A Short History

Of The 468^th Bomb Group

Constituted as 468th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943. Activated on 1 Aug 1943. Re-designated 468th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) in Nov 1943.

Equipped with B-29's. Moved, via Africa, to the CBI Theater, Mar-Jun 1944. Assigned to Twentieth AF in Jun 1944.

Flew over the Hump to carry supplies from India to staging fields in China before entering combat with an attack on railroad shops at Bangkok, Thailand, on 5 Jun 1944. On 15 Jun participated in the first AAF attack on Japan since the Doolittle raid in 1942. From bases in India, China, and Ceylon, mined shipping lanes near Saigon, French Indochina, and Shanghai, China, and struck Japanese installations in Burma, Thailand, French Indochina, Indonesia, Formosa, China and Japan. Targets included iron works, aircraft factories, transportation centers and naval installations.

Received a DUC for participation in a daylight raid on the iron and steel works at Yawata, Japan, 11 Aug 1944. Evacuated advanced bases in China in Jan 1945 but continued operations from India, bombing storage areas in Rangoon, Burma, a railroad bridge at Bangkok, Thailand, railroad shops at Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, and the drydock in Singapore harbor.

Flew additional missions against Japan after moving to Tinian during Feb-May 1945. Took part in mining operations, incendiary raids on area targets, and high-altitude missions against strategic objectives. Dropped incendiaries on Tokyo and Yokohama in May 1945, being awarded a DUC for the attacks.

Received another DUC for a daylight strike on an aircraft plant at Takarazuka, Japan, in Jul 1945. After the war, dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners and participated in show-of-force missions over Japan.

Returned to the US in Nov 1945. Assigned to Strategic Air Command on 21 Mar 1946. Inactivated on 31 Mar 1946.