466th Bombardment Group at Attlebridge
History
The 466th Bombardment Group was known as the "Flying Deck".
It was stationed at Attlebridge in Norfolk, England, from February 1944 to April 1945 and flew B-24 Liberators.
The bulk of its crews' training was carried out in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
In February 1944, it moved to its base near the village of Weston Longville.
The group's first mission was on 22 March 1944 to Berlin. It was the longest first mission flown by any group in the European theatre of operations.
This was noted by Lt Gen James Doolittle in a letter welcoming the 466th to the Eighth Air Force.
During the course of the war, the 466th flew more than 5,600 sorties in 231 missions over France, Germany, and Belgium.
A total of 333 men lost their lives during those missions, with an additional 171 taken prisoner, eight evading capture and 27 interned in neutral countries.
Almost 100 B-24 Liberators were lost during the missions.
The 466th also participated in the Gas Missions. This involved flying gasoline to the US Army in France and Germany, which had moved so quickly it had outdistanced its supply lines.
If you want to view various records relating to the 466th, you can visit our digital archive.