9th Bomb Squadron

9th Bomb Squadron
9th Bomb Squadron Patch
Active	14 June 1917 - 29 June 1922 1 April 1931 - 6 January 1946 1 October 1946 - 25 June 1968 2 July 1969 - 15 August 1992 1 October 1993 - present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Strategic Bombing
Part of	Air Combat Command 12th Air Force 7th Bomb Wing 7th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Dyess Air Force Base
Nickname(s)	Bats
Engagements	World War I World War II Operation Desert Fox Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom
Decorations	DCU AFOUA PPUC

Cold War Emblem of the 9th Bombardment Squadron

Emblem of the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron

Alernate emblem of the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron

The 9th Bomb Squadron (9 BS) is part of the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. It operates B-1 Lancer aircraft providing strategic bombing capability. Estasblished 14 June 1917 the 9th is the oldest active bomb squadron in the Air Force.

Mission

The mission of the 9th Bomb Squadron is to maintain combat ready B-1 aircrew capable of delivering rapid, overwhelming and decisive airpower as directed by command authority; anytime, anywhere throughout the entire spectrum of military conflict.

Heraldry

The 9th Bomb Squadron's patch features 3 spotlights aiming skyward, as if searching for the bombers which are commencing their attack. One spotlight shines vertically, while the other two cross each other. This forms an IX, which is the Roman Numeral for 9.

History

The 9 BS saw combat with First Army as observation unit specializing in night reconnaissance, 2 September 1918 – 11 November 1918, and subsequently served with Third Army as part of occupation forces until May 1919. It then patrolled the Mexican border from August 1919 to April 1920 and c. January-July 1921.

The squadron flew Antisubmarine patrols off the California coast, 8 December -c. 12 December 1941. The 9th went on to fly combat missions in Southwest Pacific, c. 13 January c. 1 March 1942, the China-Burma-India Theater, 2 April 1942 – 4 June 1942, 22 November 1942 to 10 June 1944, and 19 October 1944 to 10 May 1945, the Mediterranean Theater of Operations from, c. 4 July 1942 – 1 October 1942, and transportation of gasoline to forward bases in China from, 20 June 1944 – 30 September 1944 and June-September 1945.

The 9th deployed B-52s and aircrews for combat in Southeast Asia, June-November 1965. It trained B-52 aircrews to maintain combat readiness from, 1971–1992. It has provided aircraft and aircrews for conventional taskings since 1993, when the 9th Bomb Squadron starting flying the B-1B. The unit flew more than 300 combat sorties during its four-month deployment in mid- 2006 in support of the war on terrorism.

Lineage

• Organized as 9 Aero Squadron on 14 Jun 1917

Redesignated 9 Squadron on 14 Mar 1921

Inactivated on 29 Jun 1922

• Redesignated: 9 Observation Squadron on 25 Jan 1923

Redesignated: 9 Bombardment Squadron on 24 Mar 1923

Activated on 1 Apr 1931

Redesignated: 9 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 Dec 1939

Redesignated: 9 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 13 Jul 1943

Inactivated on 6 Jan 1946

• Redesignated: 9 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, and activated, on 1 Oct 1946

Redesignated: 9 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 20 Jul 1948

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jun 1968

• Redesignated: 9 Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 28 Jan 1969

Activated on 2 Jul 1969

Redesignated: 9 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 31 Dec 1971

Redesignated: 9 Bomb Squadron on 1 Sep 1991

Inactivated on 15 Aug 1992

• Activated on 1 Oct 1993.
• Designated as: 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron when deployed to combat areas in provisional status after 11 Sep 2001

Assignments

• Unkn, 14 Jun 1917-Sep 1918
• 1st Army Observation Group, 6 Sep 1918
• 3d Army Air Service, c. 21 Nov 1918
• Unkn, 12 May-Jul 1919
• Western Department, Jul 1919
• Ninth Corps Area, 20 Aug 1920-29 Jun 1922
• 7th Bombardment Group, 1 Apr 1931-6 Jan 1946

Attached to United States Army Middle East Air Force for operations, 28 Jun-c. 4 Oct 1942

• 7th Bombardment Group, 1 Oct 1946

Attached to 7th Bombardment Wing, 16 Feb 1951-15 Jun 1952

• 7th Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952-25 Jun 1968
• 340th Bombardment Group, 2 Jul 1969
• 7th Bombardment Wing, 31 Dec 1971
• 7th Operations Group, 1 Sep 1991-15 Aug 1992; 1 Oct 1993-Present
• Assigned to Air Combat Command when provisional components deployed to combat areas after 11 Sep 2001.

Bases stationed

• Camp Kelly, TX, 14 Jun 1917
• Selfridge Field, MI, 8 Jul 1917
• Garden City, NY, 28 Oct-22 Nov 1917
• Winchester, England, c. 8 Dec 1917
• Grantham, England, c. 28 Dec 1917-7 Aug 1918
• Colombey-les-Belles, France, 23 Aug 1918
• Amanty, France, 28 Aug 1918
• Vavincourt, France, 21 Sep 1918
• Preutim, France, 21 Nov 1918
• Trier, Germany, 5 Dec 1918
• Colombey-les-Belles, France, 18 May 1919
• Marseilles, France, 25 May-7 Jun 1919
• Park Field, TN, 12 Jul 1919
• March Field, CA, 22 Jul 1919
• Rockwell Field, CA, 2 Aug 1919

Flight operated from Calexico, CA, to Apr 1920

• March Field, CA, 15 Nov 1919
• Rockwell Field, CA, 11 Dec 1919
• Mather Field, CA, 27 Apr 1920-29 Jun 1922
• March Field, CA, 1 Apr 1931
• Hamilton Field, CA, 5 Dec 1934

• Fort Douglas, UT, 7 Sep 1940
• Salt Lake City, UT, 13 Jan-13 Nov 1941
• Brisbane, Australia, 22 Dec 1941-4 Feb 1942 (Ground echelon)

Air echelon operated from Singosari, Java, 13-19 Jan 1942

Air echelon operated from Jogjakarta, Java, 19 Jan-c. 1 Mar 1942

• Karachi, India, c. 8 Mar 1942 (air echelon), 14 Mar 1942 (ground echelon)
• Allahabad, India (air echelon at Baumrauli, India), 27 Apr-29 Jun 1942
• Lydda, Palestine, 2 Jul-4 Oct 1942
• Karachi, India, 5 Oct 1942

Operated from Gaya, India, 14 Nov-12 Dec 1942

• Pandaveswar, India, 12 Dec 1942
• Kurmitola, India, 11 Jun 1944
• Pandaveswar, India, 1 Oct 1944
• Tezpur, India, 1 Jun-7 Dec 1945
• Camp Kilmer, NJ, 5-6 Jan 1946
• Fort Worth AAFld (later, Griffis AFB; Carswell AFB), TX, 1 Oct 1946-25 Jun 1968
• Carswell AFB, TX, 2 Jul 1969-15 Aug 1992
• Dyess AFB, TX, 1 Oct 1993-Present
• Undisclosed locations in combat areas after 11 Sep 2001

Aircraft Operated

• Sopwith Camel (1917)
• Sopwith Scout (1917)
• Breguet 14 (1918–1919)
• DH-4 (1918–1922)
• Sopwith FE-2 (1918–1919)
• LVG C.VI (1919)
• Fokker D.VII (1919)
• Pfalz D.XII (1919)
• DFW C.V (1919)
• Halberstadt CL.IV (1919)

• Halberstadt C.V (1919)
• Rumpler C.I (1919)
• Hannover CL.III (1919)
• O-19 (1931–1934)
• O-38 (1931–1934)
• B-3 (1931–1934)
• B-4 (1931–1934)
• B-12 (1934–1937)
• B-10 (1935–1938)
• OA-4 (1937)

• B-18 Bolo (1937–1941)
• B-17 Flying Fortress (1940–1942)
• LB-30 (1942)
• B-24 Liberator (1942–1945)
• B-29 Superfortress (1946–1948)
• B-36 Peacemaker (1948–1958)
• B-52 Stratofortress (1958–1968, 1971–1992)
• FB-111 (1969–1971)
• B-1 Lancer (1993–present)

Operations

• World War I
• World War II
• Operation Desert Fox
• Operation Enduring Freedom
• Operation Iraqi Freedom

See also

• List of American Aero Squadrons
• United States Army Air Forces in Australia
• List of B-52 Units of the United States Air Force

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
• USAF 9th Bomb Squadron History
• 7th Bomb Wing Fact Sheet