World War I The 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron traces its history to the organization of the 31st Aero Squadron at
Kelly Field, Texas, on 26 June 1917, shortly after the United States' entry into
World War I. The first commander of the squadron was 1st Lieutenant John E. Rossel. It received personnel from First Company, B Provisional Battalion. About the first of July, orders were received to equip the squadron for overseas duty. The entire month of July was spent in drill and preparation for foreign service. was placed in command on 13 July, bringing with him several men of previous military experience, who added much to the efficiency of the organization. The 31st Aero Squadron was demobilized on 14 April 1919 at Mitchel Field, New York.
Inter-war years The 31st Bombardment Squadron was reconstituted as a reserve Army Air Service unit on 24 March 1923, being assigned to the
7th Bombardment Group in the
Third Corps Area. It was an active associate unit to the
49th Bombardment Squadron at
Langley Field, Virginia. Its members spending their reserve commitments with the 49th, primarily supporting the
Dayton-Wright DH-4s of the squadron. It was moved to the
Ninth Corps Area in California on 28 February 1927 but never fully organized in the reserves. It was then moved to the
Eighth Corps Area in Texas on 1 September 1928, and its members trained as individual reservists at Kelly Field. The group was transferred on 5 December 1934 to the newly built
Hamilton Field, near
San Francisco, as part of a realignment of the Air Corps units in California due to the closure of
Rockwell Field near
San Diego and the transfer of units from Rockwell to March Field. At Hamilton Field, the 31st was upgraded
Martin B-10 and B-12s, the first all-metal monoplane bomber to enter full production for the Army. It was also the first bomber to have a performance that exceeded that of contemporary pursuit aircraft. Again, the main difference between the bombers was the engine type. In the spring of 1937, the 31st received new
Douglas B-18 Bolos, the 7th Group being the first operational unit to receive the bombers. The squadron trained at Hamilton until the end of 1937, when it was ordered to proceed to
Hickam Field, Hawaii, to reinforce the Hawaiian Department. It departed from the port of San Francisco on the
USAT Republic on 1 February 1938, arriving at the port of
Honolulu on 8 February and transferring to Hickam the same day, being assigned to the
5th Composite Group. On 6 December 1941, the 5th had a total of 12 B-17Ds on the line at Hickam Field, along with 33 B-18s. Five additional B-17Ds with the
11th Bombardment Group, were also on the line at Hickam. The
38th Reconnaissance Squadron with four B-17Cs and two new B-17Es were inbound from Hamilton Field to Hickam on their way to
Clark Field in the
Philippines to reinforce the American force there.
Defense of the Hawaiian Islands In the aftermath of the attack the planes that could be repaired were put back on the line, and were reinforced by the wider-tailed B-17E that had a tail gunner position. For the balance of 1942, the 31st remained in Hawaii, its aircraft flying long range reconnaissance missions from
Kipapa Airfield and
Kualoa Airfield. Its patrols ranged three or four hundred miles out from Oahu, searching for anything that might betoken another attack on Hawaii. In February the Hawaiian Air Force became the Seventh Air Force, and the 18th Bombardment Wing (comprising the 5th and 11th Groups) became the VII Bomber Command. In June 1942, during the Japanese threat to Hawaii with its
Midway Island attack, the 31st was used for high-altitude bombing attacks against the Japanese carrier strike fleet. The squadron claimed the sinking of a large transport and numerous hits on a carrier, a battleship, and a cruiser., The unit's RB-29 flew throughout the Korean peninsula in the early part of the war. On 18 October 1950, a crew spied over 75 enemy fighter planes at
Antung Airfield, across the
Yalu River, immediately prior to the Chinese intervention. However, the unit was soon in trouble with the addition of
MiG-15 aircraft into the air war. In November 1950, MiG's jumped a flak-damaged RB-29 near the
Yalu river. In the ensuing aerial battle, the RB-29 rear gunner shot down one of the MiGs – the first MiG-15 shot down by a B-29 gunner. The RB-29 limped back to Japan and five crewmen were killed when it crashed during landing at
Johnson Air Base. The FEAF restricted RB-29's from flying near the Yalu during daylight hours due to their vulnerability to the MiG-15s. At Beale, half of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat. The 4126th's parent
14th Air Division also moved to Beale and the 4126th became responsible to provide support to the division as well as the
San Francisco Air Defense Sector of
Air Defense Command, which activated at Beale in 1959. As a result, the 4126th SW was replaced by the newly re-designated
456th Strategic Aerospace Wing (456th SAW), which assumed its mission, personnel, and equipment on 1 February 1963. In the same way the
744th Bombardment Squadron, one of the 456th's World War II historical bomb squadrons, replaced the 31st Bombardment Squadron, taking over its personnel and aircraft in an administrative reassignment. The 31st was subsequently inactivated on 1 February 1963. : :: Central Pacific, 7 December 1941 – 6 December 1943 :: Guadalcanal, 7 August 1942 – 21 February 1943 :: Northern Solomons, 22 February 1943 – 21 November 1944 :: Eastern Mandates, 7 December 1943 – 14 June 1944 :: Bismarck Archipelago, 15 December 1943 – 27 November 1944 :: Western Pacific, 17 April 1944 – 2 September 1945 :: Leyte, 17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945 :: Luzon, 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945 :: Southern Philippines, 27 Feb – Jul 1945 :: China Offensive, 5 May–Sep 1945 :: Air Combat, Pacific Theater, 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945 :
Korean War : :: UN Defensive 27 Jun – 15 September 1950 :: UN Offensive 16 Sep – 2 November 1950 :: CCF Intervention 3–115 Nov 1950 •
Decorations : :
Distinguished Unit Citation :: Wadke Island, 18 Apr – 15 May 1944 :: Borneo, 30 September 1944 : :
Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), 1942 : :
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award :: 1 June 2006 – 31 May 2008, 1 June 2004 – 31 May 2006, 1 June 2002 – 31 May 2004, 1 June 1998 – 31 May 2000, 1 June 1994 – 31 May 1996, 30 May 1992 – 29 May 1994, 1 July 1990 – 29 May 1992, 1 July 1988 – 30 June 1990, 1 July 1985 – 30 June 1987, 1 June 1998 – 31 May 2000, 1 June 2002 – 31 May 2004, 1 June 2004 – 31 May 2006, 1 June 2006 – 31 May 2008 : :
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (World War II) : :
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, 7 Ju1 – 16 November 1950. ==Lineage==