1st Antisubmarine Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 1st Antisubmarine Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the 480th Antisubmarine Group, based at Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico
. It was inactivated on 29 January 1944.
bombardment unit flying patrols in the northwest with B-17 Flying Fortresses, it was prepared for deployment to England
as an Eighth Air Force
heavy bombardment Squadron.
Reassigned to Langley Field, Virginia
, it converted into a B-24 Liberator
antisubmarine unit, being redesignated the 1st Antisubmarine Squadron. It deployed to RAF St Eval
in England as part of the 1st Antisubmarine Group (Provisional); it trained with RAF Coastal Command
on aerial antisubmarine tactics.
The squadron deployed to Port Lyautey in French Morocco in March 1943 to shore up scanty Allied antisubmarine defenses in the Atlantic approaches to the Straits of Gibraltar. It was part of the 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional) under the operational control of the United States Navy
Fleet Air Wing 15, which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier.
The squadron flew antisubmarine hunter killer missions from Morocco, deploying to stations in Tunisia in September 1943. It operated twenty-four hours a day until the landing
of the United States Fifth Army at Salerno in Italy. It extended antisubmarine patrols until 9 September to cover the sea west of Sardinia
and Corsica
. One B-24 destroyed three German flying boats northwest of Sardinia. In addition to the antisubmarine patrols, the 1st Squadron flew escort for several Allied convoys and covered the escape of Italian naval vessels from Genoa
and Spezia to Malta
following Italy's surrender. Both the 1st and 2nd Antisubmarine Squadron
s made-up the 480th Antisubmarine Group under the command of Colonel Jack Roberts. In June 1943, the group was assigned to the Northwest African Coastal Air Force
under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Lloyd, RAF, but the group operated under the control of the USN FAW-15 at Port Lyautey, French Morocco, (now Kenitra
, Morocco
).
The squadron returned to Morocco on 18 September and operated in the Moroccan Sea Frontier until it returned to the United States in November 1943, it was inactivated in January 1944.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last assignment was with the 480th Antisubmarine Group, based at Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. It was inactivated on 29 January 1944.
Operations
The squadron was organized in Utah, then formed in Washington state and began training as a Second Air ForceSecond Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
bombardment unit flying patrols in the northwest with B-17 Flying Fortresses, it was prepared for deployment to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as an Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
heavy bombardment Squadron.
Reassigned to Langley Field, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, it converted into a B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
antisubmarine unit, being redesignated the 1st Antisubmarine Squadron. It deployed to RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval
RAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
in England as part of the 1st Antisubmarine Group (Provisional); it trained with RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command
RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
on aerial antisubmarine tactics.
The squadron deployed to Port Lyautey in French Morocco in March 1943 to shore up scanty Allied antisubmarine defenses in the Atlantic approaches to the Straits of Gibraltar. It was part of the 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional) under the operational control of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Fleet Air Wing 15, which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier.
The squadron flew antisubmarine hunter killer missions from Morocco, deploying to stations in Tunisia in September 1943. It operated twenty-four hours a day until the landing
Allied invasion of Italy
The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied landing on mainland Italy on September 3, 1943, by General Harold Alexander's 15th Army Group during the Second World War. The operation followed the successful invasion of Sicily during the Italian Campaign...
of the United States Fifth Army at Salerno in Italy. It extended antisubmarine patrols until 9 September to cover the sea west of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
. One B-24 destroyed three German flying boats northwest of Sardinia. In addition to the antisubmarine patrols, the 1st Squadron flew escort for several Allied convoys and covered the escape of Italian naval vessels from Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
and Spezia to Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
following Italy's surrender. Both the 1st and 2nd Antisubmarine Squadron
2d Antisubmarine Squadron
The 2d Antisubmarine Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 480th Antisubmarine Group, based at Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico...
s made-up the 480th Antisubmarine Group under the command of Colonel Jack Roberts. In June 1943, the group was assigned to the Northwest African Coastal Air Force
Northwest African Coastal Air Force
The Northwest African Coastal Air Force was a sub-command of the Northwest African Air Forces which itself was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command...
under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Lloyd, RAF, but the group operated under the control of the USN FAW-15 at Port Lyautey, French Morocco, (now Kenitra
Kenitra
Kenitra is a city in Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey. It is a port on the Sebou River, has a population in 2004 of 359,142 and is the capital of the Gharb-Chrarda-Béni Hssen region. During the Cold War Kenitra's U.S...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
).
The squadron returned to Morocco on 18 September and operated in the Moroccan Sea Frontier until it returned to the United States in November 1943, it was inactivated in January 1944.
Lineage
- Constituted 361st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
- Activated on 15 July 1942
- Redesignated: 1st Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) on 23 November 1942
- Disbanded on 29 January 1944.
Assignments
- 304th Bombardment Group304th Bombardment GroupThe 304th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in Langley Field, Virginia...
, 15 July 1942
- Air echelon attached to VIII Bomber CommandVIII Bomber CommandThe VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...
, c. 10 November 1942-15 January 1943- 25th Antisubmarine Wing25th Antisubmarine WingThe 25th Anti-Submarine Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based in New York City, New York. It was inactivated on 15 October 1943-History:...
, 30 December 1942
- 25th Antisubmarine Wing
- Attached to: 1st Antisubmarine Group [Prov], 15 January-1 March 1943
- Attached to: 2037th Antisubmarine Wing [Prov], 1 March-21 June 1943
- 480th Antisubmarine Group, 21 June 1943-29 January 1944.
Stations
- Salt Lake City AABSalt Lake City International AirportSalt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district...
, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, 15 July 1942 - Geiger Field, Washington, 15 September 1942
- Ephrata, WashingtonEphrata, WashingtonEphrata is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,808 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grant County.-History:...
, 1 October 1942 - Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 29 October-26 December 1942
- Operated from: RAF St EvalRAF St EvalRAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, beginning on 10 November 1942- RAF St Eval, England, 13 January 1943
- Port LyauteyNaval Air Station Port LyauteyNaval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco, about 5 km north-northwest of Kenitra ; about 120 km northeast of Casablanca. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force and the last of US military personnel departed...
, French MoroccoFrench MoroccoFrench Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, 9 March-27 November 1943
- Operated from: AgadirAgadirAgadir is a major city in southwest Morocco, capital of the Agadir province and the Sous-Massa-Draa economic region .-Etymology:...
, French Morocco, July 1943 - Operated from: Protville, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, 2–18 September 1943- Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, c. 4–29 January 1944.