Training in the United States The 852nd Bombardment Squadron was activated 1 October 1943 at
Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona as one of the four squadrons of the
491st Bombardment Group. The following month, the squadron moved to
El Paso Army Air Field, Texas and began training with
Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. In January, most of the ground echelon of the squadron was withdrawn and reassigned to
Boeing B-29 Superfortress units being organized by
Second Air Force, with the largest group moving to
Pratt Army Air Field, Kansas. Many of the unit's remaining personnel were transferred to other B-24 groups as well, and by the end of December, the squadron had no assigned aircraft. While the air echelon continued training in the United States,
Eighth Air Force began organizing a new ground echelon in England, directing each of the four groups assigned to its
2d Bombardment Division to form a squadron ground echelon. The air echelon moved to
Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado to complete its training with the
471st Bombardment Group. It began operations starting on 2 June, with an attack on
Bretigny Airfield. It initially attacked
airfields,
coastal defenses and
lines of communication to support
Operation Overlord, the invasion of France. After the
D-Day landings, the squadron concentrated on the
strategic bombing missions. Its targets included
communications centers,
oil refineries,
shipyards, depots and other industrial targets. Its targets included
Berlin,
Bielefeld,
Cologne,
Gelsenkirchen,
Hamburg,
Hanover,
Kassel and
Magdeburg. On one occasion, the squadron was tasked with attacking
German General Staff headquarters at
Zossen, south of Berlin. On 26 November 1944, the group raided an oil refinery at Misburg. It was attacked by large numbers of enemy
interceptors, which shot down approximately half of the aircraft in the 491st Group formation. The remaining aircraft fought off the enemy planes and successfully bombed the target, earning the unit a
Distinguished Unit Citation. The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic bombing campaign. It supported ground forces during
Operation Cobra, the breakout at
Saint Lo; it dropped supplies to beleaguered paratroopers during
Operation Market Garden, the attempt to seize a bridgehead across the
Rhine River; and it attacked supply lines and fortifications during the
Battle of the Bulge. The squadron supported
Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine and
Allied forces driving across Germany. The squadron's final combat mission was flown on 25 April 1945. Following
V-E Day, the squadron began flying its aircraft back to the United States on 17 June 1945. The ground echelon sailed on the on 6 July, arriving in
New York City five days later. The squadron reassembled at
McChord Field, Washington later that month and was inactivated there on 8 September. ==Lineage==