![]() The 345th was assigned to the 462nd Bomb Group at McDill Field, Florida and inactivated on 31 March 1946. The 344th was assigned to the 444th Bomb Group at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona and inactivated on 1 October 1946. The 343d Squadron was assigned to the 40th Bomb Group at March Air Force Base, California. However, the 343rd, 344th, and 345th Squadrons were reassigned to B-29 groups. The 98th was inactivated as a group on 10 November 1945. It was re-designated the 98th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and equipped with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, but the war with Japan ended before redeployment. The group returned to the United States as the war was ending in Europe, where it trained in preparation for movement to the Pacific Theater. It flew a total of 417 missions and earned a total of 15 battle streamers as well as two Presidential Unit Citations. In the summer of 1944, the 98th participated in the invasion of southern France, assisted in the Soviet advance into the Balkans, and supported the partisans and guerrillas in Yugoslavia and neighboring countries. Donald Pucket was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his sacrifice. Pucket sacrificed his life trying to save three of his crew members who could not or would not bail out of their doomed B-24. On another raid on Ploesti on 9 July 1944, Lt. It flew many long-range missions to France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Romania to bomb enemy heavy industries, airdromes, harbors, oil fields, and communication centers. From 1 November 1943 it was under the Fifteenth Air Force and moved to Italy. The 98th was under the command of the Twelfth Air Force in September and October 1943. Young, was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster to his Distinguished Flying cross for his part in the mission. (Killer) Kane was awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership. Six planes aborted before reaching the target. One, the 'Kickapoo', crashed on takeoff with the loss of all crew members except two. On this raid, of 47 B-24s launched, only 21 returned safely. It received a second DUC for participation in a low-level bombing raid on enemy-held oil refineries at Ploesti, Romania, on 1 August 1943. The 98th earned a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for action against the enemy in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sicily from August 1942 to August 1943. It bombed land targets, air fields, railroad lines, shipping, and harbor installations in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Crete, and Greece to cut enemy supply lines to Africa and to prepare for the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy. It supported the British Eighth Army in its westward advance from Egypt into Libya and Tunisia. It flew its first mission to Mersa Matruh, Libya on 1 August 1942, with the aircraft being serviced by Royal Air Force personnel until 98th maintenance personnel arrived in mid-August 1942. At that time, the 98th came under the 9th Air Force. However, the USMEAF was dissolved on 12 November 1942. The 98th was initially assigned to the USMEAF (United States Middle East Air Force). The group was alerted and departed for the Middle East on 15 July 1942, arriving in Palestine in late July 1942. The 98th trained for bombardment missions with B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942. ![]()
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