42nd Attack Squadron

World War I The first predecessor of the squadron was organized as the 42d Aero Squadron on 17 June 1917, shortly after the United States declared war on Germany. Based at Camp Kelly, Texas, the squadron trained new pilots as part of the United States Army Air Service until it was demobilized on 21 February 1919. Interwar years The second predecessor of the squadron was organized in 1922 as the 42d Squadron (School) and became the 42d School Squadron in January 1923 as part of the 10th School Group at Kelly Field. In April 1924 it was consolidated with the 42d Aero Squadron. The 42d squadron continued its flying training role as part of the United States Army Air Corps in 1926, and was assigned to the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field in 1931. Beginning in May 1941, the squadron began training with the Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress, with the capability to fly longer missions from its base at Hickam. World War II The squadron was at Hickam during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The squadron flew patrol and search missions from the Hawaiian Islands, including air support during the Battle of Midway. In June 1942, shortly after the Battle of Midway, the 11th Group was authorized as a mobile force by the Army Air Forces in order to respond to a Navy request by Admiral Nimitz for long-range armed search planes to locate Japanese fleets, accompanied with firepower to withstand defending Japanese interceptors while tracking the fleet. The 11th Group left Hawaii to support Navy operations in the South Pacific Theater during the Guadalcanal and Northern Solomon Islands Campaigns. ==Lineage==

; 42d Aero Squadron • Organized as the 42d Aero Squadron on 13 June 1917 • Demobilized on 21 February 1919 • Reconstituted on 8 April 1924 and consolidated with the 42d School Squadron as the 42d School Squadron ; 42d Attack Squadron • Authorized 10 June 1922 as the 42d Squadron (School) : Organized on 5 July 1922 : Redesignated 42d School Squadron on 25 January 1923 : Consolidated with the 42d Aero Squadron on 8 April 1924 : Redesignated 42d Bombardment Squadron on 1 March 1935 : Inactivated on 1 September 1936 • Organized as a Regular Army Inactive unit on 23 November 1936 • Redesignated 42d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 22 December 1939 : Activated on 1 February 1940 : Redesignated 42d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 11 December 1940 : Redesignated 42d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 1 August 1944 : Redesignated 42d Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 30 April 1946 : Inactivated on 20 October 1948 • Redesignated 42nd Bomb Squadron, Heavy and activated on 1 December 1948 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 February 1963 • Redesignated 42d Attack Squadron on 24 October 2006 • Activated on 9 November 2006 Assignments • Unknown, 13 June 1917 – 21 February 1919 • 10th School Group, 5 July 1922 • Air Corps Advanced Flying School, 16 July 1931 • 3d Wing, GHQ Air Force, 1 March 1935 – 1 September 1936 (attached to Air Corps Advanced Flying School) • Eighth Corps Area as a Regular Army Inactive unit on 23 November 1936 • 11th Bombardment Group, 1 February 1940 – 20 October 1948 • 11th Bombardment Group, 1 December 1948 (attached to 11th Bombardment Wing after 16 February 1951) • 11th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 • 4043rd Strategic Wing, 1 June 1960 • 57th Operations Group, 9 November 2006 • 432nd Operations Group, 1 May 2007 • 25th Attack Group, 12 July 2019 – 2020; 2026-present Stations • Camp Kelly, Texas, 13 June 1917 • Wilbur Wright Field, Ohio, 25 August 1917 – 21 February 1919 • Kelly Field, Texas, 5 July 1922 – 1 September 1936 • Brownsville Municipal Airport, Texas as a Regular Army Inactive unit on 23 November 1936 • Hickam Field, Hawaii, 1 February 1940 • Kualoa Airfield, Hawaii, 5 June 1942 • Mokuleia Airfield, Hawaii, 8 July 1942 • Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, 22 July 1942 • Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 23 November 1942 • Kualoa Point Field, Hawaii, 8 April 1943 • Funafuti Airfield, Nanumea, Gilbert Islands, 9 November 1943 • Mokuleia Field, Hawaii, 9 January 1944 • Kahuku Army Air Field, Hawaii, 19 March 1944 • Mokuleia Field, Hawaii, 13 June 1944 • Agana Airfield, Guam, Marianas Islands, 22 September 1944 • Yontan Air Base, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, 2 July 1945 • Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippines, 11 December 1945 • Northwest Field (Guam) (later Harmon Field), Guam, 15 May 1946 – 20 October 1948 • Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, 1 December 1948 • Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 13 December 1957 – 1 June 1960 • Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 1 June 1960 – 1 February 1963 • Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. 9 November 2006 Aircraft • Standard J-1, 1917–1919 • Curtiss JN-4, 1917–1919 • Airco DH.4, 1917–1919, 1923–1931 • Douglas O-2, 1926–1933 • Curtiss O-11 Falcon, 1930–1932 • Thomas-Morse O-19, 1930–1935 • Keystone B-3, 1935–1936 • Keystone B-4, 1935–1936 • Keystone B-5, 1935–1936 • Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1940–1941 • Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941–1943 • Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945 • Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1946 • Convair B-36 Peacemaker, 1949–1957 • Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1958–1963 • General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, 2006–2013 • General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, 2006-2020; 2026–present ==Decorations==

• Distinguished Unit Citation :South Pacific, 31 July-30 November 1942 • Navy Presidential Unit Citation :Pacific Theater, 7 August-9 December 1942 • Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards :6 August 1954 – 15 July 1957 :27 October 1958 – 1 June 1960 :28 May 2019 • Meritorious Unit Award :15 November 2019 ==See also==