511th Bombardment Squadron

511th Bombardment Squadron
File:511th Bombardment Squadron - Emblem.png Emblem of the 511th Bombardment Squadron
Active	1942–1949
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Bombardment

The 511th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 351st Bombardment Group, stationed at Fairfax Field, Kansas. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.

History

Activated in late 1942 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron, trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to England in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during April 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Second Air Force and was programmed to be re-equipped with B-29 Superfortresses for deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to units inactivation in September 1945, being neither manned or equipped.

Activated in the postwar reserve as a B-29 squadron. Inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.

Lineage

• Constituted 511th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 25 September 1942

Activated on 1 October 1942

Inactivated on 28 August 1945

• Redesignated 511th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 23 September 1947

Activated in the reserve on 15 October 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Assignments

• 351st Bombardment Group, 1 October 1942 – 28 August 1945; 15 October 1947 – 27 June 1949

ETO Fuselage Code: DS

Stations

• Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, 1 October 1942
• Gowen Field, Idaho, 1 October 1942
• Geiger Field, Washington, November 1942
• Biggs Field, Texas, 2 January 1943

• Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, 2 March-12 April 1943
• RAF Polebrook (AAF-110), England, 12 May 1943 – 9 June 1945
• Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, July-28 August 1945
• Fairfax Field, Kansas, 15 October 1947 – 27 June 1949

Aircraft

• B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945
• B-29 Superfortress, 1947–1949

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer, ed (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/af_combat_units_wwii.pdf.