The 345th Bomb Group was first activated at Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, in November 1942, with flight crew training beginning in December of that year. They trained there for five months before moving to Walterboro, S.C., for final preparation before deployment overseas. It was here at Walterboro that the four squadrons that made up the 345th adopted their nicknames, the 498th became the FALCONS, the 499th, BATS OUTA HELL, the 500th, ROUGH RAIDERS, and the 501ST became the BLACK PANTHERS.Originally, the 345th was to be deployed to England, but Major General George C. Kenney had successfully argued for the deployment to England. Kenney had successfully advocated for more B-25s to be deployed to the Pacific. This was accomplished in part due to the recent success of the B-25s in the Battle of the Bismark Sea. In April 1943, the 345th headed west to the Southwest Pacific theatre. After a brief stop in Australia, the 345th set up camp at Port Moresby Air Bases, New Guinea, becoming the first full Air Force battle group sent to the Pacific during World War II