443d Air Expeditionary Squadron

443d Air Expeditionary Squadron
320th Bombardment Wing B-47 Stratojet^{[note 1]}
Active	1942–1945; 1947–1949; 1952–1960
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Expeditionary Support
Part of	Air Combat Command
Engagements	Mediterranean Theater of Operations^[1]
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation French Croix de Guerre with Palm^[1]
Insignia
443d Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 4 March 1954)^[2]
443d Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)^[3]

The 443d Air Expeditionary Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment as a regular Air Force unit was to the 320th Bombardment Wing at March Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 15 September 1960.

The squadron was first activated during World War II as the 443d Bombardment Squadron. It served in combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it earned two Distinguished Unit Citations and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm. After V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States for inactivation.

Although briefly active in the reserve from 1947-1949, the squadron was primarily a Strategic Air Command bomber unit with Boeing B-47 Stratojets. The squadron was inactivated in 1960, in connection with the phasing out of the B-47.

History

World War II

Established in mid-1942 as a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber group. Trained under Third Air Force in Florida, deployed to England under the VIII Air Support Command, 3d Bombardment Wing.

Operated against targets on the continent during early fall of 1942; deployed to North Africa as part of Twelfth Air Force after Operation Torch landings in Algeria in November. Flew tactical bombing missions against Axis forces in North Africa until the end of the Tunisian Campaign in May 1943. Participated in the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns; liberation of Corsica and Sardinia and the Invasion of Southern France. Supported Allied ground forces in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, spring 1945 and becoming part of the United States Air Forces in Europe Army of Occupation in Germany, fall 1945. Personnel demobilized in Germany and the squadron inactivated as a paper unit in December 1945.

Reserves

Reactivated in the reserves in 1947. Never manned or equipped.

Strategic Air Command

Reactivated in 1952 as a B-47 Stratojet squadron,. Initially equipped with prototypes of the Boeing RB-47B Stratojet (YRB-47) to perform long-range photo-reconnaissance with a flight of B-29 Superfortress bombers assigned. In November 1953 began to receive production B-47E medium bomber aircraft; prototype reconnaissance aircraft already received exchanged for medium bomber versions. Participated in SAC REFLEX deployments to Europe and North Africa throughout the 1950s. Inactivated in 1960 as part of the phaseout of the B-47, aircraft sent to storage at Davis-Monthan.

Lineage

Constituted as the 443d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 19 June 1942

Activated on 1 July 1942

Redesignated 443d Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 9 October 1944

Inactivated on 6 December 1945

Redesignated 443d Bombardment Squadron, Light on 26 May 1947

Activated in the reserve on 9 July 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated 443d Bombardment Squadron, Medium and activated, on 1 December 1952

Discontinued on 15 September 1960

Redesignated 443d Air Expeditionary Squadron and converted to provisional status on 13 May 2011^[1]

Assignments

320th Bombardment Group, 1 July 1942 – 4 December 1945
320th Bombardment Group, 9 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
320th Bombardment Wing, 1 December 1952 – 15 September 1960
Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate at any time after 13 May 2011^[1]

Stations

MacDill Field, Florida, 1 July 1942
Drane Field, Florida, 8–28 August 1942
RAF Hethel (AAF-114),^[4] England, 12 September 1942
RAF Tibenham (AAF-124),^[4] England, 1 October 1942
Oran Es Sénia Airport, Algeria, 9 January 1943
Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria, 28 January 1943
Montesquieu Airfield, Algeria, 14 April 1943
Massicault Airfield, Tunisia, 29 June 1943
El Bathan Airfield, Tunisia, 28 July 1943

Decimomannu Airfield, Sardinia, Italy, 9 November 1943
Alto Airfield, Corsica, France, 20 September 1944
Dijon-Longvic Airfield (Y-9),^[5] France, 11 November 1944
Dôle-Tavaux Airfield (Y-7),^[5] France, 2 April 1945
AAF Station Fürth, Germany (R-28),^[5] 20 June 1945
Clastres Airfield, France (A-71),^[5] c. October-27 November 1945
Camp Shanks, New York, 4–6 December 1945
Mitchel Field, New York, 9 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
March Air Force Base, California, 1 December 1952 – 15 September 1960^[1]

Aircraft

Martin B-26 Marauder, 1942–1945
Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1952–1953
Boeing YRB-47B Stratojet, 1953
Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1953–1960^[1]

References

Notes

↑ Aircraft is Boeing B-47B-50-BW Stratojet serial 51-2307

Citations

1 2 3 4 5 6 Robertson, Patsy (August 23, 2011). "Factsheet 443 Air Expeditionary Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 548
↑ Watkins, pp. 84-85
1 2 Station number in Anderson.
1 2 3 4 Station number in Johnson.

Bibliography

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

Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL yes: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
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. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved December 17, 2016.

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