489th Bomb Group
489th Bomb Group
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|---|---|
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| Active | 1943–1945; 2015–present |
| Country |
 United States
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| Branch |
 United States Air Force
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| Role | Bombardment |
| Part of | Air Force Reserve Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Dyess Air Force Base |
| Motto(s) | Ex Tenebris Lux Veritatis Latin Out of Darkness, the Light of Truth |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Col. Denis A. Heinz (as of 17 October 2015) |
| Insignia | |
| 489th Bomb Group emblem |  |
| 489th Bombardment Group emblem (World War II) |  |
| Eighth Air Force tail code | Circle W |
The 489th Bomb Group is a unit of the United States Air Force. Its is assigned to the 307th Bomb Wing, and is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The group is a reserve associate unit of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess.
During World War II, the 489th Bombardment Group was a Consolidated B-24 Liberator unit. After training in the United States, it moved to England as an element of Eighth Air Force, stationed at RAF Halesworth, England. Lieutenant Colonel Leon Vance of the group was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and actions on the day before D-Day over Wimereux, France. It was the only Medal of Honor awarded to a B-24 crewman for a mission flown from England. The group returned to the United States in November 1944 and converted to a Boeing B-29 Superfortress group, but the war ended before the group could deploy to the Pacific.
In October 2015, the group was reactivated in the Air Force Reserve.
The 489th Bombardment Group, Heavy was activated as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber group on 1 October 1943 at Wendover Field, Utah. Its original squadrons were the 844th, 845th, 846th and 847th Bombardment Squadrons. The group completed combat training and departed Wendover on 3 April 1944. The air echelon flew to the UK via the southern ferry route along the northern coastline of South America and across the Atlantic to Africa before heading North to England. The ground echelon sailed from Boston on board the USS Wakefield on 13 April 1944, reaching Liverpool on 21 April. The group moved to RAF Halesworth, England, April–May 1944, where it became part of Eighth Air Force.
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Wikipedia