The 444th Bomb Group

     The 444th Bombardment Group, Heavy (H), was activated on 1 March, 1943, at Davis-Monthan Army Airfield, Arizona. After a period of organization at Davis-Monthan, the group moved to Great Bend Army Airfield, Kansas, in July 1943. They began initial training in B-17s, B-24s, and B-26s. The group was then re-designated as Very Heavy (VH) in November, 1943. B-29s that required modifications were received in January 1944 and transition training on the new aircraft began. The 444th Bomb Group was the first group activated to fly the B-29.

    The 444th Bomb Group left the United States and deployed to a former B-24 airfield at Charra Airfield, India, on 11 April 1944 and later relocated to Dudhkundi, India, on 10 August 1944. The 444th was the only B-29 group to fly two separate missions on the same day. The Nagasaki, Japan target was staged out of Chengtu Valley, China and the Palembang, Sumatra target was staged out of Ceylon. The targets were 3,000 miles apart and the Palembang mission was one of the longest of World War II.

    The group flew 43 combat missions from bases in India and China. They moved to west field, Tinian, in February & March, 1945, and went on to fly 57 more missions. The group flew the first B-29 combat mission and on the last day of the war, flew the last mission.

    The group received their first distinguished unit citation for bombing the iron and steel works at Yawata, Japan, on 20 August, 1944. Their second citation was for attacking an aircraft plant near Kobe, oil storage facilities at Oshima, and dropping incendiaries on Nagoya in May 1045. They received their third citation when they raided the light metal industries in Osaka in July 1045.

    The 444th Bomb Group returned to the United States in November 1945, being assigned to Merced Army Airfield, California and assigned to the Fourth Air Force of Continental Air Forces.

Commanders: Col. Alva Harvey - 5 Aug 1943; Col. Henry Sullivan - 22 Apr 1945 ; Col. James Selser, Jr. - 3 Jun 1945