History
Organized in early 1941 as 39th Bombardment Squadron, a First Air Force medium bombardment squadron equipped with B-25 Mitchells.
After the United States entered World War II the group was ordered to search for German U-Boats and to fly aerial coverage of friendly convoys off the east coast. Redesignated 3d Antisubmarine Squadron and requipped with B-18 Bolos, deployed first to Savannah AAB, Georgia to patrol southeast coast, then to airfields in the northeast to patrol shipping lanes in the New York and Boston area as part of 25th Antisubmarine Wing.
With inactivation of the Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command in fall, 1943, redesignated as 819th Bombardment Squadron the squadron deployed first to California and trained as B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment squadron, being assigned to the, 30th Bombardment Group as a replacement unit for the 21st Bombardment Squadron that had been sent to Alaska. Then deployed to Hawaii as part of Seventh Air Force. Remained in Hawaii after the 30th Bomb Group deployed to the Central Pacific for defense of the islands, flying antisubmarine patrols and processed new crews and airplanes for the 30th Bomb Group that were later dispatched to combat areas.
Deployed to Saipan in August 1944, and conducted intensive bombing strikes against airfields and shipping at Bonin and Volcano Islands, Iwo Jima, ChiChi Jima, and Yap. Its final bombing mission was at Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945, the same day three Marine divisions invaded the island.
In March 1945, the 819th returned to Hawaii on the popular but mistaken rumor that it was to be reequipped with B-32 Dominators. Instead, many of the crews and planes were reassigned to the 11th Bombardment Group and subsequently served with it. The remaining elements waited out the war conducting training sorties and routine patrols. Inactivated on 30 November 1945.
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