319th Bomb Group: Facts

319th in Mediterranean

Activated in June, 1942 as the 319th Bombardment Group
Assigned to the 12th Air Force
Trained in Martin B-26 Maurders and moved via England to N. Africa, participated in landing at Arzeu beach
Became known as the "Big Tail Birds"
Briefly assigned to the 15th Air Force, Nov. 1943 - Jan. 1944
Action in Tunisia: attacking airdromes, harbors and rail facilities
Action in Sicily: the reduction of Pantelleria
Action in support of ground forces at Solarno and Anzio
The reduction of Monte Cassino
Awarded Distinguished Unit Citation for a mission on March 3, 1944 bombing rail facilities in Rome
Awarded second DUC for striking marshalling yards in Florence on March 11, 1944
Awarded French Croix de Guerre with Palm for action in preparation for and support of Allied offensive in Italy
Bombed targets in the Po Valley and in Yugoslavia July-Dec 1944
Converted to B-25s and later A-26s without interrupting combat

319th in the Pacific and After

First complete AAF unit sent from Europe to the Pacific.
Reached Okinawa on July 1945
Flew 22 mission over China and Japan
6-abreast A-26 take-offs earned the 319th the name,"Colonel Randy's Flying Circus"
Astronaut Deke Slayton served with the 319th.
On August 9, crews on mission to Kanoya Airfield saw atomic cloud over Nagasaki
Awarded 3 Battle Stars: Air Offensive Japan, Air Offensive China, and the Ryukyus Campaign.
515 missions and awarded 12 Battle Streamers by War's end.
After the war, became the SAC 319th Bomb Wing: flying B-52s and B-1Bs based in Grand Forks, North Dakota.