HEADQUARTERS 450TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (h) AAF

Office of Intelligence Officer

Army Air Base

Alamogordo, New Mexico

22 September 1943

HISTORY OF GROUP FROM ACTIVATION 6 SEPTEMBER 1943

General Order No. 58, issued on April 22, 1943 by Headquarters, Second Air Force, Fort George Wright, Washington, officially activated a new group, to be known as the 450th Bombardment (H) on May 1, 1943 at AAB, Gowan Field, Boise, Idaho. On May 21, 1943, this new group was moved without personnel or equipment to a temporary station at AAB, Clovis, New Mexico. Headquarters, 302nd Bombardment Group (H), AAB Clovis, New Mexico, on May 31, 1943, issued Special Order No. 151 which assigned the first of the Group key personnel, including the Operations Officer, Squadron Commanders, and all personnel for four model crews. The first General Order ever to be issued by this group was the assumption of command of June 1, 1943 by William G. Snaith, Captain, Air Corps. A few days later other key personnel arrived including Captain Clarence Joseph Donovan, Major Orlie Price, Captain James Andrew McKamy having been furnished by the 16th BOTW, Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas and the 39th Bombardment Group, AAB Tucson, Arizona.

On June 12, 1943 Colonel John Stewart Mills arrived from the 16th BOTW, Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas and issued General Order No. 2, assuming command as of that date. Major Robert R. Gideon, Jr, was one of the late arrivals having been assigned from the 39th Bombardment Group (H) AAB, Tucson, Arizona and was designated as Deputy Group Commander. Thus, this infant Group was staffed and ready to start its dated June 16, 1943, issued Air Base Headquarters, AAB, Clovis, New Mexico transferred the necessary personnel to the School of Applied Tactics, Orlando, Florida. The remainder of the personnel was ordered by Headquarters, Second Air Force, Colorado Springs, Colorado to move on or about July 5, 1943 to AAB, New Mexico. The actual move to Orlando, Florida was made on June 22, 1943 with four B24-D aircraft, newly assigned by the 302nd Bombardment Group (H), AAB Clovis, New Mexico and included the Group Commanding Officer, Deputy Group Commander, Operations, Intelligence, and Engineering Officers of the staff, Squadron Commanding Officers and four model crews.

Inasmuch as the 450th Bombardment Group (H) had a designated purpose as an Operational Training Unit, it was fitting and proper that the School of Applied Tactics at Orlando, Florida be the first attended. As Commanding Officer, Colonel Mills had one objective in mind and that was to educate every man in all phases of combat training.

The academic school at Orlando furnished the theoretical side while the actual practice was acquired under field conditions at Pine Castle, Florida where simulated combat missions were flown. In effect this infant group was learning to walk and the experience gained by the theory and practice in Florida was to stand it in good stead later on.

On the 18th of July school was out and the students flew at AAB, Alamogordo, New Mexico, which was to house the Group for all phases of training.

When the Group was finally assembled for the first time at AAB, Alamogordo, New Mexico many of the key positions in both the Group and Squadrons had been filled. Both officers and men arrived daily and little by little all sections were built up to full strength. Crews were allotted in groups of eight, twelve and forty-six bringing the strength finally on August 24, 1943 to seventy or full strength.

Upon arrival at AAB, Alamogordo it was discovered that the Base had been laid out with dispersed areas and the 450th was assigned the West Area. Originally this area had been planned for the use of two squadrons so it was found to be very crowded and that these were insufficient buildings. Hutments were moved in, building and quarters assigned and while the area was not ideal it could be made workable. The sound of hammer and saw reechoed and by mid August everything was in shape for the training ahead. The lack of aircraft was serious and first phase training had to be run off with only the four originally assigned. The base training facilities were better and included bomb trainer building and equipment, C.N.T. and equipment, gunnery training aids, link trainer building and equipment, but no school house. A barracks building was designated for this purpose and the intelligence section added partitions making it useable.

On August 1, 1943 the chain of command to this organization was from Headquarters, Second Air Force, Colorado Springs, Colorado to the First Bomber Command, AAB Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas to the 16th Bombardment Operational Training Wing, AAB, Tucson, Arizona. Later on the designation of the First Bomber Command was changed to the Twentieth Bomber Command. The responsibility of the 16th BOTW to the 450th Group concerned training in all of its aspects while the Bomber Command was supervisory and, in part, policy forming.

Colonel Mills had decided, while in Florida, that the major activity of the Group in its early training stages was to be schooling in maintenance, communications and gunnery. Accordingly, schools were organized within a day or so after arrival oat AAB, Alamogordo, New Mexico and were functioning smoothly when First Phase started on August 4, 1943.

Primarily, these schools were for maintenance men to acquaint them with their jobs and the fine record of flying time could be directly attributable to this training.

The primary objective of all activity was to prepare this Group for combat and every section was so organized that this objective could be attained. Competent instructors ere selected for all ground school courses, schedules were coordinated with flying hours and First Phase training moved smoothly on. Intelligence rooms were equipped with maps and sundry other displays and war situation lectures were regularly given to all men of the group.

Training had progressed to the point that on September 1, 1943 all departments had progressed beyond minimum requirements. The guiding force behind this smoothly operating organization was Colonel Mills whose wealth of previous experience was paying big dividends. By no means was the physical side of the organization pushed into the background by all of the other activity fro certain hours per day were reserved for exercise and in a short time muscles were hardened and waist line reduced. Regular training in formations and drill was give with a review and inspection every Saturday morning. In short, within several weeks after the Group neared its strength it had assumed all the appearances of a military organization.

James A McKamy

Major, Air Corps

Intelligence Officer