The 377th Bombardment Group was activated in October 1942 as the

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

for

antisubmarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

units operating along the Atlantic coast of the United States. Shortly after it was organized,

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 ...

reorganized its squadrons in the area to reassign them directly to the 25th Antisubmarine Wing and the

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

was inactivated. In 1985, the group was redesignated the 357th Tactical Missile Group.

History

The

was first activated as the 377th Bombardment Group on 18 October 1942, when it replaced the 59th Observation Group at

Fort Dix Army Air Field McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is under the ju ...

and assumed its mission, personnel and equipment. It was equipped with the various observation aircraft flown by the 59th, but its squadrons would finally convert to

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in e ...

bombers shortly after the 377th was inactivated.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 265-266 only one of the group's squadrons, the 516th Bombardment Squadron, was located with it at Fort Dix.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 773-774 Its

517th Bombardment Squadron 517th may refer to: * 517th Air Defense Group, disbanded United States Air Force organization *517th Airlift Squadron (517 AS), part of the 3d Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska * 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment (United States) (517th PIR), ...

was at Atlantic City Airport, New Jersey;Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 785 the 518th Bombardment Squadron was at

Grenier Field Grenier is a surname. It is a French word for ''attic, loft,'' or ''granary''. Notable people with the surname include: * Adrian Grenier * Angèle Grenier, Canadian maple syrup producer * Auguste Jean François Grenier (1814–1890), French docto ...

, New Hampshire;Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 786-787 while the 519th Bombardment Squadron made its home at Hyannis Naval Auxiliary Air Facility, Massachusetts.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 265–266 Just as the group was activating, 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

, which established the 25th Antisubmarine Wing the following month to control its forces operating over the Atlantic.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 388-389 The group's squadrons were all renamed as antisubmarine squadrons in late November. The command's bombardment group headquarters, including the 377th, were inactivated and the group's squadrons were assigned directly to the 25th Wing. In July 1985, the group was redesignated the 357th Tactical Missile Wing, but it has never been active under this name.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations

Lineage

* Constituted as the 377th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 13 October 1942 : Activated on 18 October 1942 : Inactivated on 9 December 1942Lineage through 1942 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 265-266 * Redesignated 357th Tactical Missile Wing on 19 July 1985

Assignments

* Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, 18 October 1942–9 December 1942

Components

* 516th Bombardment Squadron (later 11th Antisubmarine Squadron), 18 October-9 December 1942 * 517th Bombardment Squadron (later 12th Antisubmarine Squadron), 18 October-9 December 1942 * 518th Bombardment Squadron (later 13th Antisubmarine Squadron), 18 October-9 December 1942 (attached to

)Maurer, in ''Combat Units'' says the squadron was assigned to the 377th Group, but in ''Combat Squadrons'' says it was assigned to the 25th Wing. Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 265-266; Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 786-787 * 519th Bombardment Squadron (later 14th Antisubmarine Squadron), 18 October-9 December 1942

Stations

* Fort Dix Army Air Base, New Jersey, 18 October 1942 – 9 December 1942

Aircraft

Douglas O-46 The Douglas O-46 was an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps and the Philippine Army Air Corps.

North American O-47 The North American O-47 is an American observation fixed-wing aircraft monoplane designed in the mid-1930s and used by the United States Army Air Corps during the Second World War. It has a low-wing configuration, retractable landing gear, and a t ...

* Stinson O-49 Vigilant *

Curtiss O-52 Owl The Curtiss O-52 Owl was an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps before and during World War II. Design and development Developed in 1939, the Curtiss O-52 was the last "heavy" observation aircraft developed for the US ...

Campaign

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Citations

* * {{USAAF Antisubmarine Command Military units and formations established in 1942 Bombardment groups of the United States Army Air Forces 1942 establishments in New Jersey 1942 disestablishments in New Jersey