364th Bombardment Squadron
| 364th Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1942-1946; 1947-1948; 1951-1970; 1972-1975 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Bombardment |
| Engagements |
World War II Vietnam |
The 364th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 307th Strategic Wing, stationed at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand.
It was inactivated on 30 June 1975.
History
The squadron was established in June 1942 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment unit; it trained as part of the Second Air Force. It was deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in September 1942, being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England. The unit began flying long-range strategic bombardment missions on 17 November 1942 and attacked such targets as submarine pens, docks, harbours, shipyards, motor works and marshalling yards in France, Germany and the Low Countries. The squadron continued its attacks on enemy cities, manufacturing centers, transportation links and other targets until the German Capitulation in May 1945.
After combat missions ended, it moved to St Trond Air Base in Belgium in July 1945 where it conducted photo-mapping and intelligence-gathering flights called Project 'Casey Jones' over Europe and North Africa. On 15 December 1945 the squadron moved to Lechfeld Airfield, Germany which it had bombed on 18 March 1944 and now used as an occupation base.
The 364th Bomb Squadron was inactivated on December 1946 in Germany.
Reactivated under Strategic Air Command (SAC) in 1951 with B-47A (later B) Stratojet medium jet bombers, it began flying operational strategic bombardment and refueling missions from MacDill AFB, Florida. In 1955, SAC upgraded the squadron to the B-47E, the major production version of the Stratojet. The squadron, with B-47s, was reassigned to Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana in May 1959 and in September 1960, it was upgraded to the B-58 Hustler supersonic medium bomber; it was declared operationally ready in August 1962. The squadron began phasing down B-58 operations in 1969, before being inactivated in 1970.
Reactivated in 1972 as a provisional B-52D Stratofortress squadron at U-Tapao Air Base, Thailand, AS A administrative units to manage TDY (Temporary Duty) Combat Crews assigned to the "ARC LIGHT Task Force", where it flew combat missions over Indochina until 15 August 1973 when combat missions ended. It continued training operations until stand down 30 Jun 1975. The Squadron did not maintain Strategic Alert Operations at U-Tapao.
Lineage
- Constituted 364th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Jun 1942
- Activated on 1 Mar 1942
- Inactivated on 29 Jun 1946
- Redesignated 364th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 11 Jun 1947
- Activated on 1 Jul 1947
- Inactivated on 6 Sept 1948
- Redesignated 364th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 20 Dec 1950
- Activated on 2 Jan 1951
- Inactivated on 1 Jan 1970
- Redesignated Bombardment Squadron, Provisional, 364 on 1 Jul 1972
- Placed in provisional status / Not Operational - Unmanned 1 Jul 1972 to 29 Jan 1973
- Manned and Made Operational on 30 Jan 1973
- Inactivated on 30 Jun 1975
Assignments
- 305th Bombardment Group, 1 Mar 1942-29 Jun 1946; 1 Jul 1947-6 Sept 1948; 2 Jan 1951
- 305th Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952-1 Jan 1970
- 307th Strategic Wing, 1 Jul 1972-30 Jun 1975
Stations
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Aircraft
- B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1946
- B-18 Bolo, 1942
- B-24 Liberator, 1942
- B-29 Superfortress, 1951
- B-47 Stratojet, 1952-1960
- B-58 Hustler, 1960-1970
- B-52D Stratofortress, 1972-1975
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
