page_title: 444th Air Expeditionary Squadron
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: 444th Air Expeditionary Squadron / History / World War II
caption_attribution_description: English: "Pancho and His Reever Rats" B-26G-5-MA Marauder s/n 43-34240 444th BS, 320th BG, 12th AF Shot down by AAA over Covigliano,Italy on August 23,1944. MACR 7997
context_page_description: The 444th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 320th Bombardment Wing, stationed at March Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 15 September 1960.
context_section_description: Established in mid-1942 as a Martin B-26 Marauder medium bomber group.  Trained under Third Air Force in Florida, deployed to England under the VIII Air Support Command, 3d Bombardment Wing.
  Operated against targets on the continent during early fall of 1942; deployed to North Africa as part of Twelfth Air Force after Operation Torch landings in Algeria in November.   Flew tactical bombing missions against Axis forces in North Africa until the end of the Tunisian Campaign in May 1943.  Participated in the Sicilian and Italian Campaigns; liberation of Corsica and Sardinia and the Invasion of Southern France.   Supported Allied ground forces in the Western Allied Invasion of Germany, spring 1945 and becoming part of the United States Air Forces in Europe Army of Occupation in Germany, fall 1945.    Personnel demobilized in Germany and the squadron inactivated as a paper unit in December 1945.
caption: 444th Squadron B-26 Marauder[note 2]
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