304th Bombardment Group

Last updated
304th Bombardment Group

304thbombgroup-emblem.jpg

Emblem of the 304th Bombardment Group
Active 1942
Country United States
Branch United States Army Air Forces
Type Bombardment
Role
Antisubmarine warfare

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

United States Army Air Forces Aerial warfare branch of the United States army from 1941 to 1947

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.

Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command

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.

Contents

History

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.

847th Bombardment Squadron unit of the United States Army Air Forces

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 Branch of naval warfare

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 military tactic

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 village in the United Kingdom

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.

Lineage

Activated on 15 July 1942
Inactivated on 30 December 1942

Assignments

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.

Squadrons

Air echelon attached to VIII Bomber Command, after c. 10 November 1942 [2]

Stations

Salt Lake City International Airport international airport in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-minute drive of nearly 1.3 million jobs.

Ephrata, Washington City in Washington, United States

Ephrata is a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,664 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Grant County.

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 3 Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 177. ISBN   978-0-912799-02-5.
  2. 1 2 3 Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN   0-405-12194-6.
  3. 1 2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 30
  4. 1 2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 101
  5. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 779-780. The 421st was originally the 32d Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), but was redesignated before activating in July

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

Related Research Articles

331st Air Expeditionary Group

The 331st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 315th Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Northwest Field, Guam. It was inactivated on 15 April 1946.

15th Special Operations Squadron

The 15th Special Operations Squadron is part of the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It operates Lockheed MC-130H Combat Talon II aircraft in support of special operations.

820th Bombardment Squadron

The 820th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 41st Bombardment Group, based at Fort Lawton, Washington. It was inactivated on 4 January 1946.

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 Atlantic Coast of the United States and Canada until it was disbanded on 15 October 1943.

819th Bombardment Squadron

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.

13th Air Expeditionary Group

The 13th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit.

378th Bombardment Group

The 378th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command at Langley Field, Virginia, where it was stationed from October to December 1942. The group participated in the Antisubmarine Campaign along the Atlantic coast of the United States until it was inactivated when the Antisubmarine Command assigned all its squadrons directly to the command's two antisubmarine wings.

14th Antisubmarine Squadron

The 14th Antisubmarine Squadron is a disbanded United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in 1942 as the 519th Bombardment Squadron and flew antisubmarine missions off the Atlantic coast until the Navy assumed its mission. It then moved to Texas, where it was disbanded in November 1943 and its personnel were used as cadres for heavy bomber groups.

855th Bombardment Squadron

The 855th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 491st Bombardment Group, based at McChord Field, Washington where it was inactivated on 8 September 1945.

831st Bombardment Squadron

The 831st Bombardment Squadron was a squadron of the United States Army Air Forces. It was activated in 1942 as the 516th Bombardment Squadron and flew antisubmarine missions off the Atlantic coast as the 11th Antisubmarine Squadron. Later, it saw combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator unit, where it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation. Following V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States and was inactivated at Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa on 20 August 1945.

863d Bombardment Squadron

The 863d 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 493d Bombardment Group and was redesignated as the 863d. 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

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.

2d Combat Bombardment Wing 1919-1945 United States Army Air Forces numbered wing

The Second Bombardment Wing, abbreviated both as 2d Bombardment Wing and 2nd Bombardment Wing, of the United States Army Air Forces is a disbanded unit whose last assignment was with the Continental Air Forces, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was last active in November 1945.

407th Air Refueling Squadron inactive United States Air Force unit

The 407th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 42d Bombardment Wing, stationed at Loring Air Force Base, Maine. It was inactivated on 1 October 1990.

827th Bombardment Squadron

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

19th Military Airlift Squadron

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.

24th Tactical Missile Squadron

The 24th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last active as the 74th Air Defense Missile Squadron assigned to the 23d Air Division of Aerospace Defense Command, stationed near Duluth Municipal Airport, Minnesota, where it was inactivated in 1972. The squadron's earliest predecessor was active early in World War II as an antisubmarine unit in the Caribbean and Europe until its mission was transferred to the United States Navy. During the Cold War it was a training unit for Matador cruise missiles. Its most recently active predecessor was an air defense missile squadron in the northern United States from 1960 to 1972.

361st Tactical Missile Squadron

The 361st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was formed by the consolidation of the 1st Antisubmarine Squadron and the 661st Bombardment Squadron