The 14th Antisubmarine Squadron is a disbanded

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

unit. It was activated in 1942 as the 519th Bombardment Squadron and flew antisubmarine missions off the Atlantic coast until the Navy assumed its mission. It then moved to Texas, where it was disbanded in November 1943 and its personnel were used as cadres for

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...

groups.

History

The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, de ...

was first activated as the 519th Bombardment Squadron at Hyannis Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Massachusetts on 18 October 1942, when the

377th Bombardment Group The 377th Bombardment Group was activated in October 1942 as the headquarters for antisubmarine units operating along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Shortly after it was organized, Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command reorganized its ...

replaced the

59th Observation Group The 59th Medical Wing (MDW) is the U.S. Air Force's largest medical wing and is the Air Force functional medical command for Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA). It comprises seven medical groups across San Antonio. Three are located at the Wilford H ...

at Fort Dix Army Air Field and assumed its mission, personnel and equipment. The 519th was initially equipped with the North American O-47s and Curtiss O-52 Owls of the

119th Observation Squadron The 119th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard 177th Fighter Wing located at Atlantic City Air National Guard Base, New Jersey. The 119th is equipped with the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and is the oldest active fly ...

, whose mission, personnel and equipment it absorbed on activation. It began to convert to North American B-25 Mitchells later in the year and added

Lockheed B-34 Ventura The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in 1 ...

s in 1943, phasing out the short range observation aircraft.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 265-266 In October 1942, the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

organized its antisubmarine forces into the single

Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which ...

, which established the

25th Antisubmarine Wing The 25th Antisubmarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in New York City, New York. It was the principal United States Army Air Forces Unit conducting ...

the following month to control its forces operating over the Atlantic. Its bombardment group headquarters, including the 377th, were inactivated and the squadron, now designated the 14th Antisubmarine Squadron, was assigned directly to the 25th Wing. The squadron moved to Otis Field, Massachusetts in November 1942 (although it deployed to Langley Field, Virginia, from July to August 1943). In July 1943, the AAF and Navy reached an agreement to transfer the coastal antisubmarine mission to the Navy. This mission transfer also included an exchange of AAF long-range bombers equipped for antisubmarine warfare for Navy Consolidated B-24 Liberators without such equipment.Ferguson, pp. 82-83 In October 1943, the squadron moved to Biggs Field, Texas, where it briefly flew

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

heavy bombers under

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

. However its

training ended lest than a month later, when it was disbanded its personnel formed cadres for new heavy bomber units.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 519th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 13 October 1942 : Activated on 18 October 1942 : Redesignated 14th Anti-Submarine Squadron (Heavy) on 29 November 1942 : Disbanded on 4 November 1943

Assignments

* 377th Bombardment Group, 18 October 1942. * 25th Antisubmarine Wing, 9 December 1942. *

, 7 October – 4 November 1943

Stations

* Hyannis Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Massachusetts, 18 October 1942. * Otis Field, Massachusetts, 6 November 1942 (deployed to Langley Field, Virginia, 19 July – 10 August 1943) * Biggs Field, Texas, 7 October – 4 November 1943

Aircraft

* North American O-47, 1942 * Curtiss O-52 Owl, 1942 * North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942–1943 * Lockheed B-34 Ventura, 1943 * Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943

Campaigns

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{USAAF Antisubmarine Command

014 014 may refer to: * Argus As 014 * BIND-014 * 014 Construction Unit * Divi Divi Air Flight 014 * Pirna 014 * Tyrrell 014 The Tyrrell 014 was a Formula One car, designed for Tyrrell Racing by Maurice Philippe for use in the season. The cars wer ...

Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943 1942 establishments in the United States