846th Bombardment Squadron

The 846th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 489th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at March Field, California on 17 October 1945.

History

Activated in September 1943 as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron by Second Air Force, training in Utah the until being deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO); being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England in May 1944. Squadron entered combat on 30 May 1944, in the period immediately before the D-Day landings. Took part in strategic bombing campaign over Europe. Also supported the D-Day landings and the massive aerial attack that preceded the breakthrough at St. Lo. The unit was also used to carry food to liberated France and to the rapidly advancing Allied troops during August and September 1944 and to carry supplies to the Allied troops in the Netherlands during Operation Market Garden.

In November–December 1944 the squadron was withdrawn to the United States, where it began to prepare to deploy to the Pacific. In March 1945 it was redesignated as a Very Heavy bombardment unit, and converted to the B-29 Superfortress, but the war ended before it could be deployed with the new aircraft. The unit was inactivated on 17 October 1945.

Lineage

• Constituted 846th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943

Activated on 1 Oct 1943

Redesignated 846th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 17 Mar 1945

Inactivated on 16 Oct 1945.

Assignments

• 489th Bombardment Group, 1 Oct 1943-17 Oct 1945

Stations

Aircraft

• B-24 Liberator, 1943-1944
• B-29 Superfortress, 1945.

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.