| 28th Bomb Squadron | |
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28th Bomb Squadron Patch |
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| Active | 22 June 1917 - 16 June 1919 20 September 1921 - 28 June 1922 1 September 1922 - 1 October 1983 1 July 1987 - Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Strategic Bombing |
| Part of | Air Combat Command 12th Air Force 7th Bomb Wing 7th Operations Group |
| Garrison/HQ | Dyess Air Force Base |
| Engagements | World War I *Spring Offensive World War II *Battle of the Philippines korean War |
| Decorations | DCU AFOUA PPUC ROK PUC |
The 28th Bomb Squadron (28 BS) is part of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. It operates B-1 Lancer aircraft providing strategic bombing capability. The 28 BS is the largest bomb squadron in the Air Force.
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Provide all B-1 initial qualification, requalification, and instructor upgrade training for Air Combat Command.
Established in 1917 as the 28th Aero Squadron after the United States' entry into World War I. Formed at Camp Kelly, Texas, then sent to Quebec for combat flying training with units of the Royal Air Force. Deployed to the Western Front in France and served with British Second and Fifth Armies from, 20 March–c. 24 June 1918 (C flight participated in Somme Defense from, 21 March–6 April 1918). The 28th also saw combat as pursuit unit with American First Army from, 2 September 1918 – 10 November 1918. Squadron returned from France in June 1919, demobilized and was inactivated.[1] During World war I, it had two aces in its ranks, Martinus Stenseth and Thomas Cassady.[2]
Re-established as part of the United States Army Air Service in 1921 at Mather Field, California as the 28th Bombardment Squadron. Equipped with excess World War I aircraft and Martin NBS-1 light bombers. Sent to Clark Field, Philippines Commonwealth as part of the initial Army Air Service cadre at the new airfield. throughout the 1920s and 1930s was part of the Air Service of the Philippines Department, being stationed at several airfields on Luzon. Received modern Martin B-10s in 1937, then B-18 Bolos in 1941, and early-model B-17C/D Flying Fortress aircraft in 1941 when tension between the United States and the Japanese Empire was increasing. Most of the squadron's aircraft were destroyed on 8 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked Clark Field in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor Attack. Surviving aircraft were sent to Del Monte Field on Mindanao, but were unable to operate effectively against the invading Japanese forces. Air echelon of squadron retreated to Australia, reforming at Batchelor Airfield near Darwin, Northern Territory. Ground echelon was pressed into service as ground infantry under V Interceptor Command and fought on the Bataan Peninsula until being forced to surrender in April 1942. Survivors endured Bataan Death March after the surrender, although some presumably joined guerrilla forces and continued fighting as unorganized resistance during the Japanese Occupation.
Squadron deployed aircraft from Australia to Java in January 1942 to support Allied forces during the Dutch East Indies Campaign, carrying out bombing missions against the advancing Japanese forces. Allied withdraw from Java forced squadron to return to Australia in March.
In Australia, squadron was reformed as part of new Fifth Air Force, receiving aircraft and crews from the United States which had arrived in Australia after the Pearl Harbor Attack. Flew combination of B-17C/D/E aircraft; participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942, and raided enemy transportation and communications targets as well as troop concentrations during the Japanese invasion of Papua New Guinea. The squadron bombed enemy airdromes, ground installations, and shipping near Rabaul, New Britain in August 1942.
Leaving B-17 aircraft in Australia, personnel returned to the United States in December 1942. Reformed as a B-17 heavy bomber Replacement Training Unit assigned to Second Air Force in Texas. The squadron conducted replacement training from, 1 February 1943–1 April 1944. Realigned as a B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy bomb squadron in early 1944, receiving new aircraft while being trained under Second Air Force in Kansas. Assigned to XXI Bomber Command at North Field, Guam, in the Northern Marianas and carried out very long range strategic bombing raids over the Japanese Home Islands beginning in February 1945, continuing until the Japanese Capitulation in August. After the end of combat became part of Twentieth Air Force under Far East Air Force and moved to Okinawa.
Squadron flew combat missions over North Korea in June 1950 after breakout of the Korean War. Targets included an oil refinery and port facilities at Wonsan, a railroad bridge at Pyongyang, and an airfield at Yonpo. After United Nations ground forces pushed the communist forces out of South Korea, the squadron turned to strategic objectives in North Korea, including industrial and hydroelectric facilities. It also continued to attack bridges, marshalling yards, supply centers, artillery and troop positions, barracks, port facilities, and airfields. Remained in combat until the 1953 Armistice; squadron being inactivated on Okinawa in early 1954 when B-29s phased out of front line combat duty.
Reactivated in May 1954 with new B-47 Stratojet medium bombers and personnel at Pinecastle AFB, near Orlando, Florida under Strategic Air Command. Engaged in training operations and participated in numerous SAC exercises and deployments with the B-47 until 1961 when the B-47s began to be phased out of SAC. Re-equipped with B-52H Stratofortresses in 1962 at Homestead AFB, Florida. Flew intercontinental training missions with the Stratofortress, and maintained nuclear alert. Re-equipped with B-52G model in 1968 and moved to Robins AFB. Deployed several times to forward bases in the Western Pacific, carrying out combat missions over Indochina under operations Arc Light; Linebacker I and the Linebacker II raids of 1972-73 at the end of the Vietnam war. Squadron reformed at Robins in 1973 and returned to nuclear alert status. Inactivated in 1983 as part of the phaseout of the B-52G from the SAC inventory.
Reactivated in 1987 and re-equipped with the B-1B Lancer strategic bomber. Stationed initially at McConnell AFB, Kansas, the squadron moved to Dyess AFB, Texas in 1987 and transferred to the 7th Wing when McConnell was realigned as a tanker base. Currently, the 28th conducts weapons system training for B-1 crews. Each year, it trains more than 200 active duty crewmembers.
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