714th Bombardment Squadron

714th Bombardment Squadron
Emblem of the 714th Bombardment Squadron
Active	1943-1951
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Type	Bombardment

The 714th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 448th Bombardment Group, stationed at Long Beach Army Air Field, California. It was inactivated on 21 March 1951.

History

Activated in mid-1943 as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron, trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to England in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during November 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Second Air Force and re-equipped with B-29 Superfortresses, being trained for deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation canceled deployment and was assigned to Fort Worth AAF, Texas as Continental Air Forces, later Strategic Air Command squadron. Budget and personnel shortages led to inactivation in August 1946.

Activated in the postwar reserve as a B-29 squadron. Trained for proficiency as part of Strategic Air Command reserve forces. (On paper only the unit never received the expected B-29's so it never trained with SAC.) As the 714th Bombardment Squadron (L) it was a part of the 448th Bomb Wing (L) and trained with the Douglas A-26 Invader later re-designated as the B-26 at Long Beach Training Center until most 448th Bomb Wing operational personnel were re-assigned to various squadrons in the 452nd Bomb Wing upon its activation August 10, 1950 for the Korean War. Those personnel remaining were re-assigned later to various units and the squadron was inactivated as a paper unit.

Lineage

• Constituted 714th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 apr 1943

Activated on 1 May 1943

Redesignated 714th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 5 August 1945

Inactivated on 4 August 1946

• Activated in the reserve on 12 July 1947

Redesignated 714th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 27 June 1949

Ordered to active service on 17 March 1951

Inactivated on 21 March 1951

Assignments

• 448th Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943-4 August 1946; 12 July 1947-21 March 1951

Stations

Gowen Field, Idaho, 1 May 1943 Wendover Field, Utah, 4 July 1943 Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 11 September-7 November 1943 RAF Seething (AAF-146), England, 25 November 1943-5 July 1945 Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 15 July 1945

McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska, 25 July 1945 Biggs Field, Texas, 23 August 1945 McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska, 8 September 1945 Fort Worth Army Air Field, Texas, 15 December 1945-4 August 1946 Long Beach Army Air Field, California, 12 July 1947-21 March 1951

Aircraft

• B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945
• B-29 Superfortress, 1945–1946
• A-26/B-26 Douglas Invader, 1949-1950

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.