Many of the original crews of the 467th BG began their training with the 470th BG stationed at Mountain Home AAB. The 470th BG was a training unit, assigned to the 2nd Air Force, where crews were first formed and learned how to work together as a combat crew. Most of these crews that were assigned to the 467th BG departed on 06 Nov 43 and joined their new unit at Wendover AAB to complete their final training before departing overseas.

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BASE HISTORY

Crews started building the base in November 1942 and the new field officially opened on 7 August 1943. Shortly thereafter, airmen at the field began training U.S. Army Air Forces crews for World War II. The 396th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was the first unit assigned and its planned mission was to train crews for the B-17 Flying Fortress. However, before the first B-17s arrived, plans for the field changed and the 396th was transferred to Moses Lake AAF, Washington.

Instead of training B-17 crews, Mountain Home airmen began training crews for the B-24 Liberator. The first group to do so was the 470th Bombardment Group (Heavy), which trained at Mountain Home from May 1943 until January 1944, when the unit moved to Tonopah AAF Nevada. The 490th Bombardment Group (Heavy) replaced the 470th and trained B-24 crews until it deployed to RAF Eye England in April 1944. The 494th Bombardment Group then replaced the 490th, once more training Liberator crews.