3rd Bombardment Group reunites at Elmendorf

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Christopher Gross
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  An important chapter in the history of the 3rd Wing was honored as several members from the 3rd Bombardment Group reunited here Aug. 12-16. 

The 3rd BG, which was also known as the 3rd Attack Group, was stationed in Australia during World War II and is today's 3rd Wing. 

The members who reunited here were the same men responsible for not letting the Japanese advance in the South Pacific during World War II. They also sank a convoy of about 16-24 ships during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea March 4, 1943. They participated in bombing Rabaul, New Britain, Nov. 2, 1943, also known as "Bloody Tuesday." 

"I don't know if we all thought a lot about it," said retired Col. Bill Beck. "We were there and that's all there was to it." 

Beck served as a pilot for the 3rd BG from March 1942 through June 1943. "Good times to look back on," is what Beck said about his time with the 3rd BG. 

The 3rd BG was one of the first air-combat groups to deploy during World War II. Originally being stationed in Savannah, Ga., the 3rd BG was assigned to Australia Feb. 25, 1942, after the surprise bombing of Pearl Harbor two months prior. 

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese began forming a line from Alaska's Aleutian Islands all the way down to Australia. However, 3rd BG was placed in Australia before the Japanese troops could advance any further south, preventing them from advancing farther and forcing them back north. 

Members from the 3rd BG recalled moments and battles they were involved in to help push the Japanese away from Australia. 

"The Battle of the Bismarck Sea was significant because bombers had attacked and sunk major naval ships," said retired Brig. Gen. William Webster, pilot for the 3rd BG. "The dramatic part of coordinating an attack like this is you have 50 to 60 fighters up above, and there's spent shell casings falling all over just like rain, and the B-25 as loud as it's ... and guns firing, it's really a test of the ear drums." 

Webster also recalled moving to Charters Towers, Australia, when the group first arrived. He said the tents were hot and they had to worry about diseases such as malaria, "jungle rot" and "dengue fever." 

In addition to the diseases, Webster said they worried about the meals they ate, such as canned bully beef, canned cheese and powdered eggs and milk. 

This was the life for the 3rd BG while stationed in Australia during World War II. Many stories and memories can be told from the remaining veterans of that era. 

Ever since the early 1980s, the group has had 19 reunions, this being their 20th and scheduled to be their final one. At each reunion, they've shared and reminisced about how it was back then, during an important chapter in both the history of the Air Force and Elmendorf's 3rd Wing.