The 427th Reconnaissance Squadron is an active

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

(USAF) unit assigned to Beale Air Force Base, California. 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 ...

's roots go back to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when it was organized as the 38th Aero Squadron, a training unit that served in Texas and Illinois. When the

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

reorganized its training units in July 1918, the squadron was renamed Squadron A, Chanute Field. Following the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, the squadron was demobilized in December. The World War I squadron was consolidated with the 38th Pursuit Squadron when that unit was activated in 1933, although it was not equipped before it was inactivated in 1935. The squadron was activated again in 1936 as the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, forming the long range reconnaissance arm of the 1st Wing. The squadron was attached to the

19th Bombardment Group 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

and began its deployment to join the group in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

in December 1941. However, the 38th's

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

es arrived at Hickam Field while it was under attack by the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service. Squadron planes not destroyed during the attack were diverted to other units and the squadron reformed as part of the

303d Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

. As the 427th Bombardment Squadron, it was one of the first B-17 units to deploy to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

, earning a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

as it participated in the strategic bombardment of Germany from 1942 to 1945, when it was inactivated. The squadron was activated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in December 1958, when

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

(SAC) reorganized its Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings to meet its commitment to maintain one third of its bombers on alert. In 1962, SAC began to keep half its bombers on alert and the squadron was inactivated. The squadron was reactivated in 2012 and assigned to the

9th Operations Group The 9th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The 9th OG's mission is to organize, train and equip Lockheed U-2R, RQ-4 Global Hawk and MC-12W Liberty ...

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

at Beale, to operate the

MC-12 Liberty The Beechcraft C-12 Huron is the military designation for a series of twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air and Beechcraft 1900. C-12 variants are used by the United States Air Force, United States Army, United ...

reconnaissance aircraft and train Liberty aircrews. The squadron was inactivated in November 2015 as the USAF transferred the MC-12 mission to the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. The squadron was reactivated in 2019 at Beale and is reported to operate the

Northrop Grumman RQ-180 The Northrop Grumman RQ-180 is an American stealth unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveillance aircraft intended for contested airspace. , there had been no images or statements released, but growing evidence points to the existence of the RQ-18 ...

stealth

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controller ...

surveillance aircraft A surveillance aircraft is an aircraft used for surveillance. They are operated by military forces and other government agencies in roles such as intelligence gathering, battlefield surveillance, airspace surveillance, reconnaissance, observa ...

History

World War I

The

was first organized as a provisional unit at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

, Texas in June 1917. In early August the unit received formal recognition as the 38th Aero Squadron as the United States expanded the

after entering

. A few weeks later, the squadron moved to

Chanute Field Chanute may refer to: *Chanute, Kansas, United States **Chanute High School *Octave Chanute (1832–1910), American civil engineer and aviation pioneer *Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, United States *Octave Chanute Award, awarded by the Western S ...

, Illinois, where it served as a training unit, equipped with Curtiss JN-4 and DH-4 single engined biplanes. In July 1918, the Air Service renamed its squadrons at training fields if they were not programmed for overseas deployment as lettered squadrons and the 38th became Squadron A, Chanute Field. The squadron was demobilized in December 1918 as Chanute prepared to transition from a pilot training field into a temporary storage depot following the

.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 523–525

Interwar years

The Air Service constituted the 38th Pursuit Squadron in March 1923, but it remained on the inactive list. If activated or mobilized the squadron was to form part of the

16th Pursuit Group The 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The 1st Special Operations Wing is ...

at Kelly Field, but this mobilization plan was not implemented. The squadron was finally activated in August 1933 at Selfridge Field, Michigan, after having been consolidated with the original Aero Squadron. Although the squadron was nominally assigned to the

18th Pursuit Group 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

at Wheeler Field, Hawaii, it was attached to the

1st Pursuit Group First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

at Selfridge. The squadron was minimally manned at Selfridge and apparently was never equipped while stationed there. In March 1935, the 38th was inactivated and simultaneously redesignated the 38th Observation Squadron. Martin B-10B during exercises

In September 1936, the squadron was redesignated the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...

, California, in 1936 as the long range reconnaissance arm of the 1st Wing, flying Martin B-10s. The group was attached to the

, whose squadrons also flew the B-10. Like most reconnaissance squadrons of the period, the squadron flew an assortment of aircraft equipped for reconnaissance as well as its primary aircraft. In addition to the Martin Bombers, the squadron also flew Douglas OA-4 Dolphins and

Northrop A-17 The Northrop A-17, a development of the Northrop Gamma 2F model, was a two-seat, single-engine, monoplane, attack bomber built in 1935 by the Northrop Corporation for the United States Army Air Corps. When in British Commonwealth service during W ...

s. The following year, the squadron added Sikorsky Y10A-8 amphibians to its list of aircraft. Along with the 19th Group, the squadron's primary aircraft was upgraded to the Douglas B-18A Bolo, then to early models of the

. In June 1941, the squadron departed March along with the 19th Group for the newly constructed Army Air Base Albuquerque, New Mexico. As tensions with the

Japanese Empire The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

rose, the 19th Group was ordered to reinforce the Philippine Department Air Force. Group

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 ...

and the 30th and 93d Bombardment Squadrons left Albuquerque for

Clark Air Base Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located west of Angeles City, about northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was previously a United States military facility, operated by the U.S. Air Forc ...

in September and October 1941.

World War II

Pearl Harbor and antisubmarine warfare

NARA 80-G-32915 Burned B-17 Flying Fortress on Hickam Field after Pearl Harbor attack

The 38th Squadron was ordered to reinforce the 19th Group in the Philippines. Its air echelon staged through Hamilton Field, California, for deployment, but did not begin its movement to

Clark Field Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

until 6 December 1941. The squadron's B-17s arrived at Hickam Field, Hawaii on the morning of 7 December 1941 as the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service was attacking Hickam. Most of the squadron's aircraft were destroyed or damaged as they attempted to land during the attack. From December 1941 until February 1942 the remains of the air echelon flew patrol and search missions from Hawaii under the direction of the Hawaiian Air Force when its personnel and equipment were absorbed by other units. Meanwhile, the squadron's ground echelon also departed for the Philippines on 6 December, but traveled by ship, departing from

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. However, due to the Japanese attacks in Hawaii and the Philippines, its transport was ordered to return on 9 December 1941. Following the Japanese attacks in the Pacific, the greatest danger from

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

s appeared to be along the Pacific coast. Therefore, after returning to port, the ground echelon was ordered to Minter Field, California, where it jointed the Sierra Bombardment Group, a hastily formed unit made up of available planes and personnel diverted from shipment to the Philippines to defend the California coast from Japanese submarine attack. The recurring demands for antisubmarine patrols delayed the expansion and training of the squadron with a new air echelon.While the air and ground elements of the squadron were separated from December 1941 to early 1942, the official station of the squadron was the location of the ground echelon. Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 523–525 By January 1942 it became obvious that there was no immediate threat to the Pacific coastIn fact, no Japanese submarines were sunk off the Pacific coast during the entire war. Warnock, p. 6 and the movement of aircraft to the Pacific could be resumed. In February 1942, the Sierra Bombardment Group was discontinued and the squadron returned to its assignment to the 19th Bombardment Group. In March the squadron moved to

Gowen Field Boise Airport (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field) is a joint civil-military airport in the western United States, south of downtown Boise in Ada County, Idaho. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation and is overseen ...

, Idaho, where it was attached to the

, which had been organized the previous month,Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 175–176 for training and expansion with a new air echelon. Shortly after its arrival at Gowen, the 303d Group's 31st Reconnaissance Squadron was inactivated and its planes and personnel were used to bring the 38th up to strength. At the end of the month, the 38th was transferred from the 19th to the 303d Bombardment Group.

Combat in the European Theater

303rd Bombardment Group Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress 42-5392

In April 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 ...

recognized there was little difference between the reconnaissance squadrons assigned to heavy

bombardment group A bombardment group or bomb group was a unit of organizational command and control group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. A bombardment group was normally commanded by a colonel. The table of allowances (TOA) for p ...

s and their companion bombardment squadrons, and dropped their "reconnaissance" designation. In this renaming, the 38th became the 427th Bombardment Squadron. The ground echelon departed Biggs Field, Texas, in August 1942, arriving at

Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force A ...

on 24 August. It sailed aboard the and arrived in Great Britain on 10 September. The air echelon flew through

Kellogg Field Kellogg may refer to: People and organizations *Kellogg's, American multinational food-manufacturing company **Will Keith Kellogg, founder of the company **John Harvey Kellogg, his brother, inventor of cornflakes and medical practitioner * Kello ...

, Michigan, and Dow Field, Maine, before ferrying its planes across the Atlantic. Due to the haste to move heavy bombers to Europe, the squadron was insufficiently trained for combat and it continued to train in England until it entered combat on 17 November 1942Freeman, p. 247 in a strike against

Saint-Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean ...

, but returned without striking, having been unable to locate its target. It attacked Saint-Nazaire the following day, although its intended target was La Pallice. Its initial raids were on

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

s, railroads and submarine pens in France. As a unit of one of only four Flying Fortress groups in VIII Bomber Command during late 1942 and early 1943, the squadron participated in the development of the tactics that would be used throughout the air campaign against Germany. In 1943, the squadron began flying missions to Germany, participating in the first attack by American heavy bombers on a target in Germany, a raid on the submarine yards at Wilhelmshaven on 27 January 1943. From that time, it concentrated primarily on strategic bombardment of German industry, marshalling yards, and other strategic targets, including the

ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

plants at Schweinfurt,

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

s at

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

and an aircraft engine factory at

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

. The 427th received a

when adverse weather on 11 January 1944 prevented its fighter cover from joining the group, exposing it to continuous attacks by

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

fighters. Despite this opposition, the unit successfully struck an aircraft assembly plant at Oschersleben. Although a strategic bombing unit, the squadron was diverted on occasion to

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

and

interdiction Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose e ...

for ground forces. It attacked gun emplacements and bridges in the

Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, " strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...

during

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

, the invasion of Normandy, in June 1944; bombed enemy troops during

Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was the codename for an Offensive (military), offensive launched by the United States First United States Army, First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Invasion of Norman ...

, the breakout at Saint Lo, and during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. It bombed military installations near

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...

during Operation Lumberjack, the Allied assault across the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...

. Its last combat mission was an attack on 25 April 1945 against an armament factory at Pilsen. Following VE Day in May 1945 the 303d Group was reassigned to the North African Division,

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

and moved to

Casablanca Airfield Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

, French Morocco, to use its B-17 bombers as transports, ferrying personnel from France to Morocco. However, the two B-17 groups moved to Casablanca proved surplus to Air Transport Command's needs and the squadron was inactivated in late July 1945 and its planes ferried back to the United States.

Strategic Air Command

Boeing B-47 at Mighty 8th Air Force Museum, Pooler, GA, US

From 1958, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings of

(SAC) began to assume an alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases. The SAC alert cycle divided itself into four parts: planning, flying, alert and rest to meet General

Thomas S. Power General Thomas Sarsfield Power (June 18, 1905 – December 6, 1970) was a United States Air Force officer who served as commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command. He was an active military flier for more than 30 years. Early career Thomas S ...

's initial goal of maintaining one third of SAC's planes on fifteen minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.Schake, p. 220 (note 43) To implement this new system B-47 wings reorganized from three to four squadrons.Schake, p. 220 (note 43) The 427th was activated at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as the fourth squadron of the

303d Bombardment Wing 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

. The alert commitment was increased to half the wing's aircraft in 1962 and the four squadron pattern no longer met the alert cycle commitment, so the squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1962.

Reconnaissance mission returns

The 427th Reconnaissance Squadron was activated at Beale Air Force Base, California, in May 2012 to manage combat readiness training for the

MC-12W Liberty The Beechcraft C-12 Huron is the military designation for a series of twin-engine turboprop aircraft based on the Beechcraft Super King Air and Beechcraft 1900. C-12 variants are used by the United States Air Force, United States Army, United S ...

. It organized, trained, equipped and deployed MC-12W aircraft and aircrew in support of combat commander directed operational requirements. Its personnel included pilots, sensor operators and supporting airment. During its tenure at Beale, the 427th flew 4,770 combat missions, which resulted claims that over 500 enemy combatants were eliminated. The MC-12W mission was transferred from the

to the

in October 2015 and the squadron was inactivated in a ceremony held on 20 November 2015. The squadron was reactivated at Beale in 2019. According to an October 2019 report by ''Aviation Week & Space Technology'' the squadron operates the

stealth

(UAV)

Lineage

38th Aero Squadron * Organized as the 38th Provisional Aero Squadron on 12 June 1917 : Redesignated 38th Aero Squadron on 3 August 1917 : Redesignated Squadron A, Chanute Field, Illinois on 13 July 1918 : Demobilized on 1 December 1918 * Reconstituted c. 1 August 1933 and consolidated with the 38th Pursuit Squadron as the 38th Pursuit Squadron 427th Reconnaissance Squadron * Constituted as the 38th Pursuit Squadron on 24 March 1923 * Consolidated with Squadron A, Chanute Field, Illinois c. 1 August 1933 : Activated on 1 August 1933 : Redesignated 38th Observation Squadron (Long Range, Light Bombardment) and inactivated on 1 March 1935 * Redesignated 38th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated on 1 September 1936 : Redesignated 38th Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range) on 6 December 1939 : Redesignated 38th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940 : Redesignated 427th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942 : Redesignated 427th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 20 August 1943 : Inactivated on 25 July 1945 * Redesignated 427th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 20 August 1958 : Activated on 1 December 1958 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 January 1962 * Redesignated 427th Reconnaissance Squadron on 17 August 2011 : Activated on 1 May 2012 : Inactivated c. 20 November 2015 : Reactivated c. 2019

Assignments

* Post Headquarters, Kelly Field, 12 June 1917 * Post Headquarters, Chanute Field, 25 August 1917 – 1 December 1918 * 18th Pursuit Group (attached to 1st Pursuit Group), 1 August 1933 – 1 March 1935 * 1st Wing (later 1st Bombardment Wing) (attached to 19th Bombardment Group), 1 September 1936 *

IV Bomber Command The IV Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force headquarters. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command bomber units assigned to 4th Air Force. Following the entry of the United State ...

, 19 September 1941 (remained attached to 19th Bombardment Group) * Sierra Bombardment Group, 16 December 1941 *

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reser ...

, 17 January 1942 (attached to IV Bomber Command after 26 January 1942) * 19th Bombardment Group, 25 February 1942 (attached to

c. 13 March 1942) * 303d Bombardment Group, 31 March 1942 – 25 July 1945 * 303d Bombardment Wing, 1 December 1958 – 1 January 1962 *

, 1 May 2012 – c. 20 November 2015

Stations

* Camp Kelly (later Kelly Field), Texas, 12 June 1917 * Chanute Field, Illinois, 25 August 1917 – 1 December 1918 * Selfridge Field, Michigan, 1 August 1933 – 1 March 1935 * March Field, California, 1 September 1936 * Army Air Base Albuquerque, New Mexico, 5 June – 22 November 1941 * Minter Field, California, 17 December 1941 * Gowen Field, Idaho, 13 March 1942 (operated from Muroc Army Air Field, California, 28 May – c. 14 June 1942) *

Alamogordo Army Air Field Alamogordo () is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population was ...

, New Mexico, 18 June 1942 * Biggs Field, Texas, 7 – 22 August 1942 * RAF Molesworth (Station 107),Station number in Anderson England, 12 September 1942 * Casablanca Airfield, French Morocco, c. 31 May – 25 July 1945 * Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 1 December 1958 – 1 January 1962 * Beale Air Force Base, California, 1 May 2012 – c. 20 November 2015, 2019–present

Aircraft

* Curtiss JN-4, 1917–1918 * DH-4 Liberty Plane, 1917–1918Most, but not all, DH-4s built in the United States were built by the

Dayton-Wright The Dayton-Wright Company was formed in 1917, on the declaration of war between the United States and Germany, by a group of Ohio investors that included Charles F. Kettering and Edward A. Deeds of Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company ( DELCO) ...

company. * Martin B-10B, 1936–1939 * Boeing B-17B/C Flying Fortress, 1937–1941 * Douglas B-18A Bolo, 1937–1941 * Douglas OA-4 Dolphin, 1936–1941 * Northrop A-17A, 1936–1941 * Sikorsky Y10A-8, 1937–1941 * Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945 * Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1958–1961 * Beechcraft MC-12W Liberty, 2012–2015

Awards and campaigns

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * Hubbard, Gerard (June 1943). "Aircraft Insignia, Spirit of Youth". Vol. LXXXIII (No. 6) National Geographic, pp. 710–722 * * * * * *

External links

* (operations from England during WW II) {{USAAF 5th Air Force World War II Reconnaissance squadrons of the United States Air Force 1917 establishments in Texas