787th Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 787th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group
. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona
on 17 October 1945.
in Idaho
. Completed training in early 1944; deploying to European Theater of Operations
(ETO) assigned to VIII Bomber Command
in England
.
Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment operations over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany
, March 1944-May 1945 attacking enemy military and industrial targets as part of the United States' air offensive against Nazi Germany
. Most personnel demobilized in Europe after the German capitulation in May 1945; a small cadre returned to the United States, being programmed for conversion to being a B-29 Superfortress
very heavy bomb squadron and deployment to the Central Pacific to engage in strategic bombardment over Japan.
Training ended after Japanese capitulation in August 1945, unit inactivated in October; its training aircraft being assigned to other squadrons or sent to storage.
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 was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group
466th Bombardment Group
The 466th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the Second Air Force, being stationed at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona. It was inactivated on 17 October 1945...
. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
on 17 October 1945.
History
Established in mid-1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb group; trained under 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....
in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. Completed training in early 1944; deploying to European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
(ETO) assigned to VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The 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...
in 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...
.
Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment operations over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, March 1944-May 1945 attacking enemy military and industrial targets as part of the United States' air offensive against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. Most personnel demobilized in Europe after the German capitulation in May 1945; a small cadre returned to the United States, being programmed for conversion to being 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...
very heavy bomb squadron and deployment to the Central Pacific to engage in strategic bombardment over Japan.
Training ended after Japanese capitulation in August 1945, unit inactivated in October; its training aircraft being assigned to other squadrons or sent to storage.
Lineage
- Constituted 787th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943
- Activated on 1 August 1943
- Redesignated 787th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 5 August 1945
- Inactivated on 17 October 1945
Stations
- 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 1943 - 31 August 1943, 24 November 1943 - February 1944 - Kearns Center, 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...
31 August 1943 - 24 November 1943 - Topeka Army Air Base, 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...
, 5–13 February 1944 - 7 March 1944 - RAF AttlebridgeRAF AttlebridgeRAF Attlebridge is a former World War II RAF Station and airfield in England. The field is located near Attlebridge 8 miles NW of Norwich in Norfolk.-RAF Bomber Command use:...
(AAF-120), England 7 March 1944 - 6 July 1945 - Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 15 July 1945 - 25 July 1945 - Pueblo Army Air Base, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 25 July 1945 - 15 August 1945 - Davis-Monthan Field, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 15 August-17 October 1945