372d Bombardment Squadron

The 372d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 307th Bombardment Wing, based at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.

372d Bombardment Squadron
Emblem of the 372d Bombardment Squadron
(Strategic Air Command)
Active1940–1965
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Army Air Forces
RoleBombardment
EngagementsWorld War II
Korean War
372d Bomb Squadron (World War II emblem)

History

Formed as a heavy bombardment group in January 1942, trained in the Pacific Northwest under Second Air Force, with B-17 Flying Fortresses. Reassigned to Seventh Air Force in Hawaii, November 1942 and performed performing search and rescue and antisubmarine patrols until January 1943 while transitioning to long-range B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.

Deployed to the Central Pacific from Hawaii throughout 1943 for long-range combat bombardment operations against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific; New Guinea; Northern Solomon Islands and Eastern Mandates campaigns. Deployed to the New Hebrides in Melanesia and operated from numerous temporary jungle airfields, engaging in long-range bombardment operations during the Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon and Southern Philippines campaigns until the end of the war in August 1945. Assigned to Clark Field, Philippines after the war ended, demobilized with personnel returning to the United States, unit inactivated as paper unit in January 1946 in California.

Reactivated as B-29 Superfortress squadron at MacDill Field, Florida in August 1946 as part of Strategic Air Command. Was a training unit for antisubmarine warfare. Deployed to Okinawa during Korean War, carrying out combat operations over Korea throughout the conflict. Remained in Okinawa until November 1954 when inactivated.

Reactivated simultaneously at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, as a B-47 Stratojet medium jet bomber squadron, performed REFLEX deployments to North Africa until phaseout of B-47 in 1965 and inactivated.

Lineage

  • Constituted 372d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
Activated on 15 April 1942
Inactivated on 26 December 1945
  • Redesignated 372d Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 15 July 1946
Activated on 4 August 1946
Redesignated 372d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 28 May 1948
Inactivated on 25 March 1965

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

  • B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942
  • B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
  • B-29 Superfortress, 1946–1954
  • B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1965

References

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

  • Maurer, Maurer. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Air Force Historical Studies Office, 1969. ISBN 0-89201-097-5.
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