511th Bombardment Squadron
| 511th Bombardment Squadron (later 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron) | |
|---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation | |
| Insignia | |
| 511th Bombardment Squadron emblem[2] |  |
| World War II fuselage code[2] | DS |
The 511th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive
351st Bombardment Group at Fairfax Field
, Kansas, where it was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
The
V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in August 1945. It was activated in the reserves
in 1947, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped.
In 1985, the squadron was consolidated with the 311th Attack Squadron, which served briefly in 1969 as a training unit for Cessna A-37 Dragonfly pilots during the Vietnam War. The consolidated squadron was designated the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, but has not been active.
History
World War II
The
European Theater of Operations.[3][4] The air echelon began ferrying its B-17s about 1 April, while the ground echelon left for the New York Port of Embarkation on 12 April.[1]
The ground and air echelons had arrived at the unit's combat station,
airfields, harbor installations, and submarine pens.[4]
On 9 October 1943, the squadron attacked the
The squadron was occasionally withdrawn from strategic missions to provide
Saint Lo. In September, it supported Operation Market Garden, an unsuccessful airborne attack attempting to obtain a bridgehead across the Rhine at Arnhem. From December 1944 through January 1945, it attacked front line positions during the Battle of the Bulge. In March 1945, it flew missions to support Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in Germany.[4]
Following
Air Force reserve
The squadron was activated again in October 1947 in the
Air Defense Command (ADC)'s 4101st AAF Base Unit (later the 2472d Air Force Reserve Training Center), although its headquarters, the 351st Bombardment Group, was stationed at Scott Field, Illinois.[6][4] The following year Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve units from ADC.[7][3]
Although nominally a very heavy bomber unit, it is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped.442d Troop Carrier Wing at Fairfax.[10]
Attack training
The 311th Attack Squadron was activated in May 1969 at
Vietnamese Air Force and was inactivated.[14]
In September 1985, the 511th and 311th Squadrons were consolidated as the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, without being activated.[14]
Lineage
- 511th Bombardment Squadron
- Constituted as the 511th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 25 September 1942
- Activated on 1 October 1942
- Redesignated 511th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 11 August 1944
- Inactivated on 28 August 1945
- Redesignated 511th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 September 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 15 October 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949[3]
- Consolidated with the 311th Attack Squadron as the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985[14]
- 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron
- Constituted as the 311th Attack Squadron on 5 May 1969
- Activated on 15 May 1969
- Inactivated on 15 December 1969
- Consolidated with the 511th Bombardment Squadron as the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985[14]
Assignments
- 351st Bombardment Group, 1 October 1942 – 28 August 1945
- 351st Bombardment Group, 15 October 1947 – 27 June 1949[15]
- 1st Special Operations Wing, 15 May 1969[11]
- 4410th Special Operations Training Group, 15 July 1969
- 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 November–15 December 1969[13]
Stations
|
|
Aircraft
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945[3]
- Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, 1969
Awards and campaigns
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Distinguished Unit Citation |
9 October 1943 | Germany[3] |
|
Distinguished Unit Citation | 11 January 1944 | Germany[3] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Air Offensive, Europe | 12 May 1943 – 5 June 1944 | [3] |
|
Air Combat, EAME Theater | 12 May 1943 – 11 May 1945 | [3] |
|
Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | [3] |
|
Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | [3] |
|
Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | [3] |
|
Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | [3] |
|
Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | [3] |
See also
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Aircraft is Boeing B-17G-95-BO Flying Fortress, serial 43-38846. This aircraft survived the war and returned to the United States in December 1945. It was sold for scrap in September 1946. Baugher, Joe (10 April 2023). "1943 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
- ^ The squadron nickname was taken after its commander, Major Clinton Ball. It was reflected in the emblem adopted by the squadron and in the names given to its airplanes, which included Cannon Ball, Fireball, Foul Ball, Highball, Screwball, Snowball, Spareball, Speedball, Spitball, Linda Ball (the commander's wife) and Lucille Ball. Freeman, p. 48.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d Freeman, pp. 249-250
- ^ a b Watkins, pp. 62-63
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 614
- ^ a b c d e Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 230-231
- ^ Freeman, pp. 104-105
- ^ See Mueller, p. 516
- ^ "Abstract, Mission Project Closeup, Continental Air Command". Air Force History Index. 27 December 1961. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ See Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 614 (no aircraft listed as assigned to the squadron from 1947 to 1949)
- ^ Knaack, p. 25
- ^ Ravenstein, pp. 238-239 (establishment of 442d Wing in the reserves).
- ^ a b Robertson, Patsy (16 June 2017). "Factsheet 1 Special Operations Wing (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ See Mueller, pp. 131, 170 (movement of 1st Wing and 4410th Group on 15 July 1969).
- ^ a b Robertson, Patsy (19 June 2017). "Factsheet 3 Wing (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 September 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons
- ^ Assignment information through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 614.
- ^ Station number in Anderson.
- ^ Station information through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 614, except as noted.
- ^ Mueller, p. 170
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: 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.
- Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems (PDF). Vol. 2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945-1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-59-5. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 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.
- 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. ISBN 0-912799-53-6. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- 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
- Cantwell, Gerald T. (1997). Citizen Airmen: a History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946-1994. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program. ISBN 0-16049-269-6. Retrieved 17 December 2016.