| 871st Bombardment Squadron (later 871st Air Expeditionary Squadron)  | |
|---|---|
 A squadronF-15 Eagle arrives atKeflavik International Airport | |
| Active | 1943-1946; 2008; 2015 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Expeditionary support |
| Engagements | Pacific Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 871 Bombardment Sq emblem[a][1] |  |
The871st Bombardment Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. DuringWorld War II it was assigned to the497th Bombardment Group until it was inactivated on 31 March 1946. Thesquadron was activated in late 1943. After training in the United States, it moved toSaipan, where it served in thestrategic bombing campaign against Japan withTwentieth Air Force, flyingBoeing B-29 Superfortress aircraft in thePacific Theater of Operations, where it earned twoDistinguished Unit Citations. FollowingV-J Day, the squadron returned to the United States and briefly became part ofStrategic Air Command before inactivating.
In 2007 the squadron was converted to provisional status as the871st Air Expeditionary Squadron and assigned toUnited States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. It was activated in 2008 atAccra, Ghana.
Thesquadron was established in late 1943 as the871st Bombardment Squadron atEl Paso Army Air Base, Texas, aBoeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment squadron that was one of the original operational squadrons of the497th Bombardment Group.[1] The squadron's initialcadre was drawn from the491st Bombardment Group.[2]
In December the squadron moved on paper toClovis Army Air Field, New Mexico.[2] At Clovis, the squadron began to man its air echelon by January 1944. The 871st drew heavily onaircrews of the480th Antisubmarine Group who were returning to the United States from duty in England and Africa to fill out its crews. Aircrew training at Clovis was limited to ground training, although some flying inBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress andConsolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft assigned to the73d Bombardment Wing was accomplished. Key personnel trained with theArmy Air Forces School of Applied Tactics atOrlando Army Air Base, Florida.[3]
In April 1944, the air and ground echelons united atPratt Army Air Field. Here the 871st finally received newly manufacturedBoeing B-29 Superfortresses the following month, although it continued to fly B-17s as well due to continuing engine problems with the B-29s. In May theUnited States Army Air Forces reorganized its very heavy bombardment units. The872d Bombardment Squadron and support units of the 497th group were inactivated and their personnel absorbed into the 871st and the remaining squadrons of the group.[4]
The 871st deployed to thePacific Theater of Operations, with the ground echelon sailing 30 July on the SSFairisle, passing throughHonolulu andEniwetok before arriving atSaipan on 20 September.[5] Upon arrival the squadron's personnel were engaged in construction. By mid-October most personnel were able to move intoQuonset huts from the tents which they were assigned on arrival. The aircrews began departing Kansas on 6 October, ferrying their aircraft to Saipan via a 6500 nautical mile route, with the last B-29 arriving on 30 October. At Saipan the unit became part of theXXI Bomber Command[1] atIsely Field.
The squadron began operations on 28 October 1944 with a night attack against thesubmarine pens atTruk Islands and attacks againstIwo Jima in early November.[6] The squadron took part in the first attack on Japan by AAF planes based in theMarianas.[7] On 24 November 1944 110 aircraft of the 73rd Bombardment Wing bombed Tokyo on this mission. The 871st flew missions against strategic objectives in Japan, originally in daylight and from high altitude.[7] It was also tasked with "Weather Strike" missions which were single ship flights flown nightly to obtain weather information for target areas in Japan while also making incendiary attacks on various targets.[8]
The squadron received aDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for a mission on 27 January 1945. Although weather conditions prevented the group from bombing its primary objective, the unescorted B-29's withstood severe enemy attacks to strike an alternate target, the industrial area ofHamamatsu. It was awarded a second DUC for attacking strategic centers in Japan during July and August 1945. The squadron assisted theassault on Okinawa in April 1945 by bombing enemy airfields to cut down air attacks against the invasion force. Beginning on 19 March and continuing until the end of the war the squadron made incendiary raids against Japan, flying at night and at low altitude to bomb area targets.[7] The unit released propaganda leaflets over the Japanese home islands,[9] continuing strategic bombing raids and incendiary attacks until theJapanese surrender in August 1945.[7]
AfterV-J Day, the 871st dropped supplies to Allied prisoners.[10] In November 1945 the unit returned to the United States[1] where it became part ofContinental Air Forces atMarch Field, California. In January 1945, the 871st moved toMacDill Field, Florida. In March 1946 CAF became Strategic Air Command (SAC), and the squadron was one of SAC's first bombardment squadrons. Demobilization, however, was in full swing and the squadron turned in its aircraft and was inactivated on 31 March.[1]
In 2007 the squadron was converted to provisional status as the871st Air Expeditionary Squadron and assigned toUnited States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. It was activated in 2008 atAccra, Ghana.[11]The squadron was again activated in April 2015 atKeflavik International Airport for the Icelandic Air Surveillance and Policing mission. Iceland does not maintain its own military force, so the United States and otherNATO allies periodically rotate through Keflavik to maintain the integrity and security of Iceland's airspace. the 2015 deployment included fourMcDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle fighters fromRAF Lakenheath, aBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker fromRAF Mildenhall and approximately 200 airmen.[12]
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| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 27 January 1945 | Japan 871st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 26 July 1945 – 2 August 1945 | Japan 871st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Japan | 17 September 1944 – 2 September 1945 | 871st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Eastern Mandates | 17 September 1944 – 14 April 1944 | 871st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Western Pacific | 17 April 1945 – 2 September 1945 | 871st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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