51st Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 51st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the 68th Bombardment Wing. It was inactivated at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
, North Carolina
on 30 September 1982.
coast. Was an A-20 Third Air Force
Operational Training Unit during World War II
; deployed to California
in 1942, supporting training units at the Desert Training Center
. Inactivated in 1944 with phaseout of A-20 training.
Activated in the reserve in 1947 as a Strategic Air Command
weather reconnaissance squadron at Hamilton AFB. Later flew long-range strategic reconnaissance flights. Inactivated in 1949 a result of budget reductions.
Reactivated in 1951 as a Strategic Reconnaissance squadron, however had few personnel. Received second-line RB-29 Superfortresses in May 1942, remaining in a second-line status with this equipment until 1953 when the squadron was brought up to full personnel strength and received new B-47 Stratojet
bombers. Becoming operationally ready with the B-47 in May 1954, the squadron conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling to meet SAC's global commitments. The B-47s were reassigned in late 1962 from Chennault AFB when it was decided close the base and the squadron placed on inactive status.
Reorganized on 15 Apr 1963 as a B-52G Stratofortress Squadron, receiving equipment and personnel from the inactivating 73d Bombardment Squadron. The squadron conducted strategic bombardment training and global refueling operations to meet SAC commitments. Aircraft, most aircrews and maintenance personnel, and other support personnel were loaned to other SAC units for combat operations in Southeast Asia
, 27 May 1972-15 July 1973.
Returned to stand nuclear alert after the end of the Vietnam War
, was inactivated as a result of the retirement of the B-52Gs in 1982.
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 68th Bombardment Wing. It was inactivated at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located to the southeast of Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for Navy test pilot Seymour Johnson, a native of Goldsboro...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
on 30 September 1982.
History
Activated in early 1941 as an A-20 Havoc light bomber squadron; assigned to Northeast Air District. After the Pearl Harbor Attack flew antisubmarine patrols over the New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
coast. Was an A-20 Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
Operational Training Unit during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; deployed to 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...
in 1942, supporting training units at the Desert Training Center
Desert Training Center
The Desert Training Center was a World War II training facility established in the Mojave Desert; largely in Southern California and Western Arizona in 1942....
. Inactivated in 1944 with phaseout of A-20 training.
Activated in the reserve in 1947 as a Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
weather reconnaissance squadron at Hamilton AFB. Later flew long-range strategic reconnaissance flights. Inactivated in 1949 a result of budget reductions.
Reactivated in 1951 as a Strategic Reconnaissance squadron, however had few personnel. Received second-line RB-29 Superfortresses in May 1942, remaining in a second-line status with this equipment until 1953 when the squadron was brought up to full personnel strength and received new B-47 Stratojet
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
bombers. Becoming operationally ready with the B-47 in May 1954, the squadron conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling to meet SAC's global commitments. The B-47s were reassigned in late 1962 from Chennault AFB when it was decided close the base and the squadron placed on inactive status.
Reorganized on 15 Apr 1963 as a B-52G Stratofortress Squadron, receiving equipment and personnel from the inactivating 73d Bombardment Squadron. The squadron conducted strategic bombardment training and global refueling operations to meet SAC commitments. Aircraft, most aircrews and maintenance personnel, and other support personnel were loaned to other SAC units for combat operations in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, 27 May 1972-15 July 1973.
Returned to stand nuclear alert after the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, was inactivated as a result of the retirement of the B-52Gs in 1982.
Lineage
- Constituted 51st Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 20 Nov 1940.
- Activated on 15 Jan 1941
- Disbanded on 1 May 1944
- Reconstituted as 51st Reconnaissance Squadron, Weather, and activated on 1 Aug 1947
- Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949
- Redesignated as: 51st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic on 4 Oct 1951
- Activated on 10 Oct 1951
- Redesignated as: 51st Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 10 Oct 1951
- Redesignated as: 51st Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 15 Apr 1963
- Organized on 15 Apr 1963; receiving personnel/aircraft/equipment from 73d Bombardment Squadron73d Bombardment SquadronThe 73d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4241st Strategic Wing, based at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina...
(Inactivated) - Inactivated on 30 Sep 1962
Assignments
- 46th Bombardment Group46th Bombardment GroupThe 46th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Third Air Force, being stationed at Morris Field, North Carolina. It was inactivated on 1 May 1944....
, 15 Jan 1941-1 May 1944 - 68th Reconnaissance Group, 1 Aug 1947-27 Jun 1949; 10 Aug 1951
- 68th Strategic Reconnaissance (later Bombardment) Wing, 16 Jun 1952-30 Sep 1982
Stations
- Hunter Field, 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...
, 15 Jan 1941 - Bowman Field, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, 17 May 1941 - Manchester AirportGrenier Air Force BaseGrenier Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located three miles south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire on the county line of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties...
, New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, 12 Dec 1941 - Bowman Field, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, 13 Jan 1942 - Barksdale Field, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 2 Feb 1942 - Galveston AirportGalveston AirportGalveston Airport is a public-use airport in unincorporated Cass County, Indiana, United States. The airport is located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Galveston, Indiana.-Facilities:...
, 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...
, 31 Mar 1942 - Blythe Army Air Base, 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...
, 17 May 1942
- Will Rogers 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...
, 12 Nov 1942 - Drew Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida 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...
, 8 Oct 1943; - Morris Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 6 Nov 1943-1 May 1944 - Hamilton Field (later, AFB), 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...
, 9 Apr 1947-27 Jun 1949 - Lake Charles (later, Chennault) AFB, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 10 Oct 1951 - Seymour Johnson AFB, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 15 Apr 1963-30 Sep 1982
Aircraft
- A-20 Havoc, 1941-1944
- B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
, 1944 - RB-29 Superfortress, 1947-1949, 1951-1952
- B-47 StratojetB-47 StratojetThe Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
, 1953–1963 - 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...
, 1963–1982