435th Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 435th Bombardment Squadron, also known as the "Kangaroo" Squadron, is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the Eighth Air Force
333d Bombardment Group
, based at Kadena Air Base
, Okinawa. It was inactivated on May 28, 1946.
in early 1942 by a combination of Fifth Air Force
personnel and B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft that escaped from the Philippines
and replacement aircraft that reached Australia from Hawaii
and via the South Atlantic air ferry route
from Florida
, and arriving in Western Australia
. As the 40th Reconnaissance Squadron, the squadron evacuated General Douglas MacArthur
and President Manuel Quezon from Del Monte Field
in the Philippine Islands in March, 1942.
Redesignated as 435th Bombardment Squadron and engaged in strategic bombardment of enemy targets in New Guinea
; Coral Sea
and Solomon Islands
from Northern Queensland. Withdrawn from combat in November 1942 when the B-17C/E models in Australia were replaced by long-range B-24 Liberator
s, and the unit was returned to the United States and became an operational training unit with II Bomber Command
for replacement B-17 personnel.
In April 1944, re-equipped with B-29 Superfortress
es and assigned to Eighth Air Force
on Okinawa during August 1945. Never engaged in combat due to Japanese Capitulation in August 1945. Remained on Okinawa until inactivated in May 1946.
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. It was last assigned to the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
333d Bombardment Group
333d Bombardment Group
The 333d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 316 Bombardment Wing, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946-History:...
, based at Kadena Air Base
Kadena Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
, Okinawa. It was inactivated on May 28, 1946.
History
Formed in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in early 1942 by a combination of Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
personnel and B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft that escaped from 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 replacement aircraft that reached Australia from Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and via the South Atlantic air ferry route
South Atlantic air ferry route in World War II
The South Atlantic air ferry route was an air route established in July 1941. It was used initially by Army Air Corps Ferrying Command to deliver Lend-Lease aircraft to British forces in Egypt who were engaged in the Western Desert Campaign....
from Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and arriving in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. As the 40th Reconnaissance Squadron, the squadron evacuated General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
and President Manuel Quezon from Del Monte Field
Del Monte Field
Del Monte Field was a heavy bomber capable airfield located on Mindanao in the Philippines. The airfield was located in a meadow of a Del Monte Corporation pineapple plantation.-Overview:...
in the Philippine Islands in March, 1942.
Redesignated as 435th Bombardment Squadron and engaged in strategic bombardment of enemy targets in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
; 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...
and Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon 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...
from Northern Queensland. Withdrawn from combat in November 1942 when the B-17C/E models in Australia were replaced by long-range 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, and the unit was returned to the United States and became an operational training unit with 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....
for replacement B-17 personnel.
In April 1944, re-equipped with B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es and assigned to Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
on Okinawa during August 1945. Never engaged in combat due to Japanese Capitulation in August 1945. Remained on Okinawa until inactivated in May 1946.
Lineage
- 40th Reconnaissance Squadron formed on March 14, 1942 by authority of War Department but apparently without formal constitution and activation.
- Redesignated 435th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on April 22, 1942
- Inactivated on April 1, 1944.
- Redesignated 435th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) Activated on April 1, 1944
- Inactivated on May 10, 1944
- Activated on July 7, 1944.
- Inactivated on May 28, 1946.
Assignments
- 19th Bombardment Group, March 14, 1942 – April 1, 1944
- Attached to Allied Air Forces, c. July 17 – c. September 24, 1942
- 19th Bombardment Group, April 1 – May 10, 1944
- 333d Bombardment Group333d Bombardment GroupThe 333d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 316 Bombardment Wing, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946-History:...
, July 7, 1944 – May 28, 1946.
Stations
- RAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base Townsville is, along with RAAF Base Tindal and RAAF Base Darwin, one of northern Australia's primary defence installations. It is also Headquarters for No...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, March 14 – c. November 15, 1942 - Pocatello AAFPocatello Regional Airport-History:In 1943, the Pocatello Army Airfield was built as a Second Air Force heavy bomber training base.In 1949, it became surplus property and was obtained by the city of Pocatello to build a commercial airport....
, 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....
, C. December 30, 1943 - Pyote AABPyote Air Force BasePyote Air Force Base was a World War II United States Army Air Forces training airbase. It was on a mile from the town of Pyote, Texas on Interstate 20, twenty miles west of Monahans and just south of U.S...
, 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...
, January 5, 1943 – April 1, 1944 - Great Bend AAFGreat Bend Municipal AirportGreat Bend Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles west of the central business district of Great Bend, a city in Barton County, Kansas, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline...
, 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...
, April 1 – May 10, 1944 - Dalhart AAFDalhart Municipal AirportDalhart Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Dalhart, Texas, a city straddling the border of Dallam and Hartley counties in the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle.The airport is not served by any commercial...
, 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...
, July 7, 1944 - Great Bend AAFGreat Bend Municipal AirportGreat Bend Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles west of the central business district of Great Bend, a city in Barton County, Kansas, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline...
, 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...
, December 10, 1944 – June 19, 1945 - Kadena AB, Okinawa, August 5, 1945 – May 28, 1946.
See also
- United States Army Air Forces in AustraliaUnited States Army Air Forces in AustraliaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy...