| 364th Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
 B-58A Hustler, last type flown by the squadron[a] | |
| Active | 1942–1946; 1947–1948; 1951–1970 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Medium bomber |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 364th Bombardment Squadron emblem[b][1] |  |
| World War II fuselage code[2] | WF |
The364th Bombardment Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the305th Bombardment Wing atBunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana, where it was inactivated on 1 January 1970. Thesquadron was first activated in March 1942. After training in the United States, it moved to England in the fall of 1942, where it participated in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning aDistinguished Unit Citation for its actions. FollowingV-E Day, the squadron moved to Germany, where it formed part of theoccupation forces until inactivating in December 1946.
The squadron was reactivated in 1947, but does not seem to have been equipped or manned before it was inactivated in 1948. It was activated underStrategic Air Command (SAC) in 1951 asBoeing B-47 Stratojet unit. In 1961, it converted to theConvair B-58 Hustler, which it flew until inactivating.
Thesquadron was first activated atSalt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah on 1 March 1942 as one of the original squadrons of the305th Bombardment Group.[3][4] and began training on theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In June, it moved toGeiger Field, Washington, and in July, toMuroc Army Air Field, California for more intensive training.[1][5] On 23 August, its ground echelon left forFort Dix, New Jersey and sailed for theEuropean Theater of Operations on theRMS Queen Mary on 5 September, landing in Scotland on 12 September. The air echelon received additional training atHancock Field, New York, before taking theNorth Atlantic ferrying route to Prestwick in September and October.[5]
The ground echelon arrived atRAF Grafton Underwood in September. The squadron flew its first mission on 17 November 1942.[5] In December it moved toRAF Chelveston, which would be its combat station for the remainder of the war.[1]
The squadron primarily engaged in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany. It attacked targets in Belgium, France and Germany, includingKriegsmarine targets such assubmarine pens, docks, harbors and shipyards. This included the attack on the naval yards atWilhelmshaven on 27 January 1943, whenheavy bombers ofVIII Bomber Command made their first combat strike in German airspace.[4]
It also attacked automotive factories andmarshalling yards on the continent. On 4 April 1943, it made a precision strike on theRenault automotive factory inParis in the face of devastatingfighter attacks by an estimated 50 to 75Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, which attacked the squadron's formation for fifty minutes,[6] and heavyflak,[d] for which it was awarded theDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC). Missions included attacks onBerlin, oil refineries atMerseburg, aircraft factories atAnklam, shipping atGdynia and the ball bearing factories atSchweinfurt.[4]
On 11 January 1944, the squadron participated in an attack on an aircraft plant in central Germany, nearBrunswick. Extensive cloud cover had resulted in the recall of two of the threebombardment divisions involved in the mission and made the rendezvous of the fighter groups scheduled to provide cover in the target area difficult. In contrast, clear weather to the east of the target permitted the Germans to assemble one of the largest fighter formations since October 1943, with 207 enemy fighters making contact with the strike force. For this mission, it was awarded a second DUC. Between 20 and 25 February 1944, it took part inBig Week, the intensive campaign byEighth Air Force against the German aircraft manufacturing industry.[4][7]
On the first day of Big Week, the B-17 flown by LtWilliam R. Lawley was attacked head on by German fighters as it turned away from the target. A cannon shell exploded in the cockpit, killing the copilot and seriously wounding Lt Lawley, the pilot. Seven other aircrew were wounded and an engine was set on fire. Lt Lawley forced the copilot's body off the controls, which had put the aircraft in an out of control dive and recovered control. Because of the fire and the inability of the plane to release it bombs, Lt Lawley ordered the crew to bail out because of the danger of an explosion. However, several wounded crew members could not bail out, so he continued home. Further attacks took out a second engine. On the long flight home Lawley lost consciousness and the bombardier, who had finally managed to jettison the bombs, flew the plane until Lawley could land the plane. A third engine failed as he successfully crash landed without further injury to the crew remaining aboard the bomber. For this action, Lt Lawley was awarded theMedal of Honor.[8]
Less than two months later, on 11 April 1944, a squadron bomber flown by LtEdward S. Michael was hit by cannon shells, causing the aircraft to enter a spin. Enemy fighters followed the bomber on its spiral down and wounded both Lt Michael and his copilot. Recovering from the spin, the pilots found that part of the plane's incendiary bomb load had caught fire. The emergency jettison lever failed and Lt Michael ordered the crew to bail out. However, the bombardier's parachute had been damaged by enemy fire, and Lt Michael decided to return to England. Although loss of blood rendered him periodically unconscious, Lt Michael was able to make a successful crash landing. For this action, he was also awarded a Medal of Honor[9]
The squadron was occasionally diverted from its strategic mission to carry outinterdiction andair support missions. Prior toOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, it helped neutralize enemy forces with attacks onairfields,V-1 flying bomb andV-2 rocket launch facilities and repair shops. OnD Day, it struck enemy strongholds near the landing beaches. In July 1944 it attacked enemy positions in advance of ground forces inOperation Cobra, the breakout atSaint Lo. It attacked antiaircraft batteries to supportOperation Market Garden, the airborne attacks nearArnhem attempting to secure a bridgehead across theRhine. In December 1944 and January 1945, it attacked enemy installations near theBattle of the Bulge. In March 1945, it supportedOperation Varsity, airborne assault across the Rhine in Germany.[4]
The squadron flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945.[4] FollowingV-E Day, the squadron moved toSint-Truiden Airfield in Belgium, from which it conducted photographic mapping flights over Europe and North Africa which came under the name Project Casey Jones. On 15 December 1945 it became part of theoccupation force, when it moved toLechfeld Airfield, Germany which it had bombed on 18 March 1944, and which it now used as an occupation base.[5] The squadron was reduced in both personnel and equipment during 1946, and by the end of October, it had stopped all operations.[5] It was inactivated on 25 December 1946.[1]
The squadron was reactivated underStrategic Air Command (SAC) in 1951 withBoeing B-47 Stratojet medium jet bombers, originally with B-47As, then with B-47Bsit began flying operational strategic bombardment and refueling missions fromMacDill Air Force Base, Florida. In 1955, SAC upgraded the squadron to the B-47E, the major production version of the Stratojet. The squadron, with B-47s, moved toBunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana in May 1959.[1]
The squadron began training crews on theConvair B-58 Hustler in 1961, replacing its Stratojets. The squadron also was equipped with training models of the Hustler.[1]
At the beginning of theCuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Only six B-58s in the entire SAC inventory were onalert. Even these aircraft were "second cycle" (follow on) sorties. Training was suspended, and the squadron, along with SAC's other B-58 squadrons, began placing its bombers on alert. By the first week of November, 84 B-58s were standing nuclear alert, and as SAC redeployed itsBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers, 20 of these were "first cycle"sorties.[e] Within a short time, this grew to 41 bombers. By 20 November, SAC resumed its normal alert posture, and half the squadron's aircraft were kept on alert.[10][11]
In December 1965,Robert S. McNamara,Secretary of Defense announced a phaseout program that would further reduce SAC’s bomber force. This program called for the mid-1971 retirement of all B-58s and someBoeing B-52 Stratofortress models.[12] With the removal of the B-58 from SAC's bomber force, the squadron was inactivated at the end of January 1970.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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