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| 14th Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
 14th Bombardment Squadron B-17E, Clark Field, Philippines before the 8 December 1941 attack | |
| Active | 1917–1918; 1928-1946 (Not equipped or manned, May 1942 – 2 April 1946) |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Engagements | World War II Battle of the Philippines |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Philippine Presidential Unit Citation[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 14th Bombardment Squadron emblem[1][a] |  |
The14th Bombardment Squadron was asquadron of theUnited States Army Air Forces. The squadron fought in theBattle of the Philippines (1941–42), much of its aircraft being destroyed in combat against the Japanese. The survivors of the ground echelon fought as infantry duringBattle of Bataan and after their surrender, were subjected to theBataan Death March, although some did escape toAustralia. The remainder of the air echelon fought in theDutch East Indies campaign (1942) before being reassigned to other units. The squadron was never remanned or equipped. It was carried as an active unit until 2 April 1946.[1]
The first predecessor of thesquadron was organized in May 1917 as the1st Aviation School Squadron atRockwell Field, California. Three months later, it was redesignated the14th Aero Squadron, and in July 1918 as Squadron A, Rockwell Field. It operated as a flying training unit withCurtiss JN-4, Curtiss JN-6, andThomas-Morse S-4 aircraft until it was demobilized in November 1918 following the end ofWorld War I.[1]
The squadron's second predecessor was organized atBolling Field, District of Columbia on 1 April 1928 as theAir Corps Detachment, Bolling Field, DC. It was assigned directly to theOffice of Chief of Air Corps until 1933, when it was reassigned toThird Corps Area. It operated a variety of aircraft at Bolling.[1] AFokker C-2A transport of the squadron participated as the receiving aircraft (Question Mark) in a week-long endurance flight testing the practicability ofair refueling.[citation needed] In March 1935, the squadron was redesignated the14th Bombardment Squadron and assigned to the9th Bombardment Group atMitchel Field, New York although the squadron remained at Bolling. The two squadrons were consolidated into a single unit in June 1935 and the consolidated unit was inactivated in September 1936.[1]
The squadron was activated again atHickam Field, Hawaii on 1 February 1940 as one of the original squadrons of the11th Bombardment Group. It trained withDouglas B-18 Bolo bombers, but by 1941 had begun to receive early modelBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses.[1][2]
The19th Bombardment Group had been selected for transfer to the Philippines; however, the need for B-17 bombers there was so urgent that a provisional group already in Hawaii was dispatched to Manila by way of Australia in September.[3] Under the command of MajorEmmett O'Donnell Jr., nine B-17s of the 14th Squadron with nine crews made up of the cream of the5th and 11th Bombardment Groups, pioneered anair ferry route from Hawaii to the Philippines, leaving on 5 September 1941, and arriving on 12 September 1941, atClark Field, Philippines. This was the first flight of land-based bombers across the central Pacific. A portion of the flight involved traversing uncharted waters fromWake Island toPort Moresby andDarwin and thence to Clark Field. They maintained radio silence over theJapanese mandate islands. Successful completion of this flight proved that the Philippines could be reinforced by air. For achievement in this flight, the airmen of this squadron were awarded theDistinguished Flying Cross.[citation needed]. In December, the squadron was assigned to the7th Bombardment Group, which was programmed to deploy to the Philippines, but was attached to the 19th Group, which had been established at Clark Field in October.[1][4]
On 8 December 1941, the Japanese bombed and strafed Clark Field, catching many B-17s andCurtiss P-40 Warhawks on the ground, which were destroyed. Sixteen B-17s of the squadron had moved toDel Monte Field andSan Marcelino Airfield and were spared being destroyed. CaptainColin P. Kelly, of the squadron attacked theJapanese Navyheavy cruiserAshigara, thought to be a battleship. Captain Kelly was killed when his B-17 was shot down by Japanese fighters as he was returning to Clark Field, and was posthumously awarded theDistinguished Service Cross.[citation needed]
The air echelon of the squadron was evacuated toBatchelor Field, Australia on 24 December 1941, while the ground echelon stayed to fight at Clark Field, as infantry in the Philippines as part of theBattle of the Philippines under the command of5th Interceptor Command.[citation needed] Orders were soon received from Far East Air Force to move toJava, and the air echelon relocated from Batchelor Field toSingosari Airfield, Java on 30 December 1941.[1]
The 19th Group flew missions from Singosari Airfield, attacking enemy aircraft, ground installations, warships and transports during the later stages of the Battle of the Philippines and theDutch East Indies campaign between January and March 1942. The group earned a total of four United States PresidentialDistinguished Unit Citations for actions in thePhilippine Islands andDutch East Indies. The air echelon of 14th Bombardment Squadron ceased operating from Singosari, Java on 1 March 1942, and began moving toMelbourne, Australia. Arriving atEssendon Airport, Melbourne on 4 March 1942, the air echelon of 14th Bombardment Squadron began operating from Essendon, Australia.[citation needed]
On 14 March 1942, the air echelon of 14th Bombardment Squadron was detached from the 19th Bombardment Group and ceased operations, with men and equipment transferred to other units. The 14th Bombardment Squadron continued as an active unit, but was not manned or equipped, and was inactivated on 2 April 1946 and disbanded on 19 August 1949.[1]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Previously: Philippine Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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