545th Bombardment Squadron

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545th Bombardment Squadron

Overview
The 545th Bombardment Squadron was a United States Air Force unit that served during World War II and the early Cold War. It was last assigned to the 384th Bombardment Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, and was inactivated on September 1, 1964.

World War II service
- Activated December 1, 1942, at Gowen Field, Idaho as part of the 384th Bombardment Group.
- Trained with B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft at Wendover Field, Utah.
- Moved to England in 1943, arriving at RAF Grafton Underwood in June 1943.
- Flew its first combat mission on June 23, 1943, and primarily conducted strategic bombing over Germany and occupied Europe, targeting air bases and industrial sites (examples: Orleans/Bricy, Nancy/Azelot, Cologne engine plants, Gelsenkirchen coke works, Halberstadt, Solingen, Mannheim, Schweinfurt).
- Earned two Distinguished Unit Citations: January 11, 1944, and April 24, 1944.
- Supported major Allied operations (Overlord, Cobra, Market Garden, Battle of the Bulge) and attacked railways and facilities to cut enemy supply lines.
- Last combat mission: April 25, 1945. After V-E Day, remained in Europe and assisted with Air Transport Command and other duties before returning to the U.S.
- Inactivated in France in February 1946; personnel and equipment absorbed by the 306th Bombardment Group.

Air Force reserve and early Cold War
- Redesignated 545th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, and activated in the reserve on July 16, 1947, at Nashville Municipal Airport, Tennessee.
- Training supervised by Air Defense Command, then Continental Air Command took over in 1948. The unit was not fully manned or equipped.
- Inactivated on June 27, 1949.

Strategic bomber operations (B-47 era)
- Activated at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, on August 1, 1955, as a medium bomber squadron.
- Began receiving Boeing B-47 Stratojets in 1956 and trained for intercontinental bombing missions.
- Part of Strategic Air Command (SAC); deployed to RAF Brize Norton, United Kingdom, from January 3 to April 5, 1957, under Operation Reflex (placing aircraft closer to the Soviet Union for short periods).
- From 1958, SAC increased alert status; by 1962 about half the squadron’s aircraft were on alert at times.
- During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the squadron’s B-47s dispersed to various bases. SAC raised to DEFCON 2 on October 24, 1962; later returned to normal alert by November 27, 1962.
- The squadron was inactivated on September 1, 1964 as SAC reduced the B-47 force.

Lineage
- Constituted as the 545th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on November 25, 1942; activated December 1, 1942.
- Redesignated 545th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on August 20, 1943.
- Inactivated February 28, 1946.
- Redesignated 545th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on July 9, 1947; activated July 16, 1947.
- Inactivated June 27, 1949.
- Redesignated 545th Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on June 3, 1955; activated August 1, 1955.
- Discontinued and inactivated September 1, 1964.

Assignments
- 384th Bombardment Group: December 1, 1942 – February 28, 1946; July 16, 1947 – June 27, 1949.
- 384th Bombardment Wing: August 1, 1955 – September 1, 1964.

Stations
- Gowen Field, Idaho; Wendover Field, Utah; Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa; RAF Grafton Underwood (Station 106), England; Istres Air Base, France (Y-17); Nashville Municipal Airport, Tennessee; Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas.

Aircraft
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1946.
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1955–1964.

Awards and campaigns
- Distinguished Unit Citations: Germany, January 11, 1944; April 24, 1944.
- Air Force Outstanding Unit Award: February 14, 1957 – December 31, 1957.
- Campaigns include the European Theater of Operations (Air Offensive Europe, Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe).