The 398th bombardment group was constituted on 15 February 1943 and activated on 1 March of that year. From April 1944 until June 1945 the 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was stationed at Nuthampstead airfield in the United Kingdom, arriving from Rapid City AAF South Dakota. The group was under the command of the 1st Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Air Division. Equipped with Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses, its tail code was a "Triangle-W".

The 398th BG entered combat in May 1944, and until V-E Day operated primarily against strategic objectives in Germany, attacking targets such as factories in Berlin, warehouses in Munich, marshalling yards in Saarbrücken, shipping facilities in Kiel, oil refineries in Merseburg, and aircraft plants in Munster.

The group temporarily suspended strategic missions to attack coastal defenses and enemy troops on the Cherbourg peninsula during the Normandy invasion in June 1944. The group struck gun positions near Eindhoven in support of the air attack on Holland in September 1944, and raided power stations, railroads, and bridges during the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945. The group flew missions attacking airfields to aid the Allied assault across the Rhine in March 1945.

The 398th flew its last combat mission, attacking an airfield in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, on 25 April 1945. After V-E Day the group transported liberated prisoners from Germany to France.

The group consisted of the following squadrons:

• 600th Bomb Squadron (N8)
• 601st Bomb Squadron (3O)
• 602d Bomb Squadron (K8)
• 603d Bomb Squadron (N7)

Sources and more information

• 398th bombardment group description (398th.org)
• RAF Nuthampstead (Wikipedia)