13th Bomb Squadron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 13th Bomb Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Official emblem of the 13th Bomb Squadron |
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| Active | June 14, 1917-1919 1936- |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Bomb |
| Part of | Air Combat Command Eighth Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Whiteman Air Force Base |
| Nickname | The Devil's Own Grim Reapers |
| Motto | Fear the Reaper |
| Colors | Red and black |
| Mascot | Oscar |
| Anniversaries | June 14 |
| Equipment | B-2 Spirit |
| Engagements | World War I World War II Korean War Vietnam War Operation Allied Force Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Decorations |  DCU PUC AFOUA w/ V Device.svg){kind=small} PPUC.svg){kind=small} ROK PUC RVGC w/ Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Lieutenant Colonel Jason R. Armagost |
| Notable commanders |
Captain Charles Biddle Lieutenant Colonel Rob Fortney Lieutenant Colonel Robert McCormick Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Bussiere |
The 13th Bomb Squadron is an active United States Air Force organization assigned to the 509th Operations Group, stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. The 13th Bomb Squadron flies the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber on missions around the world.
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[edit] History
The 13th Bomb Squadron is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force, first being constituted on June 14, 1917, and was deployed to Europe during World War I. The unit has been engaged in almost every major conflict (World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Global War on Terrorism) in which the United States Air Force or its predecessors has been involved in since its establishment.
[edit] Lineage
- Organized as 13th Aero Squadron on June 14, 1917
- Demobilized on March 29, 1919
- Reconstituted, and consolidated (October 16, 1936) with 104th Aero Squadron, which was organized on August 25, 1917.
- Redesignated: 13th Squadron on March 14, 1921
- Redesignated: 13th Attack Squadron on January 25, 1923
- Inactivated on June 27, 1924
- Activated on November 1, 1929
- Redesignated: 13th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on September 15, 1939
- Redesignated: 13th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on September 28, 1942
- Redesignated: 13th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on May 25, 1943
- Redesignated: 13th Bombardment Squadron, Light, Night Intruder on June 25, 1951
- Redesignated: 13th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical on October 1, 1955
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on January 15, 1968
- Activated on February 8, 1969
- Redesignated: 13th Fighter Squadron on July 1, 1973
- Inactivated, and redesignated 13th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical, on September 30, 1973
- Redesignated: 13th Bomb Squadron on May 1, 2000
- Activated on June 14, 2000
[edit] Assignments
13th Aero Squadron
- Unknown, June 14, 1917 – June 1918
- 2d Pursuit Group, June 28 – December 1918
- Unknown, December 1918 – March 29, 1919
104th Aero (later, 13th Attack) Squadron
- Unknown, August 25, 1917 – August 1918
- V Corps Observation Group, August–December 1918
- Unknown, December 1918 – June 30, 1919
- Army Surveillance (later, 1st Surveillance; 3d Attack) Group, July 1, 1919 – June 27, 1924
- 3d Attack Group, November 1, 1929 – consolidation
Consolidated Squadron
- 3d Attack (later, 3d Bombardment) Group, from consolidation
- Attached to 3d Bombardment Wing, August 13, 1956 – October 24, 1957
- 3d Bombardment Wing, October 25, 1957
- Attached to 41st Air Division, September 1, 1963 – January 7, 1964
- 41st Air Division, January 8, 1964
- Thirteenth Air Force, c. April 10, 1964
- Attached to 405th Fighter Wing, April 10 – November 17, 1964
- 405th Fighter Wing, November 18, 1964 – January 15, 1968
- Attached to: 2d Air Division, August 5 – November 3, 1964; February 17 – June 21, 1965
- Attached to: 6252d Tactical Fighter Wing, August 16 – October 16, 1965; December 16, 1965 – February 17, 1966
- Attached to: 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, April 17 – June 17, 1966; August 14 – October 13, 1966; December 12, 1966 – February 11, 1967; April 11 – June 8, 1967; August 1 – September 26, 1967; November 21, 1967 – January 15, 1968
- 15th Tactical Fighter Wing, February 8, 1969
- Pacific Air Forces, September 15, 1970
- Attached to 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, September 15 – October 30, 1970
- 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, October 31, 1970
- 405th Fighter Wing, c. December 24, 1972 – September 30, 1973
- 7th Operations Group, June 14, 2000
- 509th Operations Group, September 9, 2005 – Present
[edit] Stations
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13th Aero Squadron
104 Aero (later, 13 Attack) Squadron
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Consolidated Squadron
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[edit] Operational History
On June 14, 1917, By order of the Adjutant General of the U.S. Army, at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, Major Maxwell Kirby formed the 13th Aero Squadron. The squadron saw its first action in the skies over France in World War I where it produced its first ace, Capt. Charles Biddle of Philadelphia. The squadron's insignia, "Oscar, the Devel's Own Grim Reaper", was painted on Capt Biddle's French SPAD XIII. The squadron would go on to produce five aces. The 13th departed France in February 1919 and was demobilized in March.
In October 1936, the 13th Aero Squadron was reconstituted and consolidated with the 13th Attack Squadron. They were renamed the 13th Bombardment Squadron in September 1939. During these years they flew B-12's and B-18's. In October 1940, they were assigned a new plane, the Douglas A-20 Havoc.
The Squadron was next to see action in World War II with the 3d Bombardment Group, fighting in the Pacific. The 13th arrived in Australia without aircraft, but was able to "borrow" some B-25's from the Dutch who had no pilots to fly them. After a Japanese attack on Port Moresby, New Guinea destroyed all their planes, the 13th received the Douglas A-20 Havoc which they flew into 1945. In late 1944, they received six Douglas A-26 Invader light bombers for combat evaluation. The A-26 received mixed reviews including bad marks for in-flight visibility, and insufficient firepower for effective strafing.[citation needed] When they moved to Okinawa in 1945, they got the new and improved A-26B model, which they flew for the remainder of the war.
Stationed in Japan after World War II the squadron was one of the first to see action in the Korean War where the squadron flew mostly night time intruder missions. After Korea they were stationed in Japan where they converted to the B-57 Canberra in 1956.
When the war in Vietnam broke out the 13th was again called into action, flying night missions with the B-57. The squadron was noted for their DOOM Pussy patches given to crews who "Flew into the Jaws of the Cat of Death". They started flying in Vietnam in May 1964. The squadron flew 1,000 sorties in Vietnam before they were deactivated in 1968.
Less than one year later the 13th was reactivated using B-57G aircraft. Deployed to Thailand the 13th again flew night intruder missions. The squadron was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. In the force draw down after Vietnam, the 13th was again deactivated.
After many years of inactivity, the 13th was reactivated at Dyess AFB in Texas flying the "Bone", the Rockwell B-1B Lancer. The squadron flew Operation Enduring Freedom missions until June 2005 when it was deactivated.
In September 2005 the squadron was again reformed flying the B-2 Spirit Stealth bomber with the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB. B-2s from the squadron have taken turns with B-52 aircraft to provide a continuous bomber presence at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The most recent four-month deployment by four B2s began in March 2009.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Dumat-ol Daleno, Gaynor, "Stealth Bombers to Deploy to Guam", Pacific Daily News, February 27, 2009.
[edit] Sources
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, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
- Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
- [1] Air Force Historical Research Agency
[edit] External links
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