(Alley Oop was a very popular comic strip in the 1930s and 1940s, Alley Oop, the strip's title character, is a caveman who rides his pet dinosaur Dinny, carries a stone axe, and wears only a fur loincloth.)
HISTORY
Circa May, 1943 the Group made preparations for its return to the combat bombardment role and was re-equipped with F series B-17 and modified YB-40 escort Flying Fortress. YB-40s were B-17s modified to fly as a heavily armed escort for other bombers. These conducted escort missions between May and July, 1943. The escort bombers composed the Group's 327th Bomb Squadron. It was the only Eighth Air Force squadron to fly YB-40s in combat.
Between May 1943 and February 1944, the Group, nicknamed 'Fame's Favoured Few', mainly flew missions attacking strategic targets across occupied Europe culminating in the missions of Big Week, 20-25 February 1944.
The Group's missions continued to support POINTBLANK objectives through the invasion and in flew missions in support of gound objectives. The missions transitioned to transportation and oil objectives until April, 1945.
The Group flew 308 missions using 8,633 sorties and dropped 20,829 tons of bombs. The Group lost 154 aircraft MIA.
CLAIMS TO FAME
-First 8th AF Bomb Group to make a non-stop Atlantic flight to the United Kingdom
-327th Bomb Squadron was the only unit equipped with the YB-40 for combat
-Flew the secret Disney rocket-bomb (TV guided) experimental mission early in 1945
-Acted as VIII Bomber Command's Combat Crew Replacement Center Aug-42 to May 43
-Led the last 8th AF mission of the war.
