| 389th Chronology | ||||
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| Date | M# | Target/Location | Event/Notes | Detail |
| 24-Dec-42 | -- | Davis-Monthan AAB, Arizona | 389th BG Activated | |
| 1-Feb-43 | -- | Biggs AAB, Texas | 389th BG physically formed | |
| 17-Apr-43 | -- | Lowry AAB, Colorado | 389th BG begins final training | |
| 11-Jun-43 | -- | Camp Kilmer, NJ | Ground echelon arrives in Camp Kilmer, NJ, & Col. Wood arrives with first air element at Hethel, England | |
| 13-Jun-43 | -- | Lincoln, Nebraska | Staging to England | |
| 14-Jun-43 | -- | Montreal, Canada | Staging to England | |
| 17-Jun-43 | -- | Bangor, Maine | Staging to England | |
| 18-Jun-43 | -- | Goose Bay, Labrador | Staging to England | |
| 21-Jun-43 | -- | Meeks Field, Iceland | Staging to England | |
| 25-Jun-43 | -- | Hethel, England | (42-40774 O) w/pilot James & (42-40687 I) w/pilot Fowble collide in training flight, both a/c salvaged -- James' navigator Charles Quantrell killed | |
| 25-Jun-43 | -- | Bengasi, Libya | Spurrier, Opsata, & Nading crews join 389th BG from 93rd BG. | |
| 30-Jun-43 | -- | Camp Kilmer, NJ | Ground echelon embarks on Queen Elizabeth | |
| 30-Jun-43 | -- | Hethel, England | 389th leaves for North Africa | |
| 1-Jul-43 | -- | Hethel, England | George Makin & his crew leave for N. Africa | |
| 2-Jul-43 | -- | Lisbon, Portugal | (42-40783 K-) w/ pilot Wilhite landed in neutral Portugal after experiencing mechanical problems -- 10 + INT | |
| 6-Jul-43 | -- | Gourock, UK | Ground echelon arrives in UK | |
| 9-Jul-43 | 1 | Maleme, Crete | 389th BG -- 1st Combat Mission | |
| (42-40779 P) w/pilot Scates lost due to AA and fighters -- 10 KIA | Detail | |||
| 10-Jul-43 | -- | Ireland | TRAVELIN' TROLLOP (42-40784 T-) w/pilot VanBenthuysen Interned in Ireland -- 10 INT | Detail |
| 11-Jul-43 | 2 | Reggio, Italy | Spurrier crew's first mission | |
| 12-Jul-43 | 3 | Reggio, Italy | FIGHTIN' SAM (42-40506 A-) is forced to divert to Malta after taking a direct hit over Reggio. | Detail |
| (42-40697 K) hit by flak and forced to crash land in Sicily. Pilot Lt. Wright and crew returned. | Detail | |||
| 14-Jul-43 | 4 | Messina, Sicily | (42-40730 G) w/pilot Lyndon Brown lost over Messina due to AA -- 10 MIA | Detail |
| 16-Jul-43 | 5 | Bari, Italy A/F | Spurrier crew in 807-U. Observed Italian fleet at Taranto, & 10-12 Me109's attacking rear of formation. | |
| 19-Jul-43 | 6 | Rome, Italy | (42-40665 A) w/pilot Walsh left formation enroute to Rome, hounded by German fighters the crew bailed out over Malta -- Crew returned. | Detail |
| 1-Aug-43 | 7 | Campina, Rumania | 389th earns Presidential Unit Citation, all of the crews receive the Distinguished Flying Cross, and Lloyd Hughes earns the Medal of Honor. The 389th BG loses six aircraft in one of the most daring raids of the war. Coming in at tree top level the Sky Scorpions destroy the Steaua Romana oil refinery. The refinery does not produce oil for six months. | |
| SE of Campina | (42-40735 C-) w/ pilot Horton -- 9 KIA, 1 POW. | Detail | ||
| SE of Campina | (42-40753 J) w/ pilot Hughes -- 8 KIA, 2 POW. | Detail | ||
| Romania | (42-40782 X-) w/ pilot O'Reilly -- 1 KIA, 9 POW. | Detail | ||
| Romania | BOOMERANG (42-40115 A-) w/ pilot Neef -- 11 POW. | Detail | ||
| Izmir, Turkey | HITLER'S HEARSE (42-40533 R-) w/ pilot Mooney -- 1 KIA, 9 INT. | Detail | ||
| Izmir, Turkey | (42-40744 S) w/ pilot James -- 10 INT. | Detail | ||
| 4-Aug-43 | -- | Bengasi, Libya | SWEET ADELINE II (41-23933 Z) w/ pilot S. Podolak returns from Cyprus after landing there on 8/1/43 Campina raid | |
| 13-Aug-43 | 8 | Wiener-Neustadt, Austria | Longest mission of the war so far, leave from Bengasi and land in Tunisia | |
| 14-Aug-43 | Tunis, Tunisia | Crews return to Bengasi from Tunis | ||
| 16-Aug-43 | 9 | Foggia, Italy | -- | |
| 19-Aug-43 | 10 | Foggia, Italy | -- | |
| 21-Aug-43 | 11 | Cancello, Italy | -- | |
| 25-Aug-43 | -- | Bengasi, Libya | 389th BG departs Bengasi to return to Hethel, England. | |