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783d Bombardment Squadron

Field	Value
unit_name	783d Bombardment Squadron
image	465th Bombardment Group Consolidated B-24H-15-CF Liberator 41-29347.jpg
image_size	300
caption	465th Bomb Group B-24 Liberator at Pantanella
dates	1943–1945
country
branch
role	Bombardment
motto
battles	Mediterranean Theater of Operations
decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation
identification_symbol	[[File: 783d Bombardment Squadron - Emblem.png	165px]]
identification_symbol_label	Unofficial 783d Bombardment Squadron emblem

The 783d Bombardment Squadron was activated in 1943. After organizing and training with Consolidated B-24 Liberators in the United States. It served in combat in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations as a heavy bomber unit in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The squadron earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions. After V-E Day, the squadron served in Air Transport Command, ferrying men from the combat theater back to the United States until inactivating in July 1945.

History

The squadron was first activated at Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico as the 783d Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber squadrons of the 465th Bombardment Group. After training under Second Air Force, the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in February 1944.

The squadron arrived in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it was stationed at Pantanella Airfield, Italy in March 1944. The air echelon halted in Tunisia for additional training before completing its move to Italy, where it became part of Fifteenth Air Force. It flew strategic bombardment combat missions over France, Germany, Italy, Austria and the Balkans, attacking targets such as marshalling yards, docks, aircraft factories and oil production facilities. On 8 July 1944 the squadron attacked an oil refinery and marshalling yards near Vienna, Austria despite heavy flak and fighter opposition, earning the unit a Distinguished Unit Citation. It was awarded a second citation for an attack on 3 August 1944 against a steel plant in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic campaign. It attacked troop concentrations in May 1944 to assist partisan forces in Yugoslavia and performed interdiction missions to support the advance on Rome. Prior to Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France, it attacked bridges, railroads and gun emplacements near the landing area. It supported Red Army and Romanian Army forces advancing in the Balkans in October 1944 and Allied forces in Northern Italy in April 1945.

The squadron moved to Waller Field, Trinidad and became part of Air Transport Command in June 1945. It used its Liberators as transports, flying personnel from Trinidad to Florida. The unit was inactivated in Trinidad during July 1945. The squadron was redesignated as very heavy bomber squadron in 1945, but remained inactive.

Lineage

Constituted as the 783d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 19 May 1943 : Activated on 1 August 1943 : Inactivated on 31 July 1945

Assignments

465th Bombardment Group, 1 August 1943 – 31 July 1945

Stations

Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 1 August 1943
Kearns Army Air Base, Utah, c. 13 September 1943
McCook Army Air Field, Nebraska, c. 5 October 1943 – 1 February 1944
Pantanella Airfield, Italy, 15 March 1944 – June 1945
Waller Field, Trinidad, c. 15 June – 31 July 1945

Aircraft

Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945

Awards and campaigns

Campaign Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
[[Image:Streamer EAMEC.PNG	200px]]	Air Offensive, Europe	15 March 1944 – 5 June 1944	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[Image:Streamer EAMEC.PNG	200px]]	Air Combat, EAME Theater	15 March 1944 – 11 May 1945	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[Image:Streamer EAMEC.PNG	200px]]	Central Europe	22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png	200px]]	Rome-Arno	10 April 1944 – 9 September 1944	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[Image:Streamer EAMEC.PNG	200px]]	Normandy	6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png	200px]]	Northern France	25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png	200px]]	Southern France	15 August 1944 – 14 September 1944	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png	200px]]	North Apennines	10 September 1944 – 4 April 1945	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[Image:Streamer EAMEC.PNG	200px]]	Rhineland	15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945	783d Bombardment Squadron
[[File:European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png	200px]]	Po Valley	3 April 1945 – 8 May 1945	783d Bombardment Squadron

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes

; Citations

Bibliography

References

Watkins, pp. 114–115; ''See'' Maurer, p. 754 (no approved emblem)
Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 754
Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 340-341

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

bombardment-squadrons-of-the-united-states-army-air-forces military-units-and-formations-established-in-1943 world-war-ii-strategic-bombing-units

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