872d Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 872d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with 382d Bombardment Group
stationed at Camp Anza
, California
. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946.
very heavy bombardment Squadron; trained under Second Air Force
. Ground echelon deployed to Northern Mariana Islands
by ship in early August 1945; air echelon remained at last training base in Kansas after Japanese Capitulation. Ground echelon remained in Marianas supporting other units aircraft and demoblization; air echelon demobilized with new B-29 aircraft remaining in Kansas, eventually being assigned to postwar units. Entire unit inactivated by December 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 assignment was with 382d Bombardment Group
382d Bombardment Group
The 382d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946....
stationed at Camp Anza
Camp Anza
Camp Anza was a United States Army installation near Riverside, California during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943....
, 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 4 January 1946.
History
Formed in late 1943 as a B-29 SuperfortressB-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; 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....
. Ground echelon deployed to 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...
by ship in early August 1945; air echelon remained at last training base in Kansas after Japanese Capitulation. Ground echelon remained in Marianas supporting other units aircraft and demoblization; air echelon demobilized with new B-29 aircraft remaining in Kansas, eventually being assigned to postwar units. Entire unit inactivated by December 1945.
Lineage
- Constituted 872nd Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 19 Nov 1943
- Activated on 20 Nov 1943
- Inactivated on 10 May 1944
- Activated on 19 Sep 1944
- Inactivated on 4 Jan 1946.
Assignments
- 497th Bombardment Group497th Bombardment GroupThe 497th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The unit was inactivated on 31 March 1946.The unit was part of the United States Army Air Force and Twentieth Air Force during World War II. The 497th BG engaged in very heavy bombardment operations against Japan...
, 20 Nov 1943-10 May 1944 - 382d Bombardment Group382d Bombardment GroupThe 382d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946....
, 19 Sep 1944-4 Jan 1946
Stations
- El Paso Army Airfield, 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...
, 20 Nov 1943 - Clovis Army Air Field, New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, 1 Dec 1943 - Pratt Army AirfieldPratt Army AirfieldPratt Army Airfield is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located north-northwest of Pratt, Kansas, and was closed in 1946. Today it is used as Pratt Regional Airport....
, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 13 Apr-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...
, 19 Sep 1944 - Smoky Hill Army Airfield, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 11 Dec 1944-1 Aug 1945 - 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...
, 8 Sep 1945 (ground echelon only; air echelon remained in US until inactivation) - TinianTinianTinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, c. Oct-15 Dec 1945 (ground echelon only) - Camp AnzaCamp AnzaCamp Anza was a United States Army installation near Riverside, California during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943....
, 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...
, 28 Dec 1945-4 Jan 1946.
Aircraft
- Combination of B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe 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...
, and 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...
used for training , 1944-1945 - B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe 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...
, Received in late spring, 1945.