We Went to War; Part I: A WWII Wartime Roster of the 380th Bomb Group (H; Part II: Roster of the Flight Crews of the 380th Bomb Group (H)

Two volumes each approx. 8.5" by 12", Various paginations, with hundreds of pages of rosters-complete lists of personnel and many other pages of information. Illustrations. Tabular Data. The dust jackets have some wear and soiling. Volume I has a color frontis. illustration (a reproduction of a print by Frances Johnston) and Volume II has a frontis. photo of a heavy bomber. The roster that comprises Part I "has been prepared under the auspices of the 380th Bomb Group Association, Inc., the organization of wartime veterans of service in the 380th Bomb Group and their families and associates. Australian veterans who served with or worked with the 380th are also welcomed as members of the Association."from the Introduction. These rosters have been prepared in remembrance of all who served in the 380th Bombardment Group (Heavy), Fifth Bomber Command, 5th Air Force, Far East Air Forces, USAAF, during World War II. Minor front board weakness to Part I, restrengthend with glue. Information provided includes Notes Concerning Each Listing; Collection of Data; Glossary of abbreviations and Acronyms Used; Table of Relative Rank Titles and Abbreviations. Australian Duty Titles, Command Structure, Fifth Air Force Prior to 1 July 1944; Command Structure Far East Air Forces After 1 July 1944; Command Structure North West Area Command RAAF' References. Rosters. Appendix--A Listing of MOS/SSNS. In 1942 the 380th Bombardment Group was established. It operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit assigned to Fifth Air Force. The history of the 380th dates back to 28 October 1942 when the unit was established. Originally, the 380th Group consisted of four squadrons, the 528th, 529th, 530th, and 531st Bombardment Squadrons. The 380th was part of Fifth Air Force, and was known as the Flying Circus and as the King of the Heavies. The 380th went overseas in April 1943 to become the second Consolidated B-24 Liberator unit in the Fifth Air Force at that time. The group arrived at Fenton Airfield, Australia. The Command's purpose was to engage in destroying Japanese strongholds in the Pacific. The group later was placed under the Australian Northwest Area Command operating out of Darwin, Northern Territory. It was the only B-24 Liberator unit attached to the RAAF. The group was assigned to train RAAF personnel on the B-24 and to secure Australia's safety against a threatened Japanese invasion along its northern coast. Upon arrival in Australia, the group immediately began combat operations. It was the only heavy bomber unit available to cover the whole of the Dutch East Indies (1,000,000 square miles) from July 1943 until late in 1944. During April and May 1944, the 380th engaged in the most intensive and sustained operations since arrival in the southwest Pacific, neutralizing the rear bases through which the Japanese might reinforce their air force in the Wakde-Hollandia area of the Netherlands East Indies. From the end of May 1944 until it moved to Murtha Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines in February 1945, the 380th concentrated on neutralizing enemy bases, installations and industrial compounds in the southern and central East Indies. The Group flew the first heavy bomber strikes against targets in China and French Indochina. In June 1945, the 380th was placed under the operational control of the 13th Air Force for pre-invasion attacks against Labuan and on the oil refineries at Balikpapan in Borneo. For nearly two weeks, the Group's Liberators kept these targets under a state of aerial siege. The 380th flew its last combat missions to Taiwan. The 380th then moved to Okinawa and flew reconnaissance patrols over the Japanese islands. The group ferried released prisoners of war to Manila. On 18 October 1945, the unit was transferred to Seventh Air Force in the Philippines, where it moved to Clark Field on Luzon, and participated in the Sunset Project, the return of B-24s and their crews to.…