393rd Bombardment Squadron

393rd Bombardment Squadron
Unit name	393rd Bombardment Squadron
Dates	1942–1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States
Type	Bombardment Squadron
Role	Strategic bombing
Command structure	509th Composite Group
Battles	World War II
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation
Aircraft bomber	Boeing B-29 Superfortress

393rd Bombardment Squadron. The 393rd Bombardment Squadron was a specialized United States Army Air Forces unit, most famously serving as the core operational squadron of the 509th Composite Group during the final months of World War II. Its primary and historic mission was the delivery of the first atomic bombs used in warfare, fundamentally altering the course of the Pacific War. Following its singular role in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the squadron continued in service during the early Cold War before its eventual inactivation.

History

The squadron was activated on 17 December 1942 at Fairmont Army Air Field in Nebraska as part of the 504th Bombardment Group, initially training with the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In late 1944, under the command of Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, the unit was selected for a top-secret mission and underwent extensive reorganization. It was transferred to the newly formed 509th Composite Group at Wendover Army Air Field in Utah, where it commenced intensive training for a highly classified strategic bombing operation. The squadron's personnel were rigorously vetted and trained in specialized high-altitude precision bombing techniques with the advanced Boeing B-29 Superfortress, modified for the unique requirements of the Manhattan Project. In May 1945, the squadron deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations, establishing its forward base at North Field, Tinian, from which it conducted practice missions over Japanese-held territory.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 393rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 November 1942. * Activated on 17 December 1942. * Redesignated 393rd Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) in November 1944. * Inactivated on 10 July 1946.

Assignments

* 504th Bombardment Group, 17 December 1942 * 509th Composite Group, 17 December 1944 – 10 July 1946

Stations

* Fairmont Army Air Field, Nebraska, 17 December 1942 * Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, c. September 1944 * North Field, Tinian, Mariana Islands, 29 May 1945 * Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico, 6 November 1945 – 10 July 1946

Aircraft

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1943–1944) * Boeing B-29 Superfortress (1944–1946) The squadron's B-29s, such as the famed Enola Gay and Bockscar, were specially modified with fuel injection systems, reversible-pitch propellers, and British Commonwealth bomb release units to accommodate the atomic weapons.

Operations and decorations

The squadron's defining operations were the two atomic bomb combat missions in August 1945. On 6 August, the B-29 Enola Gay, piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, dropped the Little Boy uranium gun-type device on the city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on 9 August, the B-29 Bockscar, commanded by Major Charles Sweeney, delivered the Fat Man plutonium implosion device on Nagasaki. These missions, which precipitated the surrender of Japan, were the culmination of the top-secret Silverplate program. For these extraordinary actions, the 393rd Bombardment Squadron was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation. Following the war, the squadron conducted Operation Crossroads nuclear tests in the Pacific Proving Grounds before its inactivation in 1946.

Category:United States Army Air Forces bomber squadrons Category:Strategic bombing units and formations of the United States Army Air Forces Category:Military units and formations established in 1942 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1946