The 491st Attack 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 ...

regular associate unit, stationed at

Hancock Field Air National Guard Base Hancock Field Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, co-located with Syracuse Hancock International Airport. It is located north-northeast of Syracuse, New York, at 6001 East Molloy Road, Mattydale, NY 13211. The installatio ...

, where it was activated in April 2019. It is assigned to the

49th Wing The 49th Wing is a remotely piloted vehicle wing of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Nineteenth Air Force, Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The wing has fought during the K ...

Holloman Air Force Base Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Th ...

, New Mexico and operates

General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the Unit ...

unmanned aerial vehicles. The first predecessor of 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, ...

was activated 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 ...

as the 79th Aero Squadron. It deployed to France in 1917 and was redesignated the 491st Aero Squadron. It served as a construction unit before returning to the United States, where it was demobilized in 1919. The second predecessor of the unit is the 491st Bombardment Squadron, which was constituted as an

Organized Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020, ...

unit in 1924. It was activated in 1925 at Sand Point Airport, Washington, but was only nominally manned. The two squadrons were consolidated in 1936, but the consolidated unit was inactivated the following year. it was disbanded in May 1942, as were all the other

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

Organized Reserve units. The third predecessor of the unit is the 491st Bombardment Squadron (Medium), which was constituted and activated in India during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It participated in combat in the

China-Burma-India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was offi ...

until the end of the war, where it earned 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 ...

. Following

V-J Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on ...

, it returned to the United States and was inactivated. The squadron was activated in the

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

in 1947, but was discontinued when

Continental Air Command Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary au ...

reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization plan and reduced their number due to budget constraints. In 1958, it was consolidated with the first two squadrons and activated at

Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...

, Texas 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 ...

expanded its

Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...

wings to four squadrons. The squadron was inactivated at Dyess in 1961.

History

World War I

The first predecessor of the squadron was organized as the 79th Aero Squadron 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 August 1917. It deployed to the

Aviation Concentration Center Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September ...

Garden City, New York Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census. The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...

in November for shipment to France. It arrived in France the following month and moved to

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 ...

, where it was redesignated the 491st Aero Squadron (Construction) and constructed and maintained facilities from February until December 1918. It returned to the United States in January 1919 and was demobilized. It was reconstituted c. 16 October 1936 and consolidated with the 491st Bombardment Squadron.

Organized Reserves between World War I and World War II

The 492d Bombardment Squadron was authorized in the

Organized Reserves The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 202 ...

in March 1924. It was activated at Sand Point Airport, Washington in the

Ninth Corps Area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...

the following January and assigned to the 349th Bombardment Group. The squadron was only nominally manned before it was inactivated in the spring of 1937. Along with all other

Organized Reserve units, it was disbanded in May 1942. In August 1958 it was reconstituted and consolidated with the 492d Bombardment Squadron, Medium.

World War II

The 491st Bombardment Squadron (Medium) was activated in September 1942 as a

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 ...

bomber squadron at Karachi, India. It was assigned to the newly activated 341st Bombardment Group of

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswell AF ...

. The squadron did not receive a full complement of aircraft and personnel until the end of the year. After moving to Chakulia Airfield, the squadron began combat operations, flying its first mission on 10 January 1943. For the remainder of the year the squadron was primarily tasked with interdicting Japanese

lines of communication A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base. Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communicati ...

in Burma. The squadron was transferred to

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

and moved to China in January 1944. Again the squadron's primary tasking was interdiction of Japanese lines of communication in China and eastern French Indochina (now Vietnam). In addition to strikes against airfields, bivouac and storage areas and bridges, the unit performed

target of opportunity A target of opportunity is a target "visible to a surface or air sensor or observer, which is within range of available weapons and against which fire has not been scheduled or requested." A target of opportunity comes in two forms; "unplanned" and ...

sweeps along roads, rivers and over the Gulf of Tonkin and the South China Sea. When Japan surrendered, sixteen squadron aircrews and several aircraft maintenance personnel were in India undergoing transition training to

Douglas A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Col ...

. About 31 August 1945 the remaining 491st personnel joined those in India. Those determined to meet rotation requirements embarked on a transport ship and returned to the United States, arriving on 1 November. The squadron was inactivated at

Camp Kilmer Located in Central New Jersey, Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service ...

, New Jersey on 2 November 1945.

Cold War

The unit was redesignated 491st Bombardment Squadron, Light on 26 May 1947 and activated in the

on 5 June. The squadron was inactivated on 27 June 1949 when

reorganized its operational reserve units under the wing base organizational model. The squadron was redesignated 491st Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 20 August 1958 and consolidated with the 491st Bombardment Squadron. It was activated on 1 November and assigned to the 341st Bombardment Wing at

operating the

. In March 1961, President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

directed that the phaseout of the B-47 be accelerated. The squadron was inactivated on 25 June 1961 as part of that draw down, and its aircraft were sent to storage at

Davis–Monthan Air Force Base Davis–Monthan Air Force Base (DM AFB) is a United States Air Force base southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing (355 WG) assi ...

, Arizona.

Lineage

491st Aero Squadron * Organized as the 79th Aero Squadron on 15 August 1917 : Redesignated 491st Aero Squadron (Construction) on 1 February 1918 * Demobilized on 31 January 1919 * Reconstituted and consolidated 5 December 1936 with the 491st Bombardment SquadronClay, p. 1523Lineage in Musser, except as noted. 491st Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as the 491st Bombardment Squadron in the Organized Reserve on 31 March 1924 : Activated in January 1925 * Consolidated 5 December 1936 with the 491st Aero Squadron : Inactivated on 2 March 1937 * Disbanded on 31 May 1942 * Reconstituted and consolidated on 20 August 1958 with the 491st Bombardment Squadron, Medium 491st Attack Squadron * Constituted as the 491st Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 14 August 1942 : Activated on 15 September 1942 * Redesignated 491st Bombardment Squadron, Medium c. 1 August 1943 : Inactivated on 2 November 1945 * Redesignated 491st Bombardment Squadron, Light on 26 May 1947 : Activated in the reserve on 5 June 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 491st Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 20 August 1958 and consolidated with the 491st Bombardment Squadron : Activated on 1 November 1958 : Discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1961 * Redesignated 491st Attack Squadron on 26 March 2019 : Activated on 15 April 2019

Assignments

* Unknown, 15 August–December 1917 * Seventh Aviation Instruction Center, December 1917 – December 1918 * Unknown, December 1918 – 31 January 1919 * 349th Bombardment Group, January 1925 – 2 March 1937 * 341st Bombardment Group, 15 September 1942 – 2 November 1945 * 341st Bombardment Group, 5 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 341st Bombardment Wing, 1 November 1958 – 25 June 1961. * 49 Operations Group, 15 April 2019 – presentAssignments in Musser, except as noted.

Stations

* Kelly Field, Texas, 15 August 1917 * Garden City, New York, New York, 3–22 November 1917 * Aulnat (near Clermont-Ferrand), France, 18 December 1917 * St. Nazaire, France, c. 30 December 1918 – c. 12 January 1919 * Garden City, New York, c. 23–31 January 1919. * Sand Point Airport, Washington, January 1925 – 2 March 1937 *

Karachi Airport Jinnah International Airport ( ur, جناح بین الاقوامی ہوائی اڈا) , formerly Drigh Road Airport or Karachi Civil Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017� ...

, India, 15 September 1942 * Chakulia Airfield, India, 5 January 1943 – 7 January 1944 (detachment of ground personnel at

Gya A billion years or giga-annum (109 years) is a unit of time on the petasecond scale, more precisely equal to seconds (or simply 1,000,000,000 years). It is sometimes abbreviated Gy, Ga ("giga-annum"), Byr and variants. The abbreviations Gya or ...

, India, 20 July – 10 September 1943) * Yangkai Airfield, China, 10 January 1944 – 13 September 1945 (detachments operated from Kweilin Airfield and

Liuchow Airfield Liuzhou Bailian Airport is a dual-use military and civil airport serving the city of Liuzhou in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. Airlines and destinations See also *List of airports in China *List of the busiest airports in China *Li ...

, China, 13 June – 10 July 1944 and 29 August – 2 November 1944) * Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 1 November 1945 – 2 November 1945 *

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

, Connecticut, 5 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 * Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, 1 November 1958 – 25 June 1961 * Hancock Field Air National Guard Base, New York , 15 April 2019 – present

Aircraft

* North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942–1945 * Douglas A-26 Invader, 1945 * Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1958–1961

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * Official History Summaries of 491st Bombardment Squadron (M), on file, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

External links

{{USAAF 10th Air Force World War II List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force Attack squadrons of the United States Air Force