The 820th Bombardment Squadron is a former

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

unit, inactivated on 4 January 1946. 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 opposin ...

as the 521st Bombardment Squadron. The squadron was soon engaged in the

antisubmarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

campaign off the Atlantic coast of the United States as the 16th Antisubmarine Squadron. After the

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

took over the coastal antisubmarine warfare mission in 1943, the squadron moved to the Pacific coast, where it trained as a

medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...

unit and was redesignated the 820th Bombardment Squadron. It moved to the Pacific and participated in attacks in the Marshall and Caroline Islands. It returned to Hawaii in 1944 for training and reentered combat from

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

in 1945. After

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 ...

, the squadron returned to the United States and was inactivated.

History

Organization and antisubmarine warfare

The

was first activated at

Charleston Army Air Field Charleston Air Force Base is a United States military facility located in the City of North Charleston, South Carolina. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force's 628th Air Base Wing (628 ABW), a subordinate elemen ...

, South Carolina in October 1942 as the 521st Bombardment Squadron, one of the original squadrons of the

378th Bombardment Group 378th may refer to: * 378th Bombardment Group, inactive United States Army Air Forces unit * 378th Fighter Squadron, active United States Air Force unit * 378th Troop Carrier Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit See also *378 (number) * ...

, located at

Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perform ...

, Virginia. The squadron was equipped with a mix of

Douglas O-46 The Douglas O-46 was an observation aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps and the Philippine Army Air Corps.

s and

Lockheed B-34 The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in 1 ...

s.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 266 The squadron mission was to search for German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

s off the southeast Atlantic coast. Although the

was responsible for long range

patrolling, it lacked the aircraft to perform the mission and the

(AAF) performed the mission, even though its crews lacked proper training. In October 1942, the AAF organized its antisubmarine forces into the single

Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which ...

, which established the 25th Antisubmarine Wing the following month to control its forces operating over the Atlantic.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 437Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 388–389 Its

bombardment group A bombardment group or bomb group was a unit of organizational command and control group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. A bombardment group was normally commanded by a colonel. The table of allowances (TOA) for p ...

headquarters, including the 378th, were inactivated and the squadron, redesignated the 16th Antisubmarine Squadron in November, was assigned directly to the 25th Wing in December. In July 1943, the AAF and Navy reached an agreement to transfer the coastal antisubmarine mission to the Navy. This mission transfer also included an exchange of AAF long-range bombers equipped for antisubmarine warfare for Navy

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

s without such equipment.Ferguson, pp. 82–83

Combat in the Pacific

In September 1943, the squadron moved to

Hammer Field Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a joint military/public airport in Fresno, California, United States. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. It ...

, California. There, it began to train with

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 ...

s and was assigned to the 41st Bombardment Group and became the 820th Bombardment Squadron. It replaced the 46th Bombardment Squadron, which had been detached from the 41st Group to participate in antisubmarine missions in the Atlantic the previous year. In October, it moved to

Hickam Field Hickam may refer to: ;Surname *Homer Hickam (born 1943), American author, Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer ** October Sky: The Homer Hickam Story, 1999 American biographical film *Horace Meek Hickam (1885–1934), pioneer airpower advoca ...

, Hawaii, where it completed its combat training. It moved to

Hawkins Field Hawkins Field is a baseball stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. It is the home field of the Vanderbilt Commodores college baseball team.

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

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 publ ...

s, and shipping in the Marshall Islands in preparation for the invasion by US forces. After February 1944, the squadron staged through captured fields on

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...

to attack shipping in the Caroline Islands. In April, the squadron moved to

Makin Airfield Butaritari Airport is an airport on Butaritari in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati. History Butaritari Atoll Airport was built in Kiribati during World War II by the United States after seizing the island from the Japanese. Constructi ...

, Makin, Gilbert Islands, where its operations were primarily attacks on enemy shipping and on Japanese installations on islands that had been bypassed as American forces moved westward through the Pacific.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 97–98 In October 1944, the squadron was withdrawn from combat operations and returned to Hawaii, where it began training with

rockets A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

Wheeler Field Wheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii. It is a National Histo ...

. At Wheeler, it also received new Mitchell bombers. It completed training in May and left Hawaii for

, arriving at

Yontan Airfield Yontan Airfield (also known as Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield) is a former military airfield located near Yomitan Village on the west coast of Okinawa. It was closed in July 1996 and turned over to the Japanese government in December 2006. Today it i ...

in June. While it flew some missions against airfields in China, it primarily bombed airfields, railways, and harbor facilities on

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

until August 1945. After

, the squadron remained on Okinawa until December 1945. Although the rest of the 41st Group moved to the Philippines, the 820th returned to the United States and was inactivated at the port of embarkation on 4 January 1946.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 521st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 13 October 1942 : Activated on 18 October 1942 : Redesignated: 16th Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) on 29 November 1942 : Redesignated: 820th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 22 September 1943 : Inactivated on 4 January 1946

Assignments

* 378th Bombardment Group, 18 October 1942 * 25th Antisubmarine Wing, 14 December 1942 * 41st Bombardment Group, 11 October 1943 – 4 January 1946

Stations

* Charleston Army Air Field, South Carolina, 18 October 1942 * Hammer Field, California, 22 September – 5 October 1943 * Hickam Field, Hawaii, 20 October 1943 * Hawkins Field, Tarawa, Gilbert Islands, 24 December 1943 * Makin Airfield, Makin, Gilbert Islands, 21 April 1944 * Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 14 October 1944 * Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, 7 June 1945 *

Fort Lawton Fort Lawton was a United States Army post located in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington overlooking Puget Sound. In 1973 a large majority of the property, 534 acres of Fort Lawton, was given to the city of Seattle and dedicated as ...

, Washington, 1–4 January 1946

Campaigns

Aircraft

* Douglas O-46, 1942 * Lockheed B-34 Ventura, 1942–1943 * North American B-25 Mitchell, 1943–1945

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{USAAF Antisubmarine Command Bombardment squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces Military units and formations established in 1942