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| 45th Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
 40th Bombardment WingB-47 Stratojet atSmoky Hill Air Force Base | |
| Active | 1941–1946; 1952–1964 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Engagements | China-Burma-India Theater Pacific Theater |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 45th Bombardment Squadron emblem(approved 6 March 1942)[1] |  |
The45th Bombardment Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the40th Bombardment Wing, based atForbes Air Force Base,Kansas. It was inactivated on 1 September 1964.
The45th Bombardment Squadron was formed atBorinquen Field, Puerto Rico, on 1 April 1941, and assigned to the newly formed40th Bombardment Group (Medium). Its initial mission was the aerial defense of Puerto Rico and the Antilles chain of islands. Equipped withDouglas B-18 Bolos.[2]
After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, the unit was placed on full alert and all aircraft were kept armed and "bombed-up" at all times. On many occasions, the units' B-18's got off following a "scramble" on only 15 minutes notice. As the strength of Air Corps units in the Antilles grew and was augmented byArmy Air Forces Antisubmarine Command and Navy air assets, it became possible to re-deploy the 45th to Panama to aid the hard-pressed Pacific and Caribbean approaches patrol forces there. Accordingly, on 7 June 1942 (following its redesignation as the45th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 7 May 1942) the Squadron departed for Panama by ship, arriving atFrance Field on 17 June where it was assigned LB-30 aircraft and laterB-24s. Anti-submarine patrols were made over the Pacific.[3]
On 18 February 1943 the 45th Bomb Squadron was transferred toSeymour Field,Galapagos Islands. In May it moved back to Panama, being assigned toHoward Field,Panama Canal Zone. With the general wind-down in action in the Caribbean, the Squadron was moved back to the United States in May 1943.
Assigned toPratt Army Airfield, Kansas in July 1943, being re-manned with new personnel. Received prototype and early production-modelB-29 Superfortress very heavy bombers. Trained underSecond Air Force for an extended period due toBoeing technicians making modifications of B-29 aircraft. Deployed to the newXX Bomber Command as part of the58th Bombardment Wing in theChina-Burma-India Theater, flying to bases inIndia via South Atlantic Transport route; across centralAfrica,Arabia toKarachi. Additional modifications of B-29s were necessary in India to accommodate very high ground temperatures of 115 °F (46 °C).
From airfields in eastern India, engaged in very long range bombardment raids onJapan. The squadron participated in the first American Air Force attack on the Japanese Home Islands since the 1942Doolittle raid on 15/16 June 1944, attacking the Imperial Iron and Steel Works atYawata onKyushu by using its forward staging base atHsinching Airfield (A-1), China, for refueling.[4] Performed a total of nine missions to Japan, also engaged in very long range attacks against enemy targets inThailand,Manchuria,Borneo,Formosa,Burma,Malaya, Japanese-occupied China,Singapore,Saigon andCam Rahn Bay,French Indochina. Also engaged in aerial mining of Japanese-occupied seaports in Thailand Malaya and French Indochina.[4]
Advance of American forces in the Central Pacific though theNorthern Mariana Islands made new airfields available within the effective bombing range of Japan. Moved to West Field onTinian in April 1945, becoming part of the newXXI Bomber Command. From the Marianas, engaged in very long range strategic attacks on Japan, its first mission being on 5 May 1945 against the Hiro Naval Aircraft Factory inKure. Air attacks over Japan were initially high-altitude daylight bombing missions against industrial, transportation and military targets, largely ineffective due to high upper level winds dispersing bombs over a wide area. By July, began low-level large area night incendiary raids on urban areas, and dropped mines in Japanese shipping lanes. Continued aerial assaults until the Japanese Capitulation in August 1945, final combat mission taking place on 9/10 August attacking theHikari Naval Arsenal.[4]
AfterV-J Day, the squadron dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners in Japan,Korea, and Formosa, and took part in show-of-force missions. Demobilized onTinian in 1946, aircraft being returned to the United States for storage. Inactivated as a paper unit in October.
Reactivated in 1953 underStrategic Air Command, receiving then second-line B-29s for training and organization. Replaced the propeller-driven B-29s with newB-47E Stratojet swept-wing medium bombers in 1954, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of theSoviet Union. In the late 1950s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. Began sending aircraft to other B-47 wings as replacements in early 1964, being one of the last SAC squadrons equipped with the Stratojet. Inactivated in September when the last aircraft was retired.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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Previously: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941); Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942) | |||||||||||||||
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