Howell belonged to the 458th Bombardment group. This unit was activated on July 1, 1943 and moved to England in early 1944 where it was assigned to the Eight air force. The unit flew diversionary missions on the 24th and 25th of February where it drew German fighters away from Allied bombers. On March 2nd bombardment of Germany with its B-24 Liberators began. The group hit strategically important German targets such as the industrial area of Saarbrucken, oil refineries at Hamburg, and an airfield at Brunswick. Later on in the war the group prepared for the invasion of Normandy by striking German coastal defenses; the group also struck German transportation lines during the Battle of the Bulge. The group was inactivated soon after the end of the war on October 17, 1945.