479th Antisubmarine Group
The 479th Antisubmarine Group was a short-lived United States Army Air Forces unit that conducted aerial patrols and attacks against German U-boats over the Bay of Biscay in 1943.
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Overview
The 479th Antisubmarine Group was a United States Army Air Forces formation created during the Battle of the Atlantic to conduct aerial antisubmarine operations from Britain. It was constituted on 1 July 1943, activated on 8 July, and assigned throughout its existence to the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command. The group was organized from antisubmarine squadrons transferred from other Army Air Forces antisubmarine formations and deployed to RAF St Eval in Cornwall. Its operational purpose was to conduct so-called killer hunts against German submarines operating in the Bay of Biscay. The patrol area extended along the occupied French Atlantic coast from Brest toward the Spanish border, a region containing important Kriegsmarine U-boat bases at Brest, Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle or La Pallice, and Bordeaux. The group operated under the control of No. 19 Group of Royal Air Force Coastal Command while based at St Eval, illustrating the close coordination between American and British air forces in the Atlantic campaign. The group flew modified Consolidated B-24 Liberators. These aircraft carried specialized antisubmarine equipment, including radar, submarine-detection devices, and aerial depth charges. Operations began from England on 13 July 1943. The group's most productive period was between 18 July and 2 August, when it conducted nearly all of its attacks on enemy submarines. Its credited results included the sinking of two U-boats and participation in the destruction of another in cooperation with an RAF squadron. German submarine tactics changed after the initial attacks. U-boats increasingly avoided surfacing during daylight and adopted evasive measures, reducing the opportunities for successful attacks. The group's patrols nevertheless continued, and its crews also encountered German aircraft, including Junkers Ju 88s, Focke-Wulf Fw 200s, Messerschmitt Bf 109s, and Messerschmitt Bf 110s. The unit suffered the loss of four Liberators and the deaths of 29 personnel in action. In early August 1943, the group moved from St Eval to RAF Dunkeswell in Devon. It ended its antisubmarine operations in October, when responsibility for the aerial antisubmarine mission was transferred to the United States Navy. The group's B-24 aircraft at Dunkeswell were reassigned to Navy Patrol Bomber Squadron VPB-103, Fleet Air Wing 7, and redesignated PB4Ys, reflecting the broader institutional transition of the American antisubmarine air effort from the Army Air Forces to the Navy. The 479th Antisubmarine Group was inactivated on 11 November 1943. It was later reconstituted by the United States Air Force on 31 July 1985 and redesignated as the 359th Special Operations Group, but the reconstituted organization was not activated. The wartime group therefore remains principally a historical military unit rather than an operating organization or commercial brand.
History
The 479th Antisubmarine Group was established during the United States Army Air Forces' effort to expand aerial protection against German submarine operations in the Atlantic. It was constituted on 1 July 1943 and activated on 8 July under the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command. Rather than being built as an entirely new force, the group assembled existing antisubmarine squadrons reassigned from the command and from the 25th Antisubmarine Wing at Langley Field, Virginia. The group deployed to RAF St Eval in Cornwall, where it operated in cooperation with Britain's Royal Air Force Coastal Command. Its patrol zone was the Bay of Biscay, especially the waters off the occupied French coast between Brest and the Spanish frontier. This area was strategically important because German U-boats used several Atlantic bases, including Brest, Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle or La Pallice, and Bordeaux. The group's task was to locate, attack, and destroy submarines during what Army Air Forces terminology described as killer hunts. The 479th used modified Consolidated B-24 Liberators fitted for maritime warfare. Their equipment included radar, other antisubmarine detection systems, and aerial depth charges. The group began operations on 13 July 1943. Its strongest operational results came between 18 July and 2 August, when it carried out almost all of its attacks on German submarines. It was credited with sinking two U-boats and sharing responsibility for another sinking with an RAF squadron. The tactical environment soon became more difficult. German submarines reduced their exposure by avoiding daylight surfacing and by using evasive procedures. As a result, the group's patrols continued even though opportunities for direct attacks declined. Its aircraft also encountered German fighter and bomber-interceptor types, including the Junkers Ju 88, Focke-Wulf Fw 200, Messerschmitt Bf 109, and Messerschmitt Bf 110. Combat and operational losses were significant: four Liberators were lost and 29 members of the group were killed in action. In early August, the group moved to RAF Dunkeswell in Devon. It remained involved in the antisubmarine effort there until October 1943. The transfer of aerial antisubmarine responsibility to the United States Navy then brought the group's operational role to an end. The B-24s at Dunkeswell were transferred to Navy Patrol Bomber Squadron VPB-103, part of Fleet Air Wing 7, and converted administratively to the Navy's PB4Y designation. The 479th Antisubmarine Group was inactivated on 11 November 1943. In the postwar period, United States Air Force control was extended to former Army Air Forces units, including inactive formations. The group was reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated the 359th Special Operations Group, but that successor designation was never activated. Consequently, the 479th is remembered as a World War II antisubmarine aviation formation with a brief but active combat history, rather than as a continuing military organization.
- 1985
Reconstituted and redesignated
[1]The United States Air Force reconstituted the lineage on 31 July 1985 and redesignated it as the 359th Special Operations Group; the redesignated group was not activated.
- 1943
Constituted as the 479th Antisubmarine Group
[1]The group was constituted on 1 July 1943 within the United States Army Air Forces antisubmarine structure.
- 1943
Activated under the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command
[1]Activation took place on 8 July, with the group assigned to the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command.
- 1943
Begins Bay of Biscay operations
[1]The group began operational flying from RAF St Eval on 13 July, patrolling against German U-boats.
- 1943
Moves to RAF Dunkeswell
[1]The group relocated to RAF Dunkeswell in Devon during early August.
- 1943
Inactivated
[1]The wartime group was inactivated on 11 November 1943 after the Army's aerial antisubmarine mission had been transferred to the Navy.
Products and positioning
A wartime military aviation unit specializing in long-range aerial antisubmarine patrols and offensive U-boat hunting.
Maritime patrol aircraft
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The group operated modified B-24 Liberators adapted for antisubmarine warfare. The aircraft carried radar, specialized submarine-detection equipment, and aerial depth charges for long-range patrols and attacks over the Bay of Biscay. After the Army's antisubmarine role was transferred to the Navy, the group's B-24s were reassigned to VPB-103 at Dunkeswell and redesignated PB4Ys.
Marketing campaigns
- 1943Bay of Biscay antisubmarine patrols
Bay of Biscay · Western France
From July through October 1943, the group flew patrols and offensive missions against German U-boats operating from Atlantic bases along the occupied French coast. Its most effective period was 18 July to 2 August, when it sank two submarines and shared another sinking with an RAF unit.
Outcome. The group achieved several confirmed or shared submarine victories but faced increasingly evasive German tactics and combat losses before its mission was transferred to the Navy.
Brand decisions
1985
Postwar lineage reconstitutionOtherBackground
The United States Air Force later reviewed and reorganized the lineage of former Army Air Forces units.
Action taken
On 31 July 1985, the group was reconstituted and redesignated as the 359th Special Operations Group.
Aftermath
The redesignated organization was not activated.
1943
Transfer of aerial antisubmarine responsibility to the NavyStrategyBackground
The United States reorganized its aerial antisubmarine effort during 1943, ending the group's Army-led operational role after its patrols from Britain.
Action taken
The group's antisubmarine operations ended in October, and its B-24 aircraft were reassigned to Navy Patrol Bomber Squadron VPB-103 and redesignated PB4Ys.
Aftermath
The 479th Antisubmarine Group was inactivated on 11 November 1943.
Recent events
- 1943
479th Antisubmarine Group begins operations from RAF St Eval[1]
Other
The group commenced operational flying from Cornwall on 13 July 1943, conducting antisubmarine patrols over the Bay of Biscay under the operational control of RAF Coastal Command's No. 19 Group.
- 1943
479th Antisubmarine Group moves to RAF Dunkeswell[1]
Other
The unit relocated from RAF St Eval to RAF Dunkeswell in Devon during early August as its operational role in the Atlantic antisubmarine campaign continued.
- 1943
Antisubmarine mission transferred to the United States Navy[1]
Other
The group's operations ended in October after aerial antisubmarine responsibilities were transferred from the Army Air Forces to the Navy. Its B-24s were reassigned to VPB-103 and redesignated PB4Ys.
Sources1 sources
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