14th Bombardment Squadron

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

14th Bombardment Squadron
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation[1]
Insignia
14th Bombardment Squadron emblem[1][a]

The 14th Bombardment Squadron was a

Battle of the Philippines (1941–42), much of its aircraft being destroyed in combat against the Japanese. The survivors of the ground echelon fought as infantry during Battle of Bataan and after their surrender, were subjected to the Bataan Death March, although some did escape to Australia. The remainder of the air echelon fought in the Dutch East Indies campaign (1942) before being reassigned to other units. The squadron was never remanned or equipped. It was carried as an active unit until 2 April 1946.[1]

History

World War I

The first predecessor of the

Curtiss JN-4, Curtiss JN-6, and Thomas-Morse S-4 aircraft until it was demobilized in November 1918 following the end of World War I.[1]

Interwar period

Squadron C-2A Question Mark being refueled by a Douglas C-1

The squadron's second predecessor was organized at

Mitchel Field, New York although the squadron remained at Bolling. The two squadrons were consolidated into a single unit in June 1935 and the consolidated unit was inactivated in September 1936.[1]

World War II

The squadron was activated again at

11th Bombardment Group. It trained with Douglas B-18 Bolo bombers, but by 1941 had begun to receive early model Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses.[1][2]

The

7th Bombardment Group, which was programmed to deploy to the Philippines, but was attached to the 19th Group, which had been established at Clark Field in October.[1][4]

On 8 December 1941, the Japanese bombed and strafed Clark Field, catching many B-17s and

Colin P. Kelly, of the squadron attacked the Japanese Navy heavy cruiser Ashigara, thought to be a battleship. Captain Kelly was killed when his B-17 was shot down by Japanese fighters as he was returning to Clark Field, and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.[citation needed
]

The air echelon of the squadron was evacuated to

Singosari Airfield, Java on 30 December 1941.[1]

The 19th Group flew missions from Singosari Airfield, attacking enemy aircraft, ground installations, warships and transports during the later stages of the Battle of the Philippines and the

Philippine Islands and Dutch East Indies. The air echelon of 14th Bombardment Squadron ceased operating from Singosari, Java on 1 March 1942, and began moving to Melbourne, Australia. Arriving at Essendon Airport, Melbourne on 4 March 1942, the air echelon of 14th Bombardment Squadron began operating from Essendon, Australia.[citation needed
]

On 14 March 1942, the air echelon of 14th Bombardment Squadron was detached from the 19th Bombardment Group and ceased operations, with men and equipment transferred to other units. The 14th Bombardment Squadron continued as an active unit, but was not manned or equipped, and was inactivated on 2 April 1946 and disbanded on 19 August 1949.[1]

Lineage

14th Bombardment Squadron
  • Organized as the 1st Aviation School Squadron on 9 May 1917
Redesignated: 14th Aero Squadron on 20 August 1917[b]
Redesignated Squadron A, Rockwell Field on 23 July 1918
Demobilized on 23 November 1918
  • Reconstituted and consolidated with the 14th Bombardment Squadron on 8 June 1935
Inactivated on 1 September 1936[c]
  • Redesignated 14th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 22 December 1939
Activated on 1 February 1940
Redesignated 14th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940
Redesignated 14th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. August 1943
Inactivated on 2 April 1946
  • Disbanded on 19 August 1949[1]
Air Corps Detachment, Bolling Field
  • Organized on 1 April 1928 as Air Corps Detachment, Bolling Field, DC
Redesignated 14th Bombardment Squadron on 1 March 1935
Consolidated with Squadron A, Rockwell Field on 8 June 1935[1]

Assignments

  • Unknown, 1917–1918
  • Office of Chief of Air Corps, 1 April 1928
  • Third Corps Area
    , 28 August 1933
  • 9th Bombardment Group, 1 March 1935 – 1 September 1936
  • 11th Bombardment Group, 1 February 1940
  • 7th Bombardment Group, 2 December 1941 – 2 April 1946 (attached to 19th Bombardment Group, 2-c. 24 December 1941, air echelon attached to 19th Bombardment Group, c. 24 December 1941 – c. 14 March 14; ground echelon attached as infantry to the 5th Interceptor Command, c. 24 December 1941 – May 1942)[1]

Stations

  • Rockwell Field, California, 9 May 1917 – 23 November 1918
  • Bolling Field, Washington, D.C., 1 April 1928 – 1 September 1936
  • Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory, 1 February 1940
  • Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 16 September 1941[d]
  • Bugo, Mindanao, Philippines, (Ground echelon) 1 January – May 1942 (air echelon operated from: Batchelor Airfield, Australia, c. 24 December 24–c. 30 December 30, 1941; Singosari Airport, Java, Netherlands East Indies, 30 December 1941–c. 1 March 1942; Essendon Airport, Australia, c. 4 March – c. 14 March 1942)[1]

Aircraft

  • Curtiss JN-4, Curtiss JN-6, and Thomas-Morse S-4
  • Curtiss O-1 Falcon
    , 1928 – c. 1930
  • Douglas O-2 and Curtiss P-1 Hawk, 1928 – c. 1931
  • O-38
    , 1931–1935
  • Thomas-Morse YO-20
    during the period 1928–1936
  • Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1940–1941
  • Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941–1942
  • Probably Consolidated B-24 Liberator and Consolidated LB-30, 1941–1942

See also

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. ^ Approved 10 May 1933. Description: On a hurt the dome of the United States Capitol argent within a border of sixteen segments alternating azure and or.
  2. 19th Aero Squadron
    on 26 June 1917. Today it is the 19th Fighter Squadron.
  3. Organized Reserve
    units. Because they had no regular personnel they were still considered inactive in the regular army. Clay, p. vi.
  4. ^ Clay indicates the squadron deployed tp Del Monte Airfield on 6 December 1941. Clay, p. 1382.
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 76-77
  2. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 53
  3. ^ Matloff & Snell 1953–1959, p. 70.
  4. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 67

Bibliography

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  • Clay, Steven E. (2011). US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941 (PDF). Vol. 3 The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops 1919-1941. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press.
    OCLC 637712205
    . Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  • Matloff, Maurice; Snell, Edwin M. (1953–1959). The War Department: Strategic Planning For Coalition Warfare 1941-1942 (PDF). United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army.
    LCCN 53061477
    .
  • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
    LCCN 61060979
    . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
    OCLC 72556
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=14th_Bombardment_Squadron&oldid=1205704787"