489th Attack Squadron

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489th Attack Squadron
MQ-9 Reaper at Creech AFB
Active	1917–1919; 1925–1942; 1942–1945; 1947–1949; 1958–1962; 2011-2015; 2016-present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Attack
Part of	Air Combat Command
Garrison/HQ	Creech Air Force Base
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation[1] Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[2]
Commanders
Current commander	Lt Col Theodore[3]
Insignia
489th Attack Squadron emblem (approved 27 February 2017)[4]
489th Reconnaissance Squadron emblem[note 1]
489th Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 27 October 1959)[1]
489th Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)

The 489th Attack Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, and operating MQ-1 and MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles. It was active at Beale Air Force Base, California as the 489th Reconnaissance Squadron from 2011 to 2015.

The squadron was first activated as the 77th Aero Squadron in 1917. Redesignated as the 489th Aero Squadron, it served as a support unit in France during World War I before returning to the US and being demobilized in 1919.

Through most of its existence, the squadron was named the 489th Bombardment Squadron. It served under this name from 1925 to 1942 in the Organized Reserve. The squadron served in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations during World War II, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations for actions in North Africa and Sicily. Inactivated after the war, it served briefly in the reserves a second time between 1947 and 1949. When Strategic Air Command reorganized its Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings as four squadron units the squadron was activated at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, remaining active until 1962.

The squadron was activated as the 77th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas in August 1917, and commanded by Capt. H. L. Mumma. In September under the command of 1st Lt Kenneth M. Spence. In November 1917 the 77th moved to the Air Depot at Garden City, New York for deployment to the American Expeditionary Force. On 4 December 1917, the squadron moved to the port of Embarkation Philadelphia and boarded the transport Northland. On the Northland were 9 Aero Squadrons with 70 officers and 1,339 enlisted men. These 9 Squadrons were the 10th, 12th, 13th, 16th, 19th, 75th, 76th, 77th and 101st.^{[citation needed]}

In January 1918 a new numbering scheme for aero squadrons was set up. The numbers 400 through 599 were reserved for Aero Squadrons (Construction).^{[citation needed]} The 77th was redesignated as the 489th Aero Squadron (Construction).^[1] It served in France building facilities. The 489th returned to the States in February 1919 and went to Camp Stuart, Virginia. In March 1919 it was demobilized at Camp Lee, Virginia.^[1]

The first 489th Bombardment Squadron was constituted in the Organized Reserve in March 1924 and allotted to the Ninth Corps Area. The squadron was manned in 1925 at Boeing Field, near Seattle, Washington.^[1][5] It was assigned to the 349th Bombardment Group from 22 October 1925 until c. June 1929 for mobilization as part of the General Headquarters Reserve.^[6] The 489th was one of the few Air Corps units in the Organized Reserve that possessed facilities, equipment and, aircraft between the wars. In June 1932, the 489 Aero Squadron was reconstituted and consolidated with the 489 Bombardment Squadron. The unit typically conducted its inactive training at Pearson Field or in Seattle. It performed its summer training at various Air Corps installations in the Pacific coastal region. The squadron was disbanded, along with all other Organized Reserve Air Corps units on 31 May 1942 and its remaining personnel were called to active duty individually.^[1][5]

The second 489th Bombardment Squadron was organized as a North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber squadron in mid-1942, trained by the Third Air Force in the southeastern United States. As part of the 340th Bombardment Group, the squadron deployed to IX Bomber Command of the 9th Air Force in Egypt initially in March 1943 via Air Transport Command South Atlantic Route through the Caribbean, Brazil, Liberia, Central Africa, and Sudan. Operated in the Tactical Bomber Force of the Northwest African Tactical Air Force primarily in support of the British 8th Army in the Tunisian Campaign and participated in the invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) in July 1943. In August 1943, the squadron was reassigned to XII Bomber Command of the 12th Air Force and participated in the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943. Moved to Corsica as part of the Mediterranean Allied Tactical Air Force in April 1944 and provided tactical support for Allied troops in Italy and Southern France (Operation Dragoon). Based at Rimini, Italy from April 1945 until the end of the war.

Personnel demobilized in Italy during the summer of 1945; the squadron returned to the United States, being prepared for deployment to the Pacific Theater for use as a tactical bomb squadron in the programmed Invasion of Japan. Japanese capitulation led to the squadron's inactivation in November 1945.

Activated as an A-26 Invader squadron in the postwar Air Force reserves in 1947; inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.

From 1958, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings of Strategic Air Command (SAC) began to assume an alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases. The SAC alert cycle divided itself into four parts: planning, flying, alert, and rest to meet General Thomas S. Power's initial goal of maintaining one-third of SAC's planes on fifteen-minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.^[7] To implement this new system B-47 wings reorganized from three to four squadrons.^[7][8] The 489th was activated at Whiteman Air Force Base as the fourth squadron of the 340th Bombardment Wing.^[4] The alert commitment was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962 and the four squadron pattern no longer met the alert cycle commitment, so the squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1962.^[4][8]

The squadron was activated as the 489th Reconnaissance Squadron on 26 August 2011 at Beale Air Force Base near Marysville, CA as a component of the 9th Operations Group, 9th Reconnaissance Wing, flying MC-12W aircraft. It was inactivated on 10 May 2015.

The squadron was redesignated as the 489th Attack Squadron at Creech Air Force Base under the 432d Operations Group, on 2 December 2016. It is equipped with MQ-1 and MQ-9 UAV aircraft.^[4][3]

489th Aero Squadron

• Organized as the 77th Aero Squadron on 13 August 1917^{[note 2]}

Redesignated 489th Aero Squadron (Construction) on 1 February 1918

Demobilized on 6 March 1919

• Reconstituted and consolidated with the 489th Bombardment Squadron in June 1932^[1][5]

489th Bombardment Squadron

• Constituted as the 489th Bombardment Squadron on 31 March 1924 and allotted to the reserve

Activated, date unknown (personnel assigned in January 1925)

• Consolidated with the 489th Aero Squadron in June 1932

Disbanded on 31 May 1942

• Consolidated with the 489th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 11 August 1958^[1][5]

489th Attack Squadron

• Constituted as the 489th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 10 August 1942

Activated on 20 August 1942

Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron, Medium c. 20 August 1943

Inactivated on 7 November 1945

• Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 24 October 1947

Activated in the reserve on 10 November 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

• Redesignated 489th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 11 August 1958 and consolidated with the 489th Bombardment Squadron

Activated on 1 October 1958

Discontinued and inactivated on 1 January 1962^[9]

• Redesignated 489th Reconnaissance Squadron on 14 June 2011

Activated on 26 August 2011

Inactivated on 10 May 2015

• Redesignated 489th Attack Squadron on 1 December 2016

Activated on 2 December 2016^[4]

• Unknown, 13 August 1917 – February 1918^{[note 3]}
• Air Service Production Center No. 2, February–December 1918
• Unknown, December 1918 – 6 March 1919
• Ninth Corps Area, 1925 – 31 May 1942 (349th Bombardment Group for mobilization until c. June 1929)^[5]
• 340th Bombardment Group, 20 August 1942 – 7 November 1945
• 340th Bombardment Group, 10 November 1947 – 27 June 1949
• 340th Bombardment Wing, 1 October 1958 – 1 January 1962
• 9th Operations Group, 26 August 2011 – 10 May 2015
• 432nd Operations Group, 2 December 2016 – present^[4]

Notes

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Alley, Bill (2006). Pearson Field: Pioneering Aviation in Vancouver and Portland. New York: Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-7385-3129-4.
• Clay, Steven E. (2011). US Army Order of Battle 1919-1941 (PDF). Vol. 3 The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops 1919-1941. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-98419-014-0. LCCN 2010022326. OCLC 637712205. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Schake, Col Kurt W. (1998). Strategic Frontier: American Bomber Bases Overseas, 1950-1960 (PDF). Trondheim, Norway: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. ISBN 978-8277650241. Retrieved 27 July 2015.

• The 489th Bombardment Squadron on Corsica