343rd Bomb Squadron

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343d Bomb Squadron
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation[1]
Insignia
343 Bomb Sq emblem[b][1]
343d Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)

The 343d Bomb Squadron is a

United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 307th Operations Group. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base
, Louisiana.

The squadron was first activated during

VE Day the squadron returned to the United States and trained with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses
until inactivating in spring 1946.

The squadron was reactivated in 1947 with Superfortresses. During the

Boeing B-52H Stratofortress
squadron.

Mission

History

World War II

Training in the United States

The

Barksdale Field, Louisiana, where it began to train as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber squadron under Third Air Force.[1][2]

The squadron's training was short and it deployed to Egypt in July 1942

344th Bombardment Squadron and group headquarters at St Jean d'Acre Airfield, in Palestine.[3]

Combat in the Middle East

Upon arrival in the Near East, the squadron became part of United States Army Middle East Air Force, which was replaced by

Distinguished Unit Citation.[1]

98th Bomb Group Liberators attacking Ploiești[c]

On 1 August 1943, the squadron participated in

flak defenses. The squadron's actions in this engagement earned it a second Distinguished Unit Citation.[1] The squadron lost half of its B-24s on the Ploiești Raid.[5]

1st Lt. Donald D Pucket was posthumously award the

oil refineries near Ploiești
, Romania on 9 July 1944.

When the forces driving East from Egypt and Libya met up with those moving westward from Algeria and Morocco in Tunisia in September 1943, Ninth Air Force was transferred to England to become the tactical air force for the invasion of the European Continent.

Mediterranean Theater of Operations, while Twelfth became a tactical air force.[2][7]

Strategic operations in Italy

The squadron continued strategic bombardment raids on targets in Occupied France, southern Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria and targets in the Balkans. These included industrial sites, airfields, harbors and

guerillas in neighboring countries.[citation needed
]

Return to the United States

The squadron returned to the United States in May 1945. Upon arrival it was redesignated as a very heavy

40th Bombardment Group. B-29 training continued until the unit was inactivated in March 1946.[1]

Strategic Air Command

98th Bomb Group B-29s attacking a target in Korea[d]

The squadron was reactivated in 1947 as a

Spokane Army Air Field, Washington. The squadron performed strategic bombardment training missions until the Korean War broke out.[1]

In the summer of 1950, when the

marshalling yards near Pyongyang, capital of North Korea. The squadron's missions focused on interdiction of enemy lines of communications, attacking rail lines, bridges and roads. The squadron also flew missions that supported United Nations ground forces.[1][8]

SAC's mobilization for the Korean War highlighted that SAC wing commanders were not sufficiently focused on combat operations. Under a plan implemented for most wings in February 1951 and finalized in June 1952, the wing commander focused primarily on the combat units and the maintenance necessary to support combat aircraft by having the combat and maintenance squadrons report directly to the wing and eliminating the intermediate group structures.[9] This reorganization was implemented in April 1951 for the 98th Wing, when wing headquarters moved on paper to Japan, taking over the personnel and functions of the 98th Group, which became a paper organization, and the squadron began operating under wing control.[10]

Starting in January 1952, the threat posed by enemy

Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska.[1][10]

Conversion to jet bombers

Dedication of first Boeing B-47 at Lincoln AFB[e]

The squadron disposed of its B-29s to storage at

alert at the forward deployment site.[1]

From 1958, the 343d began to assume an alert posture at its home base, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases to meet General Thomas S. Power's initial goal of maintaining one third of SAC's planes on fifteen minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.[12] The alert commitment was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962.[13]

Cuban Missile Crisis

Soon after detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, on 22 October 1962 the squadron's B-47s dispersed.[14] On 24 October the 343d went to DEFCON 2, placing all its aircraft on alert. Most dispersal bases were civilian airfields with AF Reserve or Air National Guard units. The unit's B-47s were configured for execution of the Emergency War Order as soon as possible after dispersing. On 15 November 1/6 of the squadron's dispersed B-47s were recalled to Lincoln.[15] The remaining B-47s and their supporting tankers were recalled on 24 November. On 27 November SAC returned its bomber units to normal alert posture.[16] The squadron was inactivated in June 1966 with the phaseout of the B-47 and closure of Lincoln.[1]

Air Force Reserve

B-52H arrives at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. Taken on 9 April 2016. Barksdale B-52s supported Operation Inherent Resolve.

The squadron was reactivated at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana as an Air Force Reserve Command B-52 Stratofortress squadron in January 2010.[1] The squadron routinely deployed aircrew and maintainers for B-52 missions from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar for Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom's Sentinel.[17]

On 19 April 2013, the 343rd Bomb Squadron participated in their first nuclear readiness exercise. As the only B-52 squadron in the Air Force Reserve, the 343rd BS is also the only nuclear certified squadron in the Air Force Reserve.[18]

The 343rd Bomb Squadron received the Mitchell Trophy for most accurate munition drop during the Global Strike Challenge 2017.[19] Global Strike Challenge is a Bomber, Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, Helicopter Operations and Security Forces competition with units from Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Combat Command, Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard.

During Global Strike Challenge 2019, the 343rd Bomb Squadron consecutively earned the Mitchell Trophy for most accurate munitions drop. They were also awarded with the Linebacker Trophy for best B-52 Squadron and the LeMay Trophy for Best Bomber Operations, becoming the top performing unit within Air Force Global Strike Command.

Lineage

  • Constituted 343d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
Activated on 3 February 1942
Redesignated 343d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 1 July 1943
  • Redesignated 343d Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 May 1945
Inactivated on 27 March 1946
  • Activated on 1 July 1947
Redesignated 343d Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 28 May 1948
Discontinued, and inactivated on 25 June 1966
  • Redesignated as 343d Bomb Squadron on 9 March 2010
Activated on 1 April 2010[1]

Assignments

  • 98th Bombardment Group
    , 3 February 1942
  • 40th Bombardment Group
    , 10 November 1945 – 27 March 1946
  • 98th Bombardment Group, 1 July 1947 (attached to 98th Bombardment Wing after 1 April 1951)[8]
  • 98th Bombardment Wing
    (later 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing), 16 June 1952 – 25 June 1966
  • 917th Operations Group
    , 1 April 2010
  • 307th Operations Group, 8 January 2011 – present[20]

Stations

  • MacDill Field, Florida, 3 February 1942
  • Barksdale Field, Louisiana, 16 February 1942
  • Page Field, Florida, 30 March 1942
  • Drane Field
    , Florida, 15 May–3 July 1942
  • RAF Ramat David
    , Palestine, 7 August 1942
  • St Jean d'Acre Airfield, Palestine, 21 August 1942
  • RAF Kabrit
    , Egypt, 10 November 1942
  • RAF Gambut, Libya, 31 January 1943
  • Lete Airfield, Libya, 3 March 1943
  • Hergla Airfield, Tunisia, 25 September 1943
  • Brindisi Airport, Italy, 18 November 1943
  • Manduria Airfield, Italy, 19 December 1943
  • Lecce Airfield, Italy, 17 January 1944 – 19 April 1945
  • Fairmont Army Air Field
    , Nebraska, 8 May 1945
  • McCook Army Air Field, Nebraska, 25 June 1945
  • March Field
    , California, 10 November 1945 – 27 March 1946
  • Andrews Field
    , Maryland, 1 July 1947
  • Spokane Army Air Field (later Spokane Air Force Base, Fairchild Air Fore Base), Washington, 24 September 1947
  • Yokota Air Base, Japan, 5 August 1950 – 22 July 1954
  • Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska, 25 July 1954 – 25 June 1966 (deployed to RAF Lakenheath, England, 12 November 1955 – 28 January 1956)
  • Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 1 April 2010 – present[1]

Aircraft

  • Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945; 1947–1954
  • Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1954–1966
  • Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 2010–present[1]

See also

References

Explanatory notes
  1. ^ Aircraft is Boeing B-52H-150-BW Stratofortress, serial 60-042 of the 307th Bomb Wing.
  2. ^ Approved 15 April 1957. A black disc, over the left (sinister) area of the disc, three curved golden orange bands, highlighted white; in the upper right (dexter) area of the disc, an atomic symbol of the second [mentioned color], and two silhouetted branches of olive white.
  3. ^ In the foreground is Consolidated B-24D-1-CF, serial 42-63758 Li’l Jughaid. Following in formation are Daisy Mae and Black Magic in the 1 August 1943 low level attack on Ploesti. Baugher, Joe (4 March 2023). "1942 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  4. ^ In the foreground is Boeing B-29-90-BW Superfortress, serial 45-21721, which crashed after takeoff eight kilometers north of Yokota Air Base, Japan, on 7 February 1952. The crew of 13 were killed. Baugher, Joe (4 March 2023). "1945 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  5. ^ Aircraft is Douglas Aircraft built Boeing B-47E-55-DT, serial 53-2134. City of Lincoln. This plane crashed on landing at RAF Greenham Common on 5 February 1963. Baugher, Joe (2 April 2023). "1953 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Robertson, Patsy (20 May 2010). "Factsheet 343 Bomb Squadron (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 169–170
  3. ^ Rogers, pp. 77–78
  4. ^ Schultz, pp.64–65
  5. ^ "343rd Bomb Squadron reactivates at Barksdale". 6 July 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  6. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 464
  7. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 467, 470
  8. ^ a b Endicott, p. 74
  9. ^ Deaile, pp. 175–176
  10. ^ a b Ravenstein, pp. 138–141
  11. ^ Endicott, p. 75
  12. ^ Schake, p. 220 (note 43)
  13. ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), History of the Strategic Bomber since 1945 (Top Secret, downgraded to Secret)". Air Force History Index. 1 April 1975. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  14. ^ Kipp, et al., pp. 34–35. 49
  15. ^ Kipp, et al., p. 53
  16. ^ Kipp, et al., p. 61
  17. ^ "343rd Bomb Squadron". Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Reserve bomber crew participates in first nuclear exercise". Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  19. ^ "343rd Bomb Squadron is spot on". 20 November 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  20. ^ Assignments in Robertson, 343 Bomb Squadron Factsheet, except as noted.

Bibliography

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

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