489th Attack Squadron

The 489th Attack Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada and operating MQ-1 and MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles. It was active at Beale Air Force Base, California as the 489th Reconnaissance Squadron from 2011 to 2015.

The squadron was first activated as the 77th Aero Squadron in 1917. Redesignated as the 489th Aero Squadron, it served as a support unit in France during World War I before returning to the US and being demobilized in 1919.

Through most of its existence the squadron was named the 489th Bombardment Squadron. It served under this name from 1925 to 1942 in the Organized Reserve. The squadron served in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations during World War II, earning two distinguished Unit Citations for actions in North Africa and Sicily. Inactivated after the war, it served briefly in the reserves a second time between 1947 and 1949. When Strategic Air Command reorganized its Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings as four squadron units the squadron was activated at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, remaining active until 1962.

History

World War I

The squadron was activated as the 77th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas in August 1917, and commanded by Capt. H. L. Mumma. In September under the command of 1st Lt Kenneth M. Spence. In November 1917 the 77th moved to the Air Depot at Garden City, New York for deployment to the American Expeditionary Force. On 4 December 1917 the squadron moved to port of Embarkation Philadelphia and boarded the transport Northland. On the Northland were 9 Aero Squadrons with 70 officers and 1,339 enlisted men. These 9 Squadrons were the 10th, 12th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 75th, 76th, 77th and 101st.

In January 1918 a new numbering scheme for aero squadrons was set up. The numbers 400 through 599 were reserved for Aero Squadrons (Construction). The 77th was redesignated as the 489th Aero Squadron (Construction). It served in France building facilities. The 489th returned to the States in February 1919 and went to Camp Stuart, Virginia. In March 1919 it was demobilized at Camp Lee, Virginia.

Organized Reserve

The first 489th Bombardment Squadron was constituted in the Organized Reserve in March 1924 and allotted to the Ninth Corps Area. The squadron was manned in 1925 at Boeing Field, near Seattle, Washington.Clay, p. 1523 It was assigned to the 349th Bombardment Group from 22 October 1925 until c. June 1929 for mobilization as part of the General Headquarters Reserve. The 489th was one of the few Air Corps units in the Organized Reserve that possessed facilities, equipment and aircraft between the wars. In June 1932, the 489 Aero Squadron was reconstitued and consolidated with the 489 Bombardment Squadron. The unit typically conducted its inactive training at Pearson Field or in Seattle. It performed its summer training at various Air Corps installations on the Pacific coastal region. The squadron was disbanded, along with all other Organized Reserve Air Corps units on 31 May 1942 and its remaining personnel were called to active duty individually.

World War II

The second 489th Bombardment Squadron was organized as a North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber squadron in mid-1942, trained by Third Air Force in the southeastern United States. As part of the 340th Bombardment Group, the squadron deployed to IX Bomber Command of the 9th Air Force in Egypt initially in March 1943 via Air Transport Command South Atlantic Route through Caribbean, Brazil, Liberia, Central Africa and Sudan. Operated in the Tactical Bomber Force of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force primarily in support of the British 8th Army in the Tunisian Campaign and participated in the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) in July 1943. In August 1943, the squadron was reassigned to XII Bomber Command of the 12th Air Force and participated in the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943. Moved to Corsica as part of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force in April 1944 and provided tactical support for Allied troops in Italy and Southern France (Operation Dragoon). Based at Rimini, Italy in April 1945 until the end of the war.

Personnel demobilized in Italy during summer of 1945; squadron returned to the United States, being prepared for deployment to Pacific Theater for use as a tactical bomb squadron in programmed Invasion of Japan. Japanese capitulation led to squadron's inactivation in November 1945.

Return to reserve status

Activated as an A-26 Invader squadron in the postwar Air Force reserves in 1947; inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.

Strategic Air Command

From 1958, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings of Strategic Air Command (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'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. The 489th was activated at Whiteman Air Force Base as the fourth squadron of the 340th Bombardment Wing. The alert commitment was increased to half the squadron'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 operations

The squadron was activated as the 489th Reconnaissance Squadron on 26 August 2011 at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, CA as a component of the 9th Operations Group, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, flying MC-12W aircraft. It was inactivated 10 May 2015.

489th Attack Squadron

The squadron was redesignated as the 489th Attack Squadron at Creech Air Force Base under the 432d Operations Group, on 2 December 2016. It is equipped with MQ-1 and MQ-9 UAV aircraft.

Lineage

; 489th Aero Squadron
* Organized as the 77th Aero Squadron on 13 August 1917This squadron is not related to the 77th Aero Squadron established on 20 February 1918. Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 277-278.
: Redesignated 489th Aero Squadron (Construction) on 1 February 1918
: Demobilized on 6 March 1919
* Reconstituted and consolidated with the 489th Bombardment Squadron in June 1932

; 489th Bombardment Squadron
* Constituted as the 489th Bombardment Squadron on 31 March 1924 and allotted to the reserve
: Activated, date unknown (personnel assigned in January 1925)
* Consolidated with the 489th Aero Squadron in June 1932
: Disbanded on 31 May 1942
* Consolidated with the 489th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 11 August 1958

; 489th Attack Squadron
* Constituted as the 489th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 10 August 1942
: Activated on 20 August 1942
: Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron, Medium c. 20 August 1943
: Inactivated on 7 November 1945
* Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 24 October 1947
: Activated in the reserve on 10 November 1947
: Inactivated on 27 June 1949
* Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 11 August 1958 and consolidated with the 489th Bombardment Squadron
: Activated on 1 October 1958
: Discontinued and inactivated on 1 January 1962Lineage, including assignments, stations through 1962 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 587-588
* Redesignated 489th Reconnaissance Squadron on 14 June 2011
: Activated on 26 August 2011
: Inactivated on 10 May 2015
* Redesignated 489th Attack Squadron on 1 December 2016
: Activated on 2 December 2016

Assignments

* Unknown, 13 August 1917 – February 1918Probably Station Headquarters, Kelly Field and Station Headquarters, Hazelhurst Field while stationed there
* Air Service Production Center No. 2, February–December 1918
* Unknown, December 1918 – 6 March 1919
* Ninth Corps Area, 1925 – 31 May 1942 (349th Bombardment Group for mobilization until c. June 1929)
* 340th Bombardment Group, 20 August 1942 – 7 November 1945
* 340th Bombardment Group, 10 November 1947 – 27 June 1949
* 340th Bombardment Wing, 1 October 1958 – 1 January 1962
* 9th Operations Group, 26 August 2011 – 10 May 2015
* 432nd Operations Group, 2 December 2016 – present

Stations

* Kelly Field, Texas, 13 August 1917
* Garden City, New York, 5 November–4 December 1917
* St. Maixent, France, 1 January 1918
* Romorantin, France, 13 February 1918
* Brest, France, c. 4 January 1919-unknown
* Camp Stuart, Virginia, c. 8 February 1919
* Camp Lee, Virginia, February-6 March 1919
* Boeing Field, Washington, c. 1924-31 May 1942.
* Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, 20 August 1942
* Walterboro Army Air Field, South Carolina 30 November 1942 – 30 January 1943
* RAF Kabrit, Egypt March 1943
* Medenine Airfield, Tunisia March 1943
* Sfax Airfield, Tunisia April 1943

* Hergla Airfield, Tunisia 2 June 1943
* Comiso Airfield, Sicily, Italy, c. 2 August 1943
* Catania Airport, Sicily, Italy, 27 August 1943
* San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy c. 15 October 1943
* Foggia Airfield, Italy 19 November 1943
* Pompeii Airfield, Italy c. 2 January 1944
* Gaudo Airfield, Italy 23 March 1944
* Alesan, Corsica, France c. 15 April 1944
* Rimini Airfield, Italy c. 7 April-16 July 1945
* Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, 9 August 1945
* Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina 2 October – 7 November 1945
* Tulsa Municipal Airport, California, 26 August 2011 - 10 May 2015
* Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, 2 December 2016 – present

Aircraft

* Curtiss B-2 Condor, 1930–1934Alley, p. 50Other aircraft before 1942 unknown.
* North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942–1945
* Douglas A-26 Invader, 1947–1949
* Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1958–1962
* Beechcraft MC-12W, 2011–2015
* General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, 2016–present
* General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, 2016–present

References

; Notes

; Citations

Bibliography

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External links

The 489th Bombardment Squadron on Corsica

{{Strategic Air Command

Military units and formations in California
Attack squadrons of the United States Air Force
1917 establishments in Texas