"Flying 8-Balls" was the WWII nickname for the 44th Bombardment Group, 2nd Air Division, 8th U. S. Army Air Force, during the unit's service in Shipdham, England and North Africa during World War II.
There are various stories about how the 44th came by the "Flying 8-Balls" title. One, found in History of the 68th Bomb Squadron, by Will Todd, says the name was picked up at Will Rogers Field. Col. Frank Robison, commanding officer of the 44th, was talking with one of his officers about their upcoming deployment overseas and made the comment that he couldn't understand how the Air Force could even think of sending him into combat with such a group of misfits, 90 day wonders and odd balls. He had never seen such a bunch of eightballs in his entire military career. Word got around, and by the time the combat crews reached Shipdham a few weeks later with 27 new B24-D Liberators, the paint and artist were on hand and the Flying Eightballs of the 44th were soon ready to give the Jerries a go.
The 44th included the following units:
44th Bombardment Group Headquarters
66th Bombardment Squadron
67th Bombardment Squadron
68th Bombardment Squadron
506th Bombardment Squadron
464th Sub Depot 50th Station Complement
1646th Ordnance Company
806th Chemical Company 1287th Military Police Company
2033rd Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon 1132 Quartermaster Company
18th Weather Squadron (Det 115)
Three Bombardment Groups comprised a Wing, with the 44th becoming a part of the 14th Combat Wing, which had its headquarters at Shipdham Air Base. The Wing also included the 392nd and 491st Bombardment Groups.
The 2nd Bombardment Wing would become the Second Air Division on 1 January 1945. It consisted of 14 Bombardment Groups and 5 Fighter Groups, with headquarters first at Catton Hall near Norwich, then at Ketteringham Hall, about 4 miles southwest of Norwich.
The 44th's first mission from A.A.F. Station 115, Shipdham Base, was flown on 7 Nov 1942 to Cape de La Hague; the last 25 April 1945 to Hallein, Austria. During the period inbetween, 344 combat missions were flown, 155 aircraft lost in action and 330 enemy planes destroyed.
860 men from the 44th lost their lives flying from Shipdham and from North Africa during raids, many of them daylight, over occupied Europe. They were among the more than 6,400 members of the 2nd Air Division who lost their lives in the line of duty betwen 1942-1945. The daylight raids extracted a terrible price on men and machines. On September 6, 1943 the 388th Bombardment Group's entire 563rd Squadron was lost in a raid on Stuttgart. On "Black Thursday," October 14, 1943, 291 B-17s were sent out. 60 planes were lost, only 30 came back undamaged. All over Britain the same stories could be told. During nearly three years of air operations from England, more than 76,000 U.S. Airmen were killed or declared missing in action.
The assigned tour of duty for crew members was 25 missions at first, later 30, then 35. However, the odds of their completing their tour of duty were less than one in three, with 15 missions the average number actually completed.
In 1942, a new airfield was started in Britain every three days, with the largest number by far in East Anglia. At the war's peak, there were 122 combat stations concentrated in an area measuring 64x128 kilometers, and those living in the area had at least one American air field within ten miles of their home. The people of East Anglia who watched the bombers depart each morning were witness to the terrible toll the war would take. Memorial plaques and statues along roads and old runways and in churches and churchyards are quiet reminders of those young men in their flying machines who once roared over this now quiet countryside and more often than not did not come back.
For More About the 44th and Its History
...The 44th Bomb Group Veterans Association Check back often, since this site is continually undergoing changes. It includes contact information for the group's officers, information on joining, and printable forms to fill out your personal combat history.
...The 44th Missile Wing History Page. The 44th Bombardment Group would undergo many changes after WWII and gradually evolving into the 44th Missile Wing, headquartered at Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota. On July 4th, 1994, the 44th was inactivated, having done its part in winning the Cold War.
...The 2nd Air Division Memorial Library, Located in Norwich, England, the library has two basic aims: First, to provide books about the Unted States for the use of the general reader and to support the study of American history in high schools throughout Norfolk. Each book acquired carries a special bookplate of the 2nd ADA, and some are specifically dedicated to named men and women who served with the 2nd ADA. Second, to document the history of the 2nd ADA during WWII. The collection includes privately published group histories, personal dairies, original documents, maps, photographs, manuals, videos and microfilm.
...Another link to the 2nd ADA Memorial, with more information about the library where it is housed and surrounding community of Norwich
...The Heritage League , incorporated in 1987, is an organization for family members and friends of the veterans of the Second Air Division, 8th AAF. A lot of information here, including links to a number of other related sites.
...Shipdham Aero Club. The Aero Club operates from the Shipdham Airfield, which was the wartime base for the Flying 8-Balls. They also maintain a small museum to the 44th in their clubhouse, and outside the clubhouse is a memorial plaque to the 44th, dedicated by the 44th Heritage Memorial Group on 24 Setpember 1988.
...The Shipdham Control Tower . The walls of the original control tower still stand, and some renovation work has been done to help preserve the building.
...ArmyAirForces.com . A marvelous resource for anyone doing research on the Army Air Force of WWII. A "must visit" place if you're looking for information.
...Green Harbor Publications . They provide a searchable data base of the 44th Bomber Group Roll of Honor, a listing of those killed in action, as well as more information regarding those who served with the 44th. The data base, compiled by long-time 44th Historian Will Lundy, is still being worked on, but it is an invaluable resource.
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