2d Antisubmarine Squadron

Last updated
2d Antisubmarine Squadron
2d Antisubmarine Squadron - Emblem.png
Emblem of the 2d Antisubmarine Squadron
Active1942-1944
CountryUnited States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleAnti-Submarine


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, and under the command of Col. Jack Roberts. [1] On 13 November 1943, the 2d Antisubmarine Squadron was directed to relinquish their assignment to the U.S. Navy and to return to the United States with all personnel and equipment. For its role in the war, the group, which existed for only one year, was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation, It was inactivated on 29 January 1944. [2]

Contents

History

Lineage

Activated on 18 October 1942
Redesignated: 2d Antisubmarine Squadron on 23 November 1942
Disbanded on 29 January 1944.

Assignments

Attached to: VIII Bomber Command, c. 2 January 1942
Attached to: 1st Antisubmarine Group [Prov], 15 January 1943
Attached to: 2037th Antisubmarine Wing [Prov], 1 March-21 June 1943

Stations

Operated from Agadir, French Morocco, July 1943

Aircraft

Operational history

The 2d Antisubmarine Squadron was formed at Langley Field, Virginia training on mixture of B-17 Flying Fortresses, B-18 Bolos and B-34 Ventura as aerial antisubmarine killer hunter squadron. Redesignated 2d Antisubmarine Squadron and reassigned to 25th Antisubmarine Wing upon inactivation of initial training group. [3]

Deployed to RAF St Eval England initially as part of VIII Bomber Command then 1st Antisubmarine Wing (Heavy), (subsequently redesignated 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional) and ultimately 480th Antisubmarine Group). The squadron was the first USAAF Antisubmarine Command squadron to cross the Atlantic. Trained with RAF Coastal Command using B-24 Liberators in aerial antisubmarine tactics. [4]

Deployed again 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 as part of 2037th Antisubmarine Wing (Provisional) under the operational control of the United States Navy (USN) Fleet Air Wing 15 (FAW-15), which answered to the commander of the Moroccan Sea Frontier. [5]

The squadron flew B-24s daily on operational missions as part of the 480th Antisubmarine Group, covering an area as far south as 30°N, as far north as Cape Finisterre, Spain, and as far west as a thousand nautical miles from Port Lyautey. Much of the time, the Liberators flew convoy coverage for ships sailing from or approaching the Straits of Gibraltar. The 480th's antisubmarine activity reached a peak in July 1943 when enemy U-boats concentrated off the coast of Portugal to intercept convoys bound for the Mediterranean. The squadron destroyed and damaged several submarines during the month, which aided in protecting supply lines to forces involved in the campaign for Sicily. At the time, the 480th Antisubmarine Group was under the command of Colonel Jack Roberts and consisted of both the 1st and 2nd Antisubmarine Squadrons. The group was assigned to the Northwest African Coastal Air Force under the command of Air Vice-Marshal Hugh Lloyd but they operated under the control of USN FAW-15 at Port Lyautey, French Morocco, now Kenitra, Morocco.

Returned to the United States in November 1943, inactivating in January 1944

Related Research Articles

480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing Military unit

The 480th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Wing is headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron Military unit

The 12th Airborne Command and Control Squadron is a United States Air Force flying unit, assigned to the 461st Air Control Wing, stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The squadron flies the Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS, providing airborne battle management, command and control, surveillance, and target acquisition. The J-STARS radar system detects, locates, classifies, tracks and targets ground movements, communicating information through secure data links with other command posts.

25th Attack Group Military unit

The 25th Attack Group is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It was activated in February 2018 as a Geographically Separate Unit to operate unmanned aerial vehicles and is assigned to the 432d Wing, which is located at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. As of 2020, the group manages five MQ-9 Reaper attack squadrons, as well as the 25th Operations Support Squadron, which provides intelligence, weather, and administrative support.

91st Air Refueling Squadron Military unit

The 91st Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions.

867th Attack Squadron Military unit

The 867th Attack Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It was reactivated at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, on 10 September 2012 as a remotely piloted aircraft squadron.

The 25th Antisubmarine 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 the principal United States Army Air Forces Unit conducting anti-submarine warfare off the East Coast of the United States and Canada until it was disbanded on 15 October 1943.

365th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group Military unit

The 1st Search Attack Group was a United States Army Air Forces unit that served during World War II. Its last assignment was with First Air Force. It was based at Langley Field, Virginia throughout its existence, and equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Douglas B-18 Bolo, and Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft. It was disbanded on 20 April 1944.

819th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 819th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 30th Bombardment Group at Kahuku Army Air Field, Hawaii, where it was inactivated on 30 November 1945.

Naval Air Station Port Lyautey

Naval Air Station Port Lyautey is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station in Morocco, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-northwest of Kenitra and about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northeast of Casablanca. The Naval Air Station was turned over to the Royal Moroccan Air Force and the last of US military personnel departed the base in 1977. The airport was later reopened as Kenitra Airport after it was closed.

855th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 855th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The squadron was first activated as the 522d Bombardment Squadron at Lantana Airport, Florida, in October 1942, when it assumed the personnel and equipment of a National Guard unit engaged in antisubmarine warfare over the Atlantic. The squadron continued antisubmarine patrols as the 17th Antisubmarine Squadron until the summer of 1943, when its mission was transferred to the Navy.

859th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 859th Special Operations Squadron is a United States Air Forces unit. It was first activated in October 1942 as the 517th Bombardment Squadron, when the Army Air Forces replaced National Guard observation units that had been mobilized and were performing antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coastline. A month after its activation, the squadron was redesignated the 12th Antisubmarine Squadron. In August 1943, the Army Air forces began turning the antisubmarine patrol mission over to the Navy and the squadron moved to California, where, as the 859th Bombardment Squadron, it formed the cadre for the 492d Bombardment Group.

835th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 835th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in January 1941 as the 80th Bombardment Squadron and equipped with Douglas A-20 Havoc light bombers. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor the squadron began to fly antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast and over the Caribbean Sea, becoming the 9th Antisubmarine Squadron.

863rd Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 863rd Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was first organized as the 518th Bombardment Squadron in October 1942, when it replaced a National Guard unit participating in antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast, becoming the 13th Antisubmarine Squadron in November. When the Navy took over the coastal antisubmarine mission in August 1943, the squadron moved to the western United States, where it formed the cadre for the 493rd Bombardment Group and was redesignated as the 863rd. It moved to England in the spring of 1944 and participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany until April 1945. It returned to the United States and was inactivated in August 1945.

851st Strategic Missile Squadron Military unit

The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was equipped with the HGM-25A Titan I intercontinental ballistic missile, with a mission of nuclear deterrence. It was the last Titan I squadron to achieve alert status on 1 February 1961. The squadron was inactivated as part of the phaseout of the Titan I on 25 March 1965.

827th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 827th Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to the 484th Bombardment Group at Casablanca Airport, French Morocco, where it was inactivated on 25 July 1945.

839th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 839th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in January 1941 as the 79th Bombardment Squadron and equipped with Douglas A-20 Havoc light bombers. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor the squadron began to fly antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast and over the Caribbean Sea, becoming the 8th Antisubmarine Squadron.

19th Military Airlift Squadron Military unit

The 19th Military Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 62d Military Airlift Wing, Military Airlift Command, stationed at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 22 December 1969.

6th Air Defense Missile Squadron Military unit

The 6th Air Defense Missile Squadron was an air defense unit of the United States Air Force. It was assigned to the New York Air Defense Sector of Aerospace Defense Command, at Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated on 15 December 1964. The squadron had its headquarters at Suffolk County Air Force Base, while the firing batteries of the squadron were at the nearby Suffolk County Air Force Base Missile Annex.

Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command Military unit

The Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command was formed in the fall of 1942 to establish a single command to control antisubmarine warfare (ASW) activities of the Army Air Forces (AAF). It was formed from the resources of I Bomber Command, which had been carrying out the antisubmarine mission in the Atlantic and Caribbean since the Attack on Pearl Harbor due to the lack of long range Naval aviation in that area.

1st Antisubmarine Squadron Military unit

The 361st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was formed in 1985 by the consolidation of the 1st Antisubmarine Squadron and the 661st Bombardment Squadron. However, the squadron was ever active under its new title.

References

  1. ↑ "HyperWar: Europe: TORCH to POINTBLANK August 1942 TO December 1943 (Chapter 12)". www.ibiblio.org. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  2. ↑ "BRIGADIER GENERAL JACK ROBERTS > U.S. Air Force > Biography Display". www.af.mil. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  3. 1 2 Maurer, Maurer (1969). Combat Squadrons of the Air Force; World War II. USAF Historical Division, Department of the Air Force.
  4. 1 2 Division, United States USAF Historical (1961). Maurer, Maurer (ed.). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  5. ↑ "The War's Oddest Dogfight". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.