489th Attack Squadron

489th Bombardment Squadron
Active	1942-1945; 1947-1949; 1958-1962
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Bombardment

The 489th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 340th Bombardment Wing, stationed atWhiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It was inactivated on 1 Jan 1962

History

77th Aero Squadron

In August 1917 it had been only fourteen years since the Wright Brothers took flight and ten years since the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps (forerunner to the Air Force) had been formed. Air power was in its infancy and growing. The possibilities were endless. New innovations were occurring every where you looked, but the Great War raged in Europe and the US was gearing up for its part in that war. The Air Service was still developing, and there were many fits and starts as the service grew. The first 77th Aero Squadron was formed at Kelly Field, San Antonio Texas in August 1917, and commanded by Capt. H. L. Mumma. In September under the command of 1st Lt Kenneth M. Spence, the squadron’s designation was changed to Aero Construction Squadron. In November 1917 the 77th moved to Air Depot, Garden City, New York for deployment to the AEF. On December 4, 1917 the squadron moved to port of Embarkation Philadelphia and boarded the transport Northland. On the Northland were 9 Aero Squadrons with 70 officers and 1,339 enlisted men. These 9 Squadrons were the 10th, 12th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 75th, 76th, 77th and 101st. The Northland sailed with other transports, which were likely to be the transports USS George Washington and the USS Huron.

In January 1918 a new numbering scheme for aero squadrons was set up. Numbers 1-399 would be for Aero Service Squadrons (AS). 400-599 Aero Construction Squadrons (ACS), 600-799 Aero Supply Squadrons and 800-1099 Aero Repair Squadrons. The 77th became 489th Aero Construction Squadron. The squadron went on to serve the AEF building facilities in France. The 489th AS Returned to the States in February 1919 and went to Camp Stuart, Virginia. In March 1919 they were demobilized at Camp Lee, Virginia.

Lineage

• Organized as 77th Aero Squadron on 13 Aug 1917

Redesignated 489th Aero Squadron on 1 Feb 1918

Demobilized on 6 Mar 1919

• Reconstituted and consolidated (1932) with 489th Bombardment Squadron which was constituted and allotted to the reserve on 31 Mar 1924

Activated, date unkn, [personnel assigned, Jan 1925]

Disbanded on 31 May 1942

• Consolidated (1958) with 489th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) which was constituted on 10 Aug 1942

Activated on 20 Aug 1942

Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945

• Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 24 Oct 1947

Activated in the reserve on 10 Nov 1947

Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949

• Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 11 Aug 1958

Activated on 1 Oct 1958

Discontinued, and inactivated on 1 Jan 1962.

Assignments

• Unknown, 13 Aug 1917-Feb 1918
• Air Service Production Center No. 2, Feb-Dec 1918
• Unknown, Dec 1918-6 Mar 1919
• Ninth Corps Area, [1924(?)]-31 May 1942
• 340th Bombardment Group, 20 Aug 1942-7 Nov 1945
• 340th Bombardment Group, 10 Nov 1947-27 Jun 1949
• 340th Bombardment Wing, 1 Oct 1958-1 Jan 1962.

Stations

• Kelly Field, Tex, 13 Aug 1917
• Garden City, NY, 5 Nov-4 Dec 1917
• St. Maixent, France, 1 Jan 1918
• Romorantin, France, 13 Feb 1918
• Brest, France, c. 4 Jan 1919-unkn
• Camp Stuart, Va, c. 8 Feb 1919
• Camp Lee, Va, Feb-6 Mar 1919
• Seattle, Wash, [1924(?)]-31 May 1942.
• Columbia AAB, South Carolina, 20 August 1942
• Walterboro, South Carolina 30 November 1942 – 30 January 1943
• RAF Kabrit, Egypt March 1943
• Medenine Airfield, Tunisia March 1943
• Sfax Airfield, Tunisia April 1943

• Hergla Airfield, Tunisia 2 June 1943
• Comiso Airfield, Sicily c. 2 August 1943
• Catania Airport, Sicily 27 August 1943
• San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy c. 15 October 1943
• Foggia Airfield, Italy 19 November 1943
• Pompeii Airfield, Italy c. 2 January 1944
• Gaudo Airfield, Italy 23 March 1944
• Alesan, Corsica, France c. 15 April 1944
• Rimini Airfield, Italy c. 7 Apr-16 Jul 1945
• Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina 9 August 1945
• Columbia AAB, South Carolina 2 October – 7 November 1945
• Tulsa Municipal Airport, Oklahoma, 31 Oct 1947-19 Aug 1949
• Sedalia (later Whiteman) AFB, Missouri, 1 Oct 1958-1 Jan 1962

Aircraft

• Undetermined prior to 1942
• B-25 Mitchell, 1942-1945
• A-26 Invader, 1947-1949
• B-47 Stratojet, 1958-1962

References

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

• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN: 0892010975