Organization and training for combat

The squadron was activated at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida on 1 June 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the 100th Bombardment Group,^[5][6] It was intended to equip the squadron with Consolidated B-24 Liberators. The Army Air Forces (AAF) decided to concentrate heavy bomber training under Second Air Force, and before the end of June, the squadron moved to Pendleton Field, Oregon. Its intended equipment changed to Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses.^[7]

As a result, the squadron only began organizing in October 1942, when the initial cadre of the ground echelon (4 officers and 27 enlisted men) were assigned after it had moved to Gowen Field, Idaho.^[8] Two days later, the squadron departed for Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington for Phase I training. There the first aircrew arrived on 1 December 1942 and it received its first operational aircraft and began training.^[7][9] In February 1943, the ground echelon went to Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska, while the air echelon went to Ainsworth, Casper and Scottsbluff Army Air Fields, where they acted as instructors training other units for the next three months.^[10]

The 350th completed its training and departed Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska for the European Theater of Operations on 1 May 1943.^[7] the air echelon returned to Wendover Field, and would not be reunited with the ground echelon until arriving in England in June.^[11] The ground echelon proceeded by rail to Camp Kilmer, then sailed on the RMS Queen Elizabeth on 28 May, arriving at Greenock, Scotland on 3 June,^[12] while the air echelon flew via the northern ferry route to England about 21 May 1943.^[2][7][13]

Combat in the European Theater

Squadron B-17 on a combat mission^{[lower-alpha 3]}

The squadron established itself at its combat station, RAF Thorpe Abbotts, on 9 June 1943, flying its first combat mission against Bremen on 25 June.^[14] Until the end of the war, the squadron was primarily employed in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Until January 1944, it concentrated its operations on airfields in France, and industrial targets and naval facilities in France and Germany. On 17 August 1943, it participated in an attack on a factory manufacturing Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in Regensburg, Germany, which seriously disrupted production of that plane. Although the mission called for fighter escort, the fighter group assigned to protect the squadron's formation missed the rendezvous and the wing formation proceeded to the target unescorted. Enemy fighter opposition focused on the low "box", formed in part by the squadron. Ten of the 21 Flying Fortresses flown by the 100th Group were lost on this mission. Unknown to AAF intelligence at the time, the attack also destroyed almost all of the fuselage construction equipment for Germany's secret Me 262 jet fighter. Rather than returning to England, the unit turned south and recovered at bases in North Africa.^[15] For this action, the squadron was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC).^[5]

From January to May 1944, the 350th attacked airfields, industrial targets, marshalling yards, and missile sites in Western Europe. During Big Week, it participated in the concentrated attack on the German aircraft industry. In March, it conducted a series of long range attacks against Berlin, for which it was awarded a second DUC.^[5] The raid of 6 March was to be the costliest mission flown by Eighth Air Force during the war. German fighter controllers detected that the formation including the squadron was unprotected by fighter escorts and concentrated interceptor attacks on it. Twenty-three B-17s from the formation failed to return.^{[16][lower-alpha 4]} Two days later, German fighters shot down the leader of the 45th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the 100th Group took the lead in another attack on Berlin.^[17] From the summer of 1944, the 350th concentrated on German oil production facilities.^[5]

The squadron was occasionally diverted from strategic bombing to perform interdiction and air support missions. It attacked bridges and gun positions to support Operation Overlord, the landings at Normandy in June 1944. In August and September it supported Operation Cobra, the breakout at Saint Lo, and bombed enemy positions in Brest. As Allied forces drove across Northern France toward the Siegfried Line in October and November, it attacked transportation and ground defenses. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945, it attacked lines of communication and fortified villages in the Ardennes. It provided support for Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. The squadron was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for attacks on heavily defended sites and dropping supplies to the French Forces of the Interior.^[5]

The squadron flew its last mission on 20 April 1945.^[18] Following, V-E Day, the squadron was initially programmed to be part of the occupation forces in Germany, but that plan was cancelled in September, and between October and December, the squadron's planes were ferried back to the United States or transferred to other units in theater.^[7] Its remaining personnel returned to the United States in December and the squadron was inactivated at the Port of Embarkation on 19 December 1945.^[2]

"Bloody Hundredth"

Starting with the Regensburg mission of August 1943, the squadrons of the 100th Bombardment Group began suffering losses among the highest in VIII Bomber Command.^[19] On 8 October, it lost seven aircraft on a raid on Bremen, including its lead and deputy lead aircraft.^[20] Only two days later, it lost twelve aircraft on an attack on Münster, again including the lead aircraft. The only group plane returning from that mission had lost two engines and had two wounded on board.^{[21][lower-alpha 5]} Its highest one day loss occurred on the 6 March 1944 attack on Berlin, when 15 bombers failed to return, ten from the 350th Bombardment Squadron.^[22] On 11 September 1944, the Luftwaffe put up its heaviest opposition in months, destroying 11 of the group's bombers.^[23] On 31 December 1944, half the 1st Bombardment Division's losses consisted of a dozen 100th bombers.^[24] With a group authorization of 40 B-17s, it lost 177 planes to enemy action.^[7] It became a legend for these losses and was referred to as the "Bloody Hundredth."^[7]

Reserve organization

T-6 Texans as flown by the squadron in the reserve

A Beechcraft AT-7as flown by the squadron in the reserve

A Beechcraft AT-11 as flown by the squadron in the reserve

The squadron was again activated in the reserve at Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina on 16 July 1947 and assigned to the 100th Group, which was located at Miami Army Air Field, Florida. At Columbia, its training was supervised by Air Defense Command (ADC). It does not appear the squadron was fully staffed and was equipped only with training aircraft.^[2] In 1948, Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.^[25]

President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of Air Force units.^[26] As a result, the 350th was inactivated^[2] as reserve flying operations at Columbia ceased.

Strategic Air Command

A Boeing B-47 Stratojet using JATO bottles to reduce takeoff distance

The squadron reactivated under Strategic Air Command in 1956, and received new, swept wing Boeing B-47 Stratojet,^[1] which was designed to carry nuclear weapons and to penetrate Soviet air defenses with its high operational ceiling and near supersonic speed. The squadron flew the B-47 for about a decade when by the mid-1960s it had become obsolete and vulnerable to new Soviet air defenses. The squadron began to send its Stratojets to The Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for retirement in 1965, the last being retired in 1966; it was one of the last B-47 squadrons.

A Sikorsky CH-3 airlifts a jeep

A Lockheed DC-130 carrying a pair of AQM-34 Firebee drones over the USS Chosin

It was redesignated as a strategic reconnaissance squadron, operating Ryan AQM-34 Firebee reconnaissance drones launched from DC-130 Hercules aircraft and recovered by Sikorsky CH-3 helicopters from 1966–1976.

Transitioning to the KC-135Q Stratotanker in 1982, the squadron provided refueling support for SR-71 aircraft from, 1983–1990. The 350th also provided cargo support and intratheater refueling during combat in Southwest Asia from August 1990 – March 1991 during the Gulf War.^[2]