Lineage
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Established as 416 Bombardment Group (Light) on 25 Jan 1943
Activated on 5 Feb 1943
Redesignated 416 Bombardment Group, Light on 20 Aug 1943
Inactivated on 24 Oct 1945
Assignments
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III Air Support Command, 5 Feb 1943
III Bomber Command, 6 Aug 1943 to Jan 1944
(attached to II Tactical Air Division, 1 to 22 Nov 1943)
IX Bomber Command, c. 1 Feb 1944
97 Combat Bombardment (later, 97 Bombardment) Wing, 4 Feb 1944
(under operational control of 99 Combat Bombardment Wing, c. 4 Feb to c. 20 Mar 1944)
(under operational control of IX Bomber Command, 11 to 18 Sep 1944)
(under operational control of 99 Combat Bombardment Wing, 19 to 28 Sep 1944)
Assembly Area Command, c. 27 Jul to Oct 1945
Components - Squadrons
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416th Bomb Group HQ/Support: 25 Jan 1943 to 24 Oct 1945
668 Bombardment Squadron (L): 5 Feb 1943 to 11 Oct 1945
669 Bombardment Squadron (L): 5 Feb 1943 to 11 Oct 1945
670 Bombardment Squadron (L): 5 Feb 1943 to 11 Oct 1945
671 Bombardment Squadron (L): 5 Feb 1943 to 12 Oct 1945
Stations and Transfers
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Will Rogers Field, OK; 5 Feb 1943 to 3 Jun 1943
Lake Charles AAFld, LA; 5 Jun 1943 to 1 Nov 1943
Laurel AAFld, MS; 1 Nov 1943 to 1 Jan 1944
Camp Shanks, NY; 3 Jan 1944 to 17 Jan 1944
Transfer to ETO; 17 Jan 1944 to 31 Jan 1944
Wethersfield, England (Station 170); 1 Feb 1944 to 23 Sep 1944
Melun/Villaroche, France (Station A-55); 24 Sep 1944 to 12 Feb 1945
Laon/Athies, France (Station A-69); 13 Feb 1945 to 25 May 1945
Cormeilles-en-Vexin, France (Station A-59); 25 May 1945 to c. 15 Jul 1945
Cambrai, France (Station A-74); c. 15 Jul 1945 to 27 Jul 1945
Camp Chicago (between Rheims and Laon), France; 27 Jul to 17 Sep 1945
Calas Staging Area (near Marseille), France; 17 Sep 1945 to 11 Oct 1945
416th HQ Return to United States on S.S. Blue Island Victory; 11-22 Oct 1945
Camp Myles Standish, MA; 23 Oct 1945 to 24 Oct 1945
Commanders
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None (not manned); 5 Feb 1943 to 14 Feb 1943
Lt Col Richard D. Dick; 15 Feb 1943 to 22 Oct 1943
Col Harold L. Mace; 22 Oct 1943 to 3 Aug 1944
Col Theodore R. Aylesworth; 3 Aug 1944 to 22 Jul 1945
Lt Col James W. Townsend; 22 Jul 1945 to 24 Oct 1945
Aircraft
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Douglas A-20 Havoc; 5 Feb 1943 to 6 Feb 1945
Douglas A-26 Invader; 30 Sep 1944 to 24 Oct 1945
Campaign Streamers - World War II
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Air Offensive, Europe; 4 Jul 1942 to 5 Jun 1944 (WD GO 85, 1945)
Normandy; 6 Jun to 24 Jul 1944 (WD GO 102, 1945)
Northern France; 25 Jul to 14 Sep 1944 (WD GO 103, 1945)
Ardennes; 16 Dec 1944 to 25 Jan 1945 (WD GO 114, 1945)
Central Europe; 22 Mar to 11 May 1945 (WD GO 116, 1945)
Rhineland; 15 Sep 1944 to 21 Mar 1945 (WD GO 118, 1945)
Awards and Commendations
---------------------------------
Distinguished Unit Citation: France; 6 to 9 Aug 1944 (WD GO 84)
Croix de Guerre with "Star of Vermeil"; 18 Oct 1943 to 8 May 1945 (to 9th AF, French GO 40)
Commendations
416th BG WWII Lineage And Honors FactSheet
(Gary Rensner, 2015 416th BG Reunion)
Operational Period (3-March-1944 to 3-May-1945)
Intelligence Department Operational Record
Transcribed from Monthly Historical Summary, May, 1945 - Exhibit #58
OPERATIONAL PERIOD
Data A-20's A-26's Total
A/C Dispatched 6251 4614 10865
A/C Attacking Target 4012 (64%) 3918 (85%) 7930 (73%)
A/C Abortive 2239 (36%) 696 (15%) 2935 (27%)
Sorties 5567 (89%) 4442 (96%) 10009 (92%)
Total Tonnage over E/T 4353.25 6766.06 11119.31
Total Operational Hours 17678:25 15801:25 33479:50
A/C Losses
Due to Flak over E/T 26 14 40
Due to Battle Damage 21 19 40
Total Combat Losses 47 33 80
Personnel Losses
MIA 59 26 85
KIA 11 19 30
Confirmed P/W's 18 1 19
Total Personnel Losses 88 46 124
Missions 158 127 285
Type of Target
Airdromes, Landing Fields 35 (.221) 7 (.055) 42 (.147)
NOBALL 23 (.145) 0 23 (.080)
Window Missions 3 (.019) 0 3 (.011)
Marshalling Yards (RR) 23 (.145) 20 (.157) 43 (.151)
Coastal Batteries, Gun Positions 14 (.089) 0 14 (.049)
Headquarters (German Staff) 3 (.019) 0 3 (.011)
RR Bridges, Lines and Junctions 26 (.164) 23 (.181) 49 (.171)
Fuel Dumps 5 (.031) 3 (.023) 8 (.028)
Highways and Highway Junctions 3 (.019) 0 3 (.011)
Ammo and Ord. Dumps 1 (.006) 21 (.165) 22 (.077)
Radar Stations 2 (.012) 0 2 (.007)
Defended Areas (Fortified villages 0 (.000) 44 (.346) 44 (.154)
and towns)
**Miscellaneous Targets 20 (.135) 9 (.073) 29 (.103)
________________________________________________
158 100% 127 100% 285 100%
**NOTE: Miscellaneous Targets were Strafing Missions, Troops concentrations,
General Storage Areas, Transport Centers (Motor), Communications Centers,
Barracks Area.
During the Operational Period of this Group (3 March 1944- 3 May 1945), 60,349
manhours of training were given by the Intelligence Section. Subjects were as
follows:
Map and Target Study (Combat Crews)
Weekly War Summaries (All Personnel)
GLO Lectures (Preceding each Briefing and also to other unit personnel)
A/C Recognition (Combat Crews)
P/W & E/E Lectures (Combat Crews)
Security (All Personnel)
Each individual of this Group received an average of 50 hours of training from
the Intelligence Section. (On the basis that during our operational period per-
sonnel strength averaged 1200).
Additional: 442 Briefed Missions (442 pre-Briefings and 442 Briefings) of 60
minutes each average. Each Individual returned crew member from
each of the 10009 operational sorties of this unit, received an indivi-
dual interrogation (approx. 25,000 interrogations).
416th Bomb Group A-20 and A-26 Bombing Records
416th Bomb Group A-20 Bombing Record - March thru October, 1944.
Exhibit #1, November 1944 (AFHRA)
416th Bomb Group A-26 Bombing Record - March, 1945
(courtesy of Captain Francis J. Cachat via Ron Papajcik)