531st Bombardment Squadron

History

Established in late 1942 as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron; trained under Second Air Force in Texas, and later in Colorado. Deployed to the Southwest Pacific Area (SPA) in April 1943, being assigned to Fifth Air Force in Australia.

From airfields in Australia, the squadron reached out to the Japanese installations in the Netherlands East Indies. Moved to the Philippines where the squadron operated in early 1945, then to Okinawa where combat operations ended after the Japanese Capitulation in August. After the war, squadron personnel were demobilized and returned to the United States, the B-24s sent to reclamation in the Philippines. Inactivated as a paper unit in early 1946.

In 1947, the squadron was reactivated as a reserve unit of the Strategic Air Command at MacDill Field, Florida. The squadron remained an inactive reserve unit until 1951 when the squadron was inactivated.

Activated as a B-29 Superfortress squadron in the reserves, 1947. Not manned or equipped, inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.

The squadron was activated in 1959 as a result of Strategic Air Command phasing out the B-47, 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 1 January 1962 as part of the drawdown of the USAF B-47 force, with the aircraft were sent to AMARC storage at Davis-Monthan.

Lineage

Constituted 531st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 October 1942

Activated on 3 November 1942 Inactivated on 20 February 1946

Redesignated 531st Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 13 May 1947

Activated in the reserve on 29 May 1947 Redesignated 531st Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 26 June 1949 Ordered to active service on 1 May 1951 Inactivated on 16 May 1951

Activated on 1 May 1959

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 January 1962.

Assignments

380th Bombardment Group, 3 November 1942 – 20 February 1946

Attached to: Royal Australian Air Force, 28 April 1943 - 1 March 1945

Fourteenth Air Force, 29 May 1947

380th Bombardment Group, 16 June 1947 – 16 May 1951

380th Bombardment Wing, 1 May 1959 – 1 January 1962.

Stations

Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 3 November 1942

Biggs Field, Texas, 2 December 1942

Lowry Field, Colorado, 4 March-19 April 1943

Manbulloo Airfield, Australia, c. 28 April 1943

Long Airfield (Long Strip), Australia, c. 5 December 1943

RAAF Base Darwin, Australia, 21 July 1944

San Jose, Mindoro, c. 1 March 1945

Motobu Airfield, Okinawa, c. 15 August 1945

Fort William McKinley, Luzon, C. 28 November 1945 – 20 February 1946

MacDill AFB, Florida, 29 May 1947 – 16 May 1951

Plattsburgh AFB, New York, 1 May 1959 – 1 January 1962

Aircraft

B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945

B-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951

B-47 Stratojet, 1959–1961

Operational history

Combat in Southwest and Western Pacific, c. 21 May 1943 – 24 July 1945. Reserve B-29 squadron, activated during Korean War. Aircraft and personnel reassigned to other active duty squadrons then squadron inactivated w/o/p/e. SAC Medium bomber (B-47) squadron (1959–1962).