529th Bombardment Squadron

529th Bombardment Squadron
	Emblem of the 529th Bombardment Squadron
Active	1942-1995
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Bombardment
Part of	Strategic Air Command

World War II unit emblem

The 529th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 380th Bombardment Wing, based at Plattsburgh AFB, New York. It was inactivated on 25 June 1966 and reactivated from 1971 to 1995 in the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing/380th Bomb Wing.

History

Established in late 1942 as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron; trained under Second Air Force in Texas, and later in Colorado. Deployed to the Southwest Pacific Area (SPA) in April 1943, being assigned to Fifth Air Force in Australia.

From airfields in Australia, the squadron reached out to the Japanese installations in the Netherlands East Indies. Moved to the Philippines where the squadron operated in early 1945, then to Okinawa where combat operations ended after the Japanese Capitulation in August. After the war, squadron personnel were demobilized and returned to the United States, the B-24s sent to reclamation in the Philippines. Inactivated as a paper unit in early 1946.

In 1947, the squadron was reactivated as a reserve unit of the Strategic Air Command at MacDill Field, Florida. The squadron remained an inactive reserve unit until 1951 when the squadron was inactivated.

The squadron was again activated in 1955 as part of the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing and equipped with the B-47 Stratojet. Flying the B-47, the squadron took a place as part of SAC's nuclear deterrent to war which were designed to carry nuclear weapons and to penetrate Soviet air defenses with its high operational ceiling and near supersonic speed. The squadron flew the B-47 for about a decade when by the mid-1960s it had become obsolete and vulnerable to new Soviet air defenses. The squadron began to send its stratojets to AMARC at Davis-Monthan AFB for retirement, being inactivated in 1966.

The squadron was again activated in 1971 as part of the 380th Strategic Aerospace Wing (soon remamed as 380th Bomb Wing in 1972). It was equipped with brand new FB-111A strategic bombers and manned by pilots and navigators cross training from SAC B-52s and the multitude of aircraft then flying in the Souteast Asian conflict. It remained a highly accurate and survivable component of Strategic Air Command's nuclear deterrent force until deactivation in 1995 when its aircraft were inactivated (some being transferred to the Royal Australian Air Force as training aircraft).

Lineage

Constituted 529th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 October 1942

Activated on 3 November 1942

Inactivated on 20 February 1946

Redesignated 529th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 3 July 1947

Activated in the reserve on 17 July 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated 529th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 20 May 1955

Activated on 11 July 1955

Inactivated 25 June 1966

Redesignated "529th Bomb Squadron 1971

Activated 1971

Inactivated 1995

Assignments

380th Bombardment Group, 3 November 1942 – 20 February 1946

Attached to: Royal Australian Air Force, 28 April 1943 - 28 February 1945

380th Bombardment Group, 17 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
380th Bombardment Wing, 11 July 1955 – 25 June 1966, 6 January 1971 – 30 September 1995

Stations

Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 3 November 1942
Biggs Field, Texas, 2 December 1942
Lowry Field, Colorado, 4 March-19 Apx 1943
Manbulloo Airfield, Australia, 28 April 1943
Long Airfield (Long Strip), Australia, c. 7 November 1943
RAAF Base Darwin, Australia, C. 10 July 1944
San Jose, Mindoro, 28 February 1945
Motobu Airfield, Okinawa, 12 August 1945
Fort William McKinley, Luzon, C. 28 November 1945 – 20 February 1946
Jacksonville Airport, Florida, 17 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
Plattsburgh AFB, New York, 11 July 1955 – 25 June 1966, 6 January 1971 – 30 September 1995

Aircraft

B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
B-29 Superfortress, 1947–1949
B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1966
FB-111A, 1971-1995

Operational history

Combat in Southwest and Western Pacific, c. 21 May 1943 – 24 July 1945. Reserve B-29 squadron (1947–1949). SAC Medium bomber (B-47) squadron (1955–1965) inactivated when B-47 was withdrawn from service.

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.

External links

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