Libraries and leisure

398th Bomb Group Visits Archives & Local Studies

398th Bomb Group - A final mission

Veteran American airmen who flew missions out of Hertfordshire during the Second World War, dropped in for a goodbye visit to Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS), yesterday (June 5) – rounding off an association that started in 1998.

The veterans and their families - members of the 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association - have been coming back for visits to England since the 1970s. As well as meeting up with old friends and service colleagues, they have spent the years compiling a dedicated collection of wartime documents, personal records and memorabilia, which will be preserved at County Hall by Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) for all to see.

The records that make up the collection give a vivid and dramatic insight into the life and times of the 398th Bomb Group (Heavy), which flew 195 combat missions in B-17 ‘Flying Fortresses’ from Nuthampstead Airfield during 1944 and 1945. The four squadrons in the Group mainly attacked strategic targets in Germany such as oil refineries, marshalling yards and aircraft plants.

The records and photographs come from a variety of sources, including the United States National Archive, the Nuthampstead Airfield Research Society, as well as numerous private individuals. They provide a broad picture of the 398th Bomb Group’s history, ranging from official records to personal memoirs, alongside more general military historical material to provide the background. There is also a smaller collection of 55th Fighter Group material. (The 55th were stationed at Nuthampstead for the seven months immediately prior to the 398th’s arrival in April 1944). Much of the material has now been scanned so that it can be made available online.

“After such a long and productive association between the members of the 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association and our staff at HALS, we will all miss these visits,” said Executive Member for Community Safety and Culture, Keith Emsall. “Thanks to the efforts of the Group we now have an extensive and significant collection of material which will undoubtedly prove invaluable to military historians and local researchers for many years to come.”

Wally Blackwell, a veteran rear gunner, in England with his wife, son and grandson, said: "The group always enjoy their visits to Hertford as younger members may never have seen the records of the 398th now kept so carefully at HALS’’.

The 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association, which was set up in Dayton, Ohio in 1976, has organised regular reunions for its membership in the United States and the United Kingdom, together with periodic visits to or tours of relevant areas of Europe. An associated UK Friends of the 398th Bomb Group gradually emerged over a number of years and became official in 1987.

‘Flak News’, the newsletter of the Association, was established in August 1986 and published quarterly. It combines current news of the Memorial Association with correspondence, recollections and historical notes and articles about the 398th Bomb Group, alongside other related wartime activities. Copies can be seen in the HALS archives or online. (See link on this page)

A permanent memorial to those who served in the 398th Bomb Group, which was erected in September 1982, can be seen opposite the Woodman Inn in Nuthampstead. A new memorial, to remember those that served in the 55th Fighter Group, was also unveiled at Nuthampstead on Saturday June 3. The official unveiling was performed jointly by veterans from both the 398th and 55th. This was the first, and probably last time, both groups will meet at the old airfield and the event was well attended by a large number of veterans, well-wishers, enthusiasts and local people.