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Research HelpUnfortunately official Government records pertaining to the 376th BG are nearly non existent, as most of them were lost during the war when the barge that they were being transported on was sunk in the harbor at Bari, Italy. Also, to add to the loss, the fire at the National Archives in 1973 wiped out most of what was left of personnel files. The Group history book The Liberandos
- A World War II History of the 376th Bomb Group (H) and
its Founding Units by James W. Walker
is a good place to start because it has a chart at the back
that lists the aircraft lost from the group as well as gives
the number of the MACR report. The report can then be obtained
from the Government (although this takes MONTHS before they
get a reply).The book is also available through interlibrary
loan. Ask the librarian to obtain a copy of
the book as titled above. The ISBN number of the book is:
0-918837-12-X The book has been reprinted thanks to Group veteran Richard (Dick) Miller, and is a wonderful reference book if you have any interest in the 376th BG. Copies are available for $60.00 plus $6.50 for shipping and handling within the U.S.A.. Checks may be made payable to: Richard Miller Should you require any further info, contact Dick Miller at Libermill@aol.com or telephone 1-610-779-6499
I also usually try to post the information to the Yahoogroups list as there are quite a few Group veterans that subscribe to the list, but the fact is that most veterans did not get to know very many individuals since they stayed close to their own crew members.
Personnel records, health and medical (including 201's) are available from: National Personnel Records Center Aircraft accident reports and Mission reports can be obtained from: Dept. of the AF It will take several weeks to a month to get this
information back to you. You will need to provide the mission
date, Unit (bomb group and squadron), target and mission number,
if known. You can request the groups' history on microfilm from MAXWELL
AFB, Alabama. They cost $22.00 per roll. The AFHRA
has about 16 rolls of microfilm that include Mission summaries and
debriefing reports ( this is what Ed Clendenin, our Group Historian
used to put together his book. Contact Ed at: historian@376hbgva.com) be aware
that some of the information is next to impossible to read on
these reports (as well as some of the MACR reports). The microfilm may contain aircraft assignments, maintenance records, disciplinary forms, crash reports,etc. Call (334) 953-2439, and ask for Essie Roberts at
Air Force Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB. Mission Summary reports include anywhere from
70-90 pages with details of each specific mission,
intelligence reports and mission debriefing reports from the
crews that returned that day. There are no individual personnel
records available from The Pima Air and Space Museum. There is a copy of the microfilm rolls at the
Pima Air and Space museum, and anyone that visits the museum
is able to search through them but they do not have anyone on staff
to research through this information if you are not able to visit
the museum in Arizona. The person that you want to contact is
Stephanie Mitchell. The records were made available by our historian
James Walker and given to the museum with the understanding
that they would research any questions and provide copies
of the information for only the cost of reimbursing the photocopying
costs. Contact the Pima Air and Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road, Tucson AZ 85706-9403 Tele:(520)574-9658 There fax number is (520)574-9238. Their web site address is: http://www.pimaair.org. The e-mail address for the Pima Air and Space Museum (Arizona Aerospace Foundation) is: pimaair@azstarnet.com
If a person was KIA or MIA and the body never found, then you can obtain the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) from: U.S Total Arrmy Personnel Command It will take 3 to 6 weeks to get an answer. Be sure and state you are asking under the Freedom of Information Act. Any person — they do NOT have to be a relative— can obtain information (IDPF) on any OTHER person that was KIA or MIA, through the Freedom Of Information Act.Your MUST state this when ordering any file from the US Total APC. They can also provide location details if the deceased and is buried in a US overseas or National cemetery. Here is a URL to the people who take care of overseas cemeteries: http://www.usabmc.com/ When a member of the group was was shot down, there would be a MACR report that would detail the incident, but the researcher would need to provide more information such as a date, target, plane name or number, etc. Missing Air Crew Reports (MACR) can be obtained from: The National Archives at College Park Approximate cost is $4.75 Note that many are in poor condition on microfilm. They are also available from the: USAF Historian The source for photographs is also the National Archives Crew pictures are available from Maxwell AFB. The cost is 20.00 microfilm . You will need to provide the squadron and unit. Individual Deceased Personnel Files can be obtained from: Department of The Army There is no charge to family members for copies of the IDPFs. Takes 3-6 weeks. Robert For additional research sources, check out the Resources page. Home | Aircraft | Crews | Men
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