771st Bombardment Squadron

The 771st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 462d Bombardment Group, based at Piardoba Airfield, India. It was inactivated on 12 October 1944.

History

Established in early 1943 as one of the first B-29 Superfortress squadron; however no B-29s were yet available for operational use. Trained with B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses throughout 1943. Received early model B-29s and prototype YB-29s beginning in August 1943, however aircraft were still undergoing development and were frequently modified by Boeing technicians in the field while the squadron was undergoing training in Kansas.

Deployed to India in early 1944; several aircraft breaking down en route via South Atlantic Transport route from Florida to Brazil then to Liberia; across central Africa and Arabia, arriving in Karachi, India in March 1944. Arrived at converted B-24 airfield in eastern India in mid-April 1944. Aircraft still undergoing modifications while transporting munitions and fuel to forward airfield in central China; staging first attacks on Japanese Home Islands since the 1942 Doolittle Raid. Lack of logistical support limited number of attacks on Japan from Chinese staging airfields; squadron also attacked strategic enemy targets in Thailand; Indochina and Malay Peninsula.

Squadron inactivated by special order of XX Bomber Command with personnel and equipment merged into other group squadrons in October 1944

Operations and Decorations

• Combat Operations: Combat in CBI, 5 Jun-26 Sep 1944.
• Campaigns: India-Burma; Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive.
• Decorations: Distinguished Unit Citation Yawata, Japan, 20 Aug 1944.

Lineage

• Constituted 771st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943

Activated on 1 July 1943

Redesignated 771st Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on November 1943

Inactivated on 12 October 1944

Assignments

• 462d Bombardment Group, 1 July 1943 – 12 October 1944

Stations

• Smoky Hill AAF, Kansas, 1 July 1943
• Walker AAF, Kansas, z8 July 1943-c. 12 March 1944
• Piardoba Airfield, India, c. 16 April 1944 – 12 October 1944

Kuinglai (Linqiong) Airfield (A-4), China designated as forward staging base.

Aircraft

• B-26 Marauder, 1943
• B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1944
• B-29 Superfortress, 1944

References

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

• 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. 

External links

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