17th Bombardment Squadron

This article is about the 17th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy. For the 17th Bombardment Squadron (Light), see 523d Fighter Squadron.
17th Bombardment Squadron

Emblem of the 17th Bombardment Squadron
Active 1944-1946
Country United States
Branch United States Army Air Forces
Type Bombardment

The 17th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 16th Bombardment Group stationed at Northwest Field, Guam. It was inactivated on 15 April 1946.

History

Activated 1 April 1944 at Dalhart Army Airfield, Texas. Initially equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses for training, due to shortage of B-29 Superfortresses. Moved to Fairmont Army Airfield, Kansas, in August 1944 and equipped with B-29B limited production aircraft.

After completion of training deployed to Central Pacific Area (CPA), assigned to XXI Bomber Command, Northwest Field (Guam) for operational missions. B-29Bs were standard production aircraft stripped of most defensive guns to increase speed and bomb load, The tail gun was aimed and fired automatically by the new AN/APG-15B radar fire control system that detected the approaching enemy plane and made all the necessary calculations.

Mission of the squadron was the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands. Dntered combat on 16 June 1945 with a bombing raid against an airfield on Moen. Flew first mission against the Japanese home islands on 26 June 1945 and afterwards operated principally against the enemy's petroleum industry. Flew primarily low-level, fast attacks at night using a mixture of high-explosive and incendary bombs to attack targets.

Flew last combat mission on 15 August 1945, later flew in "Show of Force" mission on 2 September 1945 over Tokyo Bay during formal Japanese Surrender. Inactivated on Guam 15 April 1946, personnel returned to the United States and aircraft sent to storage in Southwest United States.

Operations and Decorations

Lineage

Activated on 1 April 1944
Inactivated on 15 April 1946

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

References

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

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