Philip F. Hennin

MAJOR Hennin began his War-Combat as an Observer with the 321st Bomb Group, flew Combat Missions in the B-25 Mitchell Medium Bomber during April and May of 1943 in the MTO out of North Africa. He flew as Observer, as Pilot and as Navigator for about 7 Combat Missions.

Maj. Philip Hennin then went on to fly Combat Combat in the B-29 HEAVY and was KIA in the Pacific Theatre in November, 1944. LTC Hennin was the Squadron's COMMANDER at the time of the loss.

Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Air Forces Service # 0-370629

794th Bomber Squadron, 468th Bomber Group, Very Heavy

Entered the Service from: New Jersey Died: 28-Nov-44 Missing in Action or Buried at Sea Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery Manila, Philippines

Awards: Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters

~~~~~~~~~~

468th BOMB GROUP (Heavy) 794th Bombardment Squadron

Lineage: Constituted as 794 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943. Activated on 1 Aug 1943. Redesignated as: 794 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 20 Nov 1943; 6 Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Photographic-RCM on 17 Dec 1945. Inactivated on 31 Mar 1946. Redesignated as: 6 Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium on 14 Jan 1955. Activated on 24 Jan 1955. Redesignated as 6 Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 25 Oct 1961. Discontinued and inactivated on 25 Jun 1962. Designated as 6 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy and activated on 15 Nov 1962. Organized on 1 Feb 1963. Inactivated on 31 Dec 1969. Redesignated as 6 Reconnaissance Squadron on 20 Oct 2009 per DAF/A1M 150t. Activated on 23 Oct 2009 per DAF/A1M 150t, 20 Oct 2009; SO #GB-04, Hq ACC, 22 Oct 2009.

Assignments: 468 Bombardment Group, 1 Aug 1943; 311 Reconnaissance Wing, 7-31 Mar 1946. 70 Strategic Reconnaissance (later, 70 Bombardment) Wing, 24 Jan 1955-25 Jun 1962. Strategic Air Command, 15 Nov 1962; 70 Bombardment Wing, 1 Feb 1963-31 Dec 1969. 49 Operations Group, 23 Oct 2009.

Stations: Smoky Hill AAFld, KS, 1 Aug 1943-12 Mar 1944; Kharagpur, India, c. 13 Apr 1944-4 May 1945; West Field, Tinian, 7 May-15 Nov 1945; Fort Worth AAFld, TX, 1 Dec 1945; Roswell AAFld, NM, 9 Jan-31 Mar 1946. Little Rock AFB, AR, 24 Jan 1955-25 Jun 1962. Clinton-Sherman AFB, OK, 1 Feb 1963-31 Dec 1969. Holloman AFB, NM, 23 Oct 2009-.

Commanders: Capt Charles H. Reeves, 15 Sep 1943; Lt Col Edward C. Teats, 19 Sep 1943; Maj (later Lt Col) Robert S. Clinkscales, 28 Sep 1943; Maj Donald J. Humphrey, 21 Aug 1944;

*** Lt Col Philip Hennin, 9 Oct 1944 to 28 Nov. 1944; *

; Maj (later Lt Col) Walter R. George, 28 Nov 1944; Maj Clarence C. McPherson, 12 Jun 1945; unkn-31 Mar 1946. Maj Carl A. Kluender, 24 Jan 1955; unkn, 18 Feb 1955; Lt Col Marston T. Westbrook, 19 Apr 1955; Maj Delbert R. Lawson, 1 Jul 1957; Maj Frank D. Crook, 1 Sep 1957; Lt Col Marston T. Westbrook, Nov 1957; Lt Col Gerald M. Adams, Apr 1958; Lt Col Albert S. Harwell, Jr., Jul 1958; Lt Col John H. Blumenstock, c. Nov 1958; Maj Fred Davison, Apr 1959-25 Jan 1962; unkn, 26 Jan-25 Jun 1962. Lt Col Henry T. Wilson, Jr., c. Feb 1963; Lt Col Joseph C. Henderson, by 17 Feb 1965; Lt Col Donald L. Stallsmith, by 31 Mar 1966; Lt Col Harold J. Hickox, by 31 Mar 1967; Lt Col Kenneth Peterson, by 23 Apr 1968; Lt Col Arthur T. Waaland, by 31 Dec 1968; Lt Col William A. Bryan, Jr., by 29 Sep 1969, Lt Col B. P. Payne, by Dec-31 Dec 1969. Lt Col Ryan C. Sherwood, 23 Oct 2009-.

Aircraft: B-17, 1943; B-29, 1943-1946. RB-47, 1955-1962. B-52, 1963-1969. MQ-1, 2009-.

Operations: Trained former B-17 aircrews to operate the B-29; flew supply missions from India into China over the Himalaya Mountains and bombed enemy targets in Southeast Asia and Japan during Operation MATTERHORN, Oct 1944 to May 1945; after relocation to the Mariana Islands, flew long range missions to bomb targets in Japan from May to Aug 1945; in Dec 1945, began transition to reconnaissance mission when inactivated in Mar 1946. After reactivation in Jan 1955, conducted strategic reconnaissance on a global scale and provided reconnaissance reports and target material as requested; in 1958, trained aircrews for B-47 transition and crew training; reequipped and trained crews to operate the RB-47, the reconnaissance version of the jet bomber, in Oct 1961 until inactivation in Jun 1962. After reactivation in 1963, operated the B-52 to deter nuclear war and, if necessary, conduct global offensive bombing missions. Several squadron aircraft and aircrews deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, on a rotating basis from summer 1968 to Dec 1969 to participate in Operation ARC LIGHT, the bombing of enemy concentrations in South Vietnam by B-52s. Redesignated as the 6 Reconnaissance Squadron and activated in Oct 2009, this time to train officers as pilots and enlisted personnel as sensor operators for flight operations of the MQ-1 Predator.

Service Streamers: None.

Campaigns: World War II: India-Burma; Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Western Pacific: Central Burma.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers None.

Decorations: Distinguished Unit Citations: Yawata, Japan, 20 Aug 1944; Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan, 23-29 May 1945; Takazuka, Japan, 24 Jul 1945. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 15 Feb-30 Dec 1957; 15 Apr-1 Oct 1968.

Emblem: Approved on 20 May 1964. http://www.cbi-history.com/partic.html#41_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.abmc.gov/search/detailwwnew.php Manila American Cemetery

Barbi Ennis Connolly, 321st Bomb Group Historian with the 57th BW Historical Research Team; John T Fitzgerald, Patti Johnson and Barbi Connolly. PRINCESSBARBIB25@msn.com_

Philip F Hennin