394th Combat Training Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 394th Combat Training Squadron is a United States Air Force
unit, assigned to the 509th Operations Group
. It is stationed at Whiteman AFB, Missouri
. The mission of the squadron is to train B-2 Spirit
Aircrews.
at Dodd Field Texas. but within a month was transferred to Kelly Field, after training at Kelly Field, it was transferred to Post Field where it operated as an observation school until deactivated on 2-January-1919.
After World War I
the unit was reactivated at Hazelhurst Field on the 23-June-1919 and after reorganization was moved to its permanent station in Hawaii on 8-January-1920, and stayed there throughout the 1920s and 1930s as part of the Hawaiian Air Force under GHQAF.
The squadron suffered devastating casualties and equipment damage during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
, Hickam Field and other targets on the island of Oahu on December 7, 1941. Remained in Hawaii during most of 1942 as part of the island's defense forces.
Left Hawaii in November 1942 and, operating in the South Pacific
with a mix of B-17C/D Flying Fortresses and early B-24 Liberator
(LB-30) aircraft. Converted to very long-range (VLR) Liberators in 1943 when the B-17s were withdrawn from combat in the Pacific and sent to Egypt
for use in the Western Desert Campaign
. Served in combat during the Allied drive from the Solomons to the Philippines
. Flew long patrol and photographic missions over the Solomon Islands and the Coral Sea
, attacked Japanese shipping off Guadalcanal
, and raided airfields in the northern Solomons until August 1943. Then struck enemy bases and installations on Bougainville
, New Britain
, and New Ireland
.
Raided the heavily defended Japanese base on Woleai
during April and May 1944 and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the action. Helped to neutralize enemy bases on Yap
and in the Truk and Palau
Islands, June–August 1944, preparatory to the invasion of Peleliu
and Leyte
. Flew missions to the Netherlands Indies. Completed a variety of missions from October 1944 until the end of the war, these operations including raids on enemy bases and installations on Luzon
, Ceram
, Halmahera
, and Formosa
; support for ground forces in the Philippines
and Borneo
; and patrols off the China
coast. Moved to Clark Field, and was deactivated on 29 April 1946.
The squadron was reactivated as the 394th Combat Training Squadron on 7-November-1996 at Whiteman Air Force Base
and took up the mission of training stealth bomber crews.
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 509th Operations Group
509th Operations Group
The 509th Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing , assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It is equipped with all 20 of the USAF's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers...
. It is stationed at Whiteman AFB, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The mission of the squadron is to train B-2 Spirit
B-2 Spirit
The Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...
Aircrews.
History
The squadron was originally activated as the 4th Aero Squadron on 5 May 1917 during World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
at Dodd Field Texas. but within a month was transferred to Kelly Field, after training at Kelly Field, it was transferred to Post Field where it operated as an observation school until deactivated on 2-January-1919.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the unit was reactivated at Hazelhurst Field on the 23-June-1919 and after reorganization was moved to its permanent station in Hawaii on 8-January-1920, and stayed there throughout the 1920s and 1930s as part of the Hawaiian Air Force under GHQAF.
The squadron suffered devastating casualties and equipment damage during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, Hickam Field and other targets on the island of Oahu on December 7, 1941. Remained in Hawaii during most of 1942 as part of the island's defense forces.
Left Hawaii in November 1942 and, operating in the South Pacific
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
with a mix of B-17C/D Flying Fortresses and early 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...
(LB-30) aircraft. Converted to very long-range (VLR) Liberators in 1943 when the B-17s were withdrawn from combat in the Pacific and sent to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
for use in the Western Desert Campaign
Western Desert Campaign
The Western Desert Campaign, also known as the Desert War, was the initial stage of the North African Campaign during the Second World War. The campaign was heavily influenced by the availability of supplies and transport. The ability of the Allied forces, operating from besieged Malta, to...
. Served in combat during the Allied drive from the Solomons to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Flew long patrol and photographic missions over the Solomon Islands and the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
, attacked Japanese shipping off Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal 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...
, and raided airfields in the northern Solomons until August 1943. Then struck enemy bases and installations on Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
, and New Ireland
New Ireland (island)
New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
.
Raided the heavily defended Japanese base on Woleai
Woleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
during April and May 1944 and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the action. Helped to neutralize enemy bases on Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
and in the Truk and Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
Islands, June–August 1944, preparatory to the invasion of Peleliu
Peleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
and Leyte
Leyte
Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
. Flew missions to the Netherlands Indies. Completed a variety of missions from October 1944 until the end of the war, these operations including raids on enemy bases and installations on Luzon
Luzon
Luzon 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...
, Ceram
CERAM
CERAM is a materials science and testing organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent specialising in the field of ceramics. The CERAM Group owns testing facilities around the world.-History:The British Refractories Research Association was formed in 1920...
, Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
, and Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
; support for ground forces in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
; and patrols off the China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
coast. Moved to Clark Field, and was deactivated on 29 April 1946.
The squadron was reactivated as the 394th Combat Training Squadron on 7-November-1996 at Whiteman Air Force Base
Whiteman Air Force Base
Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south of Knob Noster, Missouri; east-southeast of Kansas City, Missouri....
and took up the mission of training stealth bomber crews.
Lineage
- Organized as 4 Aero Squadron on 5 May 1917
- Redesignated: Squadron B, Post Field, OK, on 22 July 1918
- Demobilized on 2 January 1919
- Reconstituted and consolidated (1924) with the 4 Aero Squadron which was organized on 23 June 1919
- Redesignated: 4 Squadron (Observation) on 14 March 1921
- Redesignated: 4 Observation Squadron on 25 January 1923
- Redesignated: 4 Reconnaissance Squadron on 25 January 1938
- Redesignated: 4 Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium Range) on 6 December 1939
- Redesignated: 4 Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940
- Redesignated: 394 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942
- Redesignated: 394 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy by September 1944
- Inactivated on 29 April 1946
- Redesignated 394 Combat Training Squadron on 22 October 1996
- Activated on 6 November 1996.
Assignments
- Eastern Department, 23 June 1919
- 2 (later 5) Observation Group, 15 December 1919
- Attached to Eastern Department until 8 January 1920
- Hawaiian Department, 31 January 1922
- Divisional aviation for Hawaiian Division, February 1922-January 1927
- 5 Composite (later, 5 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...
, assigned 11 January 1927, attached 12 October 1938, assigned 25 February 1942-29 April 1946
- 5 Composite (later, 5 Bombardment) Group
- Associated with: 1st Photographic Group1st Photographic GroupThe 1st Photographic Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 311th Photographic Wing, stationed at Buckley Field, Colorado. It was inactivated on 5 October 1944.-History:...
, 10 Jun 1941-22 Apr 1942 (training)- 509th Operations Group509th Operations GroupThe 509th Operations Group is the flying component of the United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing , assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It is equipped with all 20 of the USAF's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers...
, 6 November 1996–present
- 509th Operations Group
Stations
- Dodd Field, Fort Sam HoustonFort Sam HoustonFort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 5 May 1917 - South San Antonio, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, May 1917 - Fort SillFort SillFort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 24 September 1917 - Post Field, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, November 1917-2 January 1919 - Hazelhurst Field, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, 23 June 1919 - Mitchel Field, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, November 1919-8 January 1920 - Luke Field, Hawaii Territory, 24 January 1920
- Schofield Barracks, Hawaii Territory, 6 February 1922
- Luke Field, Hawaii Territory, 11 January 1927
- Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory, 1 January 1939
- Bellows Field, Hawaii Territory, c.30 May 1942
- Hickam Field, Hawaii Territory, 24 July 1942
- Bellows Field, Hawaii Territory, 28 September-17 November 1942
- Nadi Airfield, Viti LevuViti LevuViti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...
, Fiji Islands, 25 December 1942
- Operated from 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...
and Henderson Field, 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...
, 3–19 January 1943, and 25 April-5 June 1943- Henderson Field, 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...
, c.28 June 1943
- Henderson Field, Guadalcanal
- Operated from 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...
, c.28 February-9 April 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...
, 13 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.25 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.27 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, 1 November 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...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, c.2 March 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 1945-29 April 1946 - Whiteman AFB, MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, 6 November 1996–present
- Momote Airfield , Los Negros
Aircraft
- Apparently included Curtiss Model RCurtiss Model R|-See also:-References:*...
-4, Curtiss JN-4Curtiss JN-4The Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" was one of a series of "JN" biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for the U.S...
, and JN-6, during period 1917-1919 - Primarily Airco DH.4 during period 1919-1929; in addition to Thomas-Morse O-19Thomas-Morse O-19|-See also:-References:* John Andrade, U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9...
and Thomas-Morse OA-1Thomas-Morse O-19|-See also:-References:* John Andrade, U.S.Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909, Midland Counties Publications, 1979, ISBN 0-904597-22-9...
, included Martin B-12Martin B-10The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to go into regular use by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934...
bomber and Boeing P-12Boeing P-12The Boeing P-12 or F4B was an American pursuit aircraft that was operated by the United States Army Air Corps and United States Navy.-Design and development:...
fighter during period 1929-1937 - Primarily 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....
during period 1938-1941 - B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941–1942; November 1942-1943
- LB-30 Liberator, 1942
- 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 - B-2 SpiritB-2 SpiritThe Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit is an American heavy bomber with low observable stealth technology designed to penetrate dense anti-aircraft defenses and deploy both conventional and nuclear weapons. The bomber has a crew of two and can drop up to eighty -class JDAM GPS-guided bombs, or sixteen ...
, 1996–present
See also
- List of American Aero Squadrons
- List of United States Air Force training squadrons
- Gene RoddenberryGene RoddenberryEugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
External links
- http://www.patriotfiles.com/index.php?name=Sections&req=viewarticle&artid=1968&page=1