Talk:616th Bombardment Squadron

Queries

G'day, Lineagegeek, I hope you are well. I have a couple of queries/suggestions:

• is there any information about why the squadron was inactivated in August 1943?
• when it was first raised, was it an African-American unit?
• in the lead it says that the 477th was the only African-American bombardment group, but I couldn't find this in the body
• The 616th was inactivated in June 1945...: suggest maybe adding here that when this occurred the squadron had not seen combat. Regards, AustralianRupert (talk) 05:20, 23 May 2020 (UTC)

As to the 1943 inactivation, sources not explicit to the unit indicate that by 1943 the AAF had started to cut back on unit training, because it had enough units and only needed to be concerned with training replacements for existing units. One can note gaps in squadron numbering (groups in the low 400s, bombardment squadrons in the high 600w, reconnaissance and liaison squadrons in less apparent numbers). OR indicates units with numbers filling the gaps were constituted in late spring 1943, but their constitution was rescinded before they were organized.

The "original" 477th was not an African-American unit. When it was decided that African-Americans could fly planes with more than one engine, the numbers of an inactive unit were used, rather than raising an entirely new unit, If helpful, I think I could find material indicating that even after approving the organization of the 99th Fighter Squadron and 332d Fighter Group, there was still a feeling that African Americans could not handle the complexities of larger aircraft. (never went to 4 engine units).

I'm afraid that showing the 477th Group was the only "Colored" (as the organizational term was then) bombardment group would wind up showing that all the other groups weren't. I'll look around in the Tuskegee Airmen material for somthing to cite, though.

Yes, the squadron did not see combat. IMO, its notability lies mostly in its officers' participation in the protest movement at the segregated O-Club Lineagegeek (talk) 00:16, 25 May 2020 (UTC)

I've added that the 477th was not just the first, but the only bombardment group with African-American personnel to the 616th and 618th Bombardment Squadron articles and the 917th and 919th Air Refueling Squadron articles. Thanks for noticing the omission. --Lineagegeek (talk) 21:36, 25 May 2020 (UTC)--Lineagegeek (talk) 21:36, 25 May 2020 (UTC)

No worries, thanks for following it up. Regards, AustralianRupert (talk) 10:08, 26 May 2020 (UTC)