| 529th Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1942–1946; 1947–1949; 1955–1966; 1971–1991 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Medium bomber |
| Mascot | Li'l Beaver (World War II) |
| Engagements | Southwest Pacific Theater |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 529th Bombardment Squadron emblem[b] | .png) |
| 529th Bombardment Squadron emblem[c][1] |  |
| 529th Bombardment Squadron emblem(World War II)[2] |  |
The529th Bombardment Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the380th Bombardment Wing atPlattsburgh Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated on 1 September 1991.
Thesquadron was first activated duringWorld War II. After training as aheavy bomber unit in the United States, it moved to theSouthwest Pacific Theater, entering combat in May 1943, flying combat missions from Australia while attached to theRoyal Australian Air Force, earning twoDistinguished Unit Citations and aPhilippine Presidential Unit Citation. In 1945 it moved forward to the Philippines, then toOkinawa. FollowingV-J Day, the squadron returned to the Philippines and was inactivated there in February 1946.
The squadron was activated in thereserves in 1947, but was inactivated in the military budget reductions of 1949.
The squadron was activated at Plattsburgh in July 1955 as aStrategic Air Command (SAC) bomber unit. At Plattsburgh, it flewBoeing B-47 Stratojets until inactivating in 1966 when the B-47 was withdrawn from service with SAC. It was again activated in 1971 withGeneral Dynamics FB-111 Aardvarks until inactivating when its planes were transferred toTactical Air Command and modified for conventional operations.
Thesquadron was activated atDavis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 3 November 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the380th Bombardment Group. After training withConsolidated B-24 Liberators, the squadron moved to theSouthwest Pacific Theater in April 1943.[1][3]
The air echelon arrived atManbulloo Airfield, in the Australian Northern Territory by the end of April.[1] For the remainder of its stay in Australia, the squadron and the rest of the 380th Group would be attached to theRoyal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It trained RAAF crews on the operation of the Liberator. Its initial combat operations were in May, when it flewarmed reconnaissance missions.[3]
From its home in Australia, the 529th attacked Japanese installations in the Netherlands East Indies and the Bismark Archipelago, including airfields, ground installations and factories. In August 1943, it participated in a series of raids onoil refineries inBalikpapan, Borneo in what at the time was the longest bombing mission flown by anArmy Air Forces bomber unit. For this mission, the squadron was awarded theDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC). During April and May 1944, the unit conducted a series of raids on enemy airfields in western New Guinea to support landings in theHollandia area, for which it was awarded a second DUC.[3]
The squadron was relieved from attachment to the RAAF and moved to the Philippines in February 1945. Operating fromMindoro, the squadron providedair support for ground forces onLuzon, and attacked industrial targets inFormosa, ground installations along the China coast and transportation targets in French Indochina. It also continued its attacks on refineries in Borneo. In August 1945, the squadron moved toOkinawa. FollowingV-J Day, the squadron flewreconnaissance missions over Japan and flewprisoners of war from Japan toManila. The squadron became nonoperational and moved toFort William McKinley in November 1945. It was inactivated there in February 1946.[1][3]
The squadron was activated in thereserves atJacksonville Municipal Airport, Florida, where its training was supervised byAir Defense Command (ADC). Although nominally a very heavy bomber unit, it is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped at this time.[4] In 1948Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve andAir National Guard units from ADC.[5] PresidentTruman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,[6] and the 529th was inactivated[1] and not replaced as reserve flying operations at Jacksonville ceased.
The squadron was again activated atPlattsburgh Air Force Base, New York in July 1955 as part of the 380th Bombardment Wing and equipped withBoeing B-47 Stratojets.[1] Although activated on the 11th, the squadron did not begin to be operational until the end of the month. Substantial work was ongoing to make Plattsburgh operational, and in the first half of 1956, most training was conducted through a detachment of the 380th Wing located at another B-47 base,Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida. From 3 April 1957 to 3 July 1957, the squadron deployed toRAF Brize Norton onOperation Reflex.[7] Reflex placed Stratojets andBoeing KC-97s at bases closer to the Soviet Union for 90 day periods, although individuals rotated back to home bases during unit Reflex deployments[8] The percentage of SAC planes on fifteen minuteground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike gradually grew over the next three years to reach the goal of 1/3 of SAC’s force on alert by 1960.[9][10]
From 1958, the Stratojet wings ofStrategic Air Command (SAC) began to assume analert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases.[10] The alert commitment was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962.[11]
After thedetection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, SAC dispersed its B-47s on 22 October 1962.[12] Most dispersal bases were civilian airfields with AF Reserve orAir National Guard units. Squadron B-47s were configured for execution of theEmergency War Order as soon as possible after dispersal. On 24 October 1962, SAC went toDEFCON 2, placing all its combat aircraft on alert.[13] As tensions eased, on 15 November 1/6 of the dispersed B-47s were recalled to their home bases.[14] On 21 November, SAC went to DEFCON 3. Dispersed B-47s and supporting tankers were recalled on 24 November. On 27 November the squadron returned to its normal alert posture.[15]
The squadron flew the B-47 Until 1965, when themedium bomber began to be phased out of SAC's inventory. Ground alert for B-47s was terminated on 11 February 1966.[16] The squadron began to send its Stratojets to theAerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for retirement.[citation needed] It became nonoperational on 11 June 1966 and was inactivated on 25 June.[7]
In July 1971, the squadron was activated and became combat ready with theGeneral Dynamics FB-111A Aardvark medium bomber.[7] In 1991, the squadron began transferring its aircraft to be modified as F-111Gfighter-bombers. With the exception of museum aircraft, the last FB-111 was gone by July 1991,[17] and the squadron was inactivated in September.[18]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 13, 14, 17 August 1943 | Borneo[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 20 April 1944-17 May 1944 | New Guinea[1] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1974-30 June 1975 | [25] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1979-30 June 1981 | [25] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1983-30 June 1985 | [25] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1985-30 June 1986 | [25] |
_Streamer.png) | Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation | 21 February 1945-4 July 1945 | [1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Japan | 28 April 1943 – 2 September 1945 | [1] |
| New Guinea | 28 April 1943 – 31 December 1944 | [1] |
| Bismarck Archipelago | 15 December 1943 – 27 November 1944 | [1] |
| Luzon | 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945 | [1] |
| China Defensive | 21 February 1945 – 4 May 1945 | [1] |
| Southern Philippines | 27 February 1945 – 4 July 1945 | [1] |
| China Offensive | 5 May 1945 – 2 September 1945 | [1] |
| Western Pacific | 17 April 1945 – 2 September 1945 | [1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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