Active 1942-1959 Role Bombardment | Country United States Part of Tactical Air Command | |
 | ||
Branch United States Air Force | ||
The 500th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 345th Bombardment Wing, based at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 25 June 1959.
Contents
History
Established as a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber group in late 1942; trained under Third Air Force in the southeast United States. Deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO), in June 1943 being assigned to Fifth Air Force in the Southwest Pacific Area.
Engaged in combat operations initially during the New Guinea Campaign, attacking enemy targets in New Guinea in support of General MacArthur's campaign, using B-25s for low-level strafing attacks. B-25s were modified with extra fuel tanks to increase range with extra .50 caliber machine guns installed in the noses of the aircraft. Squadron engaged in combat over New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Northern Solomon Islands, the Southern Philippines and Leyte. Also flew long-distance attacks over Southeastern China, Formosa and Japan before the Japanese Capitulation in August 1945. Squadron demobilized on Okinawa during the fall of 1945, inactivated on 19 December.
Reactivated in 1954 as part of Tactical Air Command. Equipped with B-26's and later with B-57'S. Trained to maintain combat proficiency in locating, attacking, and destroying targets from all altitudes and under all conditions of weather and light including deployment to Dhahran Airfield, Saudi Arabia 16 July-21 October 1958.
Inactivated on 25 June 1959 as part of the phaseout of the B-57.