 In October three of the 492d's squadrons, the 857th, 858th, and 859th, transitioned to night bombing operations.This proved to be a difficult transition, since the aircraft had been modified by the removal of the original bomb shackles and the oxygen systems.By mid-November, Headquarters, Eighth Air Force decided that the Carpetbagger aircraft just were not suitable and finally allocated oxygen-equipped B-24s for the new mission.