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424th Bombardment Squadron

(Redirected from 35th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy))

The 424th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 307th Bombardment Wing at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska, where it was inactivated on 1 January 1962.

424th Bombardment Squadron
B-47E Stratojet as flown by the 424th at Lincoln AFB[a]
Active1942–1945; 1953–1954; 1958–1962
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleBombardment
EngagementsSouth Pacific Theater, Southwest Pacific Theater[1]
DecorationsDistinguished Unit Citation
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation[1]
Insignia
424th Bombardment Squadron emblem[b][1]

The squadron was first activated in April 1942 as the 34th Reconnaissance Squadron, one of the original four squadrons of the 307th Bombardment Group, but was redesignated the 424th Bombardment Squadron shortly afterwards. After training in the United States, it deployed to the Pacific, serving mainly in the Southwest Pacific Theater. The squadron earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions in combat. Following V-J Day, it returned to the United States for inactivation.

The squadron was activated as a light bomber crew training unit during the Korean War, replacing an Air National Guard unit that had been mobilized for the war and was returning to state control. It was inactivated and its personnel and equipment transferred to another unit in connection with the upgrade of the unit to jet bombers. It was activated again in 1958 when Strategic Air Command (SAC) expanded its Boeing B-47 wings from three to four squadrons. When SAC's alert commitment changed, it was inactivated in 1962. [citation needed]

History

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World War II

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The squadron was activated at Geiger Field, Washington on 15 April 1942 as the 35th Reconnaissance Squadron, one of the original four squadrons of the 307th Bombardment Group.[2][3] A week later, it was redesignated the 424th Bombardment Squadron. It was first equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, but while still in training converted to Consolidated B-24 Liberators. In addition to training with these heavy bombers, it also flew some antisubmarine patrols off the Pacific northwest coast. In October 1942, it began its movement to Hawaii.[1][3]

 
B-24D Frenisi at Wakde Airfield[c]

The squadron arrived at Dillingham Airfield, Hawaii in November 1942, continuing its training in the Liberator and flying search and antisubmarine patrols in defense of Hawaii as part of Seventh Air Force. In December 1942, it staged through Naval Air Station Midway to attack Wake Island.[3]

In February 1943, the squadron was relieved from assignment to Seventh Air Force and began to operate under the control of Thirteenth Air Force, although it did not move to Koli Airfield, Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands until March.[1] From Guadalcanal, it struck enemy airfields and military installations along with shipping in the Solomon Islands and Bismarck Archipelago. It helped neutralized enemy bases in Yap, Truk and Palau. On 29 March 1944, the squadron made an unescorted daylight attack on heavily defended airfields in the Truk Islands for which it was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC).[3]

As American forces moved forward, it supported operations in the Philippines by strikes against enemy shipping in the southern Philippines and striking airfields on Leyte, Luzon, Negros, Ceram and Halmahera and supported Allied operations in the Netherlands East Indies. It flew an unescorted mission attacking the oil refineries at Balikpapan on Borneo on 3 October 1944, for which it was awarded a second DUC.[3]

In the closing months of the war in the Pacific, it supported Australian forces on Borneo and attacked targets in Indochina. After V-J Day, it ferried liberated prisoners from Okinawa to the Philippines and flew patrols along the coast of China. It moved to Clark Field in the Philippines in September 1945 and returned to the United States for inactivation at the Port of Embarkation in December 1945.[3][1]

Light bomber crew training

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Douglas A-26 Invader as flown by the 424th

During and immediately after the Korean War, Tactical Air Command (TAC) trained aircrews for the Douglas B-26 Invader at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. The three squadrons of the 4400th Combat Crew Training Group performing this mission were Air National Guard units that had been mobilized for the war. At the start of 1953, these squadrons were returned to state control and the 424th was activated[1] and took over the mission, personnel, and equipment of the 122d Bombardment Squadron, which returned to the Louisiana Air National Guard.[4] In January 1954, the group mission shifted to tactical bombardment and it was redesignated the 4400th Bombardment Group. As the group began to anticipate the transition to Martin B-57 Canberra aircraft, TAC decided to replace the Table of Distribution 4400th Group and its squadrons with the regular 345th Bombardment Group, which took over their mission in July 1954[5] and the 424th was inactivated.[1]

Strategic Air Command

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The squadron was activated for a third time in September 1958 as Strategic Air Command (SAC)'s Boeing B-47 Stratojet fleet reached a peak of twenty-seven wings[6] In 1958, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings of SAC assumed an alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases. The SAC alert cycle divided itself into four parts: planning, flying, alert and rest 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.[7] To implement this new system B-47 wings reorganized from three to four squadrons.[7][8] The 424th was activated at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska as the fourth squadron of the 307th Bombardment Wing.[1] The alert commitment was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962 and the four squadron pattern no longer met the alert cycle commitment, so the squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1962.[1][8]

Lineage

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  • Constituted as the 35th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
Activated on 15 April 1942
Redesignated 424th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942
Redesignated 424th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy in 1944
Inactivated on 26 December 1945
  • Redesignated 424th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 15 November 1952
Activated on 1 January 1953
Inactivated on 19 July 1954
  • Redesignated 424th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 11 August 1958
Activated on 1 September 1958
Discontinued and inactivated on 1 January 1962[1]

Assignments

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  • 307th Bombardment Group, 15 April 1942 – 26 December 1945
  • 4430th Air Base Wing (attached to 4400th Combat Crew Training Group), 1 January 1953
  • 4400th Combat Crew Training Group (later 4400th Bombardment Group), 1 May 1953 – 19 July 1954
  • 307th Bombardment Wing, 1 September 1958 – 1 January 1962[1]

Stations

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Aircraft

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  • Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942
  • Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
  • Douglas B-26 Invader, 1953–1954
  • Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1958–1961[1]

Awards and campaigns

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Award streamer Award Dates Notes
  Distinguished Unit Citation 29 March 1944 Truk[1]
  Distinguished Unit Citation 3 October 1944 Borneo[1]
  Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation 17 October 44–4 July 45 [1]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
  Central Pacific 2 November 1942–18 March 1943 [1]
  Air Combat, Asiatic–Pacific Theater 2 November 1942-7 December 1945 [1]
  Guadalcanal 20 January 1943–21 February 1943 [1]
  New Guinea 24 January 1943–31 December 1944 [1]
  Northern Solomons 23 February 1943–21 November 1944 [1]
  Eastern Mandates 7 December 1943–14 April 1944 [1]
  Bismarck Archipelago 15 December 1943–27 November 1944 [1]
  Leyte 17 October 1944–1 July 1945 [1]
  Luzon 15 December 1944–4 July 1945 [1]
  Southern Philippines 27 February 1945–4 July 1945 [1]
  Western Pacific 17 April 1945–2 September 1945 [1]

References

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Notes

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Explanatory notes
  1. ^ Aircraft is Boeing B-47E-55-BW Stratojet, serial 51-2394. In March 1960, it was modified as an NB-47E.
  2. ^ Approved 24 February 1943. Description: A disc piped black, per fess debased engrailed argent and azure, issuing from partition line a red sun rayed proper, surmounted by a black aerial bomb palewise, point to base.
  3. ^ Aircraft is Consolidated B-24D-50-CO, serial 42-40323. This aircraft flew 104 combat missions in the Pacific. Photo taken: 8 September 1944, Wakde Airfield, Netherlands East Indies. It was condemned on 31 October 1944. Baugher, Joe (7 September 2023). "1942 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Maurer, Combat Squadrons. pp. 520-521
  2. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons. pp. 457-461, 520-521
  3. ^ a b c d e f Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 181-182
  4. ^ See Mueller, p. 315
  5. ^ See Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 225–226
  6. ^ See generally wings and equipment listed in Ravenstein.
  7. ^ a b Schake, p. 220 (note 43)
  8. ^ a b "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.
  9. ^ Unknown (1943). "Abstract, History 307 Bombardment Group". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 2 December 2023.
  10. ^ Station information in Maurer, Combat Squadrons. pp. 520-521, except as noted.

Bibliography

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

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