Active 1942-1960 Type Bombardment | Country United States | |
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Branch United States Air Force | ||
The 506th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 44th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Chennault Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was inactivated on 15 June 1960.
Contents
History
Activated in late 1942 as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron, trained under II Bomber Command in Utah and Colorado. Received deployment orders for the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in February 1943.
Deployed to England in March 1943, being assigned to VIII Bomber Command as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe. Engaged in very long range strategic bombing missions to enemy military, industrial and transportation targets in Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany.
Deployed flight of B-24s to IX Bomber Command in North Africa during the summer of 1943 and conducted strategic bombardment operations from airfields in Libya and Tunisia over enemy targets in the Balkans and Italy. Flight detached with aircraft and personnel reassigned to new Fifteenth Air Force in November 1943.
Remaining squadron in England conducted combat operations until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England during the summer of 1945; squadron returned to the United States and redesignated a B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy unit; programmed for deployment to Pacific Theater and to engage in combat over Japan. Deployment canceled by Japanese capitulation and reassigned to Continental Air Forces Squadron reassigned to 485th Bombardment Group as part of consolidation of units in March 1946, being transferred to Strategic Air Command in late March. Personnel shortages and budget reductions led to squadron inactivation in August 1946, equipment and personnel reassigned to other SAC units.
The squadron was activated in 1959 as a result of Strategic Air Command phasing out the B-47 Stratojet, and additional squadrons were activated as part of the consolation of Stratojet wings, and the replacement of the B-47 by B-52 Stratofortresses. In March 1961, President John F. Kennedy directed that the phaseout of the B-47 be accelerated. and the squadron was inactivated on 15 June 1960 as part of the drawdown of the USAF B-47 force, with the aircraft were sent to AMARC storage at Davis-Monthan.