602d Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 602d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 398th Bombardment Group, stationed at Drew Field, Florida
. It was inactivated on 1 September 1945
. Deployed to England in November 1943, assigned to the European Theater of Operations
(ETO) VIII Bomber Command
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany
and Occupied Europe until the German capitulation in May 1945.
Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Third Air Force
, Continental Air Forces for reorganization, however demobilization and Japanese Capitulation in August led to inactivation in August 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 was assigned to the 398th Bombardment Group, stationed at Drew Field, 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...
. It was inactivated on 1 September 1945
History
Activated in early 1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron, trained under II Bomber CommandII 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....
. Deployed to England in November 1943, assigned to the European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
(ETO) VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
and Occupied Europe until the German capitulation in May 1945.
Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to 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....
, Continental Air Forces for reorganization, however demobilization and Japanese Capitulation in August led to inactivation in August 1945.
Lineage
- Constituted 602d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 15 Feb 1943
- Activated on 1 Mar 1943
- Inactivated on 1 Sep 1945
Stations
- Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 1 March 1943
- Bishop Army Airfield, 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...
, 5 April 1943 - Geiger Field, Washington, 29 April 1943
- Rapid City Army Air Base, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 10 June 1943-4 April 1944 - RAF NuthampsteadRAF NuthampsteadRAF Nuthampstead is a former World War II airfield in England. The airfield is located mostly in Hertfordshire between the villages of Nuthampstead and Anstey in Hertfordshire and Langley and Lower Green in Essex. The eastern part of the airfield including part of the East-West Runway, the Fuel...
(AAF-131), 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...
, 22 April 1944-26 May 1945 - 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...
, 3 July-1 September 1945