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These are the staff and ground echelon of the 859th Bomb Squadron not assigned to a combat crew.
There were some men who had changes in assignment that did have them serving with an air crew, as well as with the staff.
Our objective is to supply as much information as we can about what these men did.
As with the other squadrons, we will put here all the information pertaining to the squadron as it is collected.
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The 859th was commanded by Lt Col James J Mahoney, one of the original Langley boys of the 12th Anti-Submarine Squadron.
Mahoney was one of the more popular commanders at North Pickenham.
He demonstrated excellent people skills and the men trusted him.
As nice as a guy Mahoney was, he certainly was not a pushover.
He has beeen described as gentle but firm.
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One of the primary functions of each squadron was to keep their planes flying.
The ground echelon of each squadron required a great number of men to maintain and repair those planes.
The German guns were persistent at keeping the ground crews busy.
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When the 492nd was disbanded in August of '44, the 859th was the only squadron to remain intact.
They were transferred lock-stock-and-barrel to the 467th BG and redesignated as the 788th Bomb Squadron.
The high casualties suffered while at North Pickenham did not keep them from achieving a distinction of being amoung the better of the best squadrons in the entire European Theater.
They had one of the best bombing records accompanied by one of the lowest casualty rates.
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The links on this page listing the Officers and Enlisted Men that served in the 859th are incomplete and spotted with errors.
We have not merely copied a list made by the Army Air Force, the 492nd, the 859th or anyone.
We've compiled these lists by collecting bits and pieces from official records, special orders and from written accounts by the veterans themselves.
By default, we've added to the staff listings all of the names we found that couldn't be identified as having been assigned to a particular crew.
Our lists are a work in progress and will be corrected as new information comes in from our visitors.
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/8th Air Force
