Active 1943-1945 | ||
![]() | ||
Branch |
The 766th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 461st Bombardment Group. It was last stationed at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, and was inactivated on 18 August 1945.
Contents
History
Established in mid-1943 as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron; trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in February 1944, being assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in Southern Italy.
Engaged in very long range strategic bombardment missions against enemy strategic targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Balkans until April 1945. Bombed aircraft factories, assembly plants, oil refineries, storage areas, marshalling yards, airdromes, and other objectives until the German Capitulation in May 1945.
Most of squadron was demobilized in Italy in May 1945; returning to United States with skeleton staff. Re-equipped and redesignated a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomb squadron, and received new personnel. Began training under Second Air Force for planned deployment to the Western Pacific Area (WPA), however Japanese Capitulation in August led to inactivation of squadron in October.