20th Bomb Squadron

20th Bomb Squadron
20th Bomb Squadron Patch
Active	26 June 1917 - 28 February 1946 1 July 1947 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Strategic Bombing
Part of	Air Force Global Strike Command 8th Air Force 2d Bomb Wing 2d Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Barksdale Air Force Base
Decorations	DCU AFOUA RVGC w/ Palm

B-52 Stratofortress from the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, Barksdale Air Force Base, La.

Boeing B-17F-85-BO Fortress 42-30082 from the 20th Bomb Squadron undergoes maintenance in the open at Ain M'lila Airfield, Algeria in the late summer of 1943. Note that the veteran bomber has had its tail gun installation removed in preparation for the fitment of a new unit. 42-30082 features a red surround to its fuselage 'star and bars', this marking only being used by US aircraft for a short period in the latter half of 1943. Assigned to the 2nd BG upon its arrival in the MTO on 28 May 1943, this aircraft completed 36 missions with the group before being transferred to the 419th BS/301st BG in November of that same year. A combat survivor, 42-30082 returned to the USA in September 1945 and was salvaged the following month

The 20th Bomb Squadron (20 BS) is part of the 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It operates B-52 Stratofortress aircraft providing strategic bombing capability.

Mission

Exceptional warriors ready now to provide responsive, flexible and accurate bomber combat power and expeditionary combat support to warfighting commanders… anytime… anywhere.^[1]

History

The 20th flew combat missions as day bombardment unit with First Army from, 14 September 1918 – 5 November 1918.

Assigned to Langley Field, Virginia in 1922 after the re-establishment of the Air Service after World War I. On 5 September 1923 the squadron participated in a demonstration of the effectiveness of aerial bombardment on warships. The squadron went on to conduct good-will flights to South America in 1938 and 1939.

Deployed to Mitchell Field, Long Island immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor; flew Antisubmarine patrols from, 8 December 1941 – c. 28 October 1942 with B-18 Bolos. Also flew antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific Northwest from Ephara, Washington. Reassigned to Second Air Force and re-equipped with B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers. Trained until being deployed to Algeria in mid-1943 as part of Twelfth Air Force. Flew combat missions during the North African Campaign over enemy targets in Algeria and Tunisia; also taking part in the invasions of Sicily and Southern Italy, striking enemy targets and hard defense points with heavy bomber attacks. Reassigned to new Fifteenth Air Force in Southern Italy in late 1943, engaged in strategic bombardment of enemy targets in France, southern Europe, and the Balkans until the German Capitulation in May 1945. Demobilized in Italy, aircraft returned to the United States for reassignment or smelting. Inactivated as a paper unit in February 1946.

Reactivated as a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber squadron under Strategic Air Command in 1947; assigned to Chatam, and later Hunter AFB near Savannah. Flew B-29 and later B-50 Superfortresses during the postwar era. The 20th participated in electronic countermeasures testing and evaluation from, May 1950 – May 1952. Equipped with B-47 Stratojet medium bombers in 1947, flying training missions and standing nuclear alert until the phaseout of the B-47 in 1963.

Re-equipped with B-52 Stratofortresses in 1963 and moved to Barksdale AFB as the runways at Hunter were too short to accommodate the B-52. Reassigned to Carswell AFB in 1965. It deployed B-52s and aircrews for combat in Southeast Asia from, September 1969-March 1970. During the 1980s it conducted B-52 training missions over bombing range sites and supported wing primary mission of aerial bombardment. Returned to Barksdale in 1992 with the closure of Carswell and the inactivation of SAC, being reassigned to the new Air Combat Command. Continued training for global conventional bombardment missions and maintained nuclear operational readiness.

After terrorist attack against the U.S. on 11 September 2001 the 20th deployed to the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and on 7 October 2001 flew attacks on targets in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom. In February 2003 it deployed to Guam to deter North Korean aggression.

On 21 July 2008, a squadron B-52 aircraft crashed near Guam during a training mission in support of Guam's Liberation Day festivities. All six crewmembers, three of whom were from the 20th, perished.

Lineage

• Organized as 20 Aero Squadron on 26 Jun 1917

Redesignated: 20 Squadron on 14 Mar 1921

Redesignated: 20 Bombardment Squadron on 25 Jan 1923

Redesignated: 20 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 Dec 1939

Redesignated: 20 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 26 Mar 1943

Inactivated on 28 Feb 1946

• Redesignated 20 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 5 Apr 1946

Activated on 1 Jul 1947

Redesignated: 20 Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 28 May 1948

Redesignated: 20 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 1 Apr 1963

Redesignated: 20 Bomb Squadron on 1 Sep 1991.

Operates as 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron (Provisional) when deployed to combat areas after 11 Sept 2001

Assignments

• Unkn, 26 Jun 1917-9 Sep 1918
• 1st Day Bombardment Group, 10 Sep 1918
• unkn, Nov 1918-18 Sep 1919
• 1st Day Bombardment (later, 2d Bombardment) Group, 18 Sep 1919-28 Feb 1946
• 2d Bombardment Group, 1 Jul 1947

Attached to 3d Air Division, 6 Aug-16 Nov 1948

Attached to 2d Bombardment Wing, 10 Feb 1951-15 Jun 1952

• 2d Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952
• 7th Bombardment Wing, 25 Jun 1965
• 7th Operations Group, 1 Sep 1991
• 2d Operations Group, 18 Dec 1992–Present

Attached to Air Combat Command when aircraft/personnel deployed to combat areas after 11 Sep 2001

Bases stationed

Aircraft operated

Operations

• World War I
• World War II
• Vietnam War
• Operation Enduring Freedom

See also

• List of American Aero Squadrons
• List of B-52 Units of the United States Air Force

References

	United States Air Force portal
	Military of the United States portal
	World War II portal

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

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

1. ^ Barksdale Air Force Base - Welcome

• USAF 20th Bomb Squadron History

External links

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