In November 1942, the squadron was deployed to North Africa in December 1942 as part of Operation Torch, and was assigned to the new Twelfth Air Force in Algeria. The squadron flew tactical bombing raids on enemy targets in Algeria and later Tunisia as the American forces moved east and participated in the Tunisian Campaign. Remaining assigned to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, the squadron flew combat missions in the invasion of Sicily; invasion of southern Italy; Corsican Campaign; and Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France, during the summer of 1944.