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670th Bombardment Squadron
416th Bombardment Group Douglas A-26 Invader 1945
Active	1943-1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Light bomber
Mascot(s)	Beaky the Bomber
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation
Insignia
670th Bombardment Squadron emblem
Fuselage code	F6

The 670th Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit, assigned to the 416th Bombardment Group. The squadron was activated a medium bomber unit during World War II. It trained in the United States before deploying to the European Theater of Operations, where it served with Ninth Air Force. It moved to the continent of Europe following D-Day and continued operations until the end of the war, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions in combat. It returned to the United States in the fall of 1945 and was inactivated at the port of embarkation.

History

The squadron was first activated at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma as one of the four original squadrons of the 416th Bombardment Group. Although designated as a light bomber unit, in June 1943 it moved to Lake Charles Army Air Field, Louisiana, where it was an Operational Training Unit for North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber units. In September, the squadron equipped with Douglas A-20 Havoc light bombers and began to train with them for deployment the European Theater of Operations. The squadron departed the United States at the beginning of January 1944.

The squadron arrived at RAF Wethersfield, England, its first European station, in February 1944. Although its parent 416th Group was the first A-20 unit to be assigned to Ninth Air Force, its aircraft were transported by ship and lagged behind the ground and air echelons of the squadron. However, it was able to fly its first combat mission, a diversionary mission for heavy bombers flying in Operation Pointblank, on 3 March. Initially most of its missions were flown against V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket launch sites in France. It flew a number of missions against airfields and coastal defenses to help prepare for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. The unit supported the invasion in June 1944 by striking road junctions, marshalling yards, bridges, and railway overpasses.

The 670th assisted ground forces at Caen and supported Operation Cobra, the breakout at St Lo in July. Later in the summer it supported operations near Brest by hitting transportation facilities, supply dumps and radar installations. In spite of intense resistance, the squadron bombed bridges, (including one of the last bridges across the Seine at Oissel) railways, rolling stock and a radar station to disrupt the enemy's retreat through the Falaise Gap between 6 and 9 August, for which it was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. In September, the squadron provided support for Operation Market Garden, the airborne attack attempting to establish a bridgehead over the Rhine in the Netherlands. Later that month, it moved to Melun Airfield, France to reduce response times for ground support of the advancing Allied forces. It supported the assault on the Siegfried Line by with attacks on transportation, warehouses, supply dumps and defended villages in Germany.

At Melun, the squadron became part of the first group in IX Bomber Command to convert to the Douglas A-26 Invader. Initial plans to train one flight at a time, but this proved to be time consuming. It was the first of the 416th Squadrons to be taken off operations for conversion to the new plane, completing its transition on 17 October, although the group did not fly its first mission with the new plane on 17 November, attacking a depot at Haguenau. Because all Invaders delivered to the unit were solid nosed versions, it retained a few A-20s to lead boxes in formation bombing. It would not be until a mission on 8 February 1945 that the squadron would have sufficient glass nosed A-26s on hand to retire its A-20s from combat. During the Battle of the Bulge the following month, it used its new bomber to attack transportation facilities, strong points, communications centers and troop concentrations. This support lasted until January 1945. The squadron also aided the Allied advance into Germany by continuing its strikes against transportation, communications, airfields and storage depots. It bombed flak positions in support of Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine, in March 1945 and continued operations until 3 May, when it flew its last mission of the war. The unit remained in Europe after V-E Day until September 1945, when it returned to the United States for inactivation at the port of embarkation on 11 October 1945.

Lineage

• Constituted as the 670th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 25 January 1943

Redesignated 670th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 20 August 1943

Activated on 5 February 1943

Inactivated on 11 October 1945

Assignments

• 416th Bombardment Group, 5 February 1943 – 11 October 1945

Stations

• Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 5 February 1943
• Lake Charles Army Air Field, Louisiana, 4 June 1943
• Laurel Army Air Field, Mississippi, 1 November 1943 – 1 January 1944
• RAF Wethersfield (AAF-170), England, 1 February 1944
• Melun Airfield (A-55), France, 21 September 1944
• Laon/Athies Airfield (A-69), France, 10 February 1945
• Cormeilles en Vexin Airfield (A-59), France, c. 25 May 1945
• Laon/Athies Airfield (A-69), France, 27 July–13 September 1945
• Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, 10–11 October 1945

Aircraft

• North American B-25 Mitchell, 1943
• Douglas A-20 Havoc, 1943–1944
• Douglas A-26 Invader, 1944–1945

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer	Award	Dates	Notes
	Presidential Unit Citation	6 August 1944-9 August 1944	France, 670th Bombardment Squadron

Campaign Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
	Air Offensive, Europe	2 February 1944 – 5 June 1944	670th Bombardment Squadron
	Air Combat, EAME Theater	2 February 1944 – 11 May 1945	670th Bombardment Squadron
	Normandy	6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944	670th Bombardment Squadron
	Northern France	25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944	670th Bombardment Squadron
	Rhineland	15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945	670th Bombardment Squadron
	Ardennes-Alsace	16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945	670th Bombardment Squadron
	Central Europe	22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945	670th Bombardment Squadron

See also

• List of A-26 Invader operators
• List of Douglas A-20 Havoc operators

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

1. Approved 28 July 1943. Description: On a light blue disc, border of three alternate bands blue, white, and orange, piped at inner side with white, a black caricatured crow (Beaky the Bomber), in flight, having yellow bill, and wearing an orange aviator's helmet, goggles white, trimmed black, and carrying in the beak a large orange aerial bomb, all emitting speed lines white to rear, three white cloud formations, one in chief, one in sinister fess, and one in dexter base.

Citations

1. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 699-700
2. Rust, p. 211
3. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 299-300
4. Rust, p. 56
5. Rust, p. 61
6. Rust, p. 100
7. Rust, pp. 126-127
8. Rust, p. 147
9. Rust, p.173
10. Station number in Anderson. p.22.
11. ^ Station number in Johnson, p. 19.
12. ^ Station number in Johnson, p. 20.
13. Station information in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 699-700, except as noted.

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
• Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2017.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) . Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) . Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
• Rust, Kenn C. (1967). The 9th Air Force in World War II. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, Inc. LCCN 67-16454.

v t e USAAF Ninth Air Force in World War II
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Units	Commands 9th Air Division (was IX Bomber Command) IX Air Defense IX Fighter IX Tactical Air IX Troop Carrier XIX Tactical Air XXIX Tactical Air Wings Bombardment 97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment Fighter 8th Fighter 9th Fighter 70th Fighter 71st Fighter 84th Fighter 100th Fighter 303d Fighter Troop carrier 50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier Groups Bombardment 12th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment Group 340th Bombardment Group 344th Bombardment Group 376th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 416th Bombardment Fighter 36th Fighter 48th Fighter 50th Fighter 57th Fighter 79th Fighter 324th Fighter 354th Fighter 358th Fighter 365th Fighter 362d Fighter 363d Fighter 366th Fighter 367th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 406th Fighter 474th Fighter Troop carrier 61st Troop Carrier 64th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier IX Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional) Reconnaissance 10th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance Squadrons Liaison 14th Liaison 47th Liaison Night fighter 422d Night Fighter 425th Night Fighter
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v t e United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force in World War II
Units	Commands II Air Support Command III Air Support Command III Bomber Command III Fighter Command III Reconnaissance Command III Tactical Air Command Divisions III Tactical Air Division Wings 8th Fighter Wing 9th Fighter Wing 40th Bombardment Wing Groups Air Commando 2nd Air Commando 3rd Air Commando Bombardment 3rd Bombardment 12th Bombardment 17th Bombardment 21st Bombardment 29th Bombardment 30th Bombardment Group 38th Bombardment 44th Bombardment 46th Bombardment 47th Bombardment 85th Bombardment 88th Bombardment 90th Bombardment 91st Bombardment 92nd Bombardment 93rd Bombardment 94th Bombardment 95th Bombardment 97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment 100th Bombardment 309th Bombardment 310th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 319th Bombardment 320th Bombardment 321st Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 335th Bombardment 336th Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 345th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 396th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 411th Bombardment 416th Bombardment 417th Bombardment 418th Bombardment 451st Bombardment 454th Bombardment 463rd Bombardment 483rd Bombardment 488th Bombardment Fighter 20th Fighter 31st Fighter 49th Fighter 50th Fighter 53rd Fighter 54th Fighter 56th Fighter 59th Fighter 79th Fighter 80th Fighter 81st Fighter 84th Fighter 85th Fighter 311th Fighter 332nd Fighter 337th Fighter 338th Fighter 339th Fighter 361st Fighter 369th Fighter 372nd Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 408th Fighter 414th Fighter 506th Fighter Fighter-Bomber 27th Fighter-Bomber 48th Fighter-Bomber 86th Fighter-Bomber 406th Fighter-Bomber 407th Fighter-Bomber Reconnaissance 2d Reconnaissance 9th Reconnaissance 10th Reconnaissance 26th Reconnaissance 65th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 68th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance 70th Reconnaissance 75th Reconnaissance 77th Reconnaissance 423d Reconnaissance 424th Reconnaissance 426th Reconnaissance
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

• Bombardment squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces
• Military units and formations established in 1943