7th Bombardment Group, USAAF in Australia during WW2

In 1941, the 7th Bombardment Group was stationed at Salt Lake City, Utah. The 7th Bomb Group at that time comprised:-

Ground Echelon
On 13 November 1941, the Ground Echelon departed for the Port of Embarkation San Francisco, destination “Plum” (code name for the Philippines). The Ground Echelon sailed from USA for the Philippines on 21 November 1941 onboard the USS Republic. They arrived in Honolulu on 28 November 1941 and remained overnight for servicing. The USS Republic was part of the Pensacola convoy protected by the cruiser USS Pensacola.

18 P-40s, 52 A-24 dive bombers, 500,000 rounds of .50 caliber armour-piercing and tracer ammunition, 9,600 rounds of high explosive for 37-mm antiaircraft guns, 2,000 500-pound bombs, and miscellaneous vehicles and equipment together with 4,600 troops were part of the Pensacola Convoy.

They left Honolulu the next morning and arrived at Suva, in Fiji on 9 December 1941 after being hastily diverted from their scheduled destination of the Philippines after learning of the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December. The men of the 7th Bomb Group had been called to General Quarters at 1000 hours on 7 December and informed of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

They left Fiji and on 22 December 1941 they docked at the mouth of the Brisbane River and the next morning they repositioned to Hamilton Wharves where they disembarked and marched to Ascot Racecourse where a camp had been hurriedly established.

All of the engineering, armament, and radio technicians of the Ground Echelon of the 7th Bomb Group moved to Amberley Airfield and Archerfield Airfield where they immediately started to assemble P-40 Warhawks and A-24 Dive Bombers. The 9th and 88th Squadrons went to Amberley and the 11th and 22nd Bomb Squadrons went to Archerfield.

The 8th Materiel Squadron which also arrived in Brisbane on the USS Republic, assisted the 7th Bomb Group with the erection of these aircraft at Amberley Airfield.

Uncrating P-40E Warhawk AC-5336 of the
49th Fighter Group at Archerfield in early 1942

Erecting a P-40E Warhawk at Archerfield
for the 49th Fighter Group in early 1942

Erecting a Douglas A-24 Dauntless/Banshee
Dive Bomber #41-15802 at Archerfield Airfield
in early 1942 for the 27th Bombardment Group

The Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, under Commanding Officer 1st Lt. Henry E. Bolts, was allocated Camp “E” in Camp Ascot for its 22 Officers and 262 Enlisted Men. A Detachment of one Officer and six Enlisted Men from the Hqs & Hqs Squadron was placed on Detached Service to Darwin in the Northern Territory on 4 January 1942.

Major John H. Davies of the 27th Bomb Group reported to Major General Brereton on progress of erection of aircraft on 4 January 1942 as follows:-

On 10 January 1942, one Officer and five Enlisted Men moved from Amberley to Camp Ascot to set up Group Headquarters in the camp area. Captain Nichols, the CO of the 7th Bomb Group, was placed on Special Duty at US Army Headquarters in Brisbane, however he still remained in command of the 7th Bomb Group. The Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron helped to organise the first US Army Headquarters in Australia which was called USAFIA, US Army Forces in Australia. It was based in Lennons Hotel in George Street, Brisbane city.

Between 23 December 1941and 4 February 1942, the Ground Echelon of the 7th Bomb Group assembled 138 P-40 Warhawks, 52 A-24 Dive Bombers, and 5 Douglas C-53 transport aircraft. The assembly of these aircraft was carried out without proper tools and wherever possible the personnel manufactured the required tools. They work shift work to allow the aircraft erection to proceed 24 hours a day.

The remainder of the ground echelon stayed at Ascot Racecourse and did every kind of work from unloading ships to driving trucks. Guard duty also occupied a great deal of their time. Selected personnel were attached and later transferred to the 27th Bomb Group for the purpose of becoming gunners in their A-24 dive bomber aircraft. These men were trained as A-24 gunners at Archerfield Airfield.

On 19 January 1942, the ground echelons of the 11th and 22nd Bomb Squadrons boarded the USS President Polk and sailed for Java.

1st Lt. James E. Tull assumed command of Hqs & Hqs Squadron from 1st Lt. Henry E. Bolts on 1 February 1942.

From 1 to 3 February 1942, extra details were formed to pack and crate all remaining equipment of the 7th Bomb Group in preparation for sailing to a new secret Station (Java). Remaining personnel at Amberley and Archerfield moved to Ascot Racecourse in preparation for sailing.

An Air-Raid Alert was sounded at midnight on 2 February 1942. All equipment was dispersed as well as possible. Machine Gun Crews were formed from all available personnel not working on the docks and dispatched aboard trucks to vital locations around the Camp area and in the vicinity of the Docks and Warehouses. The All Clear signal was sounded in the early morning hours ad personnel proceeded on with their normal duties.

On 4 February 1942, after breakfast, Hq & Hqs Squadron, 9th Bomb Squadron, and 88th Reconnaissance Squadron departed Ascot Racecourse and boarded the USAT Willard A. Holbrook at 1200 hours and sailed for an unknown destination at 2200 hours. This brought to a close the 7th Bomb Group’s involvement in Australia.

They sailed down to Melbourne arriving there at Noon on 7 February 1942, where they stayed for a few days. Leave passes were issued to personnel not on duty. Some personnel including Captain Nichols, the acting Group Commander, transferred from the 7th Bomb Group to USAFIA, in Melbourne. 1st Lt. James E. Tull assumed command of the 7th Bomb Group. USAT Willard A. Holbrook was part of Convoy MS-5 which also comprised, British Ships Duntroon and Katoomba, Dutch ship Polyphemus, US Merchant ship Seawitch, which were all to be escorted by USS Phoenix. Seawitch withdrew from Convoy MS05 in Melbourne as it was not loaded.

At 1700 hours on 12 February, the USAT Willard A. Holbrook made its way across the blustery Great Australian Bight and arrived at Fremantle in Western Australia at 1400 hours on 18 February. Leave passes were issued to both Fremantle and Perth during their stay in Fremantle. USS Langley stood in and moored to the dock astern of USS Phoenix on 19 February 1942.

They sailed from Fremantle at 1200 hours on 22 February 1942, again in company with the aircraft carrier USS Langley with USS Phoenix as their escort.

The USS Langley left the convoy on 22 February 1942 and headed for Java. Sea Witch left the convoy on 25 February 1942. USS Langley was sunk by 16 twin engined Japanese bombers and 6 fighter aircraft on 27 February. 36 of the P-40 Warhawks they had erected at Amberley were lost onboard USS Langley.

USS Enterprise took over escort duties from USS Phoenix on 28 February 1942. Convoy MS-5 steered across the Indian Ocean to Colombo in Ceylon, arriving there at 1540 hours on 5 March 1942. They headed to sea again at 1900 hours on 7 March 1942.

They arrived at Karachi at 1600 hours on 12 March 1942. They were the first American Combat Unit to take up station in India. They were billeted in the Dirigible Hangar at Karachi Airport.

HEADQUARTERS
UNITED STATES TROOPS, AMBERLEY

7th January 1942

SUBJECT: Commendation

TO : 1st Lt. Paul S. Deems, 9th Bombardment Squadron (through
Commanding Officer 7th Bombardment Group)

1. It is desired to commend you for the extremely capable and efficient way you helped the undersigned organise and administer the Camp at Amberley. The manner in which you performed your duties played a most important part in the successful completion of our primary objective of erecting P-40 aircraft.

2. It is desired that this commendation be placed in your 201 file and attached to your next efficiency report.

s/ Erickson S. Nichols
t/ ERICKSON S. NICHOLS
Major, Air Corps
Commanding American Troops
in Amberley

A CERTIFIED TRUE COPY:

EUGENE M. STEVENS,
Captain, Air Corps.
Adjutant.

HEADQUARTERS
UNITED STATES TROOPS, AMBERLEY

7th January 1942

SUBJECT: Commendation

TO          :      Captain Roscoe T. Nichols, Hq & Hq Squadron
                      7th Bombardment Group (through Commanding Officers
                      7th Bombardment Group)

1. It is desired to commend you for the efficient and capable way you handled the administration and command of the Ground Echelon of the 7th Bombardment Group at Brisbane. Your untiring efforts and resourcefulness, co-operation and efficiency was outstanding and was of the utmost importance in the speedy completion of our primary objective of erecting P-40 aircraft.

2. It is desired that this commendation be placed in your 201 file and attached to your next efficiency report.

s/ Erickson S. Nichols
t/ ERICKSON S. NICHOLS
Major, Air Corps
Commanding American Troops
in Amberley

A CERTIFIED TRUE COPY:

EUGENE M. STEVENS,
Captain, Air Corps.
Adjutant.

HEADQUARTERS
UNITED STATES TROOPS, AMBERLEY

7th January 1942

SUBJECT: Commendation

TO : 1st Lt. Benne R/ Leech, 9th Bombardment Squadron (through
Commanding Officer 7th Bombardment Group)

1. It is desired to commend you for the efficient and able way you carried out your duties as mess officer for all American troops stationed at Amberley. Having been appointed to this duty without having any prior experience you showed remarkable energy, resourcefulness and ability. The efficiency with which you established messes for a fed over 1,000 men did a great deal towards furthering to a successful completion of our primary objective of erection P-40 aircraft.

2. It is desired that this commendation be placed in your 201 file and attached to your next efficiency report.

s/ Erickson S. Nichols
t/ ERICKSON S. NICHOLS
Major, Air Corps
Commanding American Troops
in Amberley

A CERTIFIED TRUE COPY:

EUGENE M. STEVENS,
Captain, Air Corps.
Adjutant.

27TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP
Amberley Field

7th January 1942

SUBJECT: Commendation of 7th Bombardment Group

TO : Commanding General, F.E.A.F.

On arrival of the 27th Bombardment Group airplanes in this area the task of assembling them was given the 7th Bombardment Group. The enthusiasm with which they went at the job, the excellent manner in which they surrmounted trying mechanical and armament difficulties and the rapidity in which they completed the assemblying was outstanding. The 27th Bombardment Group is forever indebted to them. It is an organization that makes one proud to call it Air Corps.

s/ J.H. Davies
t/ J.H. DAVIES
Major, Air Corps
Commanding

1st Ind.

HEADQUARTERS, BASE SECTION, NUMBER THREE, Brisbane, Q., January 14, 1942:
TO: Commanding General, United States Army Forces in Australia, Melbourne, V.

1. Forwarded: The exemplary conduct and the efficiency in which this organization unloaded, hauled, and assembled a large number of airplanes in addition to handling supply and other functions was so outstanding as to cause favorable comment of Australian observers and the undersigned adds his commendation to the above.

s/ Alexander L.P. Johnson
t/ ALEXANDER L.R. JOHNSON
Colonel, Infantry,
Commanding.

UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES IN AUSTRALIA
Office Of the Commanding General

-------

Melbourne, S.C.1

AG-O.

330.13
(1-7-42) 2nd Ind.

HQ UNITED STATES ARMY FORCES IN AUSTRALIA, Melbourne, Vic., 9 February, 1942.
TO: Commanding Officer, 7th Bombardment Group, Melbourne, Victoria

I have noted with much satisfaction the splendid work performed under great difficulty by the Seventh Bombardment Group. It is team play such as this that will bring to our forces the successful accomplishment of the mission assigned. I desire to add my personal commendation to each Officer and man concerned and assure them of my confidence that they will continue to set an example of high standards in future performance of duty.

c/ Julian F. Barnes,
Major General, U.S. Army,
Commanding.

A CERTIFIED TRUE COPY:

EUGENE M. STEVENS,
Captain, Air Corps,
Adjutant.

Meanwhile the air echelon of the 7th Bomb Group had remained at Salt Lake City and later left there by air on 5 December 1941 and departed by air for Hamilton Field, California where it was to receive its aircraft and jump off across the Pacific for stations in Mindanao.

The 88th Reconnaissance Squadron, commanded by Captain Carmichael took off from Hamilton Airfield on the evening of 6 December 1941 and landed at Honolulu during the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Several aircraft were damaged and some personnel injured. The 88th Reconnaissance Squadron then stayed in Hawaii for some time carrying out patrol duties. At some later date, six B-17E Flying Fortresses from the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Bomb Group were assigned to Southern Bomber Command which eventually made its way to Australia together with one B-17 from the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron and five B-17s from the 22nd Bomb Squadron. They went on to become the 435th Bomb Squadron of the 19th Bomb Group based in Townsville, north Queensland.

The remaining personnel in the 7th Bomb Group were then all sent to Sacramento, California, temporarily. Then they proceeded to Seattle to pick up some new B-17Es. The personnel were then transferred to Bakersfield, California, and patrolled the west Coast of the USA. Very shortly, however, orders were changed, and the entire Group received orders to proceed to wherever the Commanding General of the Far East might be.

The 9th Bomb Squadron led by Captain Necrason was the first Squadron to depart. They followed the route from Tampa, Florida to South America, across Africa and India to Java. The first of these flights left the USA on 28 December 1941 and arrived in Java on 13 January 1942.

The 22nd Bomb Squadron departed across the Pacific to Australia and then to Java. This Squadron at that time was commanded by Major K.B. Hobson. The 9th Bomb Squadron and the 22nd Bomb Squadrons each departed in different directions and each travelling half way around the world landed within one hour of each other at Malang, Java.

The 11th Bomb Squadron commanded by Major A. A. Straubel, picked up LB-30 Liberators at Dayton, Ohio and proceeded to Java. The 9th, 11th and 22nd Bomb Squadrons then took up the task where the 19th Bomb Group had left off. The 7th and 19th Bomb Groups were housed together for some time at Malang, Java, from where many daring and successful bombing missions were carried out against the Japanese. For their heroic defence of Java, the 7th Bomb Group, was awarded one of the first Unit Citations to be given during WWII.

On approximately the 19 January 1942, the 9th and 11th Bomb Squadrons moved to Jokyakarta, Java from where they operated.

When what was left of the 19th Bomb Group returned to the USA after the fall of the Netherlands East Indies, many of the personnel of the 7th Bomb Group were transferred into the 19th Bomb Group and returned home as the 19th Bomb Group. This was always a sore spot with the 7th Bomb Group because the 19th Bomb Group came home to a fanfare of publicity and became internationally known as a Group, while the 7th Bomb Group was transferred from Java to India to continue the war and received virtually no recognition for either their combat or the fact that the 7th Bomb Group men took their glory into the 19th Bomb Group.

Colonel Ralph Royce had been the Commanding Officer of the 7th Bomb Group from 1939 through to 1940. Major Kenneth B. Hobson was the Commanding Officer of the 7th Bomb Group from 4 February to 20 March 1942. Lt. Colonel Cecil E. Combs was then the CO from 22 March to 30 June 1942.

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