485th Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 485th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the 505th Bombardment Group
. It was inactivated at Northwest Field
, Guam
on 10 June 1946.
. Was apparently a non-flying support squadron, deployed to France
in early 1918 and supported Air Service operations on the Western Front
. Remained in France after the Armistice, returning to New York City
, demobilizing in May 1919.
Reactivated as part of the Army reserve forces in 1924, assigned to Wright or Patterson Field at Dayton
Ohio
. Although designated as a bombardment squadron, it is unclear if the unit had any aircraft assigned to it. Disbanded in 1942.
Reconstituted in 1944 as a B-29 Superfortress
Very Heavy bombardment squadron; assigned to Second Air Force
for training. Initially assigned to 505th Bombardment Group
, however shortages in aircraft and equipment led to personnel being consolidated into other group squadrons; inactivated. Reactivated about a month later; assigned to 501st Bombardment Group. Completed training with new personnel and equipment, and deployed to Pacific Theater of Operations
(PTO), being assigned to XXI Bomber Command
in the Northern Mariana Islands
; assigned to Northwest Field, Guam.
Flew very long range strategic bombardment missions over the Japanese Home Islands, attacking military, industrial and transportation targets. Switched to night incendiary raids attacking major Japanese cities in the spring of 1945, causing massive destruction of urbanized areas. Continued strategic bombing raids and incendiary attacks until Japanese Capitulation in August 1945. Remained in the Mariana Islands until the spring of 1946, inactivated on Guam.
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 505th Bombardment Group
505th Bombardment Group
The 505th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Thirteenth Air Force, stationed at Clark Field, Philippines. It was inactivated on 30 June 1946...
. It was inactivated at Northwest Field
Northwest Field (Guam)
Northwest Field is a former World War II airfield on Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was closed in 1949 and is unused.-History:Northwest Field was constructed in 1944–45 near Ritidian Point on the northwest end of the island of Guam as a base for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortresses to carry...
, Guam
Guam
Guam 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...
on 10 June 1946.
History
Activated in August 1917 as an Air Service Aero Squadron 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...
. Was apparently a non-flying support squadron, deployed to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in early 1918 and supported Air Service operations on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
. Remained in France after the Armistice, returning to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, demobilizing in May 1919.
Reactivated as part of the Army reserve forces in 1924, assigned to Wright or Patterson Field at Dayton
Dayton
Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Although designated as a bombardment squadron, it is unclear if the unit had any aircraft assigned to it. Disbanded in 1942.
Reconstituted in 1944 as a 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...
Very Heavy bombardment squadron; assigned to Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
for training. Initially assigned to 505th Bombardment Group
505th Bombardment Group
The 505th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Thirteenth Air Force, stationed at Clark Field, Philippines. It was inactivated on 30 June 1946...
, however shortages in aircraft and equipment led to personnel being consolidated into other group squadrons; inactivated. Reactivated about a month later; assigned to 501st Bombardment Group. Completed training with new personnel and equipment, and deployed to Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
(PTO), being assigned to XXI Bomber Command
XXI Bomber Command
The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in Guam for strategic bombing during World War II.- Lineage:* Constituted as XXI Bomber Command on 1 Mar 1944, and activated the same day.-Assignments:...
in the 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...
; assigned to Northwest Field, Guam.
Flew very long range strategic bombardment missions over the Japanese Home Islands, attacking military, industrial and transportation targets. Switched to night incendiary raids attacking major Japanese cities in the spring of 1945, causing massive destruction of urbanized areas. Continued strategic bombing raids and incendiary attacks until Japanese Capitulation in August 1945. Remained in the Mariana Islands until the spring of 1946, inactivated on Guam.
Lineage
- Organized as 73d Aero Squadron on 14 Aug 1917
- Redesignated 485th Aero Squadron on 1 Feb 1918.
- Demobilized on 20 May 1919
- Reconstituted and consolidated (1936) with 485th Bombardment Squadron which was constituted and allotted to the reserve on 31 Mar 1924
- Activated, date unknown [personnel assigned, Sep 1925)
- Disbanded on 31 May 1942
- Reconstituted and consolidated (21 Apr 1944) with 485th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) which was constituted on 28 Feb 1944
- Activated on 11 Mar 1944.
- Inactivated on 10 May 1944
- Activated on 1 Jun 1944
- Inactivated on 10 Jun 1946
Assignments
- Unknown, 14 Aug 1917-Mar 1918
- Air Service Production Center No. 2, Mar 1918
- Air Service Spares Depot, Sep 1918-Jan 1919
- Unknown, Jan-20 May 1919
- Fifth Corps Area, 1925(?)-31 May 1942
- 505th Bombardment Group505th Bombardment GroupThe 505th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Thirteenth Air Force, stationed at Clark Field, Philippines. It was inactivated on 30 June 1946...
, 11 Mar-10 May 1944 - 501st Bombardment Group, 1 Jun 1944-10 Jun 1946
Stations
- Kelly 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...
, 14 Aug 1917 - Camp Morrison, 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...
, 21 Dec 1917-4 Mar 1918 - Romorantin, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 25 Mar 1918
- Detachment operated from St Nazaire to 3 Apr 1918
- Unit operated from Gievres, 17 May-9 Jun 1918
- Detachment operated from Chatenay-sur-Seine from 11 Sep 1918
- Chatenay-sur-Seine, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 21 Sep 1918 - Bordeaux, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, c. 1 Feb 1919-unkn
- Chatenay-sur-Seine, France
- 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...
, c. 2-20 May 1919 - Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
1925? -31 May 1942? - 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...
, 11 Mar 1944 - Harvard Army AirfieldHarvard Army AirfieldHarvard State Airport , also known as Harvard State Airfield, is a public use airport located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Harvard, a city in Clay County, Nebraska, United States. It is owned by the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 12 Mar-10 May 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...
, 1 Jun 1944 - Harvard Army AirfieldHarvard Army AirfieldHarvard State Airport , also known as Harvard State Airfield, is a public use airport located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Harvard, a city in Clay County, Nebraska, United States. It is owned by the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
,, 23 Aug 194-7 Mar 1945 - Northwest FieldNorthwest Field (Guam)Northwest Field is a former World War II airfield on Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was closed in 1949 and is unused.-History:Northwest Field was constructed in 1944–45 near Ritidian Point on the northwest end of the island of Guam as a base for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortresses to carry...
, 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 Apr 1945-10 Jun 1946