502d Bombardment Group
| 502d Bombardment Group | |
|---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation | |
| Insignia | |
| 502d Bombardment Group emblem[1] |  |
| Tail marking[1] | Diamond H |
The 502d Bombardment Group was a
prisoners of war
. It remained in the Pacific until it was inactivated on 15 April 1946.
History
Organization and training
The
Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas.[6] The group was finally manned in July, when 11 officers and 82 enlisted men were reported assigned to the group.[5] At Dalhart, it began to equip and train with B-29s. The group trained at Dalhart and at Grand Island Army Air Field, Nebraska until 7 April 1945, when it departed for the Pacific.[6] The ground echelon departed Grand Island for Fort Lawton and 9 April 1945, and embarked on the SS Cape Newenham on 14 April.[7]
Combat in the Pacific and inactivation
The 502d was deployed to the
Central Pacific Area in late 1944. Upon arrival the group's personnel were engaged in Quonset hut construction. By mid-July most personnel were able to move into the huts from the initial tents which they were assigned on arrival. [citation needed
]
The group arrived at its combat station,
Due to a shortage of B-29s, the group was equipped with former
B-17 Flying Fortresses previously used for training heavy bomber replacement personnel. The 502d eventually received Atlanta-built B-29B Superfortresses.[citation needed
]
After
Oakland, California, where troop trains scattered them for points of discharge close to their homes.[citation needed
]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 502d Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 25 May 1944
- Activated on 1 June 1944
- Inactivated on 15 April 1946[6]
Assignments
- 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wingafter 26 September 1944)
- 315th Bombardment Wing, 12 May 1945 – 15 April 1946[9] (attached to XXI Bomber Command)
Components
- 402d Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1944 – 15 April 1946[2]
- 411th Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1944 – 15 April 1946[3]
- 430th Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1944 – 15 April 1946[4]
- 29th Photographic Laboratory Section: 1 June 1944 – [5]
Stations
- Davis–Monthan Field, Arizona 1 June 1944
- Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas 5 June 1944
- Grand Island Army Air Field, Nebraska 26 September 1944 – 7 April 1945
- Northwest Field, Guam, Mariana Islands, 12 May 1945 – 15 April 1946[6]
Aircraft
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1944–1946[6]
References
Notes
- ^ a b Watkins, pp. 108-109
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 491-492
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 502-503
- ^ a b c Bailey, Carl E. (22 June 2015). "Factsheet 44 Reconnaissance Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Miller, Larry. "315th Bomb Wing and Northwest Field, Guam (World War II): Narrative History, 502nd Bomb Group, July 1944". Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f Maurer, p. 367
- ^ Miller, Larry. "315th Bomb Wing and Northwest Field, Guam (World War II): Narrative History, 502nd Bomb Group, May 1945". Retrieved 18 January 2023.
- ^ "Abstract, History 502 Bombardment Group Jul 1945". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- ^ "Factsheet 315 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 12 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- 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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Watkins, Robert A. (2017). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force In World War II. Vol. VI, China-Burma-India & The Western Pacific. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-5273-7.
External links
- Miller, Larry. "502d Bombardment Group History". Retrieved 18 January 2023.
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