365th Bombardment Squadron
The 365th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated in March 1942. After training with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers in the United States, the squadron deployed to the European Theater of Operations, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The squadron was twice awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its combat actions. Following V-E Day, it moved to the continent of Europe and engaged in photographic mapping until inactivating in December 1946. The squadron was briefly active on paper from 1947 to 1949. It was  activated again in 1951 as a strategic bomber unit, flying Boeing B-47 Stratojets. In 1949, it moved to Inidana, where it converted to the Convair B-58 Hustler. It was inactivated in 1969, when the Hustler was phased out of service. History. World War II. The squadron was established in June 1942 as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment unit which trained under the Second Air Force. It deployed to the European Theater of Operations in September 1942, being assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England. The squadron began flying long-range strategic bombardment missions on 17 November 1942 and  attacked such targets as submarine pens, docks, harbors, shipyards, motor works and marshalling yards in France, Germany and the Low Countries. It continued its attacks on enemy cities, manufacturing centers, transportation links and other targets until the German capitulation in May 1945. After combat missions ended, the squadron moved to Sint-Truiden Airfield, Belgium in July 1945 where it conducted photographic mapping and intelligence gathering flights called Project Casey Jones over Europe and North Africa. On 15 December 1945 it moved to Lechfeld Airfield, Germany which it had bombed on 18 March 1944 and now used as an occupation base . The squadron was inactivated in December 1946 in Germany. Strategic Air Command. The squadron, along with a number of other units, was activated at Andrews Field in 1947 as a paper unit. It was not manned or equipped before inactivating on 6 September 1948 Reactivated under Strategic Air Command (SAC) in 1951 with Boeing B-47 Stratojet medium jet bombers, it began flying operational strategic bombardment and refueling missions from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. In 1955, SAC upgraded the squadron to the B-47E, the major production version of the Stratojet. In May 1959, the squadron, with B-47s, moved to Bunker  Hill Air Force Base, Indiana. The squadron upgraded to the Convair B-58 Hustler supersonic medium bomber in September 1960, it was declared operationally ready in August 1962. It began phasing down B-58 operations in 1969 and was inactivated in 1970.