Without their many hours of work, The History Book of the 409th Bombardment Group would not have been possible at this late time. It is, instead, a gathering of information from official documents, records, photographs and personal accounts which tell a factual story in narrative form. Monthly historical reports were sent to the Historical Center of the Air Force. These reports were then put on Micro Film. Primarily because of the quality of film during the war years, much of the film is not legible due to fading thus resulting in the loss of valuable historical information that cannot be retrieved.
Many photos appear with no identifications.
This is regrettable but memories of faces and names of a half century ago have diminished our ability to identify. Many photos were received that could not be reproduced because of their condition. Many important 409th comrades photos do not appear because none were received. An attempt has been made to give the reader an accounting of the 409th's activation, training, historic missions, triumphs, sorrows and above all, its people. Without including the personal adventures of many former members, this work would be gathering of dull and meaningless facts.