444th Air Expeditionary Squadron
The 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 838th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group at Shindand Air Base, Afghanistan, where it trained Afghan Air Force pilots with light aircraft and helicopters.
| 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron | |
|---|---|
 An instructor from the squadron prepares to conduct a night vision goggle training mission with an Afghan Air Force student | |
| Active | 1942–1945; 1947–1949; 1958–1960; unknown |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Expeditionary Support |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation French Croix de Guerre with Palm[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron emblem |  |
| 444th Bombardment Squadron emblem[note 1][2] |  |
| Patch with 444th Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)[3] |  |
The squadron was activated during World War II. It participated in combat in the Mediterranean and European Theater of Operations, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation and a French Croix de Guerre with Palm. It remained in Europe after V-E Day, returning to the United States for inactivation in December 1945.
The squadron was briefly active in the reserves from 1947 to 1949, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped with operational aircraft. It was activated again in 1959, when Strategic Air Command expanded its Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings from three to four operational squadrons. However, the B-47 was being withdrawn from service and the squadron was inactivated along with its parent wing the following year.
History
World War II
Established in mid-1942 as a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber group. Trained under Third Air Force in Florida, deployed to England under the VIII Air Support Command, 3d Bombardment Wing.
Operated against targets on the continent during early fall of 1942; deployed to North Africa as part of Twelfth Air Force after Operation Torch landings in Algeria in November. Flew tactical bombing missions against Axis forces in North Africa until the end of the Tunisian Campaign in May 1943. Participated in the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns; liberation of Corsica and Sardinia and the Invasion of Southern France. Supported Allied ground forces in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, spring 1945 and becoming part of the United States Air Forces in Europe Army of Occupation in Germany, fall 1945. Personnel demobilized in Germany and the squadron inactivated as a paper unit in December 1945.
Reserves
Reactivated in the reserves in 1947. Never manned or equipped.
Strategic Air Command
From 1958, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings of Strategic Air Command (SAC) began to assume an alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases. The SAC alert cycle divided itself into four parts: planning, flying, alert and rest to meet General Thomas S. Power’s initial goal of maintaining one third of SAC's planes on fifteen minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.[4] To implement this new system B-47 wings reorganized from three to four squadrons.[4][5] The 444th was activated at March Air Force Base as the fourth squadron of the 320th Bombardment Wing.[1] In September, the phaseout of the B-47 be accelerated resulted in the squadron and 320th Wing being inactivated on 15 September 1960, with the aircraft were sent to AMARC storage at Davis-Monthan.
Expeditionary operations
The squadron was converted to provisional status and redesignated 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron. It provided training in helicopters and light Cessna 182 aircraft to the Afghan Air Force. This included training with the use of night vision goggle while flying the MH-6 Little Bird at Shindand Air Base.[6]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 444th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 19 June 1942
- Activated on 1 July 1942
- Redesignated 444th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 9 October 1944
- Inactivated on 8 December 1945
- Redesignated 444th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 26 May 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 9 July 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949
- Redesignated 444th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 6 October 1958
- Activated on 1 January 1959
- Discontinued on 15 September 1960
- Converted to provisional status and redesignated 444th Air Expeditionary Squadron on 13 May 2011[1]
- Redesignated 444th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron on 13 May 2011
- Activated by March 2012
- Inactivated unknown date
Assignments
- 320th Bombardment Group, 1 July 1942 – 4 December 1945
- 320th Bombardment Group, 9 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
- 320th Bombardment Wing, 1 January 1959 – 15 September 1960[1]
- Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate as needed[1]
Stations
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Aircraft
- Martin B-26 Marauder, 1942–1945
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1959–1960[1]
- None while in provisional status, the unit operated Afghan Air Force aircraft
References
- Notes
- Approved 29 January 1960.
- Aircraft is Martin B-26G-5-MA Marauder serial 43-34240, nicknamed "Pancho and His Reever Rats". This plane was shot down by flak over Covigliano,Italy on 23 August 1944. Missing Aircraft Crew Report 7997.
- Aircraft is Boeing B-47B-50-BW Stratojet serial 51-2307
- Citations
- Robertson, Patsy (August 22, 2011). "Factsheet 444 Air Expeditionary Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
- Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 549
- Watkins, pp. 84-85
- Schake, p. 220 (note 43)
- "Abstract (Unclassified), History of the Strategic Bomber since 1945 (Top Secret, downgraded to Secret)". Air Force History Index. 1 April 1975. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
- Wassem, Capt Anastasia (March 19, 2013). "NVG training increases AAF capabilities". US Air Forces Central Public Affairs. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- Station number in Anderson.
- Station number in Johnson.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL yes: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
- Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- 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. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- Schake, Col Kurt W. (1998). Strategic Frontier: American Bomber Bases Overseas, 1950-1960 (PDF). Trondheim, Norway: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. ISBN 978-8277650241. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
- Watkins, Robert A. (2009). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force In World War II. Vol. IV, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-3401-6.