100th ARW honors Black Week Published Oct. 14, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Jonathan Light 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs RAF Mildenhall, England -- It was World War II and the skies over England and Germany were filled with squadrons of aircraft and the constant sound of gun fire. Many of those squadrons were from the 100th Bombardment Group from Thorpe Abbots in Norfolk, England, flying into battle bearing the distinctive Square D on their tails. As they fought against their enemy, the lead bombardier pulled the bomb door control handle, opening the bomb bay doors. On this signal, the rest of the bombardiers and togglers did the same. They had begun their bomb run. From this point until the bombs had been dropped and the formation reached the rally point, the bomber crews were exposed to heavy flak and enemy fire. Pilots could not take evasive action; they had to fly steady and straight. The next four to five minutes would be the most vulnerable period for the crew, because many would never come home. The 100th Air Refueling Wing's heritage can be traced back to the 100th BG and its rich history dating back to World War II. While much of the history was good, at times, it wasn't so good. One week stands out more than others - Black Week. Spanning Oct. 8 to 14, 1943, Black Week encompassed four missions in which two ended with heavy losses. "During this week of October, there were airplanes flying into Germany during daylight runs, where they were in full view, their courses can be traced and box volleys could be fired into their projected trajectory," said Mark Howell, 100th ARW historian from Odessa, Texas. "These missions were dangerous, and as a result many aircraft from the 100th BG were either shot down, weren't able to make the full return trip or sustained significant battle damage and had to be salvaged after returning home." The four missions were to Bremen, Marienburg, Munster and Schweinfurt - all in Germany. The 100th BG didn't lose any aircraft during the Marienburg and Schwienfurt missions, but they weren't so lucky during the Bremen and Munster missions. "Officially, the 100th BG lost only seven aircraft during this time, but only six out of the 18 aircraft made it back safely after the Bremen mission," said the historian. "Even worse, only one out of the 13 aircraft made it back after the Munster mission." Due to these losses, 100th BG looked for ways to mitigate future losses and trained to prevent them. While, the 100th BG suffered a lot, they continued to complete their missions that were essential to the war, said Howell. By remembering Black Week, the 100th ARW continues to honor its heritage and pay tribute to the 100th BG.