for the World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 52d Bombardment Squadron, see: 52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron

52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron

The 52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron is part of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force and is based at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq. It operates T-6A aircraft conducting flight training for members of the Iraqi Air Force...

The 52d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 unit. Its last was assigned to the 68th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Chennault Air Force Base

Chennault Air Force Base

Chennault Air Force Base was a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base located near Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was closed in 1963.-Origins:...

, Louisiana

Louisiana

Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

. It was inactivated on 15 April 1963.

History

Established in 1947 as a weather recon squadron; equipped with second-line observation aircraft and flew weather flights along the California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 coastline. Inactivated in 1949 due to budget restrictions. Reactivated under Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

 as an RB-29 Superfortress very long range reconnaissance squadron, flew missions primarily over the Arctic

Arctic

The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...

 mapping flight routes if needed for B-36 Peacemaker bombers to fly over the North Pole

North Pole

The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...

 to attack targets in the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

.

Re-designated in June 1952 as a B-47 Stratojet

B-47 Stratojet

The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...

 medium bomber squadron; aircraft not received until April 1953 when squadron received first production block of B-47Es. Conducted routine deployments and training during the 1950s and early 1960s. Inactivated in 1963 with the phaseout of the B-47.

Lineage

• Established as 52d Reconnaissance Squadron, Weather Scouting and activated on 12 Jul 1947

Inactivated on: 27 June 1949

• Redesignated as 52d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic and activated on 10 Oct 1951

Redesignated as 52d Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 16 Jun 1952

Inactivated on 15 April 1963

Assignments

• 68th Reconnaissance Group, 12 Jul 1947-27 Jun 1949
• 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, 10 Oct 1951
• 68th Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952-15 Apr 1963

Stations

• Hamilton Field (later, AFB), California, 9 April 1947-27 June 1949
• Lake Charles (later, Chennault) AFB, Louisiana
  Louisiana
  Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
  
  , 10 October 1951-15 April 1963

Aircraft

• Consolidated A-11, 1947-1949
• RB-29 Superfortress, 1951-1953
• B-47 Stratojet
  B-47 Stratojet
  The Boeing Model 450 B-47 Stratojet was a long-range, six-engined, jet-powered medium bomber built to fly at high subsonic speeds and at high altitudes. It was primarily designed to drop nuclear bombs on the Soviet Union...
  
  , 1953–1963