878th Bombardment Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 878th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the 499th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at March Field, California
on 16 February 1946.
Very Heavy bombardment Squadron; trained under Second Air Force. Underwent an extended training period while B-29 Aircraft were manufactured and development difficulties corrected.
Deployed to Saipan
in September 1944 and numerous missions in daylight, operating from high altitude to bomb strategic targets in Japan
. Later, began low-level night raids, flying at low altitude to drop incendiaries on area targets. Completed a series of attacks against enemy airfields on Kyūshū to aid the Allied assault on Okinawa in April 1945. Also dropped propaganda leaflets on Japan, and after the war dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners of war.
Returned to the United States in November, 1945, being assigned to March Field, California
. It was assigned to the Fourth Air Force
of Continental Air Forces. Demobilization, however, was in full swing and the squadron turned in its aircraft and was inactivated on 16 February 1946.
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 499th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at March Field, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on 16 February 1946.
History
Established in late 1943 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...
Very Heavy bombardment Squadron; trained under Second Air Force. Underwent an extended training period while B-29 Aircraft were manufactured and development difficulties corrected.
Deployed to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
in September 1944 and numerous missions in daylight, operating from high altitude to bomb strategic targets in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Later, began low-level night raids, flying at low altitude to drop incendiaries on area targets. Completed a series of attacks against enemy airfields on Kyūshū to aid the Allied assault on Okinawa in April 1945. Also dropped propaganda leaflets on Japan, and after the war dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners of war.
Returned to the United States in November, 1945, being assigned to March Field, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was assigned to the Fourth Air Force
Fourth Air Force
The Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....
of Continental Air Forces. Demobilization, however, was in full swing and the squadron turned in its aircraft and was inactivated on 16 February 1946.
Lineage
- Constituted 878th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 19 November 1943
- Activated on 20 November 1943
- Inactivated on 16 February 1946
Stations
- 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...
, 20 November 1943 - Smoky Hill Army Airfield, 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 December 1943 - Clovis Army Airfield, 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...
, 11 February 1944 - Smoky Hill Army Airfield, 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...
, 8 April-22 July 1944 - Isley AirfieldSaipan International Airport- See also :* East Field * USAAF in the Central Pacific-References:* Dorr, Robert F. B-29 Units of World War II. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-84176-285-7...
, SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Mariana IslandsThe 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...
22 September 1944-c. November 1945 - March Field, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, c. November 1945-16 February 1946