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General Bob Knapp's 321st Lives On

by: Ollie Smith, © 1992: Ollie Smith, Track 29 Press, Deatsville, AL

The story of the 321st BG, by a pilot of the 447th BS.  

A list of the servicemen mentioned in this book can be found here: Index of Names

For more information contact our Wing Historian

Headline Articles, Headquarters and Squadron Rosters

A collection of pdf files derived from scans of newspaper articles and AAF documents. 321st Headlines pdf format and legibility provided by Bob Ritger, proud nephew of 1st Lt. Frederic C. Ritger (321st, 446th).

Available: 321st Bomb Group Headlines

Pont-Saint-Esprit: Le bombardement du 15 août 1944; Une histoire franco-américane

This book covers the attacks on the three bridges near the village of Pont-Saint-Esprit in the South of France. Elements of the 321st Bomb Group flew multiple missions between August 7th and 15th 1944 to take out the bridges in concert with the heavy bombers of the 485th Bomb Group. The book is well illustrated and includes eyewitness accounts of the villagers who experienced the bombardments on the ground.

The book was written by a retired Colonel of the French Air Force, Claude Gilles, and is in French. We also offer a short overview in English of the missions of the 321th BG described in detail in the book, along with a list of the names of the men of the 321st BG mentioned in the book.

Download: Pont-Saint-Espirt (Full text in French)

Download: Overview of the events, and name list (English)

La tragica missione N˚ 216 del 321˚ Bomb Group - 19 febbraio 1944
e storie de coraggio e sacrificio nei cieli sopra Anzio e Ciampino

by Claudio Mischi, Self-Published 2021

The Tragic Mission #216 of the 321st Bomb Group - 19 February 1944
and Stories of Courage and Sacrifice in the Skies over Anzio and Ciampino

As the Battle of Anzio raged on the ground, the bombers of the 321st Bombardment Group flew multiple missions in support of the Allied troops. On February 19, 1944 the 321st paid a high price for the role it played at Anzio. The Group lost four aircraft to enemy flak and fighters. The lost ships came from all four Squadrons.

Claudio Mischi has gone into depth on the events of that day. He has found eyewitnesses on the ground, and made contact with family members of the crewmen who flew the missions. His research also uncovered new information about a 321st BG ship lost months before in the same area.

The book is loaded with photos collected from family members, the Internet and local Italian sources.

Claudio Mischi is generously making his book available to you in its entirety in both Italian and in English translation.

Download: La tragica mission N˚ 216 (Full text in Italian)(74MB)

Download: The Tragic Mission #216 (English)(53MB)

Impressions and Experiences of an Air Corps GI in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II

by: Barnard Seegmiller, 1996: Privately Published

From the diary of Sgt. Seegmiller, an armorer with the 445th BS.  Covers from April 15, 1942 to the end of the war. 206 pages.

336 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #03-1510; ISBN 1-4120-1131-0

Proceeds of all sales have been pledged to Fred's charities for children with disabilities.
Available -  Untold and Unsung

About the Author

The redundancy of 8th Air Force in WWII documentaries, books, and the exclusion of all other Air Forces in the above Historical Archives, prompted me to write of my 12th Air Force operations in our two and a half years overseas. Never is the role of Ground support personnel mentioned. The 321st Bomb Group had many, many firsts!

Valley of the Skunk - The Story of a Haven

by: Roland Paulson (321st, 446th), © 1996 The National Writers Press, Aurora, CO
"Valley of the Skunk" is the true story of the Ames, Iowa native, war veteran and Iowa State and Harvard graduate. Paulson's book is a human interest story.

"It's a story of survival and a reminder that people can do anything if they have the determination." -R.P.-

Shot Down Over Italy

by: John W. Lanza, © 2010 Bright Spot Books ISBN-10: 0982752903

On May 26, 1944, a B-25 Mitchell bomber with a seven-man crew was shot down over Nazi-occupied Italy. At the time, Italy was a battleground in a complex, controversial, drawn-out, and bloody war of attrition. When disaster struck, the fate of each crew member rested, first, on the ability of the pilot to control the ship so that they could bail out; and, second, on who reached them first when they hit the ground - Mussolini's Fascists, Hitler's Nazis, or the partisans that formed the Italian Resistance.

This is a true story of survival.

Author's Website: Shot Down Over Italy

069 Down!

by: Paolo Pellegrini, © 2020

In January of 1945 a ship of the 321th Bomb Group with the tail marker "069" was shot down over Northern Italy. The ship was named "Ruptured Duck." Two crewmen did not make it out of the stricken ship. Three of the surviving crewmen were captured immediately upon landing. The pilot, however, was rescued by Italian partisans. The leader of the partisan group was the author's Uncle.

The book details the author's quest to fill in the events represented by a couple of scraps of yellowing paper documents left by his Uncle.

Available as an eBook on Amazon.com (In Italian only)