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390th Bomb Group

Group

The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This tactical role was more attuned to the needs of ground forces. For instance, the Group bombed the coast near Caen fifteen minutes before the landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944. The Group also carried out humanitarian missions, dropping food supplies for the Dutch in the final weeks of the war. The only man to fly 100 missions, Hewitt "Buck" Dunn, did so with the 390th Bomb Group.

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Missions

  • VIII Bomber Command 81

    12 August 1943
    This mission is separated into two elements. The first element is a combined force of 183 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division: 91BG (22); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (20); 306BG (20); 351BG (21); 379BG (21); 381BG (20); and 384BG (20) are despatched to bomb...

  • VIII Bomber Command 82

    15 August 1943
    German airfields in Holland and France are the targets for this mission. All of the attacks were made late in the afternoon just prior to sunset. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (20...

  • VIII Bomber Command 84

    17 August 1943
    The mission flown on 17-Aug-43, the 1st anniversary of the 1st mission flown by the 8th Air Force, is probably the most written about mission of the war. This is the famous Schweinfurt/Regensburg mission on which 60 B-17s are lost. It has been dubbed ...

  • VIII Bomber Command 85

    19 August 1943
    The German airfields at Gilze-Rijen, Holland and Woensdrecht, Holland are the targets for this mission. The attacks will be made by two elements. The first element is a combined force of 125 B-17s from: 91BG (8); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (19);...

  • VIII Bomber Command 86

    24 August 1943
    The 8th Air Force is intent on dishing out some "pay back" to the Luftwaffe for the toll it took on bombers of the 17-Aug-43 mission to Schweinfurt/Regensburg. So, This mission has three attack elements and a diversion element. The attack elements are...

  • VIII Bomber Command 86

    24 August 1943
    The 8th Air Force is intent on dishing out some "pay back" to the Luftwaffe for the toll it took on bombers of the 17-Aug-43 mission to Schweinfurt/Regensburg. So, This mission has three attack elements and a diversion element. The attack elements are...

  • VIII Bomber Command 87

    27 August 1943
    This mission is the first attack by the USAAF on suspected V-Weapon sites. The German development of pilotless winged aircraft was first divulged to the British just shortly after the beginning of World War II in two letters sent to the British embassy...

  • VIII Bomber Command 88

    31 August 1943
    This mission is composed of two elements. The first element is composed of 170 B-17s from: 91BG (16); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (18); 306BG (18); 351BG (21); 379BG (21); 381BG (19); and 384BG (18). The primary target for this element is German...

  • VIII Bomber Command 89

    2 September 1943
    This mission was composed of five elements. The first element was combined force 55 B-17s despatched from: 92BG; 305BG, and 306BG to bomb German airfields in NW France. The mission is recalled due to weather and the bombers return without dropping...

  • VIII Bomber Command 90

    3 September 1943
    German airfields in France and the Caudron-Renault works at Paris are the targets for this mission. The mission is composed of three elements. The first element is a combined force of 168 B-17s from: 91BG (14); 351BG (19); 381BG (22); 92BG (19); 305BG ...

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Stations

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Kaartgegevens ©2017 GeoBasis-DE/BKG (©2009), Google
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Kaartgegevens ©2017 GeoBasis-DE/BKG (©2009), Google
Kaart
Kaart
Satelliet
Station Location Date
Based Framlingham 14 July 1943 – 4 August 1945

Connections

People

  • Charles Abbott

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 390th Bomb Group
    Shot down 28 May 1944 in B-17 #4232089. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • George Abbott

    Military | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 64

  • Otis Abel

    Military | Ground Echelon | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 64

  • Leroy Abernathy

    Military | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 61

  • William Abraham

    Military | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 71

  • James Abrams

    Military | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 3

  • Anthony Accardo

    Military | Ground Echelon | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 3

  • Roger Accunius

    Military | Ground Echelon | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 3

  • Bertrand Acosta

    Military | Ground Echelon | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 3

  • David Acosta

    Military | Ground Echelon | 390th Bomb Group
    Crew Number 3

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Aircraft

  • 41-24484 'The Bad Egg'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Assigned 401BS/91BG [LL-C] Bangor 31/8/42; Bassingbourn 1/10/42; on return from Cognac 43+m 31/12/43, diverted through weather to Gt Dunmow, Andrews Field, then Hunsdon Afd, with Hilary Evers, Co-pilot: Paul McDuffee, Navigator: Frank Keneley,...

  • 41-9021 The Big Bitch w/97BG Hangar Queen w/95BG

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Assigned 414BS/97BG 3/42 THE BIG BITCH; with Lt. Claire M. Smartt on 1st AF mission 17/8/42; tran 390BG Framlingham 27/6/42 and 95BG HANGAR QUEEN; 327BS/92BG Bovingdon 24/8/42; Navigator: John Segrest (wia), Bob Smith (wia); Waist gunner: Hubert...

  • 42-102440 Silver Slipper

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 3/3/44; MacDill 20/3/43; Kearney 22/3/44; Dow Fd 4/4/44; Assigned 568BS/390BG [BI-K] Framlingham 5/4/44; Missing in Action Magdeburg (12m) 28/5/44 with Walt Weigle, Co-pilot: Chas RichardsonWounded in Action, Navigator: Herman...

  • 42-102526

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 11/3/44; Kearney 29/3/44; Dow Fd 4/4/44; Assigned 96BG Snetterton 8/4/44; transferred 571BS/390BG [FC-N] Framlingham 9/4/44; Missing in Action {4m} Freidrichahafen 29/4/44 with Bob Rayburn, Co-pilot: Henry Crowley, Navigator: Murray...

  • 42-102532

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 11/3/44; Kearney 31/3/44; Dow Fd 8/4/44; Assigned 570BS/390BG [DI-O] Framlingham 11/4/44; Missing in Action Berlin 19/5/44 with Dick Tannehill, Navigator: Bob Horst, Bombardier: Elmer Leggett, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Larry...

  • 42-102533

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 11/3/44; Gr Island 29/3/44; Dow Fd 7/4/44; Assigned 568BS/390BG [BI-F] Framlingham 8/4/44; Missing in Action Munich 13/7/44 with George Spann, Co-pilot: Theo Becker, Navigator: Prospero Demarco, Bombardier: Jim Webb, Flight engineer...

  • 42-102549 Boomerang Baby, Lady Satan

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 12/3/44; Kearney 30/3/44; Dow Fd 7/4/44; Assigned 569BS/390BG [CC-L] Framlingham 8/4/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 29/7/44 with Harry Stewart, Co-pilot: Norman Quest, Navigator: Marris Todd, Bombardier: Dan Clark, Flight engineer...

  • 42-102594

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 17/3/44; Kearney 5/4/44; Grenier 14/4/44; Assigned 570BS/390BG [DI-F] Framlingham 20/4/44; Missing in Action Dusseldorf 9/9/44 with Bob Gallagher, Co-pilot: Merrill Redda, Ball turret gunner: Joe Costa,Tail gunner: Len Gilkey (4...

  • 42-102673 Preferred Risk, Good Old Yank

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 25/3/44; Hunter 16/4/44; Dow Fd 2/5/44; Assigned 571BS/390BG [FC-B] Framlingham 4/5/44 PREFERRED RISK; Missing in Action Derben, Ger 14/1/45 with Joe Lewis, John Ruane, Earl Morrison, John Koralwski, John Porcher (5 Killed in Action)...

  • 42-102677 Mississippi Mission, Bob Tail Battler

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 25/3/44; Billings 3/5/44; Kearney 12/5/44; Grenier 26/5/44; Assigned 568BS/390BG [BI-R] Framlingham 27/5/44 MISSISSIPPI MISSION; Missing in Action Derben, Ger 14/1/45 with Gerald Johnson, Bill Parks, Dayton Kelly, Joe Redpath spot...

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Citations

None

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
14 May 2015 22:27:29 nieceBarb Changes to mission associations
Sources

Niece Barb

Date Contributor Update
10 April 2015 07:39:38 EMBLEMHUNTER Changes to mission associations and media associations
Sources

my photo

Date Contributor Update
09 February 2015 20:24:16 Tim Brett Changes to type, nicknames, motto and mission associations
Sources

Tim Brett
Chairman Parham Airfield Memorial Museum

Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:45 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / The Mighty Eighth. A History of the Units, Men and Machines of the US 8th Air Force.' by Roger A. Freeman (1989). 'Air Force Combat Units of World War II' compiled by the Department of the US Air Force, edited by Maurice Maurer (1983). / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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