The name also refers to the 8th
Air Force, 303rd
Bombardment Group(H) who served in
England and
Europe during
WWII. They earned the
moniker for acts of
bravery and almost
suicidal daring in the face of
Axis ground-to-air
artillery emplacements.
The Hell's Angels were also the first unit to complete the fabled "25 missions" required by US High Command before they would be returned home. The deed is commonly attributed to the crew of the Memphis Belle for the excellent reason that 'Belle's crew actually did go home. The Angels just had to keep on flying missions. None of them was called Yossarian, incidentally.