AN EIGHTH AIR FORCE BOMBER STATION, ENGLAND--When B-17 Flying Fortresses of the Third Bombardment Division's 486th Bomb. Group returned without loss from an attack on railroad marshalling yards at Neumunster, Germany, the group's commander, Colonel Glendon P. Overing, Orange, Mass., proudly chalked up the century mark in his organization's record of missions. During approximately six months of operational flying with the Eighth Air Force, the group sent a total of 2416 aircraft against enemy targets in Germany and occupied Europe with a loss of less than one third of one per cent. Percentage of losses among the personnel who manned the bombers fell below four fifths of one per cent. Col. Overing's organization dropped a total of 6194 tons of bombs while flying almost every type of mission possible for heavy bombers. They pin-pointed flying bomb sites along the coast of France, and the low countries and were one of the first waves of heavies to hit the French coast on D-Day. Subsequently they bombed German front line positions just before Allied Breakthroughs at both Caen and St. Lo. During the battle for Brest, they repeatedly hit gun emplacements near the city. Prior to the airborne invasion of Holland, the Fortresses attacked Nazi coastal batteries and flak gun positions to minimize transport and glider losses. In addition to the list of unusual missions, the 486th flew "routine" assaults on a wide variety of targets--airfields, lines of communication, bridges, oil refineries, rubber factories, tank, aircraft, and ball-bearing plants, and numerous others. Longest trip flown by the group was an attack on oil refineries at Politz, Germany, a round trip distance of 1415 miles. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Marion C. Overing of Orange, the 31 year old Colonel holds the Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster. His wife, Mrs. Jeannette S. Overing, also lives in Orange. After attending the University of Alabama from 1934 to 1937, Col. Overing entered the AAF in July 1937, winning his wings at Kelly Field, Tex., June 16, 1938. -30-