467th Bombardment Group at Rackheath
History
The 467th Bombardment Group became known as the Rackheath Aggies.
It was stationed at Rackheath in Norfolk, England, from March 1944 to April 1945.
The group was activated on August 1 1943 at Wendover Field, Utah and assembled at Mountain Home Airfield in Idaho, staying there from September 8 through to mid-October.
Crews held the bulk of their training at Wendover Field, leaving in February 1944 for England.
The ground crews travelled on the USAT Frederick Lykes, arriving in Great Britain on March 10, while the air crews flew their B24 Liberators via the southern ferry route.
The first mission was flown on April 10, 1944 against Bourges.
From that date through to April 25 1945, the 467th flew 212 missions for 5,538 sorties, losing only 29 aircraft in combat.
The 467th was also the only bomb group in the Eighth Air Force to have the same commanding officer, Colonel Al Shower, from its arrival in England through to the end of hostilities.
Witchcraft, one of Rackheath's Liberators, held the Eighth's record for B-24 aircraft, flying 130 missions with no turnbacks.
In the summer of 1945, the 467th was redeployed to the United States, with the bulk of the aircraft leaving on June 12.
The ground crew travelled to New York via the Queen Mary, arriving on July 11, 1945.
The 467th was selected for training on B-29 aircraft, moving to Alamogordo, New Mexico then to Nebraska before heading to Clovis Airfield in New Mexico in December 1945.
The unit was inactivated on August 4 1946, although its remaining personnel and squadrons were redesignated the 301st Bomb Group.
If you want to view photographs and other records relating to the 467th, visit our digital archive.