422d Bombardment Squadron
| 422d Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation | |
| Insignia | |
| 422d Bombardment Squadron emblem[a][1] | .png) |
| 422d Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)[2] |  |
| World War II fuselage code[2] | JJ |
The 422d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive
V-E Day, the squadron moved to Germany, where it formed part of the occupation forces
until inactivating in December 1946.
The squadron was again activated in 1953, when it assumed the personnel and equipment of an Air National Guard squadron that had been mobilized for the Korean War and was being returned to state control. It initially trained aircrews in light bombers, but converted to early jet bombers before inactivating the following year.
The squadron's final activation was in 1959, when
wings from three to four operational squadrons. It inactivated in 1961, when its parent wing began conversion to the Convair B-58 Hustler
.
History
World War II
Initial organization and training
The
European Theater of Operations on the RMS Queen Mary on 5 September, landing in Scotland on 12 September. The air echelon received additional training at Hancock Field, New York, before taking the North Atlantic ferrying route to Prestwick in September and October.[5]
Combat in Europe
The ground echelon arrived at
group in flying daytime missions in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, it flew its first mission with the group on 17 November 1942.[5] In December it moved to RAF Chelveston, which would be its combat station for the remainder of the war.[1]
The squadron primarily engaged in the
VIII Bomber Command made their first combat strike in German airspace.[4]
It also attacked automotive factories and
Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). Missions included attacks on Berlin, oil refineries at Merseburg, aircraft factories at Anklam, shipping at Gdynia and the ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt.[4]
In late summer of 1943, the squadron began flying night bombing missions together with bombers of the
858th Bombardment Squadron and the 422d remanned and reequipped as it returned to strategic bombing operations.[8][9]
The squadron was occasionally diverted from its strategic mission to carry out
Saint Lo. It attacked antiaircraft batteries to support Operation Market Garden, the airborne attacks near Arnhem attempting to secure a bridgehead across the Rhine. In December 1944 and January 1945, it attacked enemy installations near the Battle of the Bulge. In March 1945, it supported Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in Germany.[4]
The squadron flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945.
Tactical bomber training
During the
47th Bombardment Wing. Three months later, it was inactivated[1]
and its personnel and equipment redistributed to the other units of the 47th Wing.
Strategic Air Command
From 1958, the
Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana. As the 305th Wing transitioned to the Convair B-58 Hustler, the squadron was inactivated in February 1961.[1]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 33d Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942.
- Activated on 1 March 1942
- Redesignated 422d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942
- Redesignated 422d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 30 August 1943
- Inactivated on 25 December 1946
- Redesignated 422d Bombardment Squadron, Light on 15 November 1952
- Activated on 1 January 1953
- Inactivated on 23 March 1954
- Redesignated 422d Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 6 October 1958
- Activated on 1 January 1959
- Discontinued and inactivated on 15 February 1961[1]
Assignments
- 305th Bombardment Group, 1 March 1942 – 25 December 1946
- 4430th Air Base Wing, 1 January 1953
- Tactical Air Command, 1 May 1953 (attached to 405th Fighter-Bomber Wing)
- Third Air Force, 20 December 1953 (attached to 47th Bombardment Wing)
- 47th Bombardment Group, 8 February – 23 March 1954 (attached to 47th Bombardment Wing)
- 305th Bombardment Wing, 1 January 1959
- 3958th Operational Evaluation and Training Group, 1 October 1959
- 305th Bombardment Wing, 8 March 1960 – 15 February 1961[1]
Stations
|
|
Aircraft
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1946
- Douglas B-26 Invader, 1953
- North American B-45 Tornado, 1953–1954
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1959[1]
Awards and campaigns
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Presidential Unit Citation | 4 April 1943 | [1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Air Offensive, Europe | 12 September 1942–5 June 1944 | [1] |
|
Air Combat, EAME Theater | 12 September 1942–11 May 1945 | [1] |
|
Normandy | 6 June 1944–24 July 1944 | [1] |
|
Northern France | 25 July 1944–14 September 1944 | [1] |
|
Rhineland | 15 September 1944–21 March 1945 | [1] |
|
Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944–25 January 1945 | [1] |
|
Central Europe | 22 March 1944–21 May 1945 | [1] |
 |
World War II Army of Occupation (Germany) | 19 December 1945–25 December 1946 |
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Approved 22 October 1953. Description: On a yellow shield of distinctive design a sword (red hilt and steel blade) pointing to base emitting four red flashes (two to the right and two to the left) in chief a stylied white oval cloud formation in back of and above the sword hilt and bearing four blue stars in an arc, two on each side of the hilt; all within a narrow red border.
- Kingman Field, Arizona on 4 December 1945 for storage, then sold for scrap in July 1946. Baugher, Joe (7 August 2023). "1942 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
- ^ Maurer describes the flak as heavy, but Freeman describes it as light, at least until the unit reached its target.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp.517-518
- ^ a b Watkins, pp. 54-55
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 450-453, 517-518
- ^ a b c d e Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 177-179
- ^ a b c d e Freeman, pp. 247-248
- ^ Freeman, p. 29
- ^ Freeman, p. 71
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 517–518, 784–785
- ^ Freeman, p. 264
- ^ Mueller, p. 315
- ^ No byline. "Abstract, History 115 Bombardment Squadron, Dec 1952". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
- ^ Mueller, p. 307
- ^ a b Schake, p. 220 (note 43)
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b Station number in Anderson, p. 19.
- ^ Station number in Johnson, p. 23.
- ^ Station number in Johnson, p. 40.
- ^ Station information in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 517-518, except as noted.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL yes: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-87938-638-2.
- 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.
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 315. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.
- Schake, Col Kurt W. (1998). Strategic Frontier: American Bomber Bases Overseas, 1950–1960 (PDF). Trondheim, Norway: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. ISBN 978-8277650241. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
- Watkins, Robert (2008). Battle Colors: Insignia and Markings of the Eighth Air Force In World War II. Vol. I (VIII) Bomber Command. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-1987-7.
- Further reading
- Warren, Maj Harris G. (June 1947). "Special Operations: AAF Aid to European Resistance Movements 1943-1945, USAF Historical Study No. 121 (formerly AAF Reference History No. 21)" (PDF). Army Air Force Historical Office. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
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