| 835th Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
 486th Bombardment GroupB-17 Flying Fortresses | |
| Active | 1940–1945 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Antisubmarine,Bombardment |
| Engagements | Antisubmarine European Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| 835th Bombardment Squadron emblem[1] |  |
| Squadron code | H8 |
The835th Bombardment Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in January 1941 as the80th Bombardment Squadron and equipped withDouglas A-20 Havoc light bombers. Following theattack on Pearl Harbor thesquadron began to flyantisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast and over the Caribbean Sea, becoming the9th Antisubmarine Squadron.
After theNavy assumed the unit's mission in 1943, it moved to Arizona, where it trained as aConsolidated B-24 Liberator unit, and deployed with its planes to theEuropean Theater of Operations, entering combat in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany on 7 May 1944. In July 1944, thesquadron converted toBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, continuing combat with the486th Bombardment Group until April 1945. FollowingV-E Day it returned toDrew Field, Florida, where it was inactivated on 7 November 1945.
Thesquadron was organized atArmy Air Base, Savannah, Georgia in January 1941 as the80th Bombardment Squadron, one of the original squadrons of the45th Bombardment Group and equipped withDouglas A-20 Havocs (along with a few DB-7s, an export version of the A-20).[a] In June the 80th moved with thegroup toArmy Air Base, Manchester, New Hampshire.[2][3]
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Following theattack on Pearl Harbor the squadron began flyingantisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast. In 1942, it converted to theDouglas B-18 Bolo, which was equipped with radar for the antisubmarine mission. The squadron moved toDover Army Air Field, Delaware in April 1942 and toMiami Army Air Field, Florida in July.[2][3]
In October 1942, theArmy Air Forces organized its antisubmarine forces into the singleArmy Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, which established the26th Antisubmarine Wing the following month to control its forces operating over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.[4][5] The command's bombardment group headquarters, including the 45th, were inactivated and the squadron, now designated the9th Antisubmarine Squadron, was assigned directly to the 26th Wing.[2][3]
By the fall of 1942, theU-boat threat along the Atlantic coast had substantially diminished, but Germanwolfpacks were attacking merchant shipping in the waters nearTrinidad. In November, the squadron moved seven radar-equipped B-18B and three B-18C Bolos,[citation needed] toEdinburgh Field, where it joined elements of the25th Bombardment Group, aSixth Air Force unit, that was also engaged in antisubmarine patrols.[6] They remained there until March 1943, when the 9th returned to its base in Miami.[2][7][8]
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 Liberators without such equipment.[9]
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After the Navy assumed its mission, the squadron was redesignated the835th Bombardment Squadron and moved toDavis-Monthan Field, Arizona, where it formed thecadre for the486th Bombardment Group, which had been activated atMcCook Army Air Field, Nebraska on 20 September 1943 as aConsolidated B-24 Liberator unit. The groupheadquarters joined the squadron at Davis-Monthan in November and trained for combat. The squadron began deploying overseas in early March 1944.[2][10] Its air echelon flew its Liberators along the southern ferry route.[11]
The squadron arrived at its combat station,RAF Sudbury, the following month. It flew its first combat mission on 7 May.[11] It conductedstrategic bombing missions against industrial facilities, includingoil refineries and petroleum storage facilities at Dollbergen,Hamburg andMerseburg and factories atMannheim andWeimar. It also struck at transportation targets, such asmarshalling yards nearKöln,Mainz andStuttgart;airfields atKassel andMünster; and harbor installations atBremen andKiel.[10] On 19 July 1944, along with the other B-24 units of the92d Bombardment Wing, the squadron was taken off operations and began conversion to theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress. This marked the beginning of the change of the3d Bombardment Division to an All-B-17 unit. The group completed its conversion and resumed operations by 1 August, while its Liberators were sent to depots in England for eventual transfer as replacements to2d Bombardment Division groups.[11][12]
The squadron was occasionally diverted from strategic targets to support ground forces. Preparing forOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, it attacked bridges,V-weapons launch sites, and airfields. OnD-Day, it bombed gun positions. AsAllied forces advanced across northern France in the summer of 1944, it attacked troop concentrations and road junctions. DuringOperation Market Garden, it struck gun positions nearArnhem to minimize losses amongglider andparatroopers attempting to seize bridges across theRhine River.
On 15 October 1944, a B-17G of the squadron, 43-38137, crashed on takeoff from RAF Sudbury. The plane's only survivor was the pilot, who was severely injured; a civilian in a house that was struck was also killed. A memorial plaque can be seen inSudbury, and a propeller from the plane is part of a memorial atBarksdale Global Power Museum in Louisiana.[13][14]
In December 1944 and January 1945, the squadron supported troops fighting theBattle of the Bulge. In the spring of 1945, it supportedOperation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine.[10] The squadron flew its last mission on 21 April 1945.[11]
The squadron remained in England until August 1945, when it returned to the United States. Its aircraft began departing in early July, while its ground echelon sailed on theRMS Queen Elizabeth on 25 August, arriving inNew York City six days later.[11] The 835th reassembled atDrew Field, Florida, in September, but was inactivated there on 7 November 1945.[2]
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Antisubmarine | 7 December 1941 – 1 August 1943 | 80th Bombardment Squadron (later 9th Antisubmarine Squadron)[2] |
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 5 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 835th Bombardment Squadron[2] |
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 5 April 1944 – 11 May 1945 | 835th Bombardment Squadron[2] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 835th Bombardment Squadron[2] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 835th Bombardment Squadron[2] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 835th Bombardment Squadron[2] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 835th Bombardment Squadron[2] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 835th Bombardment Squadron[2] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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