491st Bombardment Group
The 491st Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces heavy-bomber unit that flew B-24 Liberators in the European theater during World War II.
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Overview
The 491st Bombardment Group was a former United States Army Air Forces heavy-bomber formation created for service in World War II. Constituted as the 491st Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 14 September 1943, it was activated on 1 October 1943 at Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona. Its component squadrons were the 852d, 853d, 854th, and 855th Bombardment Squadrons. The 855th was formed through the redesignation of the former 17th Antisubmarine Squadron, giving the new group an initial cadre with relevant operational experience. The group trained in the United States during a period when the Army Air Forces was expanding and reorganizing its heavy-bomber force. It moved from Arizona to El Paso Army Air Field, Texas, in November 1943 and began working with Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft. Personnel and organizational resources were repeatedly redistributed as the Army Air Forces prioritized other formations, including B-29 units. The group consequently experienced a temporary shortage of aircraft and crews. Its air echelon later moved to Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, where additional crews joined and the formation returned to operational strength. The 491st deployed to England in spring 1944. Its air and ground elements were assembled at RAF Metfield, and the group entered combat on 2 June 1944 with an attack on Bretigny Airfield in France. During the period surrounding the Allied invasion of Normandy, it attacked airfields, coastal defenses, transportation links, and other targets intended to restrict German movement and reinforce the ground campaign. After D-Day, its principal role became strategic bombing. Missions targeted communications centers, oil refineries, shipyards, depots, industrial installations, and other military or economically significant facilities across Germany, including targets in Berlin, Bielefeld, Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg, Hanover, Kassel, and Magdeburg. In August 1944, the group moved from RAF Metfield to RAF North Pickenham after changes involving the 492d Bombardment Group and the temporary 801st Bombardment Group. The 491st continued both strategic and tactical support missions. It aided the breakout at Saint-Lô during Operation Cobra, delivered supplies during Operation Market Garden, attacked German positions and supply routes during the Battle of the Bulge, and supported Operation Varsity and the Allied advance into Germany. The group’s most severe and best-known action occurred on 26 November 1944, when it attacked an oil refinery at Misburg. German fighters heavily intercepted the formation and destroyed approximately half of the group’s aircraft. Despite the losses, surviving crews reached and bombed the target. The action resulted in the group receiving a Distinguished Unit Citation. Across its combat tour, the 491st flew 187 missions and more than 5,000 sorties. It lost 47 aircraft and claimed nine German aircraft destroyed, according to the unit’s historical record. The group flew its final combat mission on 25 April 1945. Following Germany’s surrender, aircraft began returning to the United States in June, while the ground echelon sailed aboard RMS Queen Mary in July. The formation reassembled at McChord Field, Washington, and was inactivated on 8 September 1945. It is therefore not an active commercial brand or continuing military organization, but a historical World War II unit whose identity is associated with B-24 operations, the Eighth Air Force bombing campaign, and the Misburg Distinguished Unit Citation action.
History
The 491st Bombardment Group was constituted on 14 September 1943 and activated on 1 October at Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona. It was organized as a heavy-bomber group within the United States Army Air Forces, with the 852d, 853d, and 854th Bombardment Squadrons activated alongside it. The 855th Bombardment Squadron was created by redesignating the 17th Antisubmarine Squadron, whose personnel formed part of the new group’s cadre. Initial training included specialized exercises at Pinecastle Army Air Field, Florida, conducted under simulated combat conditions through the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics. The group then moved to El Paso Army Air Field, Texas, where it trained with Consolidated B-24 Liberators. Personnel were reassigned during the Army Air Forces’ wider expansion, particularly to B-29 organizations, and the group temporarily had few aircraft and crews. Its air echelon transferred to Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, in January 1944, received additional crews, and reached full strength in early February. The group’s elements crossed the Atlantic in April and May 1944. Ground personnel were staged through English stations including Ketteringham Hall and RAF North Pickenham, while the air echelon ferried aircraft by the southern route. The group assembled at RAF Metfield and began operations on 2 June with a strike against Bretigny Airfield. Before and immediately after the Normandy landings, it attacked airfields, coastal defenses, rail and communications targets, and other facilities supporting German military operations. It later undertook a sustained strategic-bombing role against industrial and military targets in Germany, including oil facilities, shipyards, depots, communications centers, and urban industrial areas. In August 1944, organizational changes involving the 492d Bombardment Group led the 491st to relocate to RAF North Pickenham. Its missions were not limited to strategic bombing. The group supported the Saint-Lô breakout during Operation Cobra, dropped supplies during Operation Market Garden, attacked German transportation and defensive systems during the Battle of the Bulge, and supported Operation Varsity and the Allied advance across Germany. On 26 November 1944, the group attacked the oil refinery at Misburg. German fighter opposition was intense, and approximately half of the formation’s aircraft were shot down. The remaining crews nevertheless completed the attack, an action for which the group received a Distinguished Unit Citation. The group ultimately completed 187 combat missions and more than 5,000 sorties, losing 47 aircraft and claiming nine enemy aircraft destroyed. Its last combat mission took place on 25 April 1945. After V-E Day, the group began returning aircraft to the United States on 17 June 1945. The ground echelon sailed from England aboard RMS Queen Mary on 6 July and reached New York five days later. The group reassembled at McChord Field, Washington, and was inactivated on 8 September 1945. Its wartime lineage ended with that inactivation, and no current operating organization or commercial activity is identified in the supplied references.
- 1945
Completed combat operations
[1]The group flew its final combat mission on 25 April.
- 1945
Inactivated at McChord Field
[1]After returning from Europe, the group was inactivated in Washington on 8 September.
- 1944
Arrived in the European theater
[1]The group assembled at RAF Metfield in England in May and began combat operations the following month.
- 1944
Misburg refinery attack
[1]The group attacked the Misburg oil refinery on 26 November despite heavy fighter opposition and subsequently received a Distinguished Unit Citation.
- 1943
Constituted as a heavy-bomber group
[1]The unit was constituted as the 491st Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 14 September.
- 1943
Activated in Arizona
[1]The group and three of its component squadrons were activated at Davis–Monthan Field on 1 October.
Products and positioning
A wartime heavy-bomber group organized for long-range offensive air operations and later employed in both strategic bombing and direct support of Allied ground and airborne campaigns.
Heavy bomber aircraft
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The B-24 Liberator was the group’s principal aircraft. The 491st used the type for long-range strategic bombing, attacks on transportation and industrial infrastructure, close support of ground operations, and supply-dropping missions. Its operational record was built around the aircraft during the group’s deployment to England and its combat tour from June 1944 through April 1945.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Operation Varsity and the advance into Germany
Germany · European Theater
The group supported the airborne assault across the Rhine and subsequent Allied operations in Germany.
Outcome. The group continued operations until its final combat mission on 25 April 1945.
- 1944Operation Overlord support
France · European Theater
The group attacked airfields, coastal defenses, and communications targets before and after the Normandy landings to support the Allied invasion of France.
Outcome. The group transitioned into the broader strategic bombing campaign after the landings.
- 1944Operation Cobra
France
The group supported the Allied breakout from the Normandy bridgehead near Saint-Lô.
Outcome. Its bombing support contributed to the wider Allied advance through western France.
- 1944Operation Market Garden
Netherlands · European Theater
The group dropped supplies to Allied paratroopers and ground forces during the attempt to establish a bridgehead across the Rhine.
Outcome. The operation did not secure all of its intended objectives, but the group performed its assigned aerial resupply role.
- 1944Battle of the Bulge support
Belgium · Germany · European Theater
The group attacked German supply lines, transportation networks, and fortifications during the winter offensive.
Outcome. The missions supported Allied efforts to contain and reverse the German offensive.
Brand decisions
1944
Shift from invasion support to strategic bombingStrategyBackground
The group initially attacked targets supporting the Normandy invasion, including airfields and coastal defenses.
Action taken
After D-Day, it concentrated more heavily on strategic targets such as refineries, communications centers, shipyards, depots, and industrial facilities.
Aftermath
The group became a regular participant in the Eighth Air Force bombing campaign against Germany.
1944
Relocation to RAF North PickenhamOtherBackground
Organizational changes involving the 492d Bombardment Group and the 801st Bombardment Group altered the allocation of English bases.
Action taken
The 491st moved from RAF Metfield to the 492d’s former base at RAF North Pickenham in August.
Aftermath
The group continued combat operations from North Pickenham through the end of its European deployment.
Recent events
- 1945
Final combat mission and postwar inactivation[1]
Other
The group flew its final combat mission on 25 April, returned to the United States after Victory in Europe, and was inactivated at McChord Field on 8 September.
- 1944
Group begins combat operations from England[1]
Other
The group entered combat on 2 June 1944 with an attack on Bretigny Airfield and subsequently supported the Allied invasion of France.
- 1944
491st Bombardment Group receives Distinguished Unit Citation for Misburg mission[1]
Other
After sustaining severe fighter losses during the 26 November attack on the Misburg oil refinery, surviving aircraft completed the bombing assignment, leading to recognition with a Distinguished Unit Citation.
- 1943
491st Bombardment Group activated at Davis–Monthan Field[1]
Other
The United States Army Air Forces activated the heavy-bomber group and its initial component squadrons in Arizona.
Sources1 sources
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