488th Bombardment Squadron

The 488th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 340th Bombardment Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, where it was inactivated on 1 September 1963.

World War II
Established as a North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber squadron in mid-1942, trained by Third Air Force in the southeastern United States. Deployed to IX Bomber Command in Egypt initially in March 1943 via Air Transport Command South Atlantic Route through Caribbean, Brazil, Liberia, Central Africa and Sudan, then reassigned to Mediterranean Theater of Operations, and to XII Bomber Command in Tunisia. Supported Allied ground forces in Tunisian Campaign; participated in Invasions of Sicily and Italy during 1943, supporting Allied ground forces with tactical bombing of enemy targets. Participated in liberation of Corsica during the spring of 1944, then returned to Italy engaging in attacks on enemy ground forces and targets in the Po Valley during the spring of 1945.

This was the squadron Joseph Heller flew in as a bombardier, his experiences leading him to write the famous anti-war novel, Catch-22.

Personnel demobilized in Italy during summer of 1945; squadron returned to the United States, being prepared for deployment to Pacific Theater for use as a tactical bomb squadron in programmed Invasion of Japan. Japanese capitulation led to squadron's inactivation in November 1945.

Reserve operations
Activated as a light bomber squadron in the postwar Air Force reserves in 1947; inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.

Strategic Air Command
Reactivated in October 1952 as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) Boeing B-47 Stratojet squadron. Initially equipped with prototypes of the Boeing RB-47B Stratojet (YRB-47) to perform long-range photo-reconnaissance with a flight of Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers assigned. In November 1953 began to receive production B-47E medium bomber aircraft; prototype reconnaissance aircraft already received exchanged for medium bomber versions. Participated in SAC Reflex deployments to Europe and North Africa throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1963 with the phaseout of the B-47 the aircraft sent to storage at Davis–Monthan and inactivated.

Lineage

 * Constituted as the 488th Bombardment Squadron (Medium)' on 10 August 1942
 * Activated on 20 August 1942
 * Redesignated 488th Bombardment Squadron, Medium c. 20 August 1943
 * Inactivated on 7 November 1945


 * Redesignated 488th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 8 October 1947
 * Activated in the reserve on 31 October 1947
 * Inactivated on 19 August 1949


 * Redesignated 488th Bombardment Squadron, Medium' on 3 October 1952
 * Activated on 20 October 1952
 * Inactivated on 1 September 1963

Assignments

 * 340th Bombardment Group, 20 August 1942 – 7 November 1945
 * 340th Bombardment Group, 31 October 1947 – 19 August 1949
 * 340th Bombardment Wing, 20 October 1952 – 1 September 1963

Stations

 * Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, 20 August 1942
 * Walterboro Army Air Field, South Carolina, 1 December 1942 – 30 January 1943
 * RAF Kabrit, Egypt, 29 March 1943
 * Medenine Airfield, Tunisia, c. 13 April 1943
 * Sfax Airfield, Tunisia, 16 April 1943
 * Hergla Airfield, Tunisia, 3 June 1943
 * Comiso Airfield, Sicily, Italy, c. 2 August 1943
 * Catania Airport, Sicily, Italy, 27 August 1943
 * San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy 29 October 1943


 * Foggia Airfield, Italy, 25 November 1943
 * Pompeii Airfield, Italy, 2 January 1944
 * Gaudo Airfield, Italy, 22 March 1944
 * Alesani Airfield, Corsica, France, c. 11 April 1944
 * Rimini Airfield, Italy, 7 April – 16 July 1945
 * Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, 9 August 1945
 * Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, c. 2 October – 7 November 1945
 * Tulsa Municipal Airport, Oklahoma, 31 October 1947 – 19 August 1949
 * Sedalia Air Force Base (later Whiteman Air Force Base), Missouri, 20 October 1952 – 1 September 1963

Aircraft

 * North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942–1945
 * Boeing YRB-47 Stratojet, 1954–1955
 * Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1963