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93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy)
The 93rd Bomb. Group was formed in 1942 at Barksdale
Field, Louisiana with core personnel from the 44th Bomb. Group. After
training at Barksdale, the group moved to Ft. Myers, Florida, where it
continued training and flew anti-submarine patrols over the Gulf of
Mexico. They were credited with 3 U-Boats. After three months, the group
moved to Grenier Field, New Hampshire and prepared to move overseas.
They arrived in England in late September 1942, ground personnel
traveling on the Queen Elizabeth, and flew the first B-24 combat mission
from England on October 9, 1942. In November, 1942, three squadrons were
deployed to North Africa to support Operation Torch, returning to their
new base at Hardwick in February, 1943. They flew missions from England
through May, then were taken off operations to train for low-level
bombing. In June 1943, the 93rd, along with the 44th BG and the newly
arrived 389th BG were again deployed to North Africa. All three groups,
plus two from the North Africa based 9th Air Force, conducted the famous
low level raid on Ploesti, Romania on 1 August 1943. After three more
missions from Libya, the group returned to England, only to be sent back
to North Africa two weeks later. After several missions to Italy and
Austria, the group again returned to England in October 1943 and went on
to fly 396 combat missions (including 43 from North Africa), the highest
total missions of any 8th Air Force bomb. group.
For a more complete history,
including much more about the Ploesti mission, click on "History".
Also on this site, you will find
the story of the 93rd nickname, "Ted's Travelling Circus", the Roll of
Honor listing the 670 93rd men lost in combat from March, 1942 to May,
1945, photos of 93rd BG Memorials, crew photos and information on
upcoming reunions.
The 93rd BGA newsletter - Ball of
Fire Quarterly Express - is now available via email to members of the
93rd BG Association. If you would like
to receive it by email, send your email address to
paulsteichen@comcast.net
| The complete archive of the newsletter is now posted
on this site. To access it, click here
for the five indexes and links to each issue from Summer 1993 to
Winter 2006. The archives are pdf files and require Adobe®
Reader®. A broadband internet connection is recommended as some of
the files are very large. |
The latest news from Colin Mann about the museum
at Hardwick is now on the 93BG Museum - UK page.
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93rd Bomb Group Reunion 2007
Sep 27-30, 2007
Sheraton Bloomington Hotel
7800 Normandale Blvd
Bloomington, MN 55439
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The reunion was great. Photos will be posted soon. |
Questions, comments and photos appropriate for
display on this site should be directed to:
webmaster@93rdbombardmentgroup.com
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