853d Bombardment Squadron

The 852d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 491st Bombardment Group stationed at McChord Field, Washington.

History
Activated 1 October 1943 at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron; assigned to II Bomber Command for training. Reassigned to Biggs Field near El Paso, Texas on 11 November 1943 and trained there until January 1944 when, during training, most of ground unit was transferred to Pratt Army Airfield, Kansas, to augment a new B-29 Superfortress group being trained by Second Air Force. Throughout November and December, personnel strength was further reduced by transfer to other B-24 groups of personnel. Reassigned to Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado in January 1944 to complete training. New B-24s were assigned to the group from Consolidated and training was completed by April.

After training was completed the air echelon was then deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO). Began movement overseas on 21 April 1944 via South Atlantic Route via Morrison Field, Florida, via Trinidad, Brazil, Dakar and Marrakesh, French Morocco, then to the United Kingdom. Performed strategic bombardment combat missions over Nazi Germany and enemy held territory striking communications centers, oil refineries, storage depots, industrial areas, shipyards, and other targets in such places as Berlin, Hamburg, Kassel, Cologne, Gelsenkirchen, Bielefeld, Hanover, and Magdeburg; on one occasion attacked the headquarters of the German General Staff at Zossen, Germany. Continued operations until end of combat in Europe, April 1945.

Squadron returned to United States and was programmed for B-29 operations in Pacific. End of war with Japan in August 1945 led to squadron demobilization and inactivation in September 1945.

Lineage

 * Constituted 853d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 September 1943
 * Activated on 1 October 1943
 * Inactivated on 8 September 1945

Assignments

 * 491st Bombardment Group, 1 October 1943-8 September 1945
 * ETO fuselage code: T8

Stations

 * Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 1 October 1943
 * El Paso Army Airfield, Texas, 11 November 1943-1 January 1944
 * Uassigned Station, England (Ground Echelon), 1 January 1944
 * RAF North Pickenham, England, March 1944
 * RAF Metfield, England, April 1944
 * RAF North Pickenham, England, 15 August 1944-5 July 1945
 * McChord Field, Washington, 17 July-8 September 1945.

Aircraft

 * B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945