744th Bombardment Squadron

744th Bombardment Squadron
	Emblem of the 744th Bombardment Squadron
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Bombardment

World War II squadron emblem

The 744th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Bombardment Wing. It was last stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California, and was inactivated on 30 September 1975.

History

Established in mid-1943 as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron; trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in January 1944, being assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in Southern Italy.

Engaged in very long range strategic bombardment missions against enemy strategic targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Balkans until April 1945. Bombed aircraft factories, assembly plants, oil refineries, storage areas, marshalling yards, airdromes, and other objectives until the German Capitulation in May 1945.

Most of squadron was demobilized in Italy in May 1945; returning to United States with skeleton staff. Re-equipped and redesignated a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomb squadron, and received new personnel. Began training under Second Air Force for planned deployment to the Western Pacific Area (WPA), however Japanese Capitulation in August led to inactivation of squadron in October.

Reactivated in the reserve as a C-46 Commando Troop Carrier Squadron, but neither manned or equipped. Inactivated in 1949 due to budget restrictions; reactivated in 1952 and equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars. Assigned to Tactical Air Command Eighteenth Air Force. Supported Army forces in the United States with airlift capability and support for airborne training operations. Inactivated in 1956 due to budget restrictions.

Reactivated under Strategic Air Command in 1963, replacing provisional B-52G Stratofortess squadron at Beale AFB, California. Performed intercontinental training and deployments, also standing nuclear alert. Beginning in 1966, squadron deployed personnel to forward bases in the Western Pacific, where they engaged in combat missions over Indochina as part of Operation Arc Light. In 1975 was inactivated and replaced by the 34th Bombardment Squadron which moved on paper from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio and assumed the squadron's personnel, equipment and mission.

Lineage

Constituted 744th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 May 1943

Activated on 1 Jun 1943

Redesignated 744th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 5 Aug 1945

Inactivated on 17 Oct 1945

Activated in the reserve on 12 Jul 1947

Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949

Redesignated 744th Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium) on 15 Oct 1952

Activated on 1 Dec 1952

Inactivated on 9 Jul 1956

Redesignated 744th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), and activated, on 15 Nov 1962

Organized on 1 Feb 1963; receiving aircraft/personnel/equipment as a redesignation of the 31st Bombardment Squadron

Inactivated on 30 Sep 1975

Redesignated 744th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and converted to provisional status on 12 June 2002^[1]

Assignments

456th Bombardment Group, 1 Jun 1943-17 Oct 1945; 12 Jul 1947-27 Jun 1949
456th Troop Carrier Group, 1 Dec 1952
456th Troop Carrier Wing, 1 Mar 1955-9 Jul 1956
Strategic Air Command, 15 Nov 1962
456th Strategic Aerospace (later Bombardment) Wing, 1 Feb 1963-30 Sep 1975
Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed^[1]

Stations

Wendover Field, Utah, 1 June 1943
Gowen Field, Idaho, 14 July 1943;
Bruning Army Airfield, Nebraska, c. 30 July 1943
Kearns Army Airfield, Utah, c. 11 September 1943
Muroc Army Air Field, California, October–December 1943
Cerignola Airfield, Italy, January 1944
Stornara Airfield, Italy, January 1944-July 1945
Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 1 August 1945

Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, 17 August-17 October 1945
McChord Field, Washington, 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
Miami International Airport, Florida, 1 December 1952
Charleston AFB, South Carolina, 25 July 1953 – 16 October 1955
Shiroi Air Base, Japan, 10 November 1955 – 10 May 1956
Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma, 25 May-9 July 1956
Beale AFB, California, 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1975.

Aircraft

B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945
B-29 Superfortress, 1945
C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1 December 1952 – 9 July 1956
B-52 Stratofortress, 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1975

References

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

1 2 Department of the Air Force/XPM Letter 303s, 12 June 2002, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units

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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[DAF303s-1] 1 2 Department of the Air Force/XPM Letter 303s, 12 June 2002, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units