59th Bombardment Squadron

59th Bombardment Squadron
Douglas A-20A Havoc 40-0093, 59th Bombardment Squadron, 1943. This squadron never adopted a unit emblem
Active	1941–1951
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Bombardment

The 59th Bombardment Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment wa with the 319th Bombardment Group, based at Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, Alabama. It was inactivated on 22 March 1951.

Activated as the 59th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 1 January 1941, and assigned to the Panama Canal Department Air Force the same day, the squadron was further assigned to the 19th Bombardment Wing on 2 January and then, on the 6th, attached to the new 9th Bombardment Group.

This unit was attached to the 9th Bomb Group specifically to support the Panama Mobile Force, and spent its first 10 months of existence at Rio Hato Army Air Base. It was assigned formally to the VI Bomber Command on 18 September 1941. The Squadron received new Douglas A-20A Havocs by May 1942. The unit moved from Rio Hato AAB to the new Howard Field on 28 October 1941 and, shortly after the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, was dispersed to Aguadulce Army Airfield.

The 59th's mission included close-in anti-submarine "offensive" patrols, rapid reconnaissance of and offense against potential amphibious landings or advances of enemy ground forces which might eventuate, direct support of friendly ground forces and, in exactly these words, "use as attack aviation in combination with other Air Forces, Parachute Troops and Airborne Infantry in support of friendly Latin American governments" as needed.

On 15 January 1942, "B" and "C" Flights were detached from the Squadron and attached to the VI Interceptor Command at Hato Field, Curaçao and Dakota Field, Aruba, where they remained attached until finally actually assigned on 23 June. The main squadron remained at Aguadulce Field, Panama until it joined the Flights in the Antilles on 10 March. The arrival of the detachments in Aruba and Curaçao was timely as on 16 February 1942, one of the A-20A made the first Command attack on a German U-Boat when a sub was attacked eight miles off Willemstad. Over the next five days, not fewer than time attacks were made on submarines, following by 10 more through January 1943.