The 485th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive

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 ...

unit. It was last assigned to the

505th Bombardment Group The 505th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Thirteenth Air Force, stationed at Clark Field, Philippines. It was inactivated on 30 June 1946. The unit served primarily in the Pacific Oce ...

. It was inactivated at

Northwest Field Northwest Field (historically Northwest Guam Air Force Base) is a military airfield in Guam. Built in 1945 during World War II, the airfield was used as a bomber base during and after the war until it was closed in 1949. Units deployed to the ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

on 10 June 1946.

History

Activated in August 1917 as an Air Service Aero Squadron during

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 ...

. Was apparently a non-flying support squadron, deployed to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in early 1918 and supported Air Service operations on the Western Front. Remained in France after the Armistice, returning to

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, demobilizing in May 1919. Reactivated as part of the Army reserve forces in 1924, assigned to Wright or Patterson Field at

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. Although designated as a bombardment squadron, it is unclear if the unit had any aircraft assigned to it. Disbanded in 1942. Reconstituted in 1944 as a

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

Very Heavy bombardment squadron; assigned to

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 ...

for training. Initially assigned to

, however shortages in aircraft and equipment led to personnel being consolidated into other group squadrons; inactivated. Reactivated about a month later; assigned to

501st Bombardment Group 5 (five) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typ ...

and equipped with B-29B limited production aircraft. After completion of training deployed to Central Pacific Area (CPA), assigned to

XXI Bomber Command The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in the Mariana Islands for strategic bombing during World War II. The command was established at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas on 1 March 1944. After a period of organization an ...

Northwest Field (Guam) Northwest Field (historically Northwest Guam Air Force Base) is a military airfield in Guam. Built in 1945 during World War II, the airfield was used as a bomber base during and after the war until it was closed in 1949. Units deployed to the ...

for operational missions. B-29Bs were standard production aircraft stripped of most defensive guns to increase speed and bomb load, The tail gun was aimed and fired automatically by the new AN/APG-15B radar fire control system that detected the approaching enemy plane and made all the necessary calculations. Mission of the squadron was the strategic bombardment of the

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. Dntered combat on 16 June 1945 with a bombing raid against an airfield on Moen. Flew first mission against the Japanese home islands on 26 June 1945 and afterwards operated principally against the enemy's petroleum industry. Flew primarily low-level, fast attacks at night using a mixture of high-explosive and incendiary bombs to attack targets. Flew last combat mission on 15 August 1945, later flew in "Show of Force" mission on 2 September 1945 over

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...

during formal Japanese Surrender. Inactivated on Guam 15 April 1946, personnel returned to the United States and aircraft sent to storage in Southwest United States.

Operations and decorations

* Combat Operations: Constructed and maintained facilities (in Zone of Advance after Sep 1918), Mar-c. Dec 1918. Combat in Western Pacific, 23 Jun-14 Aug 1945. * Campaigns: Air Offensive; Japan; Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific. * Decorations:

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 ...

, Japan 6–13 Jul 1945

Lineage

* Organized as 73d Aero Squadron on 14 August 1917 : Redesignated 485th Aero Squadron on 1 February 1918. : Demobilized on 20 May 1919 * Reconstituted and consolidated (1936) with 485th Bombardment Squadron which was constituted and allotted to the reserve on 31 March 1924 : Activated, date unknown (personnel assigned, Sep 1925) : Disbanded on 31 May 1942 * Reconstituted and consolidated (21 April 1944) with 485th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) which was constituted on 28 February 1944 : Activated on 11 March 1944. : Inactivated on 10 May 1944 * Activated on 1 June 1944 : Inactivated on 10 June 1946

Assignments

* Unknown, 14 August 1917 – Mar 1918 * Air Service Production Center No. 2, Mar 1918 * Air Service Spares Depot, Sep 1918 – Jan 1919 * Unknown, Jan-20 May 1919 * Fifth Corps Area, 1925(?)-31 May 1942 *

, 11 Mar-10 May 1944 *

, 1 Jun 1944 – 10 Jun 1946

Stations

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 Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

, 14 August 1917 * Camp Morrison,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, 21 Dec 1917 – 4 Mar 1918 * Romorantin,

, 25 March 1918 : Detachment operated from St Nazaire to 3 April 1918 : Unit operated from Gievres, 17 May-9 Jun 1918 : Detachment operated from Chatenay-sur-Seine from 11 September 1918 * Chatenay-sur-Seine,

, 21 September 1918 * Bordeaux,

, c. 1 Feb 1919-unknown *

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territory ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, c. 2–20 May 1919 *

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

1925? -31 May 1942? *

Dalhart Army Air Field Dalhart Army Air Base is a former World War II military airfield complex near the city of Dalhart, Texas. It operated three training sites for the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 until 1945. The majority of the namesake city of Dalhart, ...

, 11 March 1944 *

Harvard Army Airfield Harvard State Airport (Harvard State Airfield) is two miles northeast of Harvard, in Clay County, Nebraska. It has no airline flights. History Harvard Army Airfield was built in 1942 as a United States Army Air Forces training airfield. It is ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, 12 Mar-10 May 1944 *

, 1 June 1944 *

, 23 Aug 194 – 7 Mar 1945 *

, 14 Apr 1945 – 10 Jun 1946

Aircraft

* Unknown (if any) prior to 1944 *

, 1944–1946

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . {{reflist Strategic bombing squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces