| 381st Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
 B-47 Stratojet rocket-assisted takeoff | |
| Active | 1942-1945; 1947-1949; 1952-1965 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | medium bomber |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 381st Bombardment Squadron emblem[a][1] |  |
| 381 Bombardment Sq emblem(World War II)[2] |  |
The381st Bombardment Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the310th Bombardment Wing atSchilling Air Force Base, Kansas, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1965.
Thesquadron was organized in March 1942 and trained in the Southeastern United States withNorth American B-25 Mitchells. In September, the air echelon of the unit moved to the United Kingdom in preparation forOperation Torch, theallied invasion of North Africa. In November, the squadron was reunited in French Morocco. It continued in combat in theMediterranean Theater of Operations untilV-E Day, earning twoDistinguished Unit Citations. It was inactivated in September 1945 in Italy.
From 1947 to 1949, the squadron was active in thereserve, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped with operational aircraft during this time. It was activated again in March 1952, and operatedBoeing B-47 Stratojets until inactivating at the end of 1965 as the B-47 was withdrawn from service.
Thesquadron was activated atDavis-Monthan Field in March 1942 as the381st Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the310th Bombardment Group.[3][4] It moved the same day toJackson Army Air Base, Mississippi, where it began training withNorth American B-25 Mitchells.[1] A portion of the ground echelon sailed for the United Kingdom aboard theRMS Queen Mary on 5 September 1942,[b] while the remainder sailed directly for North Africa from the United States. The air echelon ferried the squadron's Mitchells via theNorth Atlantic ferry route, but bad weather delayed their movement, with the bombers arriving atRAF Hardwick between October and December 1942.[5]
In November 1942, the squadron flew its planes toMediouna Airfield, French Morocco, to supportOperation Torch, the invasion of North Africa, although some remained behind in England until as late as March 1943.[5] The squadron engaged primarily inair support andinterdiction in Tunisia, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Italy and Southern France. Through May 1943, it also attacked shipping and harbor facilities to cut the logistics lines of theAfrika Corps. It bombedmarshalling yards, rail lines, highways, bridges, viaducts, troop concentrations, gun emplacements, shipping, harbors and other objectives in North Africa.[3] It moved forward to Tunisia with theallied forces, locating atDar el Koudia Airfield in June. It bombed airfields, landing grounds andgun emplacements, supportingOperation Corkscrew, the reduction ofPantelleria andLampedusa islands during June 1943. The following month it supportedOperation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.[3]
On 27 August 1943, the squadron conducted a mission against marshalling yards inBenevento, Italy. Despite heavy antiaircraft artillery, it effectively bombed the target and destroyed several enemyinterceptor aircraft making persistent attacks. For this action, it was awarded theDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC). From August 1943 to the end of hostilities in the spring of 1945, it struck Germanlines of communication, bridges, rail lines, marshalling yards, viaducts, tunnels and road junctions in Italy. From January through June 1944, it gave air support to ground forces in the drive towardRome. The squadron also engaged in psychological warfare missions, dropping propaganda leaflets behind enemy lines.[3]
In August 1944, it supportedOperation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France from its base inGhisonaccia Airfield, Corsica. On 10 March 1945, the squadron maintained close formation in the face of severe antiaircraft fire in successfully attacking the railroad bridge atOra, a vital link in the German supply line to Italy. For this action, it was awarded its second DUC.[3] In April 1945, it moved to Italy and was inactivated in theater in September 1945.[1]
The squadron was reactivated as part of thereserve in 1947, it is unclear whether or not the squadron was manned or equipped. It was inactivated later that year.[citation needed]
It was reactivated on 28 March 1952 as aStrategic Air Command (SAC) squadron,[1] although it did not become operational until 4 April.[6] receivingBoeing B-29 Superfortress bombardment training from the90th Bombardment Wing between April and August 1952. The squadron acted as a training unit until 1954 when it replaced the propeller-driven B-29s with newBoeing B-47E Stratojet swept-wingmedium bombers. These aircraft were capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and were primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union. By the early 1960s, the B-47s were considered to be reaching obsolescence, and were being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. They were sent to theAerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center atDavis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona in early 1965; the unit became non operational on 25 February,[6] and was inactivated on 25 March.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
