378th Bombardment Group

378th Bombardment Group

O-47A as flown by the group
Active 1942-1942
Country  United States
Branch  United States Air Force
Role Antisubmarine warfare
Part of Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command

The 378th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command at Langley Field, Virginia, where it was stationed from October to December 1942. The group participated in the Antisubmarine Campaign along the Atlantic coast of the United States until it was inactivated when the Antisubmarine Command assigned all its squadrons directly to the command's two antisubmarine wings.

History

Douglas O-46A

The group was activated at Langley Field, Virginia on 18 October 1942 with the 520th,[1] 521st,[2] and 523d Bombardment Squadrons assigned.[3] Although designated a medium bombardment unit, it was equipped with Douglas O-46 and North American O-47 single-engine observation aircraft.[4]

The group conducted its operations along the southeastern coast of the United States. Only the 523d Squadron was located with the group's headquarters at Langley. The 520th Squadron operated from Jacksonville Municipal Airport, Florida, while the 521st was stationed at Charleston Army Air Field, South Carolina.[1][2][3]

In late November, Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command began a series of organizational actions to more nearly align it with United States Navy headquarters engaged in the antisubmarine campaign.[5] On 20 November, the 522d Bombardment Squadron at Lantana Airport, Florida was assigned to the group,[6] At the same time, the group's 520th Squadron was attached directly to the new 25th Antisubmarine Wing, which had been established to manage Army Air Forces antisubmarine units in the area of the Navy's Eastern Sea Frontier.[5] The group's squadrons were redesignated as antisubmarine squadrons,[1][2][3][6] Finally, in December, after less than two months of operation, the group was inactivated and its component squadrons were reassigned to the 25th Antisubmarine Wing.[4][7]

Lineage

Activated on 18 December 1942
Inactivated on 14 December 1942[4]

Assignments

Squadrons

Stations

Aircraft

Campaign

Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Antisubmarine18 October 1942 – 14 December 1942[4]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 82
  2. 1 2 3 4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 768-769
  3. 1 2 3 4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 10
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Maurer, Combat Units, p. 266
  5. 1 2 Ferguson, p. 41
  6. 1 2 3 Maurer, Combat Squadron, p. 783
  7. ↑ Maurer, Combat Units, 388-389

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

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