The 642d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. After training with Douglas A-20 Havocs in the United States the squadron deployed to the European Theater of World War II, where it engaged in combat until the Surrender of Germany. It was last assigned to the

409th Bombardment Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

at Westover Field, Massachusetts, where it was inactivated on 7 November 1945.

History

The 642d Bombardment Squadron was activated in June 1943 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 as one of the four original squadrons of the

. The squadron trained under Third Air Force in Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana with

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 or ...

light bombardment aircraft.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 690Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 294–295 The squadron deployed to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

in March 1944, where it became part of IX Bomber Command of Ninth Air Force. The 642d initially flew sweeps over

Occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

from its base in England, attacking coastal defenses, V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket sites, airfields, and other targets in France in preparation for

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

, the invasion of Normandy. After

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

, the squadron supported ground forces during the Battle of Normandy by hitting gun batteries, rail lines, bridges, communications, and other objectives. During July 1944, it aided the Allied offensive at

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Operation Cobra, the breakthrough at Saint-Lô with attacks on enemy troops, flak positions, fortified villages, and supply dumps. The squadron moved to

Advanced Landing Ground Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) were temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II during the liberation of Europe. They were built in the UK prior to the invasion and thereafter in northwest Europe from 6 June 19 ...

s in France in September 1944, providing Third Army with

close 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 moveme ...

in its advance toward Germany through November. In December, the squadron converted to Douglas A-26 Invaders. It then participated in the Battle of the Bulge by attacking lines of communications and logistics. The squadron continued combat operations until May, flying its last combat mission against an ammunition dump in Czechoslovakia on 3 May. The unit returned to the United States and initially was stationed at

Seymour Johnson Field Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...

, North Carolina where it prepared to deploy to the Pacific Theater of Operations for operations against the Japanese Home Islands. The deployment to the Pacific Theater was cancelled with the

Surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally signed on 2 September 1945, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy ...

in August. The 642d was inactivated at Westover Field, Massachusetts in early November.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 642d Bombardment Squadron (Light) and activated on 1 June 1943 : Redesignated 642d Bombardment Squadron, Light in 1944 : Inactivated on 7 November 1945

Assignments

* 409th Bombardment Group, 1 June 1943 – 7 November 1945

Stations

* Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 1 June 1943 * Woodward Army Air Field, Oklahoma, 2 October 1943 *

Pounds Army Air Field Pounds Army Air Field is a former United States Army Air Forces airfield, located west of Tyler, Texas. It was established in 1942 and assigned to Third Air Force. Its mission was the training of units, crews, and support individuals prior to ...

, Texas, 1 December 1943 *

DeRidder Army Air Base Beauregard Regional Airport is a public use airport in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by Beauregard Parish and is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of DeRidder, Louisiana ...

, Louisiana, 17 December 1943 - 10 February 1944 * RAF Little Walden (AAF-165), England, 7 March 1944 * Bretigny Airfield (A-48),Station number in Johnson. France, 18 September 1944 * Laon-Couvron Airfield (A-70), 12 February 1945 - 25 June 1945 *

, North Carolina, 15 August 1945 * Westover Field, Massachusetts, 6 October 1945 - 7 November 1945Station information in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 294–295, except as noted

Aircraft

* Douglas A-20 Havoc, 1943–1945 * Douglas A-26 Invader, 1945

Campaigns

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book, editor=Maurer, Maurer, title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, orig-year=1969, url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf , edition= reprint, year=1982, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-405-12194-6, oclc=72556, lccn=70605402 Military units and formations established in 1943 Bombardment squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces