The squadron was briefly active in the reserves from 1947 to 1949, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped with operational aircraft. It was activated again in 1959, when Strategic Air Command expanded its Boeing B-47 Stratojetwings from three to four operational squadrons. However, the B-47 was being withdrawn from service and the squadron was inactivated along with its parent wing the following year.
History
World War II
Initial organization and training in the United States
The squadron was first established at MacDill Field, Florida on 1 July 1942 as the 444th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the 320th Bombardment Group, a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber group.[1][4][5] The squadron trained rapidly in Florida, completing Phase I (individual) Operational Training at MacDill and Phase II (aircrew) Operational Training at Drane Field until beginning to move its aircraft to England in August without starting Phase III (unit) training.[6]
The air echelon departed for Baer Field, Indiana on 19 August with initial plans calling for the squadron's air echelon to move to Europe via the North Atlantic Ferrying Route. At Baer Field, it received B-26s direct from the factory. However, these planes were soon withdrawn and transferred to the 319th Bombardment Group, the first B-26 group to fly its bombers across the Atlantic.[6][c] The air echelon continued training at Baer Field with the few Marauders it had remaining. After delays continuing to November, it moved to Morrison Field, Florida to begin ferrying its planes using the South Atlantic Ferrying Route.[1][6]
The ground echelon of the squadron, meanwhile, departed the United States on the RMS Queen Mary on 5 September, arriving at RAF Hethel on 12 September, and moving to RAF Tibenham at the beginning of October.[1][7] In England, it received additional training from units of Eighth Air Force.[6] It departed for North Africa on 21 November 1942.[1][7] The air echelon never conducted operations from England, with their Marauders arriving in North Africa between December 1942 and January 1943.[4]
Combat in the Mediterranean Theater
444th Squadron B-26 Marauder after attacking a bridge over the Rhone River near Arles[d]
The squadron and its aircraft arrived at its first true overseas station, Oran Es Sénia Airport, Algeria, in early January 1943.[1] The squadron had mine dropping equipment installed on its bomb racks for attacks against enemy submarines. The squadron was withdrawn from antisubmarine combat in February for rest and the antisubmarine mission was transferred to the Royal Air Force.[8] However, it did not fly its first bombing missions until April 1943, by which time it had moved to Montesquieu Airfield, Algeria from its training base at Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria. Until July 1943, operating from bases in Algeria and Tunisia, it flew missions against enemy shipping on the approaches to Tunis It flew missions against Tunisia and participated in Operation Corkscrew, the projected invasion of Pantelleria. The following month it provided air support for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily.[4]
The squadron bombed marshalling yards. bridges airfields, road junctions, viaducts, harbors, fuel and supply dumps, defense positions and other targets in Italy. It supported Operation Avalanche, the landings near Salerno, on the Italian mainland, and knocked out targets to aid the seizure of Naples and to cross the Volturno River. It flew missions against Anzio and Monte Cassino and flew interdiction missions in central Italy in preparation for the Allied approach to Rome.[1][4]
In November 1943, the squadron moved to Decimomannu Airfield on Sardinia[1] to be better positioned to attack targets in central and northern Italy. Its efforts supporting preparations for and execution of the Allied offensive in central Italy in April through June 1944, including the French breathrough of the Gustav Line,[9] earned the squadron a French Croix de Guerre with Palm. On 12 May 1944, in the face of an intense antiaircraft artillery barrage, it bombed enemy troop concentrations near Fondi supporting United States Fifth Army's advance on Rome, for which it was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC).[1] From June to November 1944, it flew interdiction missions in the Po Valley.[4]
Combat in northern Europe and inactivation
Deployed to North Africa as part of Twelfth Air Force after Operation Torch landings in Algeria in November. Flew tactical bombing missions against Axis Supported Allied ground forces in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, spring 1945 and becoming part of the United States Air Forces in Europe Army of Occupation in Germany, fall 1945. Personnel demobilized in Germany and the squadron inactivated as a paper unit in December 1945.
Service in the reserves
The 444th was reactivated as a reserve unit under Air Defense Command (ADC) at Mitchel Field, New York in July 1947 as a light bomber unit.[1] At Mitchel, its training was supervised by the 113th AAF Base Unit (later the 2230th Air Force Reserve Training Center). It does not appear the squadron was fully staffed or equipped with any operational aircraft during this time.[10] In 1948 Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.[11] The 444th was inactivated when Continental Air Command reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system in June 1949.[1] The squadron's personnel continuing in paid reserve status and its equipment were transferred to elements of the 84th Fighter Wing.[12]
Strategic Air Command
From 1958, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings of Strategic Air Command (SAC) began to assume an alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases. The SAC alert cycle divided itself into four parts: planning, flying, alert and rest to meet General Thomas S. Power’s initial goal of maintaining one third of SAC's planes on fifteen minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.[13] To implement this new system, B-47 wings reorganized from three to four squadrons.[13][14] The 444th was activated at March Air Force Base, California as the fourth squadron of the 320th Bombardment Wing.[1]
However, SAC was relying on the longer range Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, deciding to reduce the number of B-47 wings at March Air Force Base from two to one. With this reduction, the 444th was inactivated on 15 September 1960.[1]
Expeditionary operations
The squadron was converted to provisional status and redesignated the 444thAir Expeditionary Squadron on 13 May 2011 and assigned to Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate as needed.[1] It does not appear to have been activated since that time.
Lineage
Constituted as the 444th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 19 June 1942
Activated on 1 July 1942
Redesignated 444th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 9 October 1944
Inactivated on 8 December 1945
Redesignated 444th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 26 May 1947
Activated in the reserve on 9 July 1947
Inactivated on 27 June 1949
Redesignated 444th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 6 October 1958
Activated on 1 January 1959
Discontinued on 15 September 1960
Converted to provisional status and redesignated 444th Air Expeditionary Squadron on 13 May 2011[1]
Redesignated 444th Air Expeditionary Squadron on 13 May 2011
^Approved 29 January 1960. Description: On an Air Force blue disc bordered white, a red lightning flach bend-sinisterwise edged white, surmounted by a fierce and animated tiger in proper colors, balancing on his right hind foot, his left hind foot raised to strike, his jaws wide apart and menacing, a black cigar trimmed red and white falling from his teeth; grasped in the tiger's right forepaw, a white bomb, shaded silver-gray, clutched tightly under his left foreleg a black book, pages white.
^The 319th Bombardment Group suffered several losses on its ferry flight, as winter weather began to impact the northern ferry route and planes were delayed for weather or aircraft malfunctions. As a result, beginning with the 320th Group, further deployments of B-26 units to Europe travelled over the South Atlantic route, Freeman, pp. 15, 55.
^Aircraft is Martin B-26G-5-MA Marauder, serial 43-34240. This aircraft was hit by German flak and exploded while attacking a roadblock near Covigliano, Italy on 23 August 1944. There were no survivors reported, though three parachutes were reported. Missing Aircrew Report 7997.
Watkins, Robert A. (2009). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force In World War II. Vol. IV, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN978-0-7643-3401-6.
.svg)
