| 489th Reconnaissance Squadron | |
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Emblem of the 489th Bombardment Squadron (SAC) |
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| Active | 1917-1919; 1925-1942; 1942-1945; 1947-1949; 1958-1962 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Reconnaissance |
The 489th Reconnaissance Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. The 489th Bombardment Squadron was previously assigned to the 340th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It was reactivated as the 489th Reconnaissance Squadron on 26 August 2011 at Beale Air Force Base as a component of the 9th Operations Group, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, Air Combat Command.
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In August 1917 it had been only fourteen years since the Wright Brothers took flight and ten years since the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps (forerunner to the Air Force) had been formed. Air power was in its infancy and growing. The possibilities were endless. New innovations were occurring every where you looked, but the Great War raged in Europe and the US was gearing up for its part in that war. The Air Service was still developing, and there were many fits and starts as the service grew. The first 77th Aero Squadron was formed at Kelly Field, San Antonio Texas in August 1917, and commanded by Capt. H. L. Mumma. In September under the command of 1st Lt Kenneth M. Spence, the squadron’s designation was changed to Aero Construction Squadron. In November 1917 the 77th moved to Air Depot, Garden City, New York for deployment to the AEF. On December 4, 1917 the squadron moved to port of Embarkation Philadelphia and boarded the transport Northland. On the Northland were 9 Aero Squadrons with 70 officers and 1,339 enlisted men. These 9 Squadrons were the 10th, 12th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 75th, 76th, 77th and 101st. The Northland sailed with other transports, which were likely to be the transports USS George Washington and the USS Huron.
In January 1918 a new numbering scheme for aero squadrons was set up. Numbers 1-399 would be for Aero Service Squadrons (AS). 400-599 Aero Construction Squadrons (ACS), 600-799 Aero Supply Squadrons and 800-1099 Aero Repair Squadrons. The 77th became 489th Aero Construction Squadron. The squadron went on to serve the AEF building facilities in France. The 489th ACS returned to the States in February 1919 and went to Camp Stuart, Virginia. In March 1919 they were demobilized at Camp Lee, Virginia.
Re-established as the 489th Bombardment Squadron, Air Reserve, the squadron was manned in 1925 and was based at Boeing Field, near Seattle, Washington. The reserve squadron was disbanded on 31 May 1942.
Re-established as a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber squadron in mid-1942, trained by Third Air Force in the southeastern United States. As part of the 340th Bombardment Group, the squadron deployed to IX Bomber Command of the 9th Air Force in Egypt initially in March 1943 via Air Transport Command South Atlantic Route through Caribbean, Brazil, Liberia, Central Africa and Sudan. Operated in the Tactical Bomber Force of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force primarily in support of the British 8th Army in the Tunisian Campaign and participated in the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) in July 1943. In August 1943, the squadron was reassigned to XII Bomber Command of the 12th Air Force and participated in the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943. Moved to Corsica as part of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force in April 1944 and provided tactical support for Allied troops in Italy and Southern France (Operation Dragoon). Based at Rimini, Italy in April 1945 until the end of the war.
Personnel demobilized in Italy during summer of 1945; squadron returned to the United States, being prepared for deployment to Pacific Theater for use as a tactical bomb squadron in programmed Invasion of Japan. Japanese capitulation led to squadron's inactivation in November 1945.
Activated as an A-26 Invader squadron in the postwar Air Force reserves in 1947; inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.
The squadron was activated in 1958 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. Reactivated as the 489th Reconnaissance Squadron on August 26, 2011 at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, CA.
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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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