461st plaque

461st Bombardment Group (H)

461st shield Activated - 1 July, 1943
Inactivated - 27 August, 1945
Incorporated - 15 November 1985
461st tail
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Mark Your Calendar - 2023 Reunion

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Search WWW Search www.461st.org
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The 461st Bombardment Group (H) was part of the 49th Bombardment Wing, Fifteenth Air Force during World War II.  To see how the 461st fit into the structure of the Fifteenth Air Force, please visit the Fifteenth Air Force website showing the units of the Fifteenth Air Force with links to those units that have websites.

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Commanders

Lt. Col. Willis G. Carter
12 August 1943 to 25 October 1943
Lt. Col. Willis Carter 
Col. Frederic E. Glantzberg
25 October 1943 to 22 September 1944
Col. Glantzberg
Col. Philip R. Hawes
22 September 1944 to 20 December 1944
Col. Hawes
Col. Brooks A. Lawhon
20 December 1944 to 16 April 1945
Col. Lawhon
Col. Craven C. Rogers
16 April 1945 to
 
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15th AAF Fields

Courtesy of Stan Staples

Where we were.

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Our Mission

The 461st Bombardment Group Association was established to

  • perpetuate the history of the 461st Bombardment Group (H), Fifteenth Air Force, and the memory of those comrades who gave their lives in the defense of our country.

  • arrange annual reunions and provide social and recreational activities for its members - provide a means for the members of the 461st Bombardment Group (H) of the Fifteenth Air Force to continue to readily and more easily associate, communicate and enjoy each other's friendship.

  • assist family members and others in learning more about the experiences of the members of the 461st Bombardment Group (H) during World War II, both aircrew and ground crew.

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Constituted as 461st Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943.  Activated on 1 July 1943.  Moved to the Mediterranean theater, January-February 1944, the air echelon flying B-24s via the South Atlantic and stopping in North Africa before joining the ground echelon in Italy.  Began combat with Fifteenth Air Force in April 1944.  Engaged chiefly in bombardment of communications, industries, and other strategic objectives in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, Rumania, Yugoslavia, and Greece.  Supported Fifteenth Air Force's counter-air operations by bombing enemy airdromes and aircraft centers, receiving a Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission on 13 Apr 1944 when the group battled its way through enemy defenses to attack an aircraft components plant in Budapest, Hungary.  Participated in the effort against the enemy's oil supply by flying missions to such oil centers as Brux, Blechhammer, Moosbierbaum, Vienna, and Ploesti.  Received second Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission against oil facilities at Ploesti in July 1944 when, despite flak, clouds, smoke, and fighter attacks, the group bombed its objective.  Also operated in support of ground forces and flew some interdictory missions.  Hit artillery positions in support of the invasion of southern France in August 1944 and flew supply missions to France in September.  Aided the Allied offensive in Italy in April 1945 by attacking gun emplacements and troop concentrations.  Dropped supplies to prisoner-of-war camps in Austria during May 1945.  Returned to the United States in July. Inactivated on 18 Aug 1945.

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For those too young to know about WWII as well as those who experienced it, I offer the following.  Eric Knitter's uncle, Howard Farr, served as a ball turret gunner in the 765th Squadron of the 461st BG and flew the mission on July 2, 1944.  Although the video is over 50 minutes, please watch all the way to the end.  The 461st, as part of the Fifteenth Air Force mission to Budapest, Hungary on July 2, 1944 helped save the lives of 120,000 Jews that were to be shipped to Auschwitz to be exterminated.

Secrets of the Dead

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To view an Adobe Acrobat version of the Statistical Summary of Operations for the 461st Bombardment Group (H), click here.

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Awards

The 461st Bombardment Group (H) website is proud to display the following awards for excellence:

U.S. Wings Award Hart Enterprises Award
Website Award American Association of Webmasters
O.N.Z.C.D.A Military VA Loan Award
Clint Eastwood
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I'm starting something new on the website - biographies.  Here's your chance to tell your life story.  It doesn't have to be all that long - just summarize your life, likes, dislikes, etc.  If you have any interesting stories to tell, include these as well.  I've created an example for you to follow - Frederic E. Glantzberg - yes, the Commanding Officer talked about so much.  These biographies will be linked into the name of the individual in the Roster of the 461st BG.  When writing your biography (or one for a friend or relative) cover your entire life - bring everyone up to date on what you did before becoming a member of the 461st and what you did after the war.  I would recommend avoiding personal information such as address and phone number.  Send them to me and I'll post them on the website.

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Al Ataque One More Mission
Music Bravely Ringing Into The Night
Including stories of the 461st at Hammer Field.
by
George F. Gruner
Beneath Haunted Waters Lost Airmen 
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The most recent issue of the Liberaider is available online.  To read this issue, just click on the image below.

December 2022

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