786th Bombardment Squadron

786th Bombardment Squadron

Emblem of the 786th Bombardment Squadron
Active 1943-1945
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Type Bombardment

The 786th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 17 October 1945.

History

Established in mid-1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb group; trained under Second Air Force in Idaho. Completed training in early 1944; deploying to European Theater of Operations (ETO) assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England.

Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment operations over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany, March 1944-May 1945 attacking enemy military and industrial targets as part of the United States' air offensive against Nazi Germany. Most personnel demobilized in Europe after the German capitulation in May 1945; a small cadre returned to the United States, being programmed for conversion to being a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomb squadron and deployment to the Central Pacific to engage in strategic bombardment over Japan.

Training ended after Japanese capitulation in August 1945, unit inactivated in October; its training aircraft being assigned to other squadrons or sent to storage.

Lineage

Activated on 1 August 1943
Redesignated 786th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 5 August 1945
Inactivated on 17 October 1945

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

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