40th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 40th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force
unit. It is assigned to the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing
, possibly stationed at Diego Garcia
. Its current status is undetermined.
heavy bomb group in early 1944; trained under Second Air Force
in Nebraska
. Initially trained with B-17 Flying Fortresses until B-29 aircraft were manufactured and assigned to the unit.
Deployed to Tinian
, Northern Mariana Islands
in December 1944. Entered combat by flying navigational escort for a major attack force bound for Iwo Jima
. The squadron then struck Tokyo and other major Japanese cities and facilities during daylight high-altitude bombing raids, with crippling, non-stop incendiary raids which destroyed lines of communication, supply, and numerous kamikaze bases. On 25 May 1945, the squadron flew a low-altitude night mission through alerted enemy defenses to drop incendiary bombs on Tokyo, for which they received their first Distinguished Unit Citation.
In addition to incendiary raids, the 40th also participated in mining operations. By mining harbors in Japan and Korea in July 1945, the squadron contributed to the blockade of the Japanese Empire earning their second Distinguished Unit Citation. The 40th's final World War II mission came on 14 August 1945, with the dropping of 500-pound general purpose bombs on the Marifu railroad yards at Iwakuni.
With the war over, the squadron dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners of war and took part in show-of-force flights over Japan. Aircraft and were returned to the United States in late 1945; unit remained assigned to 20th Air Force primarily as an administrative unit where it was unequipped; finally inactivated in 1948.
Reactivated in January 1951 due to expansion of the Air Force due to the Cold War
. Equipped with B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental strategic bombers. Initially was equipped with B-36Fs. Later Featherweight III B-36Js were added, the squadron operating both types. Carried blue stripe on the tip of the vertical stabilizer; the lip of the jet intakes and the "nose cone" of the jet itself along with triangle-R tail code. SAC eliminated tail codes in 1953. In September 1957 the B-36s were replaced with B-52E Stratofortress aircraft and all squadron markings were eliminated. Continued strategic bombardment training until 1967 when the squadron was inactivated with the closing of Walker AFB.
Reactivated as a provisional B-52H strategic bomb squadron as part of the Global War on Terrorism in 2002. Engaged in combat operations over Iraq
and Afghanistan
. Suspected to have ended combat operations in 2006; current status is undetermined.
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. It is assigned to the 40th Air Expeditionary Wing
40th Air Expeditionary Wing
The United States Air Force's 40th Air Expeditionary Wing was an Air expeditionary unit located at Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, from 2001 to c. 2006....
, possibly stationed at Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia
Diego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
. Its current status is undetermined.
History
Established as a B-29 SuperfortressB-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
heavy bomb group in early 1944; trained under Second Air Force
Second 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....
in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Initially trained with B-17 Flying Fortresses until B-29 aircraft were manufactured and assigned to the unit.
Deployed to Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
in December 1944. Entered combat by flying navigational escort for a major attack force bound for Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
. The squadron then struck Tokyo and other major Japanese cities and facilities during daylight high-altitude bombing raids, with crippling, non-stop incendiary raids which destroyed lines of communication, supply, and numerous kamikaze bases. On 25 May 1945, the squadron flew a low-altitude night mission through alerted enemy defenses to drop incendiary bombs on Tokyo, for which they received their first Distinguished Unit Citation.
In addition to incendiary raids, the 40th also participated in mining operations. By mining harbors in Japan and Korea in July 1945, the squadron contributed to the blockade of the Japanese Empire earning their second Distinguished Unit Citation. The 40th's final World War II mission came on 14 August 1945, with the dropping of 500-pound general purpose bombs on the Marifu railroad yards at Iwakuni.
With the war over, the squadron dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners of war and took part in show-of-force flights over Japan. Aircraft and were returned to the United States in late 1945; unit remained assigned to 20th Air Force primarily as an administrative unit where it was unequipped; finally inactivated in 1948.
Reactivated in January 1951 due to expansion of the Air Force due to the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Equipped with B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental strategic bombers. Initially was equipped with B-36Fs. Later Featherweight III B-36Js were added, the squadron operating both types. Carried blue stripe on the tip of the vertical stabilizer; the lip of the jet intakes and the "nose cone" of the jet itself along with triangle-R tail code. SAC eliminated tail codes in 1953. In September 1957 the B-36s were replaced with B-52E Stratofortress aircraft and all squadron markings were eliminated. Continued strategic bombardment training until 1967 when the squadron was inactivated with the closing of Walker AFB.
Reactivated as a provisional B-52H strategic bomb squadron as part of the Global War on Terrorism in 2002. Engaged in combat operations over Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Suspected to have ended combat operations in 2006; current status is undetermined.
Lineage
- Constituted 40th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 28 Mar 1944
- Activated on 1 Apr 1944
- Inactivated on 18 Oct 1948
- Redesignated 40th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 20 Dec 1950
- Activated on 2 Jan 1951
- Redesignated 40th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 16 Jun 1952
- Inactivated on 25 Jan 1967
- Redesignated 40th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and converted to provisional status 31 Jan 2002
- Current status undisclosed
Assignments
- 6th Bombardment Group, 1 Apr 1944-18 Oct 1948; 2 Jan 1951
- 6th Bombardment (later Strategic Aerospace) Wing, 16 Jun 1952-25 Jan 1967
- 40th Air Expeditionary Wing40th Air Expeditionary WingThe United States Air Force's 40th Air Expeditionary Wing was an Air expeditionary unit located at Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, from 2001 to c. 2006....
, 31 Jan 2002-TBD
Stations
- Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, 1 Apr 1944
- Grand Island Army AirfieldGrand Island Army AirfieldGrand Island Army Airfield was a United States Army Air Forces airfield which operated from 1942 to 1946. After its closure, the base was reopened as Central Nebraska Regional Airport.-History:...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 26 May-18 Nov 1944 - North FieldNorth Field (Tinian)North Field is a former World War II airfield on Tinian in the Mariana Islands. Abandoned after the war, today North Field is a tourist attraction....
, TinianTinianTinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
, 28 Dec 1944 - Clark Field, Philippines, 13 Mar 1946
- Kadena AB, Okinawa, 1 Jun 1947-18 Oct 1948
- Walker AFB, New MexicoNew MexicoNew 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...
, 2 Jan 1951-25 Jan 1967 - Diego GarciaDiego GarciaDiego Garcia is a tropical, footprint-shaped coral atoll located south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean at 7 degrees, 26 minutes south latitude. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory [BIOT] and is positioned at 72°23' east longitude....
, 31 Jan 2001-TBD
Aircraft
- B-17 Flying Fortress, 1944
- B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
, 1944–1947; 1951–1952 - B-36 Peacemaker, 1952–1957
- B-52 StratofortressB-52 StratofortressThe Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
, 1957–1967; 2002-TBD