499th Bombardment Squadron (499th BS) "Bat Outta Hell"
U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF), 5th Air Force (5th AF), 345th Bombardment Group (345th BG)

Background
On September 3, 1942 constituted as the 499th Bombardment Squadron (Medium). Nicknamed "Bat Outta Hell". On September 8, 1942 activated in the 345th Bombardment Group (345th BG) equipped with B-25 Mitchells at Columbia Army Airfield. On March 6, 1943 moves to Walterboro Army Airfield. On April 16, 1943 departs overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA).

Wartime History
On June 5, 1943 the entire 345th Bombardment Group (345th BG) "Air Apaches" with B-25 Mitchells arrives at Port Moresby in New Guinea.

B-25D "Blunder Bus" 41-30028  pilot Burger crashed July 8, 1943

B-25D "Jelly Belly" 41-30013  pilot Thompson ditched July 13, 1943

B-25D "Flying Ginny / Bette" 41-30017  pilot Whipple crashed October 5, 1943

B-25D "Miss Ellen" 41-30039  pilot Krasnickas MIA November 2, 1943

B-25D "Shif'less Skonk" 41-30021  pilot 1st Lt Octave J. Daniel force landed December 22, 1943

B-25D "Miss Ellen" 41-30185  pilot Anderson crashed March 19, 1944

B-25D "The Ringmaster" 41-30259  pilot Erum crashed March 26, 1944

B-25D "Stingeroo" 41-30020  ditched April 16, 1944

B-25D "Slapsy" 41-30165  pilot Rhode crashed May 9, 1944

B-25D "Hell's Belles" 41-30019  pilot Selby crashed June 16, 1944

B-25D "Lucky Bat" 41-30058 pilot Hotz MIA July 30, 1944

B-25D "Hung Lo" 41-30084  pilot Voitier crashed August 13, 1944

B-25D "Doodle Jr." 41-30164 pilot Reel ditched September 19, 1944

On December 27, 1944 moves to Tacloban Airfield on Leyte.

On January 7, 1945 the squadron took off on a low level bombing and strafing mission against Clark Field. Lost is B-25J "Sag Harbor Express" 43-36030 pilot 2nd Lt. Arthur Browngardt, Jr. (KIA) damaged by anti-aircraft fire and crashed at Holy Angel Academy.

On January 29, 1945 lost is B-25J "30,000 North American Airplane" 44-29544  pilot 1st Lt. James E. Slaughter (survived).

On July 28, 1945 moves to Ie Shima Airfield off Okinawa.

On August 19, 1945 a pair of bombers including B-25J "Betty's Dream" 44-30934 escort G6M1-L Betty "Bataan 1" and G4M1 Betty "Bataan 2" with the Japanese delegation to Ie Shima Airfield.

References
Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II (1982) page 601 (499th BS) [PDF pages 613]
Warpath Across The Pacific (1996, 2008) definitive unit history of the 345th BG, 499th BS