371st Bombardment Squadron

The 371st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 307th Bombardment Wing, based at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.

371st Bombardment Squadron
B-47 Stratojet as flown by the squadron[note 1]
Active	1942–1946; 1946–1965
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Bombardment
Engagements	South Pacific Theater
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
Patch with 371st Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 4 September 1956)[1]
371st Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)

History

Formed as a heavy bombardment group in January 1942, trained in the Pacific Northwest under Second Air Force, with B-17 Flying Fortresses. Reassigned to Seventh Air Force in Hawaii, November 1942 and performed performing search and rescue and antisubmarine patrols until January 1943 while transitioning to long-range B-24 Liberator heavy bombers.

Deployed to Central Pacific from Hawaii throughout 1943 for long-range combat bombardment operations against Japanese forces in the Central Pacific; New Guinea; Northern Solomon Islands and Eastern Mandates campaigns. Deployed to the New Hebrides in Melanesia and operated from numerous temporary jungle airfields, engaging in long-range bombardment operations during the Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon and Southern Philippines campaigns until the end of the war in August 1945. Assigned to Clark Field, Philippines after the war ended, demobilized with personnel returning to the United States, unit inactivated as paper unit in January 1946 in California.

Reactivated as B-29 Superfortress squadron at MacDill Field, Florida in August 1946 as part of Strategic Air Command. Was a training unit for antisubmarine warfare. Deployed to Okinawa during Korean War, carrying out combat operations over Korea throughout the conflict. Remained in Okinawa until November 1954 when inactivated. Reactivated simultaneously at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, as a B-47 Stratojet medium jet bomber squadron, performed REFLEX deployments to North Africa until phaseout of B-47 in 1965 and inactivated.

Lineage

• Constituted as the 371st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942

Activated on 15 April 1942

Redesignated 371st Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. March 1944

Inactivated on 18 January 1946

• Redesignated 371st Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 15 July 1946
• Activated on 4 August 1946

Redesignated 371st Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 28 May 1948

Inactivated on 25 March 1965[2]

Assignments

• 307th Bombardment Group, 15 April 1942 – 18 January 1946
• 307th Bombardment Group, 4 August 1946 (attached to 307th Bombardment Wing after 14 February 1951)
• 307th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 – 25 March 1965[2]

Stations

Geiger Field, Washington, 15 April 1942 Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 28 May 1942 Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 30 September-20 October 1942 Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 2 November 1942 (operated from: Henderson Field, Midway Atoll, 21–24 December 1942 and 20–25 January 1943; Canton Island Airfield, Phoenix Islands, 6–12 February 1943: Funafuti Airfield, Nanumea, Gilbert Islands, 18–23 April 1943 and 27 July-1 August 1943 Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 13 June 1943 9operated from: Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, 25 August-14 October 1943; 24 November-31 December 19430

Munda Airfield, New Georgia, Solomon Islands, 9 January 1944 Momote Airfield, Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, 13 May 1944 Wakde Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 22 August 1944 9operated from: Kornasoren (Yebrurro) Airfield, Noemfoor, Schouten Islands, c. 18 September-c. 20 November 19440 Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 10 November 1944 Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 1 September-27 December 1945 Camp Stoneman, California, 16–18 January 1946 MacDill Field (later macDill Air Force Base), Florida, 4 August 1946 (operated from Kadena Air Base, Okinawa after c. 5 August 1950 Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, 15 August 1953 Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska, 19 November 1954 – 25 March 1965[2]

Aircraft

• Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942
• Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
• Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1946–1954
• Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1965[2]

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

1. Aircraft is Lockheed Marietta built Boeing B-47E Stratojet, serial 53-1830, taken at Langley AFB.

Citations

1. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 459-460
2. Lineage information, including aircraft, assignments and stations, through March 1953 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 459-460

Bibliography

 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 (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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.