The 50th Fighter-Bomber Squadron is an inactive
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...
unit. It was last assigned to the
319th Fighter-Bomber Group at
New Orleans Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans is a base of the United States military located in Belle Chasse, unincorporated Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. NAS JRB New Orleans is home to a Navy Reserve strike fighter squadron ...
, Louisiana, where it was inactivated on 16 November 1957.
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 first activated in 1941 as the 50th Bombardment Squadron. Following the entry of the United States into
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 opposing ...
, the squadron engaged in
antisubmarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are ty ...
patrols, but then became a training unit until spring 1944, when it was disbanded in a general reorganization of
Army Air Forces training units in the United States.
The squadron was reconstituted and 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. It was
mobilized in 1951 for the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, but its personnel were used as fillers for other units and the squadron was inactivated. It was briefly activated in the reserves again in 1957, but was inactivated when the reserves converted to a
troop carrier
A troop carrier is a means of transporting soldiers. A troop carrier vehicle may be configured for troop transport while used for other purposes at other times.
Examples
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain is an aircraft used as a troop carrier; the ...
mission.
History
World War II
![87th Bomb Squadron in Blythe California September 1942](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/87th_Bomb_Squadron_in_Blythe_California_September_1942.jpg)
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 as the 50th Bombardment Squadron at
Hunter Field, Georgia in the
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 ...
' buildup before
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 opposing ...
. It was one of the original squadrons of the
46th Bombardment Group and was equipped with
Douglas A-20 Havoc
The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.
Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was o ...
aircraft.
[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 104–105] The 50th trained with the Havoc and participated in maneuvers. After the entry of the United States into the war, the squadron moved to Barksdale Field Barksdale may refer to:
Places
* Barksdale, Mississippi, an unincorporated community
* Barksdale, Texas, an unincorporated community
* Barksdale, Wisconsin, a town
** Barksdale (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community
*Barksdale Air Forc ...
, Louisiana, and then to Galveston Army Air Field, Texas, from which it flew anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
patrol and search missions over the Gulf of Mexico until May 1942.[
It moved to Blythe Army Air Base, California, where it participated in desert maneuvers.][ It then served as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) at ]Will Rogers Field
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
, Oklahoma. OTUs were oversized parent units that provided cadres for "satellite groups."[Craven & Cate, p. xxxvi] In late 1943 the squadron moved to Morris Field
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (IATA: CLT, ICAO: KCLT, FAA LID: CLT), typically referred to as Charlotte Douglas, Douglas Airport, or simply CLT, is an international airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, located roughly six miles west ...
, North Carolina and its mission changed to replacement training of individual pilots and aircrews.[ Just before disbanding, the squadron began to 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 ...
s.[
However the Army Air Forces was finding standard military units, based on relatively inflexible ]tables of organization
A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the u ...
, were not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. In May 1944, the squadron was disbanded[ and its personnel, equipment and functions transferred to the 333d AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Light Bombardment)
]
Air Force reserve
Initial activation and mobilization for the Korean War
The squadron was reconstituted and 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 ...
under Air Defense Command (ADC) at 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 Territor ...
, New York in April 1947 and assigned to the 319th Bombardment Group.[ At Mitchel, the squadron trained under the supervision of the 113th AAF Base Unit (later the 2230 Air Force Reserve Training Center), although it is not clear whether it was fully manned or equipped during this period. In July 1948 ]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 augm ...
(ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC. The 50th's stay at Mitchel ended when ConAC reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system in June 1949.[
The squadron moved on paper to Reading Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania, where it replaced elements of the 322d Bombardment Group. At Reading, the squadron trained under the supervision of the 2237th Air Force Reserve Training Center. The squadron was authorized manning of only 25% of normal strength. Runway length at Reading, however, led ConAC to decide to station a troop carrier unit there, and the squadron was inactivated on 2 October 1949 and its personnel were transferred to the 327th Troop Carrier Squadron.][
The squadron activated again about a month later, on 10 October 1949, at ]Birmingham Municipal Airport
Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...
, Alabama, where it replaced the 336th Troop Carrier Squadron. The squadron flew the Douglas B-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 ...
at Birmingham, where training was conducted by the 2587th Air Force Reserve Training Center. All reserve combat and corollary units were mobilized for the Korean war, and the 319th was called up on 10 March 1951. Its personnel and aircraft were used as fillers for other units, and the squadron was inactivated on 22 March.[
]
Fighter operations
The squadron was activated in June 1957 at New Orleans Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans is a base of the United States military located in Belle Chasse, unincorporated Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. NAS JRB New Orleans is home to a Navy Reserve strike fighter squadron ...
, Louisiana as the 50th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. The squadron was not located with its parent wing, which was at Memphis Municipal Airport
Memphis Municipal Airport is a city-owned public use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) northeast of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Hall County, Texas, United States.
Facilities and aircraft
Memphis Municipal A ...
, Tennessee, under what was called the Detached Squadron Concept. The concept had been adopted by ConAC because communities were more likely to accept smaller squadrons than large wings and the location of separated squadrons would facilitate recruiting and manning. The squadron began to receive North American F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing ...
s.[Ravenstein, pp. 168–169] However, the Air Force directed ConAC to convert three reserve fighter bomber wings to the troop carrier mission by September 1957. In addition, within the Air Staff was a recommendation that the reserve fighter mission given to the Air National Guard and replaced by the troop carrier
A troop carrier is a means of transporting soldiers. A troop carrier vehicle may be configured for troop transport while used for other purposes at other times.
Examples
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain is an aircraft used as a troop carrier; the ...
mission. The 50th Squadron was inactivated in this mission change on 16 November 1957 and its place was taken by the 77th Troop Carrier Squadron.[Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 278–279]
Lineage
* Constituted as the 50th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 20 November 1940
: Activated on 15 January 1941
: Disbanded on 1 May 1944
* Reconstituted on 10 March 1947
: Activated in the reserve on 16 April 1947
: Inactivated on 2 September 1949
* Activated in the reserve on 10 October 1949
: Ordered to active service on 10 March 1951
: Inactivated on 22 March 1951
* Redesignated 50th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 12 February 1957
: Activated in the reserve 8 June 1957
: Inactivated on 16 November 1957[
]
Assignments
* 46th Bombardment Group, 15 January 1941 – 1 May 1944
* 319th Bombardment Group, 16 April 1947 – 2 September 1949
* 319th Bombardment Group, 10 October 1949 – 22 March 1951
* 319th Fighter-Bomber Group, 8 June–16 November 1957[
]
Stations
* Hunter Field, Georgia, 15 January 1941
* Bowman Field, Kentucky, 19 May 1941
* Barksdale Field, Louisiana, 1 February 1942
* Galveston Army Air Field, Texas, 2 April 1942
* Blythe Army Air Base, California, 19 May 1942
* Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 7 November 1942
* Drew Field, Florida, 6 October 1943
* Morris Field, North Carolina, 6 November 1943 – 1 May 1944
* Mitchel Field, New York, 16 April 1947
* Reading Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania, 27 June 1949 – 2 September 1949
* Birmingham Municipal Airport, Alabama, 10 October 1949 – 22 March 1951
* New Orleans Naval Air Station, Louisiana, 8 June–16 November 1957[
]
Aircraft
* Douglas A-20 Havoc, 1941–1944[
* ]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 ...
, 1944[
* Douglas B-26 Invader, 1949–1951][
* North American F-86 Sabre, 1957][
]
Campaign
See also
* List of Douglas A-20 Havoc operators
* List of F-86 Sabre units
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
*
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*
*
*
External links
{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II
050
Military units and formations of the United States Air Force Reserves