| 20th Bomb Squadron | |
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20th Bomb Squadron Patch |
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| Active | 26 June 1917 - 28 February 1946 1 July 1947 - Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Strategic Bombing |
| Part of | Air Force Global Strike Command 8th Air Force 2d Bomb Wing 2d Operations Group |
| Garrison/HQ | Barksdale Air Force Base |
| Decorations | DCU AFOUA RVGC w/ Palm |
The 20th Bomb Squadron (20 BS) is part of the 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It operates B-52 Stratofortress aircraft providing strategic bombing capability.
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Exceptional warriors ready now to provide responsive, flexible and accurate bomber combat power and expeditionary combat support to warfighting commanders… anytime… anywhere.[1]
The 20th flew combat missions as day bombardment unit with First Army from, 14 September 1918 – 5 November 1918.
Assigned to Langley Field, Virginia in 1922 after the re-establishment of the Air Service after World War I. On 5 September 1923 the squadron participated in a demonstration of the effectiveness of aerial bombardment on warships. The squadron went on to conduct good-will flights to South America in 1938 and 1939.
Deployed to Mitchell Field, Long Island immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor; flew Antisubmarine patrols from, 8 December 1941 – c. 28 October 1942 with B-18 Bolos. Also flew antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific Northwest from Ephara, Washington. Reassigned to Second Air Force and re-equipped with B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. Trained until being deployed to Algeria in mid-1943 as part of Twelfth Air Force. Flew combat missions during the North African Campaign over enemy targets in Algeria and Tunisia; also taking part in the invasions of Sicily and Southern Italy, striking enemy targets and hard defense points with heavy bomber attacks. Reassigned to new Fifteenth Air Force in Southern Italy in late 1943, engaged in strategic bombardment of enemy targets in France, southern Europe, and the Balkans until the German Capitulation in May 1945. Demobilized in Italy, aircraft returned to the United States for reassignment or smelting. Inactivated as a paper unit in February 1946.
Reactivated as a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber squadron under Strategic Air Command in 1947; assigned to Chatam, and later Hunter AFB near Savannah. Flew B-29 and later B-50 Superfortresses during the postwar era. The 20th participated in electronic countermeasures testing and evaluation from, May 1950 – May 1952. Equipped with B-47 Stratojet medium bombers in 1947, flying training missions and standing nuclear alert until the phaseout of the B-47 in 1963.
Re-equipped with B-52 Stratofortresses in 1963 and moved to Barksdale AFB as the runways at Hunter were too short to accommodate the B-52. Reassigned to Carswell AFB in 1965. It deployed B-52s and aircrews for combat in Southeast Asia from, September 1969-March 1970. During the 1980s it conducted B-52 training missions over bombing range sites and supported wing primary mission of aerial bombardment. Returned to Barksdale in 1992 with the closure of Carswell and the inactivation of SAC, being reassigned to the new Air Combat Command. Continued training for global conventional bombardment missions and maintained nuclear operational readiness.
After terrorist attack against the U.S. on 11 September 2001 the 20th deployed to the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and on 7 October 2001 flew attacks on targets in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. In February 2003 it deployed to Guam to deter North Korean aggression.
On 21 July 2008, a squadron B-52 aircraft crashed near Guam during a training mission in support of Guam's Liberation Day festivities. All six crewmembers, three of whom were from the 20th, perished.
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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