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389th Bombardment Squadron

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389th Bombardment Squadron
Active1942–1949
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force

The 389th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 312th Bombardment Group, based at Ellington Field. Texas. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.

History

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Established in early 1942 as a light bomb squadron, equipped with A-24 Banshees, although equipped with export model A-31 Vengeance dive bombers for training. Trained under Third Air Force in the southeast United States, also used for antisubmarine patrols over the Atlantic southeast coast and then Gulf of Mexico.

Deployed to Southern California in early 1943 to the Desert Warfare Center, trained in light bombing while supporting Army maneuvers in the Mojave Desert until October.

Re-equipped with North American A-36 Apache dive bombers and deployed to New Guinea as part of Fifth Air Force. In the Southwest Pacific the squadron attacked Japanese strong points and tactical positions and targets of opportunity in support of MacArthur's campaign along the north coast of New Guinea; then advancing into the Netherlands East Indies and Philippines as part of the Island Hopping campaign. Re-equipped with P-40s; then later A-20 Havocs. Engaged in heavy fighting on Lete; Mindoro and Luzon in the Philippines during 1944-1945.

The squadron moved to Okinawa in mid August and after the Atomic Bomb missions had been flown; remained on Okinawa until December until returning to the United States with most personnel demobilizing. It was inactivated as a paper unit on 6 January 1946.

The squadron was reactivated as a B-29 Superfortress unit in the reserves in 1947, but lack of funding and personnel led to rapid inactivation.

Lineage

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  • Constituted 389th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 28 January 1942
Activated on 15 March 1942
Redesignated: 389th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 27 July 1942
Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 6 December 1943
Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 July 1945
Inactivated on 18 December 1945
  • Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 14 July 1947
Activated in the reserve on 30 July 1947
Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Assignments

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Stations

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Aircraft

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References

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

  • Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
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