460th Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 460th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 333d Bombardment Group
, stationed at Kadena Air Base
, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946.
very heavy bomb squadron in 1944. Mission was as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) under II Bomber Command
training B-24 replacement pilots and aircrew.
Redesignated a B-29 Superfortress
operational squadron in April 1944. Trained under Second Air Force
; deployed to the Western Pacific, being assigned to the new Eighth Air Force
. Arrived in Okinawa but Japanese Capitulation led to drawdown of Eighth Air Force and the squadron never was engaged in combat.
Flew show-of-force missions over Occupied Japan
and aircraft helped evacuate prisoners of war from Japan and China
to airfields in the Philippines
. Personnel demobilized and aircraft flown to storage in the United States in May 1946 and the unit was inactivated as a paper unit in Okinawa on 28 May.
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 was assigned to the 333d Bombardment Group
333d Bombardment Group
The 333d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 316 Bombardment Wing, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946-History:...
, stationed at Kadena Air Base
Kadena Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946.
History
Established as a B-24 LiberatorB-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...
very heavy bomb squadron in 1944. Mission was as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) under II Bomber Command
II Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
training B-24 replacement pilots and aircrew.
Redesignated a B-29 Superfortress
B-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...
operational squadron in April 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....
; deployed to the Western Pacific, being assigned to the new 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....
. Arrived in Okinawa but Japanese Capitulation led to drawdown of Eighth Air Force and the squadron never was engaged in combat.
Flew show-of-force missions over Occupied Japan
Occupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
and aircraft helped evacuate prisoners of war from Japan and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to airfields in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Personnel demobilized and aircraft flown to storage in the United States in May 1946 and the unit was inactivated as a paper unit in Okinawa on 28 May.
Lineage
- Constituted 460th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 1 July 1942
- Activated on 6 July 1942
- Inactivated on 1 April 1944
- Redesignated 460th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy)
- Activated on 1 April 1944
- Inactivated on 10 May 1944
- Activated on 7 July 1944
- Inactivated on 28 May 1946
Assignments
- 330th Bombardment Group330th Bombardment GroupThe 330th Bombardment Group was a bomber group of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It constituted on 1 July 1942 at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah. The unit fought in the Pacific Theater...
, 6 July 1942-1 April 1944; 1 April 1944-10 May 1944 - 333d Bombardment Group333d Bombardment GroupThe 333d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 316 Bombardment Wing, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946-History:...
, 7 July 1944-28 May 1946.
Stations
- Salt Lake City Army Air Base, 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...
, 6 July 1942 - Alamogordo Army Air Field, 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...
, 1 August 1942 - Biggs Field, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 2 September 1942 - Alamogordo Army Air Field, 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...
, 1 December 1942 - Biggs Field, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 5 April 1943-1 April 1944
- Walker Army AirfieldWalker Army Airfield (Kansas)Walker Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located north of Interstate 70 in Ellis County, 4 miles northeast of Victoria, Kansas....
, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 1 April-10 May 1944 - Dalhart Army Airfield, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 7 July 1944 - Great Bend Army AirfieldGreat Bend Army AirfieldGreat Bend Army Airfield is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located west-southwest of Great Bend, Kansas, and was closed in 1946. Today it is used as Great Bend Municipal Airport....
, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 10 December 1944-18 June 1945 - Kadena Air BaseKadena Air Base, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
, Okinawa, 5 August 1945-28 May 1946