The 511th Bombardment 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
351st Bombardment Group at
Fairfax Field
Fairfax Field was a wartime (WWII) facility of the United States Army Air Forces and later, the United States Air Force.
The installation was north of Kansas City, Kansas. Used as a pre-war Naval Air Station, the United States Army Air Forces ...
, Kansas, where it was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
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 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 opposing ...
, as a
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
unit. After training in the United states, it deployed to the
European Theater of Operations, where it participated in the
strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It earned two
Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat actions. Following
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in August 1945. It was activated in the
reserves in 1947, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped.
In 1985, the squadron was consolidated with the 311th Attack Squadron, which served briefly in 1969 as a training unit for
Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in pe ...
pilots during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. The consolidated squadron was designated the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, but has not been active.
History
World War II
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 at
Salt Lake City Army Air Base
Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-min ...
, Utah on 1 October 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the
351st Bombardment Group. Its
cadre moved the same day 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 overse ...
, Idaho, where it could begin manning as a
heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
unit. The squadron moved to
Geiger Field
Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately west-southwest of downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and includes are ...
, Washington in November and began training for combat with the
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress.
[Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 614] The squadron completed its training in April 1943 and departed for the European Theater of Operations.[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 230-231] The air echelon began ferrying its B-17s about 1 April, while the ground echelon left for the New York Port of Embarkation on 12 April.[
The ground and air echelons had arrived at the unit's combat station, ]RAF Polebrook
Royal Air Force Station Polebrook or more simply RAF Polebrook is a former Royal Air Force station located east-south-east of Oundle, at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, England. The airfield was built on Rothschild estate land starting in Augus ...
, England by 12 May 1943, and the squadron flew its first mission on 14 May. The squadron primarily flew strategic bombing
Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...
missions against Germany. It struck targets including ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt; bridges near Köln; oil refineries at Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
; communications targets near Mayen
Mayen is a town in the Mayen-Koblenz District of the Rhineland-Palatinate Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, additional settlements include Alzheim, Kürrenberg, Hausen-Betzing, ...
; marshalling yards at Koblenz and industrial targets at Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
, and Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...
. Other targets in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Norway included 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 pub ...
s, harbor installations, and submarine pen
A submarine pen (''U-Boot-Bunker'' in German) is a type of submarine base that acts as a bunker to protect submarines from air attack.
The term is generally applied to submarine bases constructed during World War II, particularly in Germany and ...
s.[
On 9 October 1943, the squadron attacked the ]Arado Flugzeugwerke
Arado Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer, originally established as the Warnemünde factory of the Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen firm, that produced land-based military aircraft and seaplanes during the First and Second World Wars.
Hi ...
aircraft factory Anklam
Anklam [], formerly known as Tanglim and Wendenburg, is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the ''Kleines Haff'', the western ...
, Germany. Despite heavy flak
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...
and attacks by enemy fighters
Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to:
Combat and warfare
* Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict
* Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...
, accurate bombing inflicted heavy damage on the target. The squadron was awarded its first Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for this action. On 11 January 1944, as Operation Pointblank
Point-blank range is any distance over which a certain firearm can hit a target without the need to compensate for bullet drop, and can be adjusted over a wide range of distances by sighting in the firearm. If the bullet leaves the barrel paral ...
continued, it attacked the heavily defended Focke-Wulf Fw 190 production facility at Oschersleben
Oschersleben () is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2020 about 19,000.
History
On November 23, 994 Oschersleben was first mentioned in a document by the Emperor Otto III. In 1235 ...
, without fighter escort and in the face of the strongest fighter opposition encountered for five months, for which it earned a second DUC. It continued attacks on German aircraft production during Big Week, the concentrated attack by VIII Bomber Command
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
In mathematics
8 is:
* a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2.
* a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of ...
against the German aircraft industry in late February.[
The squadron was occasionally withdrawn from strategic missions to provide ]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 movemen ...
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 ...
. In the buildup to Operation Overlord, the invasion at Normandy, the squadron participated in Operation Crossbow
''Crossbow'' was the code name in World War II for Anglo-American operations against the German long range reprisal weapons (V-weapons) programme.
The main V-weapons were the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket – these were launched against Brita ...
, attacking V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...
and V-2 rocket
The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was develop ...
launch sites. In June 1944, it provided support for the landings, and the following month supported Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the United States First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take adv ...
, the breakout at Saint Lo
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...
. In September, it supported Operation Market Garden, an unsuccessful airborne attack attempting to obtain a bridgehead across the Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
at Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...
. From December 1944 through January 1945, it attacked front line positions during the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...
. In March 1945, it flew missions to support Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest ai ...
, the airborne assault across the Rhine in Germany.[
Following ]V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
, the squadron left England, with the first plane being flown back by its crew departing on 21 May 1945. The ground echelon sailed on the in June 1945. It briefly assembled at Sioux Falls Army Air Field
Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served a ...
, South Dakota, and was inactivated there on 28 August 1945.[
]
Air Force reserve
The squadron was activated again in October 1947 in the reserves and trained at Fairfax Field
Fairfax Field was a wartime (WWII) facility of the United States Army Air Forces and later, the United States Air Force.
The installation was north of Kansas City, Kansas. Used as a pre-war Naval Air Station, the United States Army Air Forces ...
under the supervision of Air Defense Command (ADC)'s 4101st AAF Base Unit (later the 2472d Air Force Reserve Training Center), although its headquarters, the 351st Bombardment Group, was stationed at Scott Field, Illinois.[ The following year ]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 ...
assumed responsibility for managing reserve units from ADC.[
Although nominally a very heavy bomber unit, it is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped. President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, and the 511th was inactivated][ and most of its personnel transferred to elements of the 442d Troop Carrier Wing at Fairfax.
]
Attack training
The 311th Attack Squadron was activated in May 1969 at England Air Force Base
England Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Louisiana, located northwest of Alexandria and about northwest of New Orleans. Originally known as Alexandria Army Air Base, on 23 June 1955 the facility was renamed England Ai ...
, Louisiana and assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing
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 ...
. Its mission was to train pilots on the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly
The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is an American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. The A-37 was introduced during the Vietnam War and remained in pe ...
. In July, the wing moved to Hurlburt Field
Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Spe ...
and the squadron was reassigned to the 4410 Special Operations Training Group, which assumed the special operations
Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...
training mission at England. In November, the squadron moved to Bien Hoa Air Base, where it was assigned to the 3d Tactical Fighter Wing. A month later, the squadron transferred its planes to the Vietnamese Air Force and was inactivated.[Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 September 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons]
In September 1985, the 511th and 311th Squadrons were consolidated as the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron, without being activated.[
]
Lineage
; 511th Bombardment Squadron
* Constituted as the 511th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 25 September 1942
: Activated on 1 October 1942
: Redesignated 511th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 11 August 1944
: Inactivated on 28 August 1945
* Redesignated 511th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 September 1947
: Activated in the reserve on 15 October 1947
: Inactivated on 27 June 1949[
* Consolidated with the 311th Attack Squadron as the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985][
; 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron
* Constituted as the 311th Attack Squadron on 5 May 1969
: Activated on 15 May 1969
: Inactivated on 15 December 1969
* Consolidated with the 511th Bombardment Squadron as the 11th Airborne Command and Control Squadron on 19 September 1985][
]
Assignments
* 351st Bombardment Group, 1 October 1942 – 28 August 1945
* 351st Bombardment Group, 15 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
* 1st Special Operations Wing, 15 May 1969[
* 4410th Special Operations Training Group, 15 July 1969
* 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 November–15 December 1969][
]
Stations
* Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, 1 October 1942
* Gowen Field, Idaho, 1 October 1942
* Geiger Field, Washington, November 1942
* Biggs Field
Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas.
History Biggs Field/Biggs Army Airfield (1916–47)
On 15 June 1919, following an attack ...
, Texas, 2 January 1943
* Pueblo Army Air Base
Pueblo Memorial Airport is a public airport located six miles east of Pueblo, in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. It is primarily used for general aviation.
Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 4,345 passenger board ...
, Colorado, 2 March-12 April 1943
* RAF Polebrook (AAF-110), England, 12 May 1943 – 9 June 1945
* Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, July–28 August 1945
* Fairfax Field, Kansas, 15 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
* England Air Force Base, Louisiana, 15 May 1969[Mueller, p. 170]
* Bien Hoa Air Base, Vietnam 15 November– 15 December 1969
Aircraft
* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945[
* Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, 1969
]
Awards and campaigns
See also
* B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces
References
Notes
; Explanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
; Further reading
*
{{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II
Bombardment squadrons of the United States Air Force
Bombardment squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces
World War II strategic bombing units
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations of the United States Air Force Reserves