| Unit Name: | 789th Bombardment Squadron (later 789th Tactical Fighter Squadron) |
| Dates: | 1943–1946; 1965 |
| Role: | Bombardment, Fighter |
| Battles: | European Theater of Operations |
| Identification Symbol Label: | 789th Bombardment Squadron emblem[1] |
| Identification Symbol 2: | 6A |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | World War II fuselage code[2] |
The 789th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. During World War II, as the 789th Bombardment Squadron, it was assigned to the 467th Bombardment Group as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator squadron in 1943. After training in the United States, it moved to the European Theater of Operations the following year, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It saw combat until the surrender of Germany in May 1945. After V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States and transitioned into the Boeing B-29 Superfortress It was inactivated on 4 August 1946 at Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico.
The squadron was redesignated the 789th Tactical Fighter Squadron and activated in April 1965 as part of the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing. It began to train with the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II, but less than three months after activation, it was inactivated and its Phantoms, personnel and mission were transferred to the 40th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
The squadron was first activated at Wendover Field, Utah on 1 August 1943 as one of the original four squadrons of the 467th Bombardment Group. It trained with Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers until February 1944, when it departed for the European Theater of Operations.[1] [3] The ground echelon departed Wendover on 12 February for the port of embarkation at Camp Shanks, New York, sailing aboard the on 28 February. The air echelon ferried their Liberators to England via the South Atlantic Ferry route.[4]
The squadron arrived at its combat station, RAF Rackheath, England, on 11 March 1944, and entered the strategic bombing campaign on 10 April with an attack on a military air base at Bourges. It attacked targets such as factories at Bonn, Osnabrück and Stuttgart, power generating facilities at Hamm, and the harbor at Kiel. It also attacked the German aircraft industry at Brunswick, and other objectives. In September 1944, the squadron spent some time transporting fuel to France to support the Allied advance toward Germany.[3]
The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic campaign to engage in air support and air interdiction missions. On D-Day, it attacked shore installations and bridges near Cherbourg Naval Base. During Operation Cobra, the breakout at Saint Lo, it bombed troop concentrations and supply dumps near Montreuil. It attacked German lines of communication and fortifications during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945. It bombed enemy transportation to assist Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. The squadron flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945.[3]
Following V-E Day, the squadron redeployed to the United States. Most of the squadron's planes left Rackheath on 12 June 1945, while the ground echelon sailed on the on 6 July. The squadron began to reassemble at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota later in July. The squadron was selected for transition into the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and trained with the new bomber at Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico and Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska, although Japan had surrendered. The squadron completed its transition into the Superfortress and, in January 1946, moved to Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, where it became one of the first units in Strategic Air Command. On 4 August 1946, the squadron was inactivated and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the 352d Bombardment Squadron, which was simultaneously activated.[1] [3] [4] [5]
As the United States Air Force expanded its McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fleet in April 1965, it activated the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base Florida. Although it was planned that the squadrons of the 33d Wing would be Convair F-102 Delta Dagger squadrons that were inactivating in the Pacific, these squadrons were still winding down their operations, so the 33d was initially formed with the 786th, 787th, 788th and 789th Tactical Fighter Squadron. The 33d embarked on a program of tactical training with the Phantom. In June 1965, the squadron was inactivated and its planes and personnel were transferred to the 40th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which moved on paper to Eglin from Yokota Air Base, Japan.[6]
Activated on 1 August 1943
Redesignated 789th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 10 August 1944
Redesignated 789th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945
Inactivated on 4 August 1946[7]
Organized on 1 April 1965[8]
Inactivated on 20 June 1965[8]
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Offensive, Europe | 12 March 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 789th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 789th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 789th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 789th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 789th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 789th Bombardment Squadron |