| 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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