[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 194 (Thursday, December 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     A 50TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE TO THE 390TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H)

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                             HON. JIM KOLBE

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 1995

  Mr. KOLBE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the World War 
II veterans who served this country in the 390th Bombardment Group (H). 
During this 50th anniversary year of the end of World War II, it is 
fitting and appropriate to pay tribute to the 390th which flew 301 
bombing missions in B-17's against the German war machine.
  The veterans of the 390th have established a permanent memorial to 
and for those who made the supreme sacrifice and to all men who had 
served in the group during World War II. The memorial is a museum and 
is the source and location of the heritage, history, and honor of the 
390th and the men who so proudly served in it.
  The 390th Memorial Museum is located in Tucson, AZ on the grounds of 
the third largest air museum in the United States--the Pima Air and 
Space Museum. The 390th museum contains the beautifully restored B-17G 
``I'll be Around'', an 11- by 23-foot mural of ``Top Cover for the J 
Group'' which is probably the most recognized picture of World War II. 
It also contains an honor wall, a gallery of crews, art and aircraft 
models, and many different items of memorabilia. The Joseph A. Moller 
Library, in the museum, contains over 79,000 pages of 390th combat 
history, over 9,000 photographs and is a research center for the air 
campaign of Central Europe.
  After intensive training in the United States, the group was battle 
ready and sent to its base at Framlingham, England. On August 12, 1943, 
it flew its first operational mission bombing an instrument factory in 
Bonn, Germany.
  During this period, 145 aircraft were missing in action. Overall, the 
390th used up over 200 Flying Fortresses counting those battle damaged 
aircraft returning to England but immediately declared as salvage. At 
war's end, 88 aircraft were returned to the United States. The 390th 
earned two Presidential Unit Citations for conspicuous battle action 
over Regensburg and Schweinfurt in August and October, 1943.
  On October 10, 1943, on a mission targeted at Munster, Germany, the 
390th was credited with destroying 62 enemy fighters in air-to-air 
combat. This was the highest kill rate in a single day for any bomber 
or fighter group in the European Theater of Operations. That day, the 
group dispatched 18 aircraft and 8 of them were officially listed as 
missing in action. In their 301 missions the 390th was credited with 
the destruction of 377 enemy aircraft, 57 probably destroyed, and 77 
damaged.
  The price paid for these achievements was not small. Some 1,400 
personnel of the 390th were killed in action. Only 15 of the 35 
original combat crews, those which trained as part of the group in the 
States and launched the combat career of the 390th in the European 
Theater of Operations, finished their tours of operations--the others 
were missing in action. The museum is a memorial to the men of the 
390th and those who made the supreme sacrifice.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, it is vitally important that we remember 
the sacrifices made by our veterans and those who today serve our 
country in the military. It is equally important that we remind future 
generations of the sacrifices made by our Nation's veterans.

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