19th Antisubmarine Squadron

19th Antisubmarine Squadron
Active 1942–1943
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Role Anti-Submarine

The 19th Antisubmarine Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 479th Antisubmarine Group, based at RAF Podington, England. It was inactivated on 29 January 1944.

History

Lineage

Activated on 15 July 1942
Redesignated 19th Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) on 29 November 1942
Disbanded on 11 November 1943.

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

Operational history

The squadron received its personnel in July 1942 and began training on the US west coast. It then operated with Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, being reassigned to the 25th Antisubmarine Wing at Langley Field, Virginia. It used B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators to fly patrols along the east coast.

Reassigned to RCAF Station Gander, Newfoundland to fly antisubmarine patrols over the North Atlantic, it also provided convoy escort duties. The squadron moved to RAF St Eval in England in late June 1943 due to requests by RAF Coastal Command to provide submarine patrols south of England and over the Bay of Biscay.

The squadron's most effective antisubmarine patrols were conducted from 18 July to 2 August 1943, the period in which the unit made nearly all of its attacks on enemy U-boats. After that time the enemy avoided surfacing during daylight and adopted a policy of evasion, but the squadron continued its patrols, often engaging Luftwaffe fighter interceptor aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 88, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Messerschmitt Bf 110) in combat. The Focke-Wulf 200 was also encountered.

The 19th was moved to RAF Dunkeswell in Devon during early August 1943 and ended operations in October 1943 after aerial antisubmarine missions were turned over to the United States Navy. B-24s reassigned to Navy Patrol Bomber Squadron VPB-103, Fleet Air Wing 7 at Dunkeswell were redesignated PB4Ys.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

External links

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