559th Bombardment Squadron

559th Bombardment Squadron
Emblem of the 559th Bombardment Squadron
Active	1942–1966
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Bombardment

The 559th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 387th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on 12 November 1945.

History

Activated as a B-26 Marauder medium bombardment squadron in late 1942. Trained under Third Air Force and deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO) in July 1943. Initially being stationed in England and assigned to IX Bomber Command.

Engaged in tactical bombardment of enemy targets in Occupied Europe initially from stations in England, then after D-Day, moved to Advanced Landing Grounds in France and Belgium; advancing eastward as Allied ground forces advanced. Supported Eighth Air Force strategic bombardment missions over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe; striking enemy airfields to obtain maximum interference in Luftwaffe day interceptor attacks on heavy bomber formations returning to England. Also participated in Western Allied Invasion of Germany, March–April 1945, combat ending with German Capitation in May 1945.

Became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe while squadron demobilized personnel in 1945. Squadron reassigned to the United States as a paper unit, inactivated in November 1945.

Lineage

• Constituted 559th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 25 Nov 1942

Activated on 1 Dec 1942

Inactivated on 12 Nov 1945

Assignments

• 387th Bombardment Group, 1 Dec 1942-12 Nov 1945

Stations

MacDill Field, Florida, 1 Dec 1942 Drane Field, Florida, 12 Apr 1943 Godman Field, Kentucky, 12 May-10 Jun 1943 RAF Chipping Ongar (AAF-162), England, 1 Jul 1943 RAF Stoney Cross (AAF-452), England, c. 21 Jul 1944 Maupertus Airfield (A-15), France, c. 1 Sep 1944

Chateaudun Airfield (A-39), France, c. 18 Sep 1944 Clastres Airfield (A-71), France, c. 4 Nov 1944 Maastricht Airfield (Y-44), Netherlands, c. 4 May 1945 Rosieres-en-Santerre Airfield (B-87), France, 30 May-c. Nov 1945 Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 11-12 Nov 1945

Aircraft

• B-26 Marauder, 1942–1945

References

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

• 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.