SAVE THE DATE!

SEPTEMBER 15 -18 2022

The Veterans and members of the 449th BGA will be celebrating their 27th Reunion this year in Wichita, KN. The 449th BG will be among twelve bomb groups from the 15th AAF who flew out of southern Italy during WWII. There will be two Groups attending that were from the same Bomb Wing as the 449th. (Reference: 15th AAF/ 47th Bomb Wing/ 449th Bomb Group).

To hit a target with good success, it took careful planning in precise detail, to coordinate a formation of hundreds of aircraft from various bases throughout southern Italy. Though a mission may take six to nine hours and the actual bombing run only 20-40 minutes, an hour was spent circling the sky before heading to the target. The following excerpt is from the diary of D.C. Lapham (co-pilot 449th BG), mission number14, on January 23, 1944

Diary: The altimeter read 10,000 feet – we donned oxygen masks. The formation looked very poor. Our group, divided into two eighteen ship sections and was leading the 47th wing in the attack. The 450th, 376th and 98th bomb group had priority targets in the vicinity. Two minutes to the I.P. and an explosion rocked the ship. Top turret calls out, “We lost Ship #6, counted nine chutes.” The entire formation banked left over the Adriatic in an effort to get out of the flak.

Though there were no attacks by enemy aircraft, but weather and heavy flak had taken its toll. What happen to the other Groups in the 47th Bomb Wing (98th, 376th, 450th?) What did they experience? Now it is our Mission, the mission of the future generations is to carry these stories forward. How best to do this is by coming to Wichita and joining the 15 AAF.

Wichita has come a long way from the 1800’s when it was part of the cattle punching Chisholm trail and acquiring the name the “Cow town.” In the 20th century, Wichita was propelled into aviation history, becoming known as the Air Capital of the World. Companies like

Cessna, Beech, Stearman, and Laird, had plants in Wichita and during WWII, Boeing built the B-29 bombers. Though the industry has changed dramatically in the last twenty years, Wichita has much to offer.

Of significant importance during our time in Wichita, will be the tour to McConnell AFB. It is home of KC-135 Stratotanker, the US Air Force’s first jet-powered refueling tanker used to refuel strategic bombers and tactical fighters. Next stop will be the Kansas Aviation Museum (next door to McConnell AFB) and the perfect place to watch the aircraft from McConnell take off and land!

Let’s all of us follow the yellow brick road to KANSAS!