"Jolly Rogers" of the 90th Bombardment Group on a mission, 1943
The squadron moved to Willow Run Airport, Michigan for conversion training on newly manufactured Ford Liberators. Assigned to VII Bomber Command with B-24Ds, The unit moved to Hickam Field, Hawaii in September. The squadron arrived in northern Queensland, Australia in November 1942 and began bombardment missions under V Bomber Command almost immediately.[4]
The squadron attacked enemy airfields, troop concentrations, ground installations and shipping in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Palau and the southern Philippines. The 321st was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its operations in Papua between through January 1943. The unit participated in the Battle of Bismarck Sea in March 1943, and earned another citation for strikes on enemy airfields at Wewak, New Guinea in September 1943 despite heavy flak and fighter opposition.[4]
During 1944, the 321st supported the New Guinea Campaign through the end of June, then made long-range raids on oil refineries at Balikpapan, Borneo, in September and October. In January 1945, the squadron moved to the Phillipines and supported ground forces on Luzon, attacked industrial targets on Formosa, and bombed railways, airfields, and harbor facilities on the Asiatic mainland. Shortly before the end of the war in the Pacific, the 90th moved to Okinawa, from which it would be able to strike the Japanese home islands.[4]
After VJ Day, the squadron flew reconnaissance missions over Japan and ferried Allied prisoners of war from OkinawatoManila. It ceased operations by November 1945. The squadron was inactivated in the Philippines in early 1946.[1]
Strategic Air Command
The squadron was active but unmanned from, 1 July 1947 – 1 September 1948. Brought to operational status under Strategic Air Command in 1951, being equipped with RB-29 SuperfortressesatFairchild AFB, Washington. Moved to Forbes AFB, Kansas shortly afterward and conducted operational training from, 1 June 1951-September 1952, replacement training from, 1 June 1951 – 1 September 1953, and. SHORAN training from, 10 November 1952-30 Novovember 1953 Replaced the propeller-driven RB-29s with new RB-47E Stratojet swept-wing reconnaissance bombers in 1954, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union. Flew many long-range clandestine missions with the RB-47, flying many ferret missions around the periphery of Soviet territory, and sometimes inside on penetration flights to map planned routes for B-52s if combat missions over the Soviet Union ever became necessary. Began performing RB-47 crew training from, c. 1 January 1959 – 20 June 1960. Began phasing down RB-47 missions in 1959 when the vulnerability of the aircraft to Soviet air defenses became evident, was inactivated on 20 June 1960.
^The 90th Bombardment Group "Jolly Rogers" emblem was used as a squadron patch and as a tail marking on B-24s with each squadron having its own color in the background. Watkins, pp. 86-87
Watkins, Robert A. (2013). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force In World War II. Vol. Volume V, Pacific Theater of Operations. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN978-0-7643-4346-9. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
United States
United States Air Force
Media related to 90th Bombardment Group at Wikimedia Commons
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
