703d Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 703d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 452d Bombardment Group, stationed at Fresno Air Base, California
. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
heavy bomber squadron in early 1943; trained under Second Air Force
. Deployed to England
in late 1943 and assigned to the XIII Bomber Command
2d Bombardment Wing
. Performed strategic bombing missions over Nazi Germany
and Occupied Europe, receiving a DUC for a mission of Gotha, Germany on 24 February 1944. Personnel demobilized in England in May 1945; unit returned to the United States and prepared to be reformed as a B-29 Superfortress
squadron, however was inactivated in September without personnel or equipment.
Activated in the reserve, 1948, never manned or equipped and inactivated June 1949.
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 452d Bombardment Group, stationed at Fresno Air Base, 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...
. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
History
Established as a B-24 LiberatorB-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...
heavy bomber squadron in early 1943; trained under 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....
. Deployed to England
England
England 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...
in late 1943 and assigned to the XIII Bomber Command
XIII Bomber Command
The XIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force, based at Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 March 1946....
2d Bombardment Wing
2d Bombardment Wing (World War II)
The 2d Bombardment Wing is an inactive organization of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with the Continental Air Forces, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
. Performed strategic bombing missions 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, receiving a DUC for a mission of Gotha, Germany on 24 February 1944. Personnel demobilized in England in May 1945; unit returned to the United States and prepared to be reformed 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, however was inactivated in September without personnel or equipment.
Activated in the reserve, 1948, never manned or equipped and inactivated June 1949.
Lineage
- Constituted 703rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 March 1943
- Activated on 1 April 1943
- Inactivated on 12 September 1945
- Redesignated 703rd Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 13 May 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 1 January 1948
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949.
Assignments
- 445th Bombardment Group, 1 April 1943-12 September 1945
- ETO Fuselage Code: RN
- 445th Bombardment Group, 1 January 1948
- 452d Bombardment Group, 28 May 1948-27 June 1949.
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 April 1943 - 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...
, 8 June 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...
, 8 July-20 October 1943 - RAF TibenhamRAF TibenhamRAF Tibenham is a former World War II Royal Air Force Station and airfield in England. It is located about south-southwest of Norwich, N of Diss in Norfolk...
, 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...
, 2 November 1943-30 May 1945 - Fort Dix Army Air Base, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, c. 9 June-12 September 1945 - McChord Field, Washington, 1 January 1948
- Fresno 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...
, 6 July 1948-27 June 1949.