489th Bomb Group
The 489th Bomb Group (489 BG) is a unit of the United States Air Force within the Air Force Reserve Command. It is assigned to the 307th Bomb Wing, and is stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The group is a reserve associate unit of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess.
| 489th Bomb Group | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1943–1945; 2015–present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Part of | Air Force Reserve Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Dyess Air Force Base |
| Motto(s) | Ex Tenebris Lux Veritatis Latin Out of Darkness, the Light of Truth |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Col. Christopher G. Hawn (as of 13 July 2019) |
| Insignia | |
| 489th Bomb Group emblem | |
| 489th Bombardment Group emblem (World War II) | |
| Eighth Air Force tail code | Circle W |
During World War II, the 489th Bombardment Group was a Consolidated B-24 Liberator unit. After training in the United States, it moved to England as an element of Eighth Air Force, stationed at RAF Halesworth, England. Lieutenant Colonel Leon Vance of the group was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery and actions on the day before D-Day over Wimereux, France. It was the only Medal of Honor awarded to a B-24 crewman for a mission flown from England. The group returned to the United States in November 1944 and converted to a Boeing B-29 Superfortress group, but the war ended before the group could deploy to the Pacific.
In October 2015, the group was reactivated in the Air Force Reserve.