 314th Bombardment Wing at Walker Army Airfield, Kansas. The organization brought together three bombardment squadrons—the 457th, 458th, and 459th—and the 26th Photo Laboratory. The group prepared for Pacific service through a staged buildup of personnel, aircraft, and support elements. Its advanced ground echelon departed Kansas in January 1945 and reached Guam in February. Engineers and air-service personnel worked to make the group’s North Field facilities operational while aircrews completed training and ferried B-29s across the Pacific. The first aircraft arrived on Guam in March, and the group entered combat on 12 April 1945. Its combat missions covered Japanese industrial and military targets. Daylight missions generally used lead aircraft and formation bombing, while night missions relied on Pathfinder-marked incendiary target areas. The group attacked locations around Tokyo, Yokohama, Kawasaki, and Kyushu, including airfields associated with Japanese kamikaze operations. Its final wartime mission was airborne when the Japanese surrender was announced on 15 August 1945. The unit’s reported performance included 1,320 combat sorties and 7,039 short tons of bombs delivered, with a particularly low ground-abort rate and a high rate of aircraft reaching their assigned targets. The unit returned to the United States during November and December 1945 and was inactivated in January 1946. It was reactivated in the Air Force Reserve as a medium bombardment group in 1949, but its personnel were ordered to active duty in 1951 and the group was inactivated without personnel. In 1952 it was redesignated as a troop-carrier group and inactivated again. The lineage and honors later continued through the 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, permanently inactivated in 2010.
- 2010
Permanent inactivation of successor wing
[1]The 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, which carried the lineage and honors, was permanently inactivated.
- 1952
Troop-carrier redesignation
[1]The organization was redesignated as the 330th Troop Carrier Group before being inactivated in July.
- 1949
Air Force Reserve reactivation
[1]The unit was redesignated as a medium bombardment group and activated in the Air Force Reserve.
- 1946
Postwar inactivation
[1]The wartime group was inactivated on 3 January after returning to the United States.
- 1945
Deployment to Guam
[1]Ground personnel arrived in February and the first group aircraft reached North Field in March for Pacific operations.
- 1945
First combat mission
[1]The group attacked the Hodogaya chemical plant in the Yokohama area on 12 April.
- 1944
Conversion to B-29 operations
[1]The organization was redesignated as a very-heavy bombardment group and assigned to the 314th Bombardment Wing for B-29 training.
- 1942
Activation as a B-24 replacement-training unit
[1]The group was organized in Utah and assigned to the Second Air Force for B-24 Liberator crew training.
Products and positioning
A wartime heavy-bomber and replacement-training organization focused first on B-24 crew preparation and later on long-range B-29 operations against Japan.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Strategic bombing campaign against Japan
Japan · Pacific Theater
From April through August 1945, the group conducted B-29 bombing operations against Japanese industrial, urban, and military targets from Guam as part of the Twentieth Air Force campaign.
Outcome. The group completed 47 combat missions and received two Distinguished Unit Citations for incendiary raids on the Japanese home islands.
- 1945Kyushu airfield campaign
Kyushu, Japan
The group repeatedly attacked Japanese airfields, including Kanoya, in operations intended to reduce facilities supporting kamikaze activity.
Outcome. The raids damaged or destroyed airfield facilities and contributed to the broader anti-airfield campaign.
Brand decisions
1945
Adopt daylight precision and nighttime incendiary missionsStrategyBackground
Weather, target visibility, Japanese defenses, and the changing Twentieth Air Force campaign shaped mission planning.
Action taken
The group used lead-aircraft formation bombing for daylight operations and Pathfinder-marked incendiary attacks at night, with radar or secondary targets used when necessary.
Aftermath
The group completed a large number of combat sorties and reported strong over-the-target performance.
1944
Convert from B-24 training to B-29 combat operationsStrategyBackground
The Army Air Forces required an operational very-heavy bombardment group for the Pacific campaign against Japan.
Action taken
The unit was redesignated, assigned to the 314th Bombardment Wing, and equipped and trained with B-29 Superfortresses at Walker Army Airfield.
Aftermath
The group deployed to Guam and entered combat in April 1945.
Sources1 sources
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