27th Bombardment Group

27th Bombardment Group. The 27th Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces unit activated in 1940 and primarily equipped with the Douglas A-24 Banshee. It saw extensive combat in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, participating in critical campaigns from the Philippines Campaign (1941–1942) to the Battle of Okinawa. The group earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions in the South West Pacific Area and was inactivated in 1946.

History

Activated at Barksdale Field in Louisiana, the group initially trained with the North American B-25 Mitchell before transitioning to the A-20 Havoc. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, its ground echelon was hastily deployed to the Philippines, arriving during the opening stages of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines. Without its aircraft, personnel fought as infantry in the Battle of Bataan and endured the Bataan Death March and subsequent imprisonment. A reformed air echelon, equipped with Douglas A-24 Banshee dive bombers, began operations from Australia in 1942, conducting attacks against Japanese forces in the Dutch East Indies and New Guinea. Throughout the war, the group operated under Fifth Air Force and later Seventh Air Force, providing close air support during the New Guinea campaign, the Battle of Biak, and the Philippines Campaign (1944–1945). Its final combat missions were flown in support of the Battle of Okinawa before moving to Clark Field for occupation duty.

Lineage, assignments, components, and stations

The group was constituted as the 27th Bombardment Group (Light) on 22 December 1939 and activated on 1 February 1940 at Barksdale Field. It was redesignated the 27th Bombardment Group (Dive) in 1942. Its operational squadrons were the 16th Bombardment Squadron, 17th Bombardment Squadron, and 91st Bombardment Squadron. Key assignments included the Southeast Air District, the V Bomber Command of Fifth Air Force, and the VII Bomber Command of Seventh Air Force. Significant stations during its service included Hunter Field in Georgia, Fort William McKinley in the Philippines, Batchelor Airfield in Australia, Nadzab Airfield in New Guinea, Wama Airfield on Morotai, and Kadena Air Base on Okinawa. The group was inactivated on 15 October 1946 at Clark Field.

Aircraft

The group trained with several aircraft types, beginning with the North American B-25 Mitchell and the Douglas B-18 Bolo. It later operated the Douglas A-20 Havoc before its defining association with the Douglas A-24 Banshee, the Army Air Corps version of the Douglas SBD Dauntless. In the latter stages of the war, the group transitioned to the more capable Douglas A-26 Invader, which it flew during the campaigns in the Philippines and at Okinawa.

Campaigns and decorations

The 27th Bombardment Group participated in numerous campaigns, including the Philippines Campaign (1941–1942), the East Indies campaign, the Papuan campaign, the New Guinea campaign, the Bismarck Archipelago campaign, the Western Pacific campaign, the Leyte campaign, the Luzon campaign, and the Ryukyu Islands campaign. It was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for operations in the South West Pacific from January to July 1942. The group also earned the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for its defense of the Philippines in 1941-1942.

Notable personnel

Several individuals associated with the group achieved distinction. Harl Pease, a pilot with the 19th Bombardment Group who flew with the 27th's squadrons early in the war, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for a 1942 mission from Port Moresby. John H. King served as a commander. Paul I. "Pappy" Gunn, a famed Fifth Air Force innovator, worked closely with the group's aircraft for field modifications. Numerous personnel, including John H. Lackey, were decorated with the Silver Star or Distinguished Flying Cross for their actions in combat.

Category:United States Army Air Forces bombardment groups