881st Bombardment Squadron

881st Bombardment Squadron
Emblem of the 881st Bombardment Squadron
Active	1943-1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Bombardment

The 881st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 500th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at March Field, California on 12 November 1945.

History

Activated in November 1943 as one of the initial B-29 Superfortress Very Heavy bombardment squadrons. Trained in Kansas with early model B-29s, with frequent delays in training due to modifications of the aircraft correcting production deficiencies.

When training was completed moved to Isely Field, Saipan, in the Mariana Islands of the Central Pacific Area in January 1945 and assigned to XXI Bomber Command, Twentieth Air Force. Its mission was the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands and the destruction of its war-making capability.

Flew "shakedown" missions against Japanese targets on Moen Island, Truk, and other points in the Carolines and Marianas. The squadron conducted combat missions over Japan participating in wide area firebombing attacks, but the first ten-day blitz resulting in the Army Air Forces running out of incendiary bombs. Until then the squadron flew conventional strategic bombing missions using high explosive bombs.

The squadron continued attacking urban areas with incendiary raids until the end of the war in August 1945, attacking major Japanese cities, causing massive destruction of urbanized areas. Also conducted raids against strategic objectives, bombing aircraft factories, chemical plants, oil refineries, and other targets in Japan. The squadron flew its last combat missions on 14 August when hostilities ended. Afterwards, its B 29s carried relief supplies to Allied prisoner of war camps in Japan and Manchuria

Squadron was largely de-mobilized on Saipan during the fall of 1945. Was reorganized as part of continental Air Forces, Fourth Air Force at March Field, California in November 1945, being manned and equipped with low-hour B-29s returned from the Central Pacific. It later was transferred to the new Strategic Air Command on 21 March 1946, being one of SAC's initial bombardment squadrons. Demobilization, however, was in full swing and the unit turned in its aircraft and was inactivated on 31 March 1946.

Operations and decorations

• Combat Operations: Combat in Western Pacific, 11 Nov 1944-14 Aug 1945; subsequently flew supplies to POW camps in Japan, Korea and Formosa.
• Campaigns: Air Offensive, Japan; Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific; China Offensive.
• Decorations: Distinguished Unit Citations: Nagoya, Japan, 23 Jan 1945; Japan, 15-20 Jun 1945.

Lineage

• Constituted 881st Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 19 Nov 1943

Activated on 20 Nov 1943

Inactivated on 17 Jan 1946

Assignments

• 500th Bombardment Group, 20 Nov 1943-17 Jan 1946

Stations

• Gowen Field, Idaho, 20 Nov 1943
• Clovis Army Airfield, New Mexico, 12 Jan 1944
• Walker Army Airfield, Kansas, 23 Jul 1944

• Isely Airfield, Saipan, Mariana Islands, 18 Sep 1944-21 Oct 1945
• March Field, California, 24 Oct 1945-17 Jan 1946

Aircraft

• B-17 Flying Fortress, 1944
• B-29 Superfortress, 1944–1945

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• 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.