304th Bombardment Group | |
---|---|
Emblem of the 304th Bombardment Group | |
Active | 1942 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
Type | Bombardment |
Role |
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The 304th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Forces (AAF) unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, based at Langley Field, Virginia. It was inactivated on 30 December 1942
The United States Army Air Forces, informally known as the Air Force, was the aerial warfare service of the United States during and immediately after World War II (1939/41–1945), successor to the previous United States Army Air Corps and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force of today, one of the five uniformed military services. The AAF was a component of the United States Army, which in 1942 was divided functionally by executive order into three autonomous forces: the Army Ground Forces, the Services of Supply, and the Army Air Forces. Each of these forces had a commanding general who reported directly to the Army Chief of Staff.
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.
The group was activated in July 1942 but did not receive personnel until September 1942 when it began training on the west coast. [1] Its original assigned squadrons were the 361st, [2] 362d, [3] 363d, [4] and 421st Bombardment Squadrons [5]
A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. The terms group and wing differ significantly from one country to another, as well as between different branches of a national defence force.
The 847th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the 489th Bombardment Group at Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas where it was inactivated on 28 March 1945. The squadron performed antisubmarine patrols in 1942 and 1943. After reforming as a heavy bomber squadron, it engaged in combat in the European Theater of Operations until returning to the United States in late 1944. The squadron was inactivated while its parent group was training as a very heavy bombardment unit.
In October 1942, the group moved to Langley Field and operated with AAF Antisubmarine Command, using such planes as B-17 Flying Fortress, B-18 Bolo, B-24 Liberator and A-20 Havoc to fly Anti-submarine warfare patrols along the east coast. [1] The 304th also trained crews for antisubmarine patrol duty overseas. [1] In early November, the 361st squadron moved to St Eval, England and began antisubmarine operations for Eighth Air Force. In late November, three of the group's squadrons were redesignated as Antisubmarine Squadrons. In December the group was inactivated and its squadrons transferred to the 25th Antisubmarine Wing. [2] [3] [4]
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines.
Patrolling is a military tactic. Small groups or individual units are deployed from a larger formation to achieve a specific objective and then return. The tactic of patrolling may be applied to ground troops, armored units, naval units, and combat aircraft. The duration of a patrol will vary from a few hours to several weeks depending on the nature of the objective and the type of units involved.
St Eval is a civil parish and hamlet in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The hamlet is about four miles (6.5 km) southwest of Padstow. The parish population at the 2011 census was 960.
The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943.
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