380th Bomb Group

 380th Bomb Group Association

NEWSLETTER #15 - June 2003

NEWS FROM AUSTRALIA


Colin Grey recently sent us this report announcing their grant from the Australian Government and their plans to develop the present site for their museum rather than moving as previously planned.

Theodore Williams
Secretary
380th Bomb Group Association
Purdue, Indiana
USA


March 12, 2003


Dear Ted;


Re: the establishment of the B-24 Liberator Memorial Museum at Werribee

I hope this note finds you well.

Early in 2002 I was asked to prepare a submission outlining our proposal for the establishment of a B-24 Liberator Memorial Museum at Werribee. This development would take place on the site we currently have under lease.

To cut a long story short Ted, our Landlord has offered us some 7 acres of the old aerodrome site we currently us as a workshop hangar and stores hangar. On the site offered to us are two hangars the one we use currently, Hangar 2 and another, Hangar 3 a little further down the road. Hangar 3, is exactly twice the size of the one we currently use as a workshop. In between these two hangars is a former Armoury workshop some sixty by forty feet. Between each of these buildings is a sizable piece of land that we plan to landscape as memorial gardens and parkland.

While working on the designs for the landscaping I learnt that Tom Hanks, the Actor, was seeking support within your Federal Government to establish a USAAC memorial in the US. I was told that none exists in the USA, let alone anywhere else. I cannot attest to the accuracy of that statement.

Anyhow, it prompted me to think that perhaps we could develop a USAAC or USAAF, I am not wholly sure of the description, memorial on the same site as the one we plan for the RAAF. Recently we succeeded in having the two hangars, Armoury and Curtalige around them listed as a Heritage Site and as such the site cannot be developed or in any way destroyed.

The hangars and Armoury are of American design; US Engineers using local labour and local hardwood oversaw the construction. I am not sure if you are aware that the aerodrome was originally a USAAC airfield. It became a joint RAAF/USAAF base until it was returned to the RAAF in 1946. The RAAF used the site until 1956, when it was handed back to the original owners, our current Landlord. The US Military built a great many of these hangars all over the world, twenty-two here in Australia. I know that the two we have are the only servicable ones left in Australia, I also understand there are very few remaining anywhere else. Research suggests ours are the only completely original ones surviving anywhere in the world.

Recently our Federal Government released a series of Grants to finance development plans for groups such as ours trying to preserve Art, Culture and Heritage. This can take the shape of a permanent site of something temporary like a celebration, reunion etc.

We have a development plan in place, what we need to do now is a Business Plan for the site. The cost of producing such a plan is in the order of $20,000. We have already spent close to $10,000 in cash and kind on the project. We need to make an application for the remainder.

To do that we need to have letters of support and a fact sheet. Facts pertaining to the 380th, would be the time it operated in this country, the number of men and machines involved and especially the period when it operated under the command of the RAAF etc. The Grant Application requires only a letter of support and a single page fact sheet.

I realise with a little research I could find what I need. However, I only learnt of these grants 2 weeks before they close and my workload won't allow the time for research, also it will work better if the response comes from the US.

Some two years ago I took a similar idea to the US Consulate here in Melbourne and spoke with a Major Phillips, Vice Consul, he was the chap that was present at our Dedication Ceremony. There was quite a lot of interest shown in the project, however, we did not have permanent tenure on the site. An agreement between ourselves, our Landlord Melbourne Water Corporation and local government The City of Wyndham now exists and the arrangements for our permanent tenure are being processed.

As I mentioned there is little time to make an application, therefore if you can see merit in the proposal of such a development can you supply me with a letter of support and a fact sheet?

I will forward on to you via post a copy of our initial proposal for your perusal.

Yours truly


Colin Grey O.A.M
Project Development Co-ordinator



What follows is our letter of support as they requested and the short-one page history as also requested. We wanted you all to see the history since it presents some information not in our currently available histories.

Click here for our letter of support (in Adobe Reader format).

A SHORT HISTORY OF THE 380TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (H), USAAF IN AUSTRALIA
  1. The 380th was formed on November 28, 1942. Did training at Biggs Field, Texas, and Lowery Field, Colorado, until mid-April 1943.
  2. The 380th had been scheduled to go to England in mid-April 1943 but because of an appeal from General Kenney of the 5th AF to General Arnold, Commanding General of USAAF, and President Roosevelt it was redirected to Australia and the Southwest Pacific Area.
  3. Reported to the 5th AF on April 28, 1943. Assigned to Northwest Area Command for service over the East Indies per earlier agreements between 5th AF and RAAF.
  4. Declared operational on June 1, 1943. Based at Fenton Field and Manbulloo Field, Northern Territory. For almost a year the 380th was the only Allied Heavy Bomber Group flying over the East Indies.
  5. Units at Manbulloo moved to Long Strip, November 25, 1943. These were all in Northern Territory, Australia.
  6. Full Group moved to Darwin, July-August 1944.
  7. In early 1945 the 380th left Australia for Mindoro Island, The Philippines, to continue the war there, with last units leaving March 5, 1945. The RAAF B-24 Squadrons took over the former joint task of the East Indies operations.
  8. During its stay in Australia, the 380th:
  • Flew 954 missions comprising 4,393 sorties over the whole of the East Indies and New Guinea, now Indonesia.
  • Flew the longest bombing missions of WWII to Balikpapan, Borneo, and Surabaya, Java.
  • The initial cadre was 38, B-24 aircraft with a total of 137 used while in Australia. Of the latter, 44 were lost due directly or indirectly to enemy combat action, and 34 to non-combat causes (accidents, salvage and transfer to other groups; four were transferred to RAAF). The remaining 59 remained in service, 11 with the RAAF and other groups and 48 transferred with us to The Philippines.
  • The 380th trained 52 Australian crews in the combat operation of the B-24, along with their associated ground staff. These crews flew as full crews in ours and their own aircraft in mixed formations with the 380th crews. Following this training, these crews were the cadres for the B-24 Liberator Squadrons of the RAAF.
  • The 380th operated with Section 22 and SOA (Z Force) units as required as part of our regular combat duties in carrying out radar intelligence and Special Operations missions.

    • Return to Newsletter #15 Topics page