17thbg.org is a project of the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. Volunteers are transcribing servicemen names and their awards from General Orders that we are publishing on this website for enthusiasts, families and researchers of genealogy and World War II history. The names on this honor roll of men assigned to the 17th Bombardment Group is not a complete list of all who served with the 17th, however, we are attempting to locate as many documents that have survived as possible. Sources of material include the US National Archives, Air Force Historical Research Agency and the records donated by individual servicemen and their families. We hope you will find this information useful and enjoyable. We are accepting volunteers help in this very large World War II project as we preserve this history and honor service.
The 17th Used B-25's for patrol duty on the west coast after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and later patrolled the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic coast. Converted to B-26's in the summer of 1942. They moved to North Africa late in 1942 and began operations on 30 December. Served in combat in the Mediterranean theater until the end of the war, being assigned first to 12th AF, then to 15th Air Force (November 1943), and again to Twelfth (Jan 1944).
Flew interdictory and close-support missions, bombing bridges, rail lines, marshalling yards, harbors, shipping, gun emplacements, troop concentrations, and other targets. Helped to bring about the defeat of Axis forces in North Africa in May 1943; assisted in the reduction of Pantelleria and Lampedusa in Jun 1943; participated in the invasions of Sicily in Jul and of Italy in Sep 1943; and took part in the drive toward Rome, receiving a Distinguished Unit Citation ("DUC") for a bombing attack on airdromes at Rome on 13 Jan 1944. Also received the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for operations in Italy, Apr-Jun 1944. Took part in the invasion of Southern France in Aug 1944, and continued bombardment operations in northern Italy, France, and later in Germany.
Received second DUC for bombing attacks on enemy defenses near Schweinfurt on 10 Apr 1945. Assisted in the disarmament of Germany after V-E Day. Returned to the US in Nov. Inactivated on 26 Nov 1945.
Lt Col Walter R Peck, Mar 1941
Lt Col William C Mills, Feb 1942
Lt Col Flint Garrison, 16 Jun 1942
Lt Col Curtis D Sluman, 26 Jun 1942
Lt Col Karl E Baumeister, 11 Mar 1943
Lt Col Charles R Greening, 25 May 1943
Lt Col Robert A Zaiser, 18 Jul 1943
Col Donald L Gilbert, 14 Oct 1943
Col R O Harrell, 21 Jul 1944
Col Wallace C Barrett, 20 Mar 1945
Pendleton, Ore, 29 Jun 1941
Lexington County Aprt, SC, 9 Feb 1942
Barksdale Field, La, 23 Jun-Nov 1942
Telergma, Algeria, Dec 1942
Sedrata, Algeria, c. 10 May 1943
Djedeida, Tunisia, 23 Jun 1943
Sardinia, Nov 1943
Corsica, c. 14 Sep 1944
Dijon, France, c. 20 Nov 1944
34th: 1931-1945. 37th: 1931-1945. 95th: 1931-1945. 432nd: 1942-1945.
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Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation.
We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks.
(1) Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. (2) Photography and Document Scanning.
