23d Bomb Squadron
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit, assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing
5th Bomb Wing
The 5th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot...
. It is stationed at Minot AFB, North Dakota. The mission of the 23BS is to fly the Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
B-52H Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
long range bomber. The squadron stands ready to deploy and fly its B-52Hs to enforce national security policy by being ready to deliver overwhelming nuclear or conventional firepower to destroy targets, worldwide, at any time.
Unit Patch
The insignia is a blue disk with a black volcano with red lava flowing from the crater, extending upward as red and yellow rays intermingling with clouds. On the front are five black bombs signifying the 23 BS with three on the dexter (right) side, and two on the sinister (left) side. The patch was approved on 30 September 1931.On 27 December 1935 fate stepped in, and the unit was actually tasked to drop twenty 600-pound bombs in the path of the flow of lava from Mauna Loa volcano, thus saving the city of Hilo, Hawaii, from destruction. It is worn proudly by all members and is a constant reminder of their heritage.
History
Originally organized on 16 June 1917 as the 18th Aero Squadron but redesignated 23d six days later, the 23d supported World War I air combat operations serving as an aircraft and engine repair depot organization. Demobilized shortly after the Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
, the 23d was reborn in 1921 and spent the decades of the 1920s and 1930s stationed in Hawaii. There, the squadron flew a number of bomber types, most notably the Keystone bomber series and later the Douglas B-18 Bolo
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
. It was during the squadron’s stay in Hawaii that the event signified by the squadron patch took place. On 27 Dec. 1935, the Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa
Mauna Loa is one of five volcanoes that form the Island of Hawaii in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean, and the largest on Earth in terms of volume and area covered. It is an active shield volcano, with a volume estimated at approximately , although its peak is about lower than that...
volcano on the island of Hawaii erupted, threatening the city of Hilo. Six Keystones of the 23d used precision bombing tactics to drop twenty 600-pound bombs in the path of the volcano’s lava flow, thus saving the city of Hilo by diverting the lava away from the city.
Part of the 5th Bombardment Group, the 23d fought its way across the Southwest Pacific during World War II. The 23d initially flew Boeing B-17E Flying Fortresses into combat, replacing those with Consolidated B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s by early 1943. Long-range over-water missions were the squadron’s forte, and in April 1944 the squadron won its first of two Distinguished Unit Citations for flying the longest over-water bombing mission ever flown to date, some 1,300 miles each way, to bomb the Japanese base at Woleai Island. After winning a second DUC for another long range strike against oil refineries on Borneo on 30 Sept. 1944, the 23d found itself in the Philippines at the close of the war.
After a brief period in the Far East after the war, the 23d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron relocated to Travis AFB, Calif., in 1949. There, the squadron flew global strategic reconnaissance missions with Boeing RB-29 Superfortresses from 1949–51, Convair RB-36F Peacemakers from 1951–53, and RB-36Hs from 1953-55. On 1 Oct. 1955, the squadron was again redesignated 23d Bombardment Squadron and reverted to training for long range nuclear strike missions with the same RB-36Hs. On 13 February 1959, the 23d entered the jet age when it received its first Boeing B-52G Stratofortress and also entered the missile age, as the B-52Gs were equipped with the then-new Stand-off AGM-28 Hound Dog
AGM-28 Hound Dog
The North American Aviation Corporation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, jet propelled, air-launched cruise missile. The Hound Dog missile was first given the designation B-77, then redesignated the GAM-77, and finally designated the AGM-28, permanently...
and ADM-20 Quail
ADM-20 Quail
The McDonnell ADM-20 Quail was a subsonic, jet powered, air-launched decoy cruise missile built by McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. The Quail was designed to be launched by the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber and its original Air Force designation was GAM-72 .-Development:In 1955 the...
decoy missiles. The squadron flew the B-52G from Travis until July 1968.
On 25 July 1968, the 23d moved, without personnel or equipment, to Minot AFB, where it absorbed the personnel, equipment, and B-52H bombers of the inactivating 720th Bombardment Squadron
720th Bombardment Squadron
The 720th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 450th Bombardment Wing. It was last stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, and was inactivated on 25 July 1968.-History:...
. The 23d has been combat ready in B-52Hs since that time, continuously adding improvements in avionics, weapons, and tactics to its arsenal. In 1973, the squadron was the first unit to receive the AGM-69 SRAM
AGM-69 SRAM
The Boeing AGM-69 SRAM was a nuclear air-to-surface missile designed to replace the older AGM-28 Hound Dog stand-off missile....
(Short Range Attack Missile). In 1980, the 23d gained the Offensive Avionics System, and led Strategic Air Command’s venture into modern conventional war fighting as the lead unit for the Strategic Projection Force, in support of the U.S. Rapid Deployment Force
Rapid Deployment Force
A rapid deployment force is a military formation capable of quick deployment of its forces. Such forces typically consist of elite military units and may receive priority in equipment and training to prepare them for their mission....
. During the 1980s, the squadron pioneered night vision goggle tactics. The 23d added the AGM-86B ALCM (Air Launched Cruise Missile) in 1989 and the AGM-129 Advanced Cruise Missile (ACM) in 1994.
Lineage
- Organized as 18th Aero Squadron on 16 June 1917
- Redesignated 23d Aero Squadron (Repair) on 22 June 1917
- Demobilized on 22 March 1919
- Reconstituted, and consolidated (1924) with 23d Squadron, which was authorized on 30 August 1921, organized on 1 October 1921, redesignated 23d Bombardment Squadron on 25 January 1923
- Redesignated: 23d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 6 December 1939
- Redesignated: 23d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940
- Redesignated: 23d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 6 March 1944
- Redesignated: 23d Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 30 April 1946
- Inactivated on 10 March 1947
- Redesignated 23d Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Photographic, on 16 September 1947
- Activated on 20 October 1947
- Redesignated: 23d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic, on 16 June 1949
- Redesignated: 23d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Heavy, on 14 November 1950
- Redesignated: 23d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 1 October 1955
- Redesignated: 23d Bomb Squadron on 1 September 1991.
Assignments
- Unknown, 16 June 1917-22 March 1919
- Ninth Corps Area, 1 October 1921
- 5th Group (Observation) (later, 5th Group [Pursuit and Bombardment]; 5th Group [Composite]; 5th Composite Group)5th Operations GroupThe 5th Operations Group is an operational component of the United States Air Force 5th Bomb Wing, stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota...
, 29 March 1922 - 19th Bombardment Group19th Operations GroupThe 19th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 19th Airlift Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas....
, 8 May 1929
- Attached to 5th Composite [later, 5th Bombardment] Group5th Operations GroupThe 5th Operations Group is an operational component of the United States Air Force 5th Bomb Wing, stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota...
, 8 May 1929-11 October 1938)- 5th Bombardment Group5th Operations GroupThe 5th Operations Group is an operational component of the United States Air Force 5th Bomb Wing, stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota...
, 12 October 1938-10 March 1947 - 5th Reconnaissance, (later, 5th Strategic Reconnaissance) Group5th Operations GroupThe 5th Operations Group is an operational component of the United States Air Force 5th Bomb Wing, stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota...
, 20 October 1947
- 5th Bombardment Group
- Attached to: 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 18–24 August 1948
- Attached to: 32d Composite Wing, 24 August 1948-16 March 1949
- Attached to: 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing55th WingThe 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The unit is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska....
, 1–17 June 1949 - Attached to: 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing5th Bomb WingThe 5th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot...
, 10 February 1951-15 June 1952- 5th Strategic Reconnaissance, (later, 5th Bombardment) Wing5th Bomb WingThe 5th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot...
, 16 June 1952 - 5th Operations Group5th Operations GroupThe 5th Operations Group is an operational component of the United States Air Force 5th Bomb Wing, stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota...
, 1 September 1991–present
- 5th Strategic Reconnaissance, (later, 5th Bombardment) Wing
Stations
- Camp Kelly, Texas, 16 June 1917
- Hazelhurst Field, New York, 5 September 1917-6 July 1918
- Thetford Airdrome, England, c. 25 July 1918
- Detachments at Hucknall Torkard and Salisbury, c. 18 August-c. 5 November 1918
- Duxford Airdrome, England, 2 September 1918
- Codford Airdrome, England, 5 November 1918
- Cherbourg, France, 11 November 1918
- St Maixent, France, 18 November 1918
- St Nazaire, France, c. 29 January-20 February 1919
- Garden CityGarden City, New YorkGarden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
, New York, c. 8–22 March 1919 - March Field, California, 1 October 1921-21 March 1922
- Luke Field, Hawaii Territory, 29 March 1922
- Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory, 1 January 1939
- Mokuleia Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 24 March-3 November 1942
- Luganville Airfield, Espiritu SantoEspiritu SantoEspiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, New HebridesNew HebridesNew Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, 1 December 1942-3 January 1944
- Air echelon operated from Henderson FieldHenderson Field (Guadalcanal)Henderson Field is a former military airfield on Guadacanal, Solomon Islands during World War II. Today it is Honiara International Airport.-Japanese construction:...
, GuadalcanalGuadalcanalGuadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, 31 March-24 August 1943, and 21 October-7 December 1943
- Munda Airfield, New GeorgiaNew GeorgiaNew Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
, Solomon IslandsSolomon IslandsSolomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
, 9 January 1944 - Momote Airfield , Los NegrosLos NegrosLos Negros was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. On 2010 it went independent and had been contesting the control of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. It was then the criminal...
, Admiralty IslandsAdmiralty IslandsThe Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, 16 April 1944 - Wakde AirfieldWakde AirfieldWakde Airfield is a World War II airfield located on Located on Wakde Island, off the northern coast of New Guinea in West Papua Province, Indonesia. The airfield was abandoned after the war and today is almost totally returned to its natural state.-History:...
, Netherlands East Indies, c. 20 August 1944 - Kornasoren (Yebrurro) Airfield, NoemfoorNoemfoorNumfor is one of the Biak Islands in Papua province, Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and was major airbase for both sides.-Geography:The island is situated just north of the large Cenderawasih Bay...
, Schouten IslandsSchouten IslandsThe Indonesian Schouten Islands are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea...
, c. 30 September 1944 - Wama Airfield, MorotaiMorotaiMorotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
, Netherlands East Indies, c. 16 October 1944 - Guiuan AirfieldGuiuan AirfieldGuiuan Airfield is a World War II airfield located near Guiuan in the province of Eastern Samar, Samar, Philippines. It was closed after the war.-History:...
, SamarSamarSamar, formerly and also known as Western Samar, is a province in the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Catbalogan City and covers the western portion of Samar as well as several islands in the Samar Sea located to the west of the mainland...
, Philippines, 20 February 1945 - Clark Field, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, December 1945-10 March 1947; 20 October 1947 - Kadena AB, Okinawa, 15 May 1948
- Yokota AB, Japan, 16 March-2 May 1949
- Fairfield-Suisun AFB, California, 19 May 1949
- Topeka (later, Forbes) AFB, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 1 June 1949 - Mountain Home AFB, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, 25 June 1949 - Fairfield-Suisun (later, Travis) AFB, California, 1 November 1949
- Deployed at Andersen AFB, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, 14 January-12 April 1955- Minot AFB, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, 25 July 1968–present
- Minot AFB, North Dakota
Aircraft
- In addition to NBS-1, included JN-6, DH-4 and others during period 1922-1929
- Primarily B-4, B-5, and LB-6 during period 1929-1937
- B-12, 1937–1939
- B-18 BoloB-18 BoloThe Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
, 1938–1942 - B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941–1943
- B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
, 1943–1945 - C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
, 1947–1948 - B/FB-17 Flying Fortress, 1947–1948
- F-2 Flying Fortress, 1947–1948
- RB-29 Superfortress, 1948–1951
- RB-36 Peacekeeper, 1951–1955; B/RB-36, 1955–1958
- B-52 StratofortressB-52 StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
, 1959–present
See also
- List of American Aero Squadrons
- List of B-52 Units of the United States Air Force