Four Decades of Courage

Eventual death stalks all of us, but for many it strikes too soon. This is a story about members of the Seventh Bombardment Group, United States Air Force, who day after day faced the stalker with courage and determination. Some won and some lost.

      The information in this history of the 7th Bombardment Group, United States Air Force, is based on official records and on the diaries and memories of former members of the Group who submitted accounts of their experiences to the author for inclusion in the book. The author has attempted to avoid discrepancies but official records are not always accurate or may be missing. Likewise, memories of events that occurred decades before often have grown dim or differ from the perceptions of other people who were involved in the same event. Every effort has been made by the author to be completely accurate as far as dates are concerned but these, too, vary according to the source. The history of a unit as old and active as the 7th Bombardment Group cannot be told in a simple history but must incorporate numerous pieces that fit together only after careful, considered study. While accounts of many World War II Army Air Corps units are well known, little has been written about the complete history of the 7th Bombardment Group whose components later formed the 7th Bombardment Wing. The efforts and accomplishments of that Group rival those of any other and can be considered outstanding in the face of the difficulties that were forced on it. The Group was thrust, unexpectedly, into World War II when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Sent first to Java to intercede in Japan''s conquest of the Netherlands East Indies, the Group found itself at the very end of the line for reinforcement and supply. A decision had been made that the war in Europe was of a much higher priority, and it was in that theater that most of the American effort was centered.

      When the United States Army Air Corps became involved in World War II, it lacked sufficient airplanes, armaments and trained personnel to perform the tasks that faced it. Young men who had joined the Air Corps seeking excitement and worldwide travel were quickly sobered by situations in which they suddenly found themselves. This lack of war-time readiness was but a repeat of the situation facing the United States Air Service in 1917 at the beginning of its involvement in World War I. Prior to then, the Air Service had been just a small section of the Signal Corps, its great potential completely unrecognized by all but a small number of far-sighted aeronautical pioneers.

      Generally unknown and unrecognized is the fact that the 7th Bombardment Group has a rich history which is closely related to the Air Service of World War I and to the powerful United States Air Force into which the Air Service evolved. The history of a military unit is composed of the activities and accomplishments of the people and the subordinate components that, at one time or another, are assigned to it. The history of the 7th Bombardment Group dates back to World War I. Many of the men assigned to or associated with the Group were air pioneers whose activities contributed to the formation of an organization which one day would become the world''s strongest and most modern air force.   

      The lst Aero Squadron, was the first air unit in the United States to use an airplane as a tool in a combative military action. In l9l6, when Major General John J. Pershing launched his punitive expeditionary campaign against Pancho Villa on the Mexican border, the United States'' "air force"  was composed of just one squadron and was used by Pershing to augment the activities of army troops. The squadron''s airplanes were  considered by army commanders to be useful only in observing the locations and movements of enemy troops and in delivering mail, reports and orders. The loss of airplanes suffered by the lst Aero Squadron during the expedition was disastrous but it was an enlightening experience for the country''s aeronautical pioneers and resulted in improved designs for military aircraft.

      When the United States entered World War I and Pershing''s American Expeditionary Force was organized and moved to Europe, the lst Aero Squadron in September, 1917, became the first U.S. squadron to arrive there. It immediately was sent to Amanty, France