9th Bomb Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 9th Bomb Squadron


caption= 9th Bomb Squadron Patch
dates= 14 June 1917 - 29 June 1922
1 April 1931 - 6 January 1946
1 October 1946 - 25 June 1968
2 July 1969 - 15 August 1992
1 October 1993 - Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch=United States Air Force
type= Strategic Bombing
role=
size=
command_structure= Air Combat Command
12th Air Force
7th Bomb Wing
7th Operations Group
current_commander=
garrison= Dyess Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
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The 9th Bomb Squadron (9 BS) is part of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. It operates B-1 Lancer aircraft providing strategic bombing capability. It is the 2nd oldest active bomb squadron in the Air Force

Mission

The squadron repairs, services, launches, recovers, and inspects B-1 aircraft capable of sustained intercontinental missions and world-wide deployment/employment from forward operating locations.

History

The 9 BS saw combat with First Army as observation unit specializing in night reconnaissance, 2 September 1918 – 11 November 1918, and subsequently served with Third Army as part of occupation forces until May 1919. It then patrolled the Mexican border from, August 1919-April 1920 and c. January-July 1921.

The squadron flew Antisubmarine patrols off the California coast, 8-c. 12 December 1941. The 9th went on to fly combat missions in Southwest Pacific, c. 13 January-c. 1 March 1942, the China-Burma-India Theater, 2 April 1942 – 4 June 1942, 22 November 1942-10 June 1944, and 19 October 1944-10 May 1945, the Mediterranean Theater of Operations from, c. 4 July 1942 – 1 October 1942, and transportation of gasoline to forward bases in China from, 20 June 1944 – 30 September 1944 and June-September 1945.

The 9th deployed B-52s and aircrews for combat in Southeast Asia, June-November 1965. It trained B-52 aircrews to maintain combat readiness from, 1971-1992. It has provided aircraft and aircrews for nuclear and conventional taskings since 1993. The unit flew more than 300 combat sorties during its four-month deployment in mid-2006 in support of the war on terrorism.

Operations

*World War I
*World War II

Lineage

*9th Aero Squadron (1917 - 1921)
*9th Squadron (1921 - 1923)
*9th Observation Squadron (1923)
*9th Bombardment Squadron (1923 - 1939)
*9th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) (1939 - 1943)
*9th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy (1943 - 1946)
*9th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy (1946 - 1948)
*9th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy (1948 - 1969)
*9th Bombardment Squadron, Medium (1969 - 1971)
*9th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy (1971 - 1991)
*9th Bomb Squadron (1991 - Present)

Unit Emblem

The 9th Bomb Squadron's patch features 3 spotlights aiming skyward, as if searching for the bombers which are commencing their attack. One spotlight shines vertically, while the other two cross each other. This forms an IX, which is the Roman Numeral for 9.

Assignments

*1st Army Observation Group (1918)
*3rd Army Air Service (1918 – 1919)
*Western Department (1919 – 1920)
*9th Corps Area (1920 – 1922)
*7 Bombardment Group (1931 – 1946)
**Attached: United States Army Middle East Air Force (28 June – c. 4 October 1942)
*7th Bombardment Wing (1946 – 1968)
*340th Bombardment Group (1969 – 1971)
*7th Bomb Wing (1971 - 1992, 1993 - Present)

Bases stationed

*Camp Kelly, Texas (1917)
*Selfridge Field, Michigan (1917)
*Garden City, New York (1917)
*Winchester, England (1917)
*Grantham, England (1917 - 1918)
*Colombey-les-Belles, France (1918)
*Amanty, France (1918)
*Vavincourt, France (1918)
*Preutim, France (1918)
*Trier, Germany (1918 - 1919)
*Colombey-les-Belles, France (1919)
*Marseilles, France (1919)
*Park Field, Tennessee (1919)
*March Field, California (1919)
*Rockwell Field, California (1919 - 1920)
*Mather Field, California (1920 - 1922)
*March Field, California (1931 - 1934)
*Hamilton Field, California (1934 - 1940)
*Fort Douglas, Utah (1940 - 1941)
*Salt Lake City, Utah (1941)
*Brisbane, Australia (1941 - 1942)
*Karachi, India (1942)
*Allahabad, India (1942)
*Lydda, Palestine (1942)
*Karachi, India (1942)
*Pandaveswar, India (1942 - 1944)
*Kurmitola, India (1944)
*Pandaveswar, India (1944 - 1945)
*Tezpur, India (1945 - 1946)
*Camp Kilmer, New Jersey (1946)
*Carswell Air Force Base, Texas (1946 - 1968, 1969 - 1992)
*Dyess Air Force Base, Texas (1993 - Present)

Aircraft Operated

*Sopwith Camel (1917)
*Sopwith Scout (1917)
*Breguet 14 (1918 - 1919)
*DH-4 (1918 - 1922)
*Sopwith FE-2 (1918 - 1919)
*LVG C.VI (1919)
*Fokker D.VII (1919)
*Pfalz D.XII (1919)
*DFW C.V (1919)
*Halberstadt CL.IV (1919)
*Halberstadt C.V (1919)
*Rumpler C.I (1919)
*Hannover CL.III (1919)
*O-19 (1931 - 1934)
*O-38 (1931 - 1934)
*B-3 (1931 - 1934)
*B-4 (1931 - 1934)
*B-12 (1934 - 1937)
*B-10 (1935 - 1938)
*OA-4 (1937)
*B-18 Bolo (1937 - 1941)
*B-17 Flying Fortress (1940 – 1942)
*LB-30 (1942)
*B-24 Liberator (1942 – 1945)
*B-29 Superfortress (1946 - 1948)
*B-36 Peacemaker (1948 - 1958)
*B-52 Stratofortress (1958 - 1968, 1971 - 1992)
*FB-111 (1969 - 1971)
*B-1 Lancer (1993 - Present)

References

* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0009bs.asp USAF 9th Bomb Squadron History]
* [http://www.dyess.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070411-040.doc 7th Bomb Wing Fact Sheet]

External links