ArtKramr wrote:

Subject: Night bombers interception in Western Europe in 1944
From: ost (Chris Mark)
Date: 7/17/2004 5:16 PM Pacific Standard Time

All the B-26 units in Italy were eventually phased out, as they had been in
the
Pacific, so that eventually B-26s only operated in the ETO.


Chris Mark



Phased out is the wrong term. They were yanked out and rushed up to the ETO
where the demands were much higher and targets much tougher. Only the best were
used in the ETO. The only reason a piece of equipment was taken out of the ETO
is because it couldn't cut.

Art, no US B-26 Groups (17th, 319th, 320th) that had been assigned to the MTO were
"yanked out' and redeployed to the ETO. None, zero, zilch, nada. One of these
groups was redeployed to the US after having its B-26s replaced by B-25s (this only
lasted a month or so), for conversion to the A-26 and then movement to the Pacific.
Chris can probably correct my memory, but IIRR the other two groups were eventually
re-equipped with A-26s and stayed in the MTO, or were folded up.

Meanwhile, the RAF continued to operate 2 Squadrons of B-26s in the MTO, the South
African Air Force continued to operate 5 squadrons in the MTO, and the French
continued to operate six "Groupes" (equivalent to US squadrons) in the MTO. The
French units were later part of the 1st Tactical Air Force, operating against
targets in southern France until the end of the war.

All 8 US B-26 Groups in the ETO were originally deployed there - no B-26 Groups
arrived from any other theater.

Guy