544th Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 544th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 384th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base
, Arkansas
. It was inactivated on 1 September 1964
. Deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO), assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England, Flew combat missions over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until the German capitulation in May 1945.
Reassigned to Air Transport Command
and used B-17s as transports for demobilized personnel. Flew transport routes to French Morocco
and Azores
; returning to Istes France. Squadron inactivated in France during February 1946.
Activated as a B-29 Superfortress
squadron in the reserves, 1947. Not manned or equipped, inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.
Reactivated in August 1955 as a Strategic Air Command B-47 Stratojet
squadron which were designed to carry nuclear weapons and to penetrate Soviet air defenses with its high operational ceiling and near supersonic speed. The squadron flew the B-47 for about a decade when by the mid-1960s it had become obsolescent and vulnerable to new Soviet air defenses. Inactivated with the phaseout of the B-47; sending aircraft to storage at Davis-Monthan in the late summer of 1964 and the squadron was inactivated.
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 was assigned to the 384th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base
Little Rock Air Force Base
Little Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas.-Overview:...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. It was inactivated on 1 September 1964
History
Established as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber squadron; trained under Second Air ForceSecond 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....
. Deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO), assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England, Flew combat missions over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until the German capitulation in May 1945.
Reassigned to Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...
and used B-17s as transports for demobilized personnel. Flew transport routes to French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
and Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
; returning to Istes France. Squadron inactivated in France during February 1946.
Activated 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...
squadron in the reserves, 1947. Not manned or equipped, inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.
Reactivated in August 1955 as a Strategic Air Command 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...
squadron which were designed to carry nuclear weapons and to penetrate Soviet air defenses with its high operational ceiling and near supersonic speed. The squadron flew the B-47 for about a decade when by the mid-1960s it had become obsolescent and vulnerable to new Soviet air defenses. Inactivated with the phaseout of the B-47; sending aircraft to storage at Davis-Monthan in the late summer of 1964 and the squadron was inactivated.
Lineage
- Constituted 544th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 25 November 1942
- Activated on 1 December 1942
- Inactivated on 28 February 1946
- Redesignated 544th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 9 July 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 16 July 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949
- Redesignated 544th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 3 June 1955
- Activated on 1 August 1955
- Discontinued, and inactivated on 1 September 1964
Assignments
- 384th Bombardment Group, 1 December 1942-28 February 1946
- 96th Bombardment Group, 16 July 1947-27 June 1949
- 384th Bombardment Wing, 1 August 1955-1 September 1964
Stations
- Gowen Field, 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....
, 1 December 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...
, 2 January 1943 - Sioux City Army Air Base, IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, 5 April-10 May 1943 - RAF Grafton UnderwoodRAF Grafton UnderwoodRAF Grafton Underwood is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles NE of Kettering in Northamptonshire.-RAF use:...
(AAF-106), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 4 June 1943 - Istres Air BaseIstres Air BaseIstres-Le Tubé Air Base is a large multi-role tasked French Air Force base located near Istres, northwest of Marseille, France. The airport facilities are also known as Istres - Le Tubé .- Armée de l'air :...
, 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...
, 1 July 1945-28 February 1946 - Nashville Municipal AirportNashville International AirportNashville International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in southeastern Nashville, Tennessee. The IATA Airport Code BNA is derived from the early name of the facility—Berry Field, NAshville. Berry Field was the name of the airport until 1988, when the name was changed to reflect...
, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, 16 July 1947-27 June 1949 - Little Rock AFB, ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, 1 August 1955-1 September 1964