25th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON HISTORY


LINEAGE. Organized as 20th Aero Squadron On 13 Jun 1917. Redesignated 25th Aero Squadron on 22 Jun 1917. Demobilized on 17 Jun 1919. Reconstituted and consolidated (1924) with 25th Squadron which was authorized on 30 Aug 1921. Organized on 1 Oct 1921. Redesignated: 25th Bombardment Squadron on 25 Jan 1923; 25th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 6 Dec 1939; 25th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 Nov 1940; 25th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 20 Nov 1943. Inactivated on 1 Oct 1946.

Redesignated 25th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 9 May 1952. Activated on 28 May 1952.

ASSIGNMENTS. Unknown, 13 Jun 1917-Nov 1918; 4th Pursuit Group, Nov 1918~Apr 1919; unknown, Apr-17 Jun 1919. Second Corps Area, 1 Oct 1921; Panama Canal Department, 30 Apr 1922; 6th Observation (later Composite; Bombardment) Group, 27 May 1922; 40th Bombardment Group, 12 May 1943-1 Oct 1946. 40th Bombardment Wing, 28 May 1952-.


STATIONS. Camp Kelly,TX , 13 Jun-28 Dec 1917; Ayr, Scotland, 31 Jan 1918; Marske, England, 23 Apr-7 Aug 1918; St Maxient, France, 20 Aug 1918; Romorantin, France, 29 Aug 1918; Colombey-les-Belles, France, 18 Sep 1918; Toul, France, 24 Oct 1918; Colombey-les-Belles, France, 15 Apr 1919; Le Mans, France 5-19 May 1919; Mitchel Field, NY, ~17 Jun 1919. Mitchel Field, NY, 1 Oct 1921-22 Apr 1922; France Field, CZ, 30 Apr 1922; Rio Hato, Panama, 8 Dec 1941; Salinas, Ecuador, c. 21 Jan 1942; Howard Field, CZ, 22 May-16 Jun 1943; Pratt AAF, Kan, 1 Jul 1943-12 Mar 1944; Chakulia, India, c. 11 Apr 1944-Apr 1945; West Field, Tinian, Apr-7 Nov 1945; March Field, Calif, 27 Nov 1945; Davis-Monthan Field, Ariz, c. 8 May-1 Oct 1946. Smoky Hill AFB, Kan, 28 May 1952; Forbes AFB, Kan, 20 Jun 196O~.

AIRCRAFT. SE-5, 1918~1919. Unknown, 1921-1922; included NBS-1 during period 1922-1929; included LB-5, LB~6 and LB-7 during period 1928~1932; B-3, 1931-1936; B~6, 1936~1937; B-10, 1937-1939; B-18, 1938~1942; B-24, 1942-1943; LB~30, 1942-1943; B-26, 1943; B-17, 1943-1944; YB-29, 1943-1944; B-29, 1944-1946. B-29, 1953-1954; B-47, 1954-.

OPERATIONS. Combat as pursuit unit with Second Army, 10~11 Nov 1918. Good-will flights to El Salvador and Nicaragua, 13-19 May 1935, to Guatemala, 8-11 Feb 1938, and to El Salvador, 1~22 Apr 1938; mercy mission to Chile following devastating earthquake, 28 Jan-13 Feb 1939. Antisubmarine patrols, Dec 1941-May 1943. Combat in CBI, 5 Jun 1944~9 Mar 1945, and Western Pacific, 5 May-14 Aug 1945.

CAMPAIGNS. World War I: Meuse-Argonne. World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater; India-Burma; Air Offensive,Japan; China Defensive; Western Pacific; Central Burma.


DECORATIONS. Distinguished Unit Citations (3): Yawata, Japan, 20 Aug 1944; Japan, 5-14 May 1945; Japan, 24 Jul 1945.

EMBLEM. On a disc white, outlined black, a caricatured executioner, face and hands golden yellow, suit and mask black, belt and nose red, collar white, swinging an axe with four notches in the blade, the handle red and the head steel gray, stained with red dripping blood. (Approved 15 Feb 1924 from World War I emblem.)