410th Bombardment Squadron

410th Bombardment Squadron
Emblem of the 410th Bombardment Squadron
Active	1942-1951
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Bombardment

"Virgin's Delight" Douglas-Long Beach B-17F-50-DL Flying Fortress 42-3352. Shot down by fighters and crashed into the North Sea off the coast of Germany on the November 29, 1943 mission to Bremen,Germany. 8 KIA, 2 POW MACR 1186 Photo taken during raid on Marienburg, Germany

The 410th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 94th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Marietta Air Force Base, Georgia on 20 March 1951.

History

Activated initially as a B-17 Flying Fortress reconnaissance squadron, later redesignated as a heavy bomb squadron; trained under Second Air Force. Completed training in early 1943; deploying to European Theater of Operations (ETO) assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England. Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment operations over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany, March 1944-May 1945 attacking enemy military and industrial targets as part of the United States' air offensive against Nazi Germany. Most personnel demobilized in Europe after the German capitulation in May 1945; squadron inactivated as a paper unit in November.

Reactivated in 1947 as a B-29 Superfortress squadron in the reserves, however not equipped until 1949 when equipped with B-26 Invader light bomber. Squadron activated in 1951 as a result of the Korean War; personnel and equipment assigned as replacements to units of Far East Air Forces, then inactivated as a paper unit.

Lineage

• Constituted 20th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942

Redesignated 410th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942

Activated on 15 June 1942

Inactivated on 19 December 1945

• Redesignated 410th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 3 July 1947

Activated in the reserve on 17 July 1947

Redesignated 410th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 26 June 1949.

Ordered to active service on 10 March 1951

Inactivated on 20 March 1951

Assignments

• 94th Bombardment Group, 15 June 1942 – 19 December 1945; 17 Ju1 1947-20 March 1951

Stations

MacDill Field, Florida, 15 June 1942 Pendleton Field, Oregon, 29 June 1942 Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 29 August 1942 Biggs Field, Texas, 1 November 1942 Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, 3 January-17 April 1943 RAF Earls Colne (AAF-358), England, 11 May 1943

RAF Bury St. Edmunds (AAF-468), England, c. 13 June 1943 – 22 November 1945 Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, c. 27–29 November 1945 Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina, 17 July 1947 Marietta Army Airfield (later Dobbins AFB), Georgia, 26 June 1949 – 20 March 1951

Aircraft

• B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945
• B-26 Invader, 1949–1951

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.