In late 1942 the group moved to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for missions against Steyr, Austria and Ploiești, Romania.

Following a four-month deployment to Alaska, the group moved to Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, where it converted to the improved Boeing B-50 Superfortress.

It deployed to England as part of Operation Bolero and became the first operationally-ready Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress group.

The lead aircraft of the first flight group, Butcher Shop, was copiloted by the group commander, Colonel Frank A. Armstrong, and piloted by 340th squadron commander, Captain Paul W. Tibbets, who later flew the Enola Gay to Hiroshima, Japan, on the first atomic bombing mission.

[8] The 97th Bomb Group conducted a total of 16 missions from Grafton Underwood and Polebrook, attacking airfields, railroad marshalling yards, war industries, naval installations, and other Axis targets in France and the Low Countries.

From 16 November 1942 through May 1943, B-17s struck shipping in the Mediterranean Sea as well as airfields, docks, harbors, and marshalling yards in North Africa, Southern France, Sardinia, Sicily, and the southern Italian mainland in a campaign to cut supply lines to German forces in North Africa.

The unit supported Allied forces at Anzio and Cassino by bombing enemy communications, transportation targets, and airfields.

The unit bombed coastal defenses in preparation for the invasion of Southern France and assisted the American Fifth and British Eighth armies in their advance through the Po Valley of Northern Italy until the German surrender in May 1945.

Deployed to Mile 26 Field, northern Alaska (winter of 1947–1948), to provide a strategic-bombing force east of the Bering Straits.

Between September 1991 and April 1992, the 97th Operations Group flew aerial-refueling missions for Strategic Air Command.

Reassigned to Air Mobility Command between October 1992 and July 1993, the group flew strategic-airlift and aerial-refueling training missions.