Established in 1941 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber squadron, it was assigned to the GHQAF Northwest Air District in Washington State in July 1941. It flew antisubmarine patrols over the Pacific Northwest coastline after the Pearl Harbor attack. Its aircraft and crews were sent to Australia in early 1942, they were assigned to Fifth Air Force units being formed there after the withdrawal of B-17s from Clark Field in January 1942 after operations from Clark became untenable during the 1942 Battle of the Philippines.