After the invasion of the Aleutian Islands, the squadron, along with the air echelon of the 407th Group, was relieved of its training mission and deployed to Amchitka Army Air Field, Alaska. There, it was tasked with reinforcing the Eleventh Air Force in Operation Cottage, an attack on Kiska, the last Japanese outpost in the Aleutian Islands. The first combat sorties by elements of the 407th Group were flown on 4 August 1943, in an attack against antiaircraft artillery batteries in the main Japanese camp. The returning crews reported only meager small arms and light automatic weapons fire.