420th Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 420th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with 382d Bombardment Group
stationed at Camp Anza
, California
. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946.
reconnaissance unit. It was redesignated as a heavy bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU), later becoming a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for deployed combat units, assigned to II Bomber Command
, then to III Bomber Command
in 1943. The squadron was inactivated in April 1944 when heavy bomber training ended.
The 420th Bombardment Squadron was redesignated as a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment Squadron in August 1944. The squadron was trained under under the Second Air Force. Training was considerably delayed due to equipment shortages. They received B-29 aircraft in Kansas in late spring 1945. The ground echelon deployed to Northern Mariana Islands
by ship in early August 1945; air echelon remained at the last training base in Kansas after Japanese Capitulation. The ground echelon remained in Marianas supporting other units aircraft and demobilization; the air echelon demobilized with new B-29 aircraft remaining in Kansas, eventually being assigned to postwar units. The entire unit inactivated by December 1945.
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. Its last assignment was with 382d Bombardment Group
382d Bombardment Group
The 382d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946....
stationed at Camp Anza
Camp Anza
Camp Anza was a United States Army installation near Riverside, California during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946.
History
The squadron was activated in early 1942 as a B-24 LiberatorB-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...
reconnaissance unit. It was redesignated as a heavy bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU), later becoming a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for deployed combat units, assigned to II Bomber Command
II Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, then to III Bomber Command
III Bomber Command
The III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
in 1943. The squadron was inactivated in April 1944 when heavy bomber training ended.
The 420th Bombardment Squadron was redesignated as a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment Squadron in August 1944. The squadron was trained under under the Second Air Force. Training was considerably delayed due to equipment shortages. They received B-29 aircraft in Kansas in late spring 1945. The ground echelon deployed to Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
by ship in early August 1945; air echelon remained at the last training base in Kansas after Japanese Capitulation. The ground echelon remained in Marianas supporting other units aircraft and demobilization; the air echelon demobilized with new B-29 aircraft remaining in Kansas, eventually being assigned to postwar units. The entire unit inactivated by December 1945.
Lineage
- Constituted 30th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) an 28 Jan 1942
- Redesignated 420th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 Apr 1942
- Activated on 1 Jun 1942
- Inactivated on 10 Apr 1944
- Redesignated 420th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)'.' on 4 Aug 1944
- Activated on 19 Sep 1944
- Inactivated on 4 Jan 1946
Assignments
- 302d Bombardment Group, 1 Jun 1942-10 Apr 1944
- 382d Bombardment Group382d Bombardment GroupThe 382d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946....
, 19 Sep 1944-4 Jan 1946.
Stations
- Geiger Field, Washington, 1 Jun 1942
- Davis-Monthan Field, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 23 Jun 1942 - Wendover Field, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, 30 Jul 1942 - Pueblo Army Air Base, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 1 Oct 1942; - Davis-Monthan Field, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
,, 1 Dec 1942 - Clovis Army Air Field, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, 29 Jan 1943 - Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 17 Dec 1943 - Chatham Army Airfield, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, 10 Feb-io Apr 1944, - Dalhart Army Air Field, 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...
, 19 Sep 1944 - Smoky Hill Army Airfield, 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...
, 11 Dec 1944-1 Aug 1945 - 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...
, 8 Sep 1945 (ground echelon only; air echelon remained in US until inactivation) - TinianTinianTinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, c. Oct-15 Dec 1945 (ground echelon only) - Camp Anza, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 28 Dec 1945-4 Jan 1946.