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494th Bomb Group, circa 1935-2012

 

Summary

Extent:
10 Linear Feet
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [boxes and Folder number], 494th Bomb Group, 99.0183, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/WWII-99-0183

Background

Scope and content:

The 494th Bomb Group Association compiled these records from their time in service with the 7th Air Force. Included are official records (copies), including flight records, crew rosters, general orders, citations and awards, and other documentation on their flights and service. The collection has documents on the following bombardment squadrons serving within the 494th: 308th, 365th, 373th, 461st, 864th, 865th, 866th, and the 867th. Some information on the 5th Air Force, 13th Air Force, 14th Air Force, and the 11th Bomb Group is included. Personal memoirs written by the following pilots or crew members include (boxes #): Raymond J. Barker (7), T.C. Cartwright (1), Sam Fouts (7), Donald Kyle (7), Rolf Steu (7), Ben M. Snyder (7), and Richard "Dick" Stansfield (10) (Stansfield was the first president of the Association from 1990-1991). There is a list of members by alphabet and by home state. Also, the collection includes extensive correspondence between Association members, especially from Dave Rogers (who was president when the collection was donated), including reunion plans, recollections and memories, and other official business of their association. The collection has news clippings, copies of obituaries, letters of condolence, newsletter submissions, etc. Newsletters include, but are not limited, to the following: "Liberator Briefing: Journal of the International B-24 Liberators Club" (boxes 1, 8) and "Kelly's Kobras" (boxes 6). The collection is extensive at over ten cubic feet of material, plus microfilm from Maxwell Air Force Base and the National Archives. There are 75 books, six audio tapes, and four videos. There are large reconnaissance aerial photos, apparently taken or used by the 494th Bomb Group in October 1944, of locations on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Included are shots of the areas in and around Manila, some of which show the POW camps of Santa Tomas and Bilibid, Corregidor Island, Clark Air Field, Nichols Air Field, and other points. Also, there are smaller aerial photos of points on Luzon in October 1944 and in early 1945, including photos of Bam Bam Town, Bunawan, Cebu City, Clark Air Field, Diklom Airfield, Mabalacat, Mindanao Island, and Tacolaban on Leyte. There are also photos of points in Japan taken in early 1945, including ones of Miho Air field in Honshu, Miyakonojo Airfield, Tomitaka Airfield, and other sites in Kyushu, including notations of possible munition sites. Cassette tapes: 1) KOFI - talk 08/05/02 - Angel's Weep, 2) Bert Lee Show KTKT 12/01/99, 16 copies, 3) 494th Bomb Group Association Business meeting in 1988, 2 tapes Video tapes: 1) Lonesome Lady Story by NHK Public TV, Hiroshima, Japan, Tom Cartwright, B-24 pilot; 2) 05/03/02: #1 Return to Hiroshima, JMC Tom C., #2 Big John JMC; 3) Return to Japan with Tom Cartwright 10/99, Hiroshima A-Bomb Memorial; 4) Hell in the Pacific -- Palau Island UPDATED: The collection also contains a manuscript entitled "494th Bombardment Group (H) History WWII". This manuscript is a compilation of information and quotes from archival records, a unit history, letters, diaries, Monday, January 08, 2018 Page 1058 of 1151 and personal stories from airmen. The manuscript includes photographs from and about the 494th Bomb Group and the missions they completed, as well as stories on particular individuals from the group. The 494th Bomb Group completed missions in the Pacific Theater. Locations mentioned include Orlando, Wendover?, Mountain Home, Kauai, Corredgidor, Zamboanga, Koror, Shanghai, and Hiroshima. It includes information about the five squadrons within the 494th: 864th, 865th, 866th, 867th, and the 494th HQ Squadron. Retired Colonel Samuel D. Maloney was a B-24 pilot and airplane commander in the 866th Bomb Squadron of the 494th Bomb Group in the 7th Bomber Command, 7th Air Force. This collection consists of several articles he wrote for the "Pinepost", a publication in Davidson, North Carolina. The first covers his experience of Christmas 1944 while training at Muroc Air Field in California's Mojave Desert: four of them traveled to Los Angeles and had dinner paid for by Joe Yule (Mickey Rooney's father) and comedian Billy Reid. They then traveled to a show and Chinatown. The second article is a remembrance of Chaplain (Capt.) Milton Dowden who served in the 494th in the Pacific Theater. The chaplain would be at every plane departure and return, once receiving permission to fly as an additional crew member over Shanghai, though the flight was cancelled. He also led a somber prayer service after the bombing of Hiroshima. The third article is about Maloney aboard the USS Alkaid heading from Palau to Okinawa in June 1945. Having had ministry interest prior to service, he led a 600-strong Sunday service and a Bible study of over 100 people for all religions. He remarks how glad he was that it was interracial, as members of an African American Army unit attended. The fourth article covers WWII experiences, both on the Home Front and of servicemen in the foreign theater. The last article details the "Lonesome Lady," a B-24 that left Okinawa with nine servicemen to attack Honshu Island. The plane was shot down with the pilot and the copilot being captured and taken to Hiroshima. The pilot was taken to Tokyo, and four days later Hiroshima was bombed. The article details what happened to the rest of the flight crew and the erection of a memorial at Hiroshima to the Americans who died there.

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers.

This collection is in a remote storage location. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu with requests for access or for more information.

Terms of access:

Copyright restrictions may apply to works in this collection. Re-use or copying beyond Fair Use may require permission from the rights-holder. Please contact lib-specialcollections@fsu.edu for more information.

Preferred citation:

[Title of Item], [Date of Item], [boxes and Folder number], 494th Bomb Group, 99.0183, Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, Tallahassee, Florida. https://purl.lib.fsu.edu/fa/WWII-99-0183

Location of this collection:
116 Honors Way
Tallahassee
FL
32306-2047
USA