REDFCAR Productions

 

 

 

Valor To Victory

The Men of the 34th!

 

This documentary is currently in production and is seeking funds!

We are researching the history of the 34th Bombardment  Group Heavy stationed at Mendlesham, Suffolk County, England from April 1944 to May 1945. 

We are searching for photographs, actual film footage shot by aircrew and any accounts of the bomb group in action. 

PLEASE CONTACT US! 

fcar@redfcar.com

THANKS!


A Little History:
 
Constituted as 34th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 15 January 1941. Using B-17's, trained and participated in maneuvers until December 1941. Flew patrol missions along the east coast after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Later became part of the defense force for the west coast. Served as a replacement training unit from mid-1942 until the end of 1943, and then began preparing for overseas duty with B-24's. Moved to England in April 1944 for operations with Eighth Air Force.

Entered combat in May 1944. Helped to prepare for the invasion of Normandy by bombing airfields in France and Germany, and supported the landing in June by attacking coastal defenses and communications. Continued to take part in the campaign in France by supporting ground forces at St Lo, 24-25 July, and by striking V-weapon sites, gun emplacements, and supply lines throughout the summer of 1944. Converted to B-17's and engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic objectives from October 1944 to February 1945. Targets included marshalling yards in Ludwigshafen, Hamm, Osnabruck, and Darmstadt; oil centers in Bielefeld, Merseburg, Hamburg, and Misburg; factories in Berlin, Dalteln, and Hannover; and airfields in Munster, Neumunster, and Frankfurt. During this period the group also supported ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945. In March 1945, with few industrial targets remaining and with Allied armies advancing across Germany, the 34th turned almost solely to interdicting enemy communications and supporting Allied ground forces. After V-E Day it carried food to flooded areas of Holland and transported prisoners of war from German camps to Allied centers. Returned to the US in the summer of 1945. Inactivated on 28 August 1945.

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Last Updated:             January 18, 200

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