History
Established as a World War I Aero Squadron in Texas; deployed to France in September 1917. The squadron participated in aircraft construction from 1917–1918 and conducted flying training in 1918. Returned to the United States and inactivated in 1919.
Reactivated in 1933 as a Pursuit Squadron, equipped with P-6 Hawks, A-8 Shrike and A-17A Nomad attack aircraft. Assigned to the Southeast Air District, flying coastal patrol missions from Langley Field, then Barksdale Field. Moved to Colorado and re-equipped with B-18 Bolo medium bombers; deploying to the Pacific Northwest.
The 37th It flew antisubmarine patrols from, December 1941–c. March 1942. The squadron also contributed aircrews for the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo, Japan on 6 April 1942. After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols over the Northwest Pacific coast until May 1942.
After the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands, squadron was deployed to the Alaska Territory. Flew combat missions during the Aleutian Campaign from forward bases on Adak and Amchitka during 1943 with B-25 Mitchells, attacking enemy targets on the occupied islands until their surrender.
Returned to the Continental United States in late 1943; re-equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bombers and trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO); being assigned to Eighth Air Force in England. Engaged in various special operations missions as a CARPETBAGGER unit, assisting resistance forces by dropping supplies, weapons and personnel over Occupied Europe until August 1944. Engaged in PSYOPS warfare against Nazi Germany, dropping leaflets and flying other combat missions until the German capitulation in May 1945.
Most of squadron personnel demobilized in England during the summer of 1945, unit returned to the United States and being redesignated as a Very Heavy B-29 Superfortress bombardment squadron. War in Pacific Theater ended before unit completed training and the squadron was inactivated in October 1945.
Reactivated in 1947 under Tactical Air Command but not manned or equipped. Inactivated in 1948. As a result of the Korean War, the squadron was reactivated again as part of Far East Air Force and equipped with B-26 Invader bombers equipped for night attacks. Carried out attacks on Communist forces primarily over South Korea until the Korean War armistice in 1953, then withdrawn to Japan where it remained until it was demobilized and administratively reassigned to Eglin #9 Field in 1955.
Re-equipped with Martin B-57A Canberra jet bombers and conducted evaluation testing of the aircraft at Eglin; transitioned to B-66B Destroyers in 1956, the first squadron to receive the new tactical bomber. Deployed to RAF Sculthorpe, England briefly in 1958 before returning to Eglin and performing more testing on B-66s with Jet Assisted Take Off (JATO) and until being inactivated due to budget cuts later in the year.
Reactivated as a B-52 Stratofortress squadron in 1977; inactivated in 1982 as part of the inactivation of the B-52D. Reactivated in 1987 as a B-1 Squadron
Read more about this topic: 37th Bomb Squadron
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“Postmodernism is, almost by definition, a transitional cusp of social, cultural, economic and ideological history when modernisms high-minded principles and preoccupations have ceased to function, but before they have been replaced with a totally new system of values. It represents a moment of suspension before the batteries are recharged for the new millennium, an acknowledgment that preceding the future is a strange and hybrid interregnum that might be called the last gasp of the past.”
—Gilbert Adair, British author, critic. Sunday Times: Books (London, April 21, 1991)
“No cause is left but the most ancient of all, the one, in fact, that from the beginning of our history has determined the very existence of politics, the cause of freedom versus tyranny.”
—Hannah Arendt (19061975)
“History is not what you thought. It is what you can remember. All other history defeats itself.
In Beverly Hills ... they dont throw their garbage away. They make it into television shows.
Idealism is the despot of thought, just as politics is the despot of will.”
—Mikhail Bakunin (18141876)