Military unit
The
42nd Attack Squadron
is a
United States Air Force
unit assigned to the
25th Attack Group
located at
Creech Air Force Base
near
Indian Springs, Nevada
. It flew the
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
unmanned aerial vehicle
. The 42nd oversaw the training and combat deployment of aerial vehicle and sensor operators assigned to the Reaper.
Created as the first operational MQ-9 Reaper squadron in 2006,
[4]
the squadron flew its final sortie on 31 January 2020, following which its personnel and equipment were withdrawn, although it remained active as a "dormant" unit.
[5]
History
[
edit
]
World War I
[
edit
]
The first predecessor of the
squadron
was organized as the
42nd Aero Squadron
on 17 June 1917, shortly after the United States declared war on Germany. Based at
Camp Kelly
, Texas, the squadron trained new pilots as part of the
United States Army Air Service
until it was demobilized on 21 February 1919.
[1]
Interwar years
[
edit
]
The second predecessor of the squadron was organized in 1922 as the
42nd Squadron
(School) and became the
42nd School Squadron
in January 1923 as part of the
10th School Group
at Kelly Field. In April 1924 it was consolidated with the
42nd Aero Squadron
. The 42nd squadron continued its flying training role as part of the
United States Army Air Corps
in 1926, and was assigned to the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field in 1931.
[1]
On 1 March 1935, with the activation of the
General Headquarters Air Force
, the squadron was redesignated the 42nd Bombardment Squadron, although it remained a training squadron at Kelly until its inactivation in September 1936.
[1]
It was organized once again only a month later, as a
Regular Army
inactive unit assigned to the
Eighth Corps Area
, on 23 October 1936.
[c]
Until September 1939, the squadron existed only as an inactive cadre of
Organized Reserve
officers, at
Brownsville Municipal Airport
, Texas.
[2]
On 1 February 1940, squadron was activated as one of the original four squadrons of the
11th Bombardment Group
at
Hickam Field
, Hawaii.
[1]
[6]
Beginning in May 1941, the squadron began training with the
Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress
, with the capability to fly longer missions from its base at Hickam.
[1]
[7]
[8]
World War II
[
edit
]
The squadron was at Hickam during the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941. The squadron flew patrol and search missions from the Hawaiian Islands, including air support during the
Battle of Midway
.
[7]
[9]
In June 1942, shortly after the
Battle of Midway
, the 11th Group was authorized as a mobile force by the
Army Air Forces
in order to respond to a
Navy
request by
Admiral Nimitz
for long-range armed search planes to locate Japanese fleets, accompanied with firepower to withstand defending Japanese
interceptors
while tracking the fleet. The 11th Group left Hawaii to support Navy operations in the South Pacific Theater during the
Guadalcanal
and
Northern Solomon Islands Campaigns
.
[9]
The squadron moved to the
New Caledonia
on 22 July 1942 and became part of
Thirteenth Air Force
. It bombed airfields, supply dumps, ships, docks, troop positions, and other objectives in the South Pacific from July to November 1942, and received a
Distinguished Unit Citation
for those operations. It continued operations in the South Pacific, attacking Japanese airfields, installations, and shipping until late March 1943.
[1]
[7]
The squadron returned to Hawaii and the control of
Seventh Air Force
on 8 April 1943. In Hawaii, the squadron equipped with
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
bombers, which it flew until the end of the war.
[7]
Its training Included missions against
Wake Island
and other central Pacific bases held by the Japanese.
[9]
It deployed to the
Gilbert Islands
on 9 November 1943 and resumed combat participating in the Allied offensive through the Gilbert,
Marshall
and
Marianas Islands
, while operating from Funafuti, Tarawa, and Kwajalein.
[1]
[7]
"The [squadron] moved to
Guam
on 25 October 1944 and attacked shipping and airfields in the Volcano and Bonin Islands. It moved to
Okinawa
on 2 July 1945 to participate in the final phases of the air offensive against Japan, bombing railways, airfields, and harbor facilities on
Kyushu
and striking Japanese airfields in Eastern China."
[7]
Postwar operations in the Pacific
[
edit
]
After
V-J Day
, the squadron flew surveillance and reconnaissance missions over China and ferried former
prisoners of war
to the Philippines. In December 1945 the squadron moved without personnel or equipment to
Fort William McKinley
, Philippines. At the end of April 1946, it was designated as a very heavy bomber unit. The following month, it moved to
Northwest Field
, Guam and began to re-equip with
Boeing B-29 Superfortresses
, but terminated all operations and training by October. The squadron remained on Guam on paper until inactivating on 20 October 1948.
[1]
[7]
Strategic Air Command
[
edit
]
The squadron was reactivated as a unit of the
United States Air Force
on 1 December 1948. Assigned to the 11th Bombardment Group as part of the
Strategic Air Command
, it flew
Convair B-36 Peacemaker
intercontinental bombers from
Carswell Air Force Base
, Texas. In 1957 it moved to
Altus Air Force Base
, Oklahoma, to convert to
Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses
.
In 1960 was reassigned to the
4043rd Strategic Wing
, being re-equipped with B-52E intercontinental heavy bombers. The squadron moved to
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
, Ohio by SAC to disperse its heavy bomber force. Conducted worldwide strategic bombardment training missions and providing nuclear deterrent. Was inactivated in 1963 when SAC inactivated its strategic wings, replacing them with permanent Air Force Wings. Squadron was inactivated with its aircraft, personnel and equipment transferred to the
34th Bombardment Squadron
.
Unmanned aerial vehicles
[
edit
]
On 9 November 2006, the squadron was redesignated the 42nd Attack Squadron and reactivated at
Creech Air Force Base
, Nevada, initially as part of the
57th Wing
before being assigned as one of the six
unmanned aerial vehicle
squadrons of the
432nd Wing
, and the only squadron designated as an attack squadron.
The 42nd received its first
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper
on 13 March 2007. Officially combat-operational in Afghanistan since September 2007, the typical MQ-9 system consists of several aircraft, a ground control station, communications equipment/links, spares, and active duty and/or contractor personnel. The crew consists of one unmanned aerial system pilot, one sensor operator and one mission intelligence coordinator.
The squadron flew its last combat sortie on 31 January 2020, following which all personnel and equipment were withdrawn from the unit, although it remained active as a
paper unit."
[5]
Lineage
[
edit
]
- 42nd Aero Squadron
- Organized as the
42nd Aero Squadron
on 13 June 1917
- Demobilized on 21 February 1919
- Reconstituted on 8 April 1924 and consolidated with the
42nd School Squadron
as the
42nd School Squadron
[1]
- 42nd Attack Squadron
- Authorized 10 June 1922 as the
42nd Squadron
(School)
- Organized on 5 July 1922
- Redesignated
42nd School Squadron
on 25 January 1923
- Consolidated with the
42nd Aero Squadron
on 8 April 1924
- Redesignated
42nd Bombardment Squadron
on 1 March 1935
- Inactivated on 1 September 1936
- Organized as a Regular Army Inactive unit on 23 November 1936
[2]
- Redesignated
42nd Bombardment Squadron
(Medium) on 22 December 1939
- Activated on 1 February 1940
- Redesignated
42nd Bombardment Squadron
(Heavy) on 11 December 1940
- Redesignated
42nd Bombardment Squadron
, Heavy c. 1 August 1944
- Redesignated
42nd Bombardment Squadron
, Very Heavy on 30 April 1946
- Inactivated on 20 October 1948
- Redesignated
42nd Bomb Squadron
, Heavy and activated on 1 December 1948
- Discontinued and inactivated on 1 February 1963
- Redesignated
42nd Attack Squadron
and activated on 9 November 2006
[1]
Assignments
[
edit
]
- Unknown, 13 June 1917 ? 21 February 1919
[e]
- 10th School Group
, 5 July 1922
- Air Corps Advanced Flying School
, 16 July 1931
- 3rd Wing, GHQ Air Force, 1 March 1935 ? 1 September 1936 (attached to Air Corps Advanced Flying School)
- Eighth Corps Area as a Regular Army Inactive unit on 23 November 1936
[2]
- 11th Bombardment Group
, 1 February 1940 ? 20 October 1948
- 11th Bombardment Group, 1 December 1948 (attached to
11th Bombardment Wing
after 16 February 1951)
- 11th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952
- 4043rd Strategic Wing
, 1 June 1960
- 57th Operations Group
, 9 November 2006
- 432nd Operations Group
, 1 May 2007
- 25th Attack Group
, 12 July 2019 ? present
[1]
Stations
[
edit
]
- Camp Kelly, Texas, 13 June 1917
- Wilbur Wright Field
, Ohio, 25 August 1917 ? 21 February 1919
- Kelly Field, Texas, 5 July 1922 ? 1 September 1936
- Brownsville Municipal Airport, Texas as a Regular Army Inactive unit on 23 November 1936
[2]
- Hickam Field, Hawaii, 1 February 1940
- Kualoa Airfield
, Hawaii, 5 June 1942
- Mokuleia Airfield
, Hawaii, 8 July 1942
- Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield
, New Caledonia, 22 July 1942
- Luganville Airfield
, Espiritu Santo,
New Hebrides
, 23 November 1942
- Kualoa Point Field, Hawaii, 8 April 1943
- Funafuti Airfield
,
Nanumea
, Gilbert Islands, 9 November 1943
- Mokuleia Field, Hawaii, 9 January 1944
|
- Kahuku Army Air Field
, Hawaii, 19 March 1944
- Mokuleia Field, Hawaii, 13 June 1944
- Agana Airfield
,
Guam
, Marianas Islands, 22 September 1944
- Yontan Air Base
,
Okinawa
,
Ryukyu Islands
, 2 July 1945
- Fort William McKinley
,
Luzon
, Philippines, 11 December 1945
- Northwest Field (Guam)
(later Harmon Field), Guam, 15 May 1946 ? 20 October 1948
- Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, 1 December 1948
- Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 13 December 1957 ? 1 June 1960
- Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 1 June 1960 ? 1 February 1963
- Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. 9 November 2006 ? 1 February 2020
[1]
|
Aircraft
[
edit
]
- Standard J-1
, 1917?1919
- Curtiss JN-4
, 1917?1919
- Airco DH.4
, 1917?1919, 1923?1931
- Douglas O-2
, 1926?1933
- Curtiss O-11 Falcon
, 1930?1932
- Thomas-Morse O-19
, 1930?1935
- Keystone B-3
, 1935?1936
- Keystone B-4, 1935?1936
- Keystone B-5, 1935?1936
- Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1940?1941
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941?1943
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943?1945
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1946
- Convair B-36 Peacemaker, 1949?1957
- Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1958?1963
- General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, 2006?2013
- General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, 2006?present
[1]
Decorations
[
edit
]
- South Pacific, 31 July-30 November 1942
- Pacific Theater, 7 August-9 December 1942
- 6 August 1954 ? 15 July 1957
- 27 October 1958 ? 1 June 1960
- 28 May 2019
- 15 November 2019
See also
[
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]
Explanatory notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Approved 30 November 2009.
- ^
Approved 20 January 1925. Description: A blue shield charged with a gold torch
paleways
, in the
chief
a white triangle displaying a puma observing its prey, dark brown shading into gray on under side with stripes of very dark brown, crouching on a brown branch of a tree.
- ^
Regular Army Inactive units were units that were constituted in the regular army. Although they were not activated, they were organized with reserve personnel during the 1920s and 1930s. Even though they had reserve personnel assigned, they were not Organized Reserve units. Because they had no regular personnel they were still considered inactive in the regular army. Clay, p. vi.
- ^
The Boeing B-17F-20-BO Flying Fortress, serial 41-24531 visible on the right was shot down by a Japanese
Mitsubishi A6M Zero
fighter over Tonolei harbour, Buna Island, Solomon Islands on 18 November 1942. During the attack the pilot Maj. Allen J. Seward, and the copilot Lt. Jack Lee were killed. One engine caught on fire, but Col. LaVerne Saunders made a water landing about 50 km from Tonolei harbour near a very small island. An Australian coastwatcher reached the survivors about three hours later. The crew was taken to Vella Lavella Island an picked up by a Navy
Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina
and returned to Guadalcanal.
- ^
Probably Post Headquarters, Kelly Field and Wilbur Wright Field.
References
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
Musser, James (2 May 2023).
"Factsheet 42 Attack Squadron (ACC)"
. Air Force Historical Research Agency
. Retrieved
13 January
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Clay, p. 1406
- ^
Maurer,
Combat Squadrons
, pp. 193?194
- ^
"First MQ-9 squadron looks good for 100"
. 13 June 2017
. Retrieved
25 March
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Rosado, William (11 February 2020).
"Dormant, not deactivated [sic]: 42nd ATKS end of operations"
.
Creech Air Force Base
. Retrieved
24 December
2020
.
- ^
Maurer,
Combat Squadrons
, pp. 76-77, 193-194, 531-532
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Maurer,
Combat Units
, pp. 53-55
- ^
Williams, pp. 172-173
- ^
a
b
c
No byine.
"History of the 11th Bombardment Group in World War II"
. 11th Bombardment Group Association
. Retrieved
9 January
2024
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
This article incorporates
public domain material
from the
Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Williams, E. Kathleen (1948). "Prelude to War, Chapter 5 Deployment of the AAF on the Eve of Hostilities". In Craven, Wesley F.; Cate, James L (eds.).
The Army Air Forces in World War II
(PDF)
. Vol. I, Plans and Early Operations. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
LCCN
48003657
.
OCLC
704158
. Retrieved
17 December
2016
.
- 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
. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
ISBN
0-912799-12-9
. Retrieved
17 December
2016
.
External links
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]