304th Bomb Group

304th Bomb Group was a heavy bombardment formation of the United States Army Air Forces activated during World War II and assigned to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. The group operated Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft in strategic and tactical missions supporting Allied campaigns across North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and the Southern France invasion. Personnel from the unit included aircrew, maintenance, and support from bases in the United States and forward airfields in North Africa and the Italian Campaign.

History

Constituted in 1942 amid expansion of the United States Army Air Forces under leaders such as Henry H. Arnold and in coordination with theater commanders including Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harold Alexander, the group trained under Second Air Force units and deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations as part of Twelfth Air Force reassignments. The 304th integrated into strategic efforts alongside formations like the 5th Bombardment Wing, cooperating with units from the Royal Air Force, the Free French Forces, and the South African Air Force. Engagements were coordinated with operations such as Operation Husky and the Salerno landings to interdict Axis supply lines and support ground offensives by forces led by commanders like Bernard Montgomery and Mark W. Clark.

Organization and Aircraft

The group's structure mirrored standard heavy bombardment organization with several bombardment squadrons, a headquarters echelon, and maintenance and service elements operating under theater control. Squadrons assigned included numbered bombardment squadrons modeled after units within Eighth Air Force and Fifteenth Air Force organizations, employing the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and coordinating with reconnaissance platforms such as the Consolidated B-24 Liberator for theater intelligence. Logistics and training support came from Air Transport Command facilities and stateside bases including those formerly used by III Bomber Command and Second Air Force training schools. Crews received navigation instruction influenced by procedures from the Army Air Forces Training Command and bombardment doctrine promulgated by leaders in Air Transport Command and Air Corps Tactical School alumni.

World War II Operations

Deployed to forward bases in North Africa and operating from airfields in Tunisia, Sicily, and southern Italy, the group flew strategic bombing missions targeting enemy industrial centers, marshalling yards, oil refineries, and military installations across Germany, Austria, and occupied territories. Missions were integral to campaigns including the Italian Campaign, and tactical interdiction during Operation Strangle, supporting frontline forces such as the U.S. Fifth Army and the British Eighth Army. The group's sorties supported amphibious operations like Operation Dragoon and interdicted Axis evacuation routes used during retreats to the Gothic Line. Cooperation with units like the 97th Bombardment Group and the 99th Bombardment Group typified Allied combined-arms air operations directed by theater air commanders including James H. Doolittle and Carl Spaatz. Crews earned combat experience confronting Luftwaffe units such as Jagdgeschwader 2 and anti-aircraft defenses coordinated by formations of the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe flak regiments.

Postwar Activity and Inactivation

Following the German Instrument of Surrender and the drawdown of forces across Europe, the group participated in postwar redeployment activities managed by Air Transport Command and demobilization overseen by United States Army authorities. Elements returned to the United States for inactivation and some personnel transferred to other units within the emerging United States Air Force establishment shaped by leaders like Hap Arnold and policy from the War Department. The group was briefly reconstituted in the reserve during the late 1940s but faced reorganization and eventual inactivation amid postwar budget reductions and restructuring associated with the National Security Act of 1947 and subsequent force realignments led by Truman administration defense policy.

Honors and Legacy

The unit received campaign participation credits for operations in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, including recognition tied to contributions in the Sicilian Campaign and the Italian Campaign. Aircrews and ground personnel were eligible for decorations such as the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for valor and meritorious achievement in aerial operations alongside other decorated formations like the 305th Bombardment Group and 301st Bomb Group. The group's wartime service influenced postwar bomber doctrine adopted by the United States Air Force and is remembered in histories of heavy bombardment operations that document the transition from Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress operations to the jet age exemplified by later platforms like the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. Archives and memoirs held by institutions including the Air Force Historical Research Agency and various Air Force Museums preserve records, mission reports, and veteran accounts that inform studies of Allied strategic and tactical bombing in the Mediterranean Theater.

Category:Bombardment groups of the United States Army Air Forces