443d Bombardment Squadron

443d Bombardment Squadron
Emblem of the 443d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) (SAC)
Active	1942-1960
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Bombardment

World War II squadron emblem

The 443d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Wing, stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 15 September 1960.

History

Established in mid-1942 as a B-26 Marauder medium bomber group. Trained under Third Air Force in Florida, deployed to England under the VIII Air Support Command, 3d Bombardment Wing.

Operated against targets on the continent during early fall of 1942; deployed to North Africa as part of Twelfth Air Force after Operation Torch landings in Algeria in November. Flew tactical bombing missions against Axis forces in North Africa until the end of the Tunisian Campaign in May 1943. Participated in the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns; liberation of Corsica and Sardinia and the Invasion of Southern France. Supported Allied ground forces in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, spring 1945 and becoming part of the United States Air Forces in Europe Army of Occupation in Germany, fall 1945. Personnel demobilized in Germany and the squadron inactivated as a paper unit in December 1945.

Reactivated in the reserves in 1947. Never manned or equipped. Reactivated in 1952 as a B-47 Stratojet squadron,. Initially equipped with prototypes of the Boeing RB-47B Stratojet (YRB-47) to perform long-range photo-reconnaissance with a flight of B-29 Superfortress bombers assigned. In November 1953 began to receive production B-47E medium bomber aircraft; prototype reconnaissance aircraft already received exchanged for medium bomber versions. Participated in SAC REFLEX deployments to Europe and North Africa throughout the 1950s. Inactivated in 1960 as part of the phaseout of the B-47, aircraft sent to storage at Davis-Monthan.

Lineage

Constituted 443d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 19 June 1942

Activated on 1 July 1942

Inactivated on 6 December 1945

Redesignated 443d Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 26 May 1947

Activated in the reserve on 9 July 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated 443d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) and activated, on 1 December 1952

Discontinued on 15 September 1960

Assignments

320th Bombardment Group, 1 July 1942 – 4 December 1945
320th Bombardment Group, 9 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
320th Bombardment Wing, 1 December 1952
Department of the Air Force, 1–15 September 1960 (Non-Operational)

Stations

MacDill Field, Florida, 1 July 1942
Drane Field, Florida, 8–28 August 1942
RAF Hethel (AAF-114), England, 12 September 1942
RAF Tibenham (AAF-124), England, 1 October 1942
Oran Es Sénia Airport, Algeria, 9 January 1943
Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria, 28 January 1943
Montesquieu Airfield, Algeria, 14 April 1943
Massicault Airfield, Tunisia, 29 June 1943
El Bathan Airfield, Tunisia, July 28, 1943

Decimomannu Airfield, Sardinia, 9 November 1943
Alto Airfield, Corsica, 20 September 1944
Dijon-Longvic Airfield (Y-9), France, 11 November 1944
Dôle-Tavaux Airfield (Y-7), France, 2 April 1945
AAF Station Fürth, Germany, 20 June 1945
Clastres Airfield, France, c. October-27 November 1945
Camp Shanks, New York, 4–6 December 1945
Mitchel Field, New York, 9 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
March Air Force Base, California, 1 December 1952 – 15 September 1960

Aircraft

B-26 Marauder, 1942–1945
B-29 Superfortress, 1952–1953
YRB-47B Stratojet, 1953
B-47 Stratojet, 1953–1960

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

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