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| USAAF 91st Bomb Group | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 91st Bomb Group |
| Dates | 1942–1945 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Role | Strategic bombing |
| Command structure | Eighth Air Force |
| Garrison | RAF Bassingbourn |
| Nickname | "The Ragged Irregulars" |
| Battles | Combined Bomber Offensive, Operation Pointblank, Big Week |
USAAF 91st Bomb Group The 91st Bomb Group was a heavy bombardment organization of the United States Army Air Forces formed for strategic operations in the European Theater of World War II, flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft from Royal Air Force Bassingbourn during the Allied strategic bombing campaign. The group participated in major campaigns including Big Week, support for the Normandy landings, and interdiction during the Battle of the Bulge. Its operations involved coordination with Eighth Air Force, 8th Air Force Combat Division, and other heavy bomber groups based in England.
Activated in 1942 under Second Air Force, the unit trained under commands including Third Air Force and elements of Air Transport Command before deployment to the UK. Initial cadre included personnel transferred from units at MacDill Field, Pueblo Army Air Base, and Salt Lake City Army Air Base, with ground echelon movement via SS Mariposa and air echelon ferrying aircraft through the North Atlantic ferry route via Gander, Newfoundland, Bluie West One, and Reykjavík. The group became part of the Eighth Air Force and was stationed at RAF Bassingbourn, joining other groups such as the 303d Bomb Group and 306th Bomb Group.
Structured into the 322d, 323d, 324th, and 401st Bombardment Squadrons, the group operated primarily B-17 Flying Fortresses configured for long-range daylight precision bombing. Maintenance and armament support drew on expertise from Army Air Forces Materiel Command, while aerial gunnery training occurred at ranges used by United States Army Air Forces Training Command. Crews included pilots, co-pilots, navigators, bombardiers, flight engineers, radio operators, and waist and tail gunners, many of whom trained at Lubbock Army Air Field, Alameda Field, and Chanute Field. The group's operational procedures aligned with doctrine from Air War Plans Division and tactics refined with input from Sir Arthur Harris's contemporaneous Bomber Command efforts.
Beginning combat operations in 1943, the group struck targets in Germany, France, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia attacking industrial complexes like the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg, oil refineries in the Rheinland, and ball bearing plants in Schaumburg-Lippe. Escort coordination involved units from the United States Army Air Forces such as the 56th Fighter Group and later long-range support from P-51 Mustang groups like the 357th Fighter Group. Missions were conducted in formation with groups from the 3rd Bomb Division and under tasking from Eighth Air Force Headquarters and strategic direction influenced by Combined Bomber Offensive planning and the Operation Pointblank objectives.
The group participated in the concentrated strike during Big Week targeting Messerschmitt, Krupp, and Focke-Wulf facilities, and flew critical sorties to support the Operation Overlord invasion beaches and the Saint-Lô advance. It struck transportation hubs during the Battle of the Bulge to impede German supply movements, and engaged in raids on synthetic oil plants in Leuna and Buna Werke. Specific operations included participation in the raid on Regensburg–Schweinfurt and missions against the Schweinfurt ball bearing works. The group's crews encountered Luftwaffe opposition from units such as Jagdgeschwader 26 and night-day interceptors coordinated by Reichsluftfahrtministerium assets.
Commanding officers included leaders transferred from training bases and experienced combat pilots drawn from squadrons at MacDill Field; notable figures served alongside decorated personnel who later featured in histories of the Eighth Air Force and memoirs referencing interactions with figures like Carl Spaatz and Jimmy Doolittle. Aircrews featured navigator and bombardier teams trained under instruction influenced by the Army Air Forces Navigation School and the Bombardier School curriculum. Ground staff included maintenance chiefs, armorers, and logisticians who coordinated supply through Air Technical Service Command depots such as Brentwood and Grafton Underwood.
The group suffered substantial losses during deep-penetration raids into Germany and during periods of intense Luftwaffe resistance, with many aircraft and crews lost in engagements over targets like Berlin and Stettin. Distinguished Unit Citations were awarded for missions demonstrating exceptional performance under fire, and individual airmen received honors including the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Purple Heart. Several crews were commemorated in postwar histories and memorials hosted by organizations such as the American Air Museum in Britain and veterans’ associations including the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Following the collapse of Nazi Germany and cessation of combat in Europe, the group returned to the United States for demobilization and was inactivated during the postwar drawdown as part of the broader reorganization that produced the United States Air Force in 1947. Its legacy endures in memorials at RAF Bassingbourn, wartime records held at the National Archives (United States), and preservation of B-17 airframes and crew histories in institutions like the National Museum of the United States Air Force and the Pima Air & Space Museum. Scholarly treatments appear in works addressing the Combined Bomber Offensive, biographies of Eighth Air Force commanders, and unit histories maintained by veterans’ associations and municipal museums in communities that hosted training bases.
Category:Bombardment groups of the United States Army Air Forces Category:Units and formations of the Eighth Air Force