460th_Bombardment_Squadron Knowpia

460th Bombardment Squadron
460th Bombardment Squadron
	Maintenance on a B-29 Superfortress at Kadena Air Base
Active	1942–1944; 1944; 1944–1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Role	Bombardment
Engagements	Pacific Theater
Insignia
460th Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 17 April 1945)

The 460th Bombardment Squadron was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last was assigned to the 333d Bombardment Group, stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. It was inactivated on 28 May 1946.

History edit

Training unit edit

Established as a B-24 Liberator very heavy bomb squadron in 1944. Mission was as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) under II Bomber Command training B-24 replacement pilots and aircrew.

Deployment to the Pacific edit

The squadron was again activated at Dalhart on 7 July 1944, but this time was assigned to the 333d Bombardment Group. The 333d Group was also a former heavy bomber training unit that had been inactivated in the spring of 1944^[2] in a general Army Air Forces reorganization of its training and support units.^[3] It was reactivated in July as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress group. The squadron trained with Superfortresses until June 1945, when it departed for the Pacific to become an element of Eighth Air Force, which was organizing on Okinawa^[4] as a second very heavy bomber air force in the Pacific. However, the squadron did not arrive at its combat station, Kadena Airfield, until it was too late to participate in combat. The squadron flew show-of-force missions and its aircraft helped evacuate prisoners of war from Japan to airfields in the Philippines. The unit was inactivated on 28 May 1946.^[1]^[2]

In September 1947, all former Air Corps units were transferred from the Army to the Air Force, including inactive units like the 460 BS.

Lineage edit

Constituted as the 460th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 1 July 1942

Activated on 6 July 1942

Inactivated on 1 April 1944

Redesignated 460th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy

Activated on 1 April 1944

Inactivated on 10 May 1944

Activated on 7 July 1944

Inactivated on 28 May 1946^[1]

Assignments edit

330th Bombardment Group, 6 July 1942 – 1 April 1944
330th Bombardment Group, 1 April 1944 – 10 May 1944
333d Bombardment Group, 7 July 1944 – 28 May 1946^[1]

Stations edit

Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, 6 July 1942
Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 1 August 1942
Biggs Field, Texas, 2 September 1942
Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 1 December 1942
Biggs Field, Texas, 5 April 1943 – 1 April 1944

Walker Army Air Field, Kansas, 1 April-10 May 1944
Dalhart Army Airfield, Texas, 7 July 1944
Great Bend Army Air Field, Kansas, 10 December 1944 – 18 June 1945
Kadena Airfield, Okinawa, 5 August 1945 – 28 May 1946^[1]

Aircraft edit

Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1944
Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1944–1946^[1]

References edit

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 566-567
^ ^a ^b Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 213-214
^ See Goss, p. 75 (details of 1944 reorganization).
^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 463

Bibliography edit

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Goss, William A. (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF" (PDF). In Craven, Wesley F.; Cate, James L. (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 48003657. OCLC 704158. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
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 17 December 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.