100th Bombardment Group (Second World War)

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History

The 100th Bombardment Group was a B-17 group that took part in the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign, supporting the armies on the continent after D-Day and was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palms.

The 100th joined the 4th Bombardment Wing in early June 1943, becoming its fourth group.

The group's combat debut came on 22 June when it flew on a diversionary raid intended to draw German attention from the first deep penetration of Germany by the Eighth Air Force. Ground mist delayed the group's take off and it played a minor part in the day's fighting. Most of the group's missions were part of the strategic bombing campaign over Europe, but in the second half of 1943 it also took part in attacks on airfields in France as part of the preparations for D-Day. In the first part of 1944 it also attacked transport targets and V-weapon sites as well as taking part in the 'Big Week' attacks on the German aircraft industry (20-25 February 1944).

The group suffered very heavy losses during an attack on Munster on 10 October 1943. It had the lead position in the force, and saw twelve aircraft shot down, out of a total of 29 lost by the 3rd Bombardment Division.

As well as its strategic operations the group operated in support of the armies fighting on the continent. It attacks bridges and gun emplacements during D-Day, supported the American breakthrough at St Lo in July 1944 and the attacks on Brest in August and September. It was used to directly attack German defences during the attack on the Siegfried Line in October-December 1944 and operated over the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. It was also used to support the crossing of the Rhine in 1945.

The group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its role in the Regensburg raid of 17 August 1943, where it lost nine aircraft. It also received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm, partly for attacks on German positions inside Germany and party for dropping supplies to the French Forces of the Interior in the second half of 1944.

The group returned to the United States in December 1945 and was inactivated in the same month.

Books

The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission, Martin Middlebrook. A very detailed account of the costly American daylight raids on Regensburg and Schweinfurt of 17 August 1943, a pair of maximum effort attacks that were meant to cripple parts of German industry but instead made it clear that even the heavily armed B-17 Flying Fortress couldn't operate without fighter escort. [read full review]
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‘Big Week’ 1944 – Operation Argument and the breaking of the Jadgwaffe, Douglas C. Dildy. Looks at the USAAF’s concentrated attack on the German aircraft industry, a week of massive bombing raids that forced the Luftwaffe into an equally massive defensive effort that cost them around 150 aircrew at a time when they could hardly afford those losses, as well as cutting German fighter production by around 2,000 aircraft, and proving that the long range escort fighter was the key to a successful daylight bombing campaign (Read Full Review)
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Aircraft

1942-1945: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

Timeline

28 January 1942 Constituted as 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
1 June 1942 Activated
May-June 1943 To England and Eighth Air Force
December 1945 To United States
21 December 1945 Inactivated

Commanders (with date of appointment)

Col Darr H Alkire: c. 14 Nov 1942
Col Howard M Turner: c. 28 Apr 1943
Col Harold Q Huglin: Jun 1943
Col Neil B Harding: c. Jul 1943
Col Robert H Kelly: 19 Apr 1944
Col Thomas S Jeffery: c. 9 May 1944
Col Frederick J Sutterlin: 2 Feb 1945
Lt Col John B Wallace, 23 Jun 1945

Main Bases

Orlando AB, Fla: 1 Jun 1942
Barksdale Field, La: c. 18 Jun 1942
Pendleton Field, Ore: c. 26 Jun 1942
Gowen Field, Idaho: 28 Aug 1942
Walla Walla, Wash: c. 1 Nov 1942
Wendover Field, Utah: c. 30 Nov 1942
Sioux City AAB, Iowa: c. 28 Dec 1942
Kearney AA Fld, Neb: c. 30 Jan-May 1943
Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk, England: 9 Jun 1943-Dec 1945
Camp Kilmer, NJ: c. 20-21 Dec 1945

Component Units

349th Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1942-1 December 1945
350th Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1942-1 December 1945
351st Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1942-1 December 1945
418th Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1942-19 December 1945

Assigned To

1943: 4th Bombardment Wing; VIII Bomber Command; Eighth Air Force
1943-44: 13th Bombardment Wing; 3rd Air Division; VIII Bomber Command; Eighth Air Force
1944-45: 13th Bombardment Wing; 3rd Air Division; Eighth Air Force; US Strategic Air Forces Europe

How to cite this article: Rickard, J (18 October 2012), 100th Bombardment Group (Second World War) , http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/USAAF/100th_Bombardment_Group.html

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