535th Bombardment Squadron

535th Bombardment Squadron

Emblem of the 535th Bombardment Squadron
Active 1942-1945
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Type Bombardment

The 535th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 381st Bombardment Group, when it was stationed at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota.

It was inactivated on 28 August 1945

Contents

History

Established in late 1942 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment unit, it was assigned to II Bomber Command for training. The squadron trained primarily in Texas and Colorado. It received deployment orders for the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in May 1943.

Deployed to England in April 1943, it was assigned to VIII Bomber Command. The squadron engaged in very long range bombardment of enemy enemy military, industrial and transportation targets in Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. It participated in Big Week attacks on German aircraft factories 20–25 February 1944 and often supported ground troops by attacking targets of interdiction when not engaged in strategic bombardment. It continued these attacks until the German capitulation in May 1945.

The squadron returned to the United States in June 1945, most combat veterans being demobilized upon return. A small cadre reformed at Sioux Falls Army Air Field in July, being programmed for B-29 Superfortress conversion and deployment to the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO). The unit was inactivated after the Japanese capitulation in August 1945, assigned personnel were either reassigned to other units or demobilized.

Reactivated as a reserve B-29 unit in Nebraska during 1947, it trained until 1949 when budget reductions led to the units' inactivation.

Lineage

Activated on 3 Nov 1942
Inactivated on 28 Aug 1945
Activated in the reserve on 15 Sep 1947
Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

References

United States Air Force portal
Military of the United States portal
World War II portal

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.