676th Bombardment Squadron

676th Bombardment Squadron
Boeing B-29 Superfortress 44-70108 "Sweet Thing" of the 444th Bombardment Group. "Sweet Thing" set a speed record from Hawaii to California on her return to the US
Active	1943-1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Role	Bombardment
Nickname(s)	The Reluctant Dragon
Engagements	American Theater of World War II China Burma India Theater Pacific Theater of Operations
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation
Insignia
676th Bombardment Squadron Emblem (approved 27 June 1945)

The 676th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Army Air Forces it was last assigned to the 444th Bombardment Group at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona.

During World War II, the 676th Bombardment Squadron was an Army Air Forces combat organization. It was part of the first Boeing B-29 Superfortress group formed for the 58th Bombardment Wing, and served in the China Burma India Theater and Pacific Ocean Theater as part of Twentieth Air Force. The squadron's aircraft engaged in very heavy bombardment operations against Japan. The squadron received the Distinguished Unit Citation for its combat operations on three occasions. When the unit was inactivated on 1 October 1946 its B-29 aircraft and personnel were reassigned to the 43d Bombardment Group.

The squadron was first activated as the 676th Bombardment Squadron on 1 March 1943 at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, one of the original squadrons of the 444th Bombardment Group. The 444th was assigned to the first B-29 Superfortress wing, the 58th Bombardment Wing. After a period of organization at Davis-Monthan the squadron moved to Great Bend AAF, Kansas. for training, initially flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Consolidated B-24 Liberators and Martin B-26 Marauders. The group engaged in training on the new aircraft and its mission of long range precision bombing. At Great Bend, the squadron received early model B-29s and prototype YB-29s, however aircraft were still undergoing development and were frequently modified by Boeing technicians in the field while the squadron was undergoing training in Kansas. In November 1943 The 444th reorganized as a "Very Heavy" group and added the 5th Bombardment Maintenance Squadron, which was paired with the 676th to maintain its B-29s.