The
834th Bombardment Squadron was activated at
McCook Army Air Field, Nebraska on 20 September 1943 as one of the original
squadrons of the
486th Bombardment Group. After organizing as a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator unit, it moved to
Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona in November and trained for combat. The squadron began deploying overseas in early March 1944. Its air echelon flew its Liberators along the southern ferry route. The squadron arrived at its combat station,
RAF Sudbury, the following month. The squadron became known as the "Zodiac Squadron" from the pictures of the
zodiac figures painted on their noses. A commercial artist named Phil Brinkman, from
Chicago, was responsible for the
pin-up nose art of the
B-24 Liberators. It flew its first combat mission on May 7. The squadron was occasionally diverted from strategic targets to support ground forces. Preparing for
Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, it attacked bridges,
V-weapons launch sites, and airfields. On
D-Day it bombed gun positions. As
Allied forces advanced across northern France in the summer of 1944, it attacked troop concentrations and road junctions. During
Operation Market Garden, it struck gun positions near
Arnhem to minimize losses among
glider and
paratroopers attempting to seize bridges across the
Rhine River. In December 1944 and January 1945 it supported troops fighting the
Battle of the Bulge. In the spring of 1945 it supported
Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine. The squadron flew its last mission on 21 April 1945. The squadron remained in England until August 1945, when it returned to the United States. Its aircraft began departing in early July, while its ground echelon sailed on the on 25 August, arriving in
New York City six days later. The 834th reassembled at
Drew Field, Florida in September, but was inactivated there on 7 November 1945. ==Lineage==