| 505th Bombardment Group | |
|---|---|
 GroupB-29s atNorth Field, Tinian July 1945 | |
| Active | 1944-1946 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Strategic bombardment |
| Engagements | Pacific Ocean Theater |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| Tail marking | K above a triangle (January – March 1945)[1] |
| Tail marking | W within a circle (April – September 1945)[1] |
The505th Bombardment Group is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was withThirteenth Air Force, stationed atClark Field,Philippines, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1946. After organizing and training in the United states, thegroup served in thePacific Ocean theater of World War II as part ofTwentieth Air Force. The group'sBoeing B-29 Superfortress engaged in thestrategic bombing campaign against Japan from January through August 1945, earning twoDistinguished Unit Citations.
The505th Bombardment Group was activated atDalhart Army Air Field, Texas in March 1944 as aBoeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardmentgroup, drawing its initialcadre from the9th Bombardment Group.[2] In moved toHarvard Army Air Field, Nebraska on 1 April, where the group began training withBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses on 1 July until B-29s became available.[2][3] On 1 May 1944, the group reorganized from four squadrons of 7 airplanes into three squadrons of 10 planes each.[4] The group trained for combat with B-29s until leaving Harvard on 6 November 1944.[3]
The group's ground echelon sailed from theSeattle Port of Embarkation for the Pacific on 14 November. The air echelon staged throughHamilton Field andMather Field, California with its B-29s.[2]
The group arrived at its combat station,North Field, Tinian in the Mariana Islands on 19 December 1944. Three days later, it began flying training missions, including an attack onMoen Airfield in January. It flew its first combat mission on 24 January 1945 against targets onIwo Jima and theTruk Islands.[2] It began operations flying high altitude daylight missions, engaging in thestrategic bombing campaign against Japan. On 10 February, it flew a strike on theNakajima Aircraft Company factory atOta, for which it was awarded aDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC).[3] Eighteen group B-29s bombed the target, but eight were lost, most to operational problems.[2] However, The results of high altitude B-29 raids on Japan were disappointing. From 19 January, no mission had been able to bomb visually, and radar bombing results were unsatisfactory. Low altitude night area attacks with incendiaries promised better results forXXI Bomber Command. The switch in tactics began with the launch of a raid against the port and urban area of Tokyo on 9 March 1945.[5][6]
The group conducted area raids with incendiaries until August 1945. During April 1945, the group was diverted from the strategic campaign against Japan to supportOperation Iceberg, the invasion ofOkinawa. It struckMiyazaki Airfield andKanoya Airfield,[6] bases from whichkamikaze attacks were being launched. These bases were located onKyushu, only 300 miles from Okinawa. The attacks directly impacted kamikaze launches, but also forced the Japanese military to retainfighter aircraft to defend theJapanese Special Attack Units that otherwise might have been used to challengeair superiority over Okinawa.[6][7][a]
The group also conductedaerial mining operations against Japanese shipping.[3] It was the only group inXXI Bomber Command to carry out these missions, which began on 27 March.[6] On 17 June, it concentrated its efforts on the mining campaign. It received a second DUC for mining theShimonoseki Strait and harbors in theInland Sea between 17 June and 1 July 1945.[3][8] The group flew its last mission on the night of 14 and 15 August 1945.[8] FollowingV-J Day its B-29s carried relief supplies to Alliedprisoner of war camps. It also flewshow of force flights and conductedbomb damage assessment flights over Japan. It moved toClark Field in the Philippines in March 1946, and was inactivated there on 15 June 1946.[3]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 10 February 1945 | Ota, Japan[3] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 17 June – 1 July 1945 | Japan[3] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Japan | 24 December 1944 – 2 September 1945 | [3] |
| Western Pacific | 17 April 1945 – 2 September 1945 | [3] |
| Eastern Mandates | 7 December 1943 – 14 April 1944 | [3][b] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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