390th Bombardment Squadron The 390th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit . Its last was assigned to the 42d Bombardment Group , stationed at Puerto Princesa Airfield , Palawan , Philippines Commonwealth . It was inactivated on 27 January 1946 . History . Established at Gowen Field , Boise , Idaho on 20 March 1942 ; trained under Fourth Air Force as a medium bomber squadron at McChord Field , Tacoma , Washington , on March 20 , 1942 . Original cadre was drawn from headquarters 42nd Bomb Group and from the 76th Bomb Squadron ( M ) . Over a period of a year the squadron grew to T / O strength trained and equipped itself and flew its first missions in Northwest Pacific anti - submarine patrol . On March 15 , 1943 , the Squadron set out for the front . Staging at Camp Stoneman , California , the original personnel boarded the S . S . Maui at San Francisco and on March 28 cleared the Golden Gate for what was to be a 28 to 30 month tour overseas for most of the ground echelon . Debarking at New Caledonia on April 16 the squadron pitched camp outside Nouméa . The flight echelon took off on the 20th - 23rd for Nandi , Fiji , and on May 5 the ground men sailed on the naval transport George Clymer for Guadalcanal , reaching the Solomon Island on May 11 . From Fiji the squadron flew its first two missions , both searches . The Mitchell ' s left June 17 – 23 , flying to Carney Field , Guadalcanal , to rejoin the ground echelon . Every day meant at least one mission , and for a considerable period every night meant an alert and air raid . On June 25 the squadron flew its first bombing mission , an attack from medium altitude on Vila Airdrome , Kolombangara Island . Second mission flown was a medium strike on Munda , New Georgia . Both missions scored good hits and were accomplished without loss . The squadron operated from Carney field until October 21 , on each day delivering one or more attacks against Japanese airfields , supply depots and shipping in the Solomons and Bismarck Archipelago . On August 1 first flight crews returned to Fiji for six weeks of rest , training and anti - sub patrol . Missions of this period were very successful ; inflicted vast damage upon the Japanese advanced positions . High points were the sinking of a Japanese cruiser off Choiseul on July 20 , and a dusk strafing attack on October 6 which crippled Japanese aircraft caught on the ground at Kahili Airdrome , Bougainville . Parafrags were used for the first time on this raid . An available tabulation of our damage to enemy shipping in the Solomons shows : 1 cruiser , 6 AKs and 5 barges sunk ; 1 AK and 16 barges damaged . On October 21 – 22 the squadron made a short move to Banika , Russell islands . In January 1944 moved to Stirling Island , Treasury Group . Principal target from Stirling was Rebaul , New Britain , and keystone of the Japanese conquests in the South Pacific . Rabaul with its five satellite airfields was perhaps the hottest bombing target in our experience . AA fire was encountered in some degree on every mission and frequently all planes over the target were holed . Over Rabaul the squadron met its greatest volume of air interception , Japanese planes attacking many of our formations . Squadron gunners accounted for one definite and one probable Zeke . Other Solomons and Bismarck targets were assigned us , but we kept Rabaul , the main show , under constant attack from January until the final raid on July 22 , 1944 . An advance air echelon flew to Hollandia , Dutch New Guinea , to set up camp for the combat crews , who remained in the Russells until August 7 , then flying to Hollandia via the Admiralties . The ground echelon proceeded by the S . S . Extavia on august 1 for Sansapor , Dutch New Guinea , arriving there August 26 . The air and flight echelons operated at Hollandia from August 31 until September 17 , bombing western New guinea targets , then traveled by C - 47 and B - 25 to the newly opened Mar strip at Sansapor on September 18 – 19 . Sansapor was " rugged " . Dense tropical rain forest untouched by man had to be cleared from absolute scratch by our own efforts with axe and machete . Over a month of backbreaking , sweat - drenched labor a campsite was cleared tents rose and reasonably comfortable camp life became possible . From Sansapor our tactical assignment was to neutralize Japanese airfields and destroy supplies and shipping throughout the eastern islands of the Netherlands East Indies , which lay to the west of our base on the Vogelkop Peninsula . Reduction of these enemy potentialities for offense was necessary to protect the left flank of the " return to the Philippines " . With other squadrons of the Group , the 390th applied itself to the task . Ambon , Celebes , Ceram , Halmahera and smaller islands were bombed and strafed ; Japanese shipping in surrounding waters was harassed , damaged and sunk . Considerable AA and some interception countered our attacks , and over Menado , Celebes , our gunners added another probable Zeke to our score . Minimum altitude strafing attacks supplanted medium level bombing until , by the end of February 1945 ; the former type of mission had become our specialty . Following landings on Leyte by General MacArthur ' s ground forces in October 1944 , the squadron joined in the Philippine battle , attacking airfields in the , Central and southern islands . These missions staged at Morotai . Between November 11 and 20 the squadron , with other Group units , provided the entire aerial force for the successful Invasion of the Asia and Mapia Islands , just north of the equator from Sansapor .