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The 451st Bomb Group in World War II: A Pictorial History

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Claiming one particular bomb group was "the best" is fraught with danger. Yet consider the following: the 451st Bomb Group flew 245 missions in WWII, earning an unprecedented three(!) Distinguished Unit Citations. The 451st was the ONLY 15th AF bomb unit - B-17 or B-24 - to be accorded that honor. The 451st ended the war with the highest bomb score in the entire 15th AF, logging the only non-disputed perfect mission in the entire ETO wherein the Group's red-tailed B-24s placed 100% of their bombs within 1,000 feet of the MPI! The combat history of this exemplary group is well told in this 2001 volume by author Mike Hill, whose dad served in the 451st.

The 451st BG had a brief life, being created in April 1943 and deactivated in September 1945. Flying from Italy, the Group flew its first mission on 30 January 1944 and subsequently hit targets in Italy, Germany, Albania, Hungary, Rumania, Austria, Yugoslavia and France. The Group won DUCs for its 25 February 1944 strike on Regensburg where it suffered six losses, the April 5th mission to Ploesti (5 losses)and the 23 August strike on Markersdorf Airfield in Austria (8 B-24s lost). By war's end the Group had suffered 135 losses.

Two points should be made regarding the book's A PICTORIAL HISTORY sub-title. In point of fact, the book contains a WEALTH of photographs of aircraft, crews, bases, crashes and combat scenes...over 620 photos in all! Secondly, the book isn't just photos; Hill does a fine job of relating the Group's life and times. A 67-page history is followed by 38 pages listing all missions flown and short summaries of all B-24s assigned to the Group.

In all ways, author Hill did a commendable job. THE 451ST BOMB GROUP IN WORLD WAR II will stand as THE definitive book on an exceptional fighting unit.

I found out about this book while doing some research for my dad, whose older brother(my Uncle Bob), was a navigator with the 724th Bomb Squadron. It gives a very concise history on how the 451st came to be, where they trained, and how all of its new members finally arrived in Italy. The author, Mike Hill, also includes great photos of many of the air and ground crews, along with aerial shots of many of the planes on actual missions.
I thought the most informative part of the book was where he describes in detail the actual missions, mentioning any planes and crew which had been lost.
Whether you are are only interested in the history of WWII, or may have had loved ones in the 451st Bomb Group, this book is a must have.

There are unit histories and there are unit histories.

What sets this work apart is the author's contextualisation of the 451st Bombardment Group within the wider theatre in which it served.

This is ably acheived in a superbly illustrated narrative format that avoids the chronicular shortcomings of many unit histories.

A fine story, with fine illustrations and printed on quality stock paper for maximum reading pleasure.

Highly recommended for that always thin section on your bookshelf: the air war in the MTO.

Michael Enright

I remember my father coming home in the fall of '45.
He was in the MTO, 15th USAAF, 49th Wing, 451st BG(Heavy),727th SQ,
a nose gunner in "The Jane Lee". There's even a couple of pictures his "ship".

We lived 25 miles from Willow Run.

Excellent!

This book enabled me to view my father's squadron and included a picture of my father! Well done.