The 345th Bomb Group was first activated at Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, in November of 1942, with flight crew training beginning in December of that same year. They trained there for five months before moving to Walterboro, S.C., for final preparation before deployment overseas. It was here in Walterboro that the four squadrons that made up the 345th adopted their nicknames, the 498th became the Falcons, the 499th , Bats Outta Hell, the 500th - Rough Raiders, and the 501st became the Black Panthers.