The 504th Bomb Group

    The 504th Bomb Group, Very Heavy (VH) was activated on 11 March, 1944, at Dalhart Army Airfield, Dalhart, Texas. The group was assigned and transferred to Fairmont Army Airfield , Geneva, Nebraska on 6 April, 1944. Intensive crew training was directed with specific tasks tailored to the newly assigned B-29 superfortress. The combat crews were trained mostly in B-17s because the B-29 production was allotted to the 58th and 73rd Bomb Wings already fighting or in route to their overseas bases. The unit received their B-29s during late spring and summer of 1944.

    In November 1944, the group was deployed to the Pacific theater of operations. The ground echelon left 5 November for Seattle, Washington and they boarded the “Sea Star” for Tinian. They arrived at North Field, Tinian on 23 December, 1944. The flight echelon left on one December for Harrington Army Airfield, Kansas, where B-29 planes were assigned to the crews. They arrived on Tinian in December, 1944 and January, 1945. They were assigned to the 313th Bomb Wing. The group’s B-29s were marked with the circle E tail code.

    The group flew their first mission against the Japanese home islands early in February 1945 and started mining operations against enemy shipping late in March. In April and May, the group hit airfields where the Japanese launched kamikaze planes against the invasion force during the assault on Okinawa. The group continued strategic bombing raids and incendiary attacks until the Japanese capitulation in August 1945. After V-J Day, the group dropped supplies to allied prisoners, participated in the ‘show of force’ mission, and flew over Japan to evaluate bombardment damage.

    The group flew 108 combat missions, which included strategic bombing sorties, mining missions, and wide scale incendiary attacks.

    The group received their first distinguished unit citation for striking the industrial center at Yokohama late in May 1945. Their second citation was for mining Korean shipping lanes, Shimonoseki Straight, and harbors of the inland sea in July and August 1945.

    In the fall of 1945, the group was deactivated as part of “Sunset Project.”

    The group was deactivated at Luzon, Philippines on 15 June, 1946.

Commanders: Col. James Connally – 6 APR 1944; Col. Glen Martin – 6 Feb 1945