839th Bombardment Squadron The 839th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the 487th Bombardment Group , stationed at Drew Field , Florida . It was inactivated on 7 November 1945 . History . Initially established as a Southeast Air District bomb squadron at Savannah AAB , Georgia in early 1941 as part of the United States buildup of forces after the eruption of World War II in Europe . After the Pearl Harbor Attack , the unit was the unit was re designated as the 8th Antisubmarine Squadron ( Heavy ) on 29 November 1942 , and assigned to the Miami Airport , Florida as an element of the 26th Antisubmarine Wing , Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command . Antisubmarine Warfare . Following limited operations and training out of Miami , the Squadron was attached to the Antilles Air Task Force in June 1943 , and commenced operations from Batista Field , Cuba , patrolling the Yucatan Channel . As the submarine war in the Caribbean shifted , the unit moved from Cuba to Edinburgh Field , Trinidad where the runway was found to be insufficient to sustain B - 24 operations . Consequently , the Squadron Headquarters was established there and the B - 24Ds were further deployed to Zandery Field in Surinam and Air Transport Command airfields in the Natal , Brazil area and even as far as Wideawake Airfield on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic ( these being described as " B " and " C " Flights ) . During the Squadron ' s first month ' s operations , four unit B - 24D ' s made attacks on submarines , several of them " scoring " against the U - boats and , in turn , several of them reporting damage by return anti - aircraft fire , although all regained their base and there were only slight casualties . The bulk of the unit returned to Miami Airport on 30 August 1943 . However , a detachment was maintained at Waller Field , Trinidad , as late as 11 September 1943 , by which time it was the only Antisubmarine squadron still active in the Antilles . By then , the United States Navy had taken over responsibility for antisubmarine operations and the unit was reduced to an administrative organization . Heavy Bombardment Squadron . Re - designated in late - 1943 as a B - 24 Liberator heavy bombardment squadron , assigned to II Bomber Command for training . Trained in Nebraska and New Mexico for overseas duty . Deployed to European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) , being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England in April 1944 . Engaged in long - range strategic bombardment of enemy targets in Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany , attacking transportation , industrial , Oil Industry and other targets as directed . Also engaged in tactical bombardment of enemy forces in France in support of the Operation Overlord landings in Normandy , and the subsequent breakout at St - Lo in July 1944 . Changed equipment from B - 24 Liberators to B - 17 Flying Fortress es in July 1944 . Attacked enemy formations and armor during the Battle of the Bulge , January 1945 . Continued bombardment of strategic targets until the German Capitulation in May . Largely demobilized in England during the summer of 1945 ; small cadre of personnel reassembled at Drew Field , Florida in September as part of Third Air Force , Continental Air Forces . Japanese Capitulation and general demobilization of the AAF led to the squadron ' s inactivation in November .