390th Bombardment Group (H)

The 390th Bombardment Group (H), flying B-17 aircraft known as the Flying Fortress, flew 301 combat missions out of England during World War II and attacked enemy targets throughout Europe. In addition to its bombing record, the group was credited with shooting down 62 enemy fighters on 10 October 1943, the highest single-day kill rate for any bomber or fighter group in the European Theater of Operations, and with destroying 377 enemy aircraft during the war. The 390th was selected to take part in every shuttle mission flown by the 8th Air Force, including attacks on targets on the Eastern Front, in the Balkans, in southern France, and at the Normandy beachhead. It received two Presidential Citations for the Regensburg Mission on 17 August 1943 and the Schweinfurt Mission on 14 October 1943. Its organization included the 390th Headquarters Squadron, the 568th, 569th, 570th, and 571th Bombardment Squadrons (H), and supporting units including military police, medical, station complement, sub-depot, chemical, ordnance S&M, quartermaster, finance, weather, postal, and fire-fighting elements. Its support personnel were praised for improvising when necessary, repairing damaged B-17s, maintaining operational readiness, supplying fuel, bombs, ammunition, and equipment, and housing, feeding, guarding, and protecting the group, making each combat mission possible and contributing to the ultimate victory.

Riverside, Ohio · United States