33rd Bombardment Squadron

Nearest aircraft is Consolidated B-24L-5-CO (S/N
44-41538) of the 33rd Bombardment Squadron, 22nd Bombardment Group. (U.S. Air
Force photo) Aircraft #538 was named “Round Trip Ticket” and aircraft
#366 B-24J S/N 44-40366 was named “Gypsy” and later renamed
“Slightly Dangerous”.

LINEAGE.

Constituted 33d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 22 Dec
1939. Activated on 1 Feb 1940. Redesignated: 33d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy)
on 3 Feb 1944; 33d Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 30 Apr 1946; 33d
Bombardment Squadron(Medium) on 28 J. 11948.

ASSIGNMENTS. 22d Bombardment Group, 1 Feb 1940; 22d
Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952

AIRCRAFT. B-18, 1940-1941; B-26, 1941-1943; B-25, 1943-1944;
B-24, 1944-1945; B-29, 1946-1953; 33-47, 1953—

OPERATIONS. Antisubmarine patrols, Dec iHi-Jan 1942; combat
in South- west and Western Pacific, 6 Apr 1942-7 Jan 1943, 7 Oct 1943-3 Aug
1945. Not manned, 23 Nov 1945-15 Jun 1946. Combat in Korea, 13 Jul-1 Oct 1950.

CAMPAIGNS. World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater;
East Indies; Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Papua; New Guinea; Bismarck
Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon, Southern Philippines; China
Offensive; Air Combat, Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Korean War: UN Defensive; UN
Offensive. DECORATIONDS. Distinguished Unit Citations: Papua, 23 Jul 1942-[7]
Jan 1943; New Guinea, 5 Nov 1943. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. Republic
of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 10 Jul–24 Oct 1950. EMBLEM. A red
dragon’s head erased, with yellow, brown, and white markings. (Approved 10 Apr
1941. )

The book, Revenge of the Red Raiders takes the reader on an
unforgettable journey with America’s young airmen across the war zones of the
Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II. This comprehensively researched
and definitive account of one of America’s premier Army Air Force bombardment
units follows the 22nd Bomb Group from its prewar stateside formation and
training, through its deployment to Northern Australia during the earliest days
of WWII, to the end of the conflict on the island of Okinawa. The 22nd Bomb
Group was the first air group to receive the new B-26 Marauder medium bomber
when it began rolling off the Martin production line in early 1941. The
struggle of testing the highly advanced aircraft, produced without a prototype,
and training up the crews to the standards of the newest generation of medium
bomber is fully covered in this text. After the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor, the 22nd was the first American bombardment unit to deploy to the
Pacific combat theater with a full complement of aircraft. The Group pioneered
the Pacific island-hopping transit route to Australia, and two of its planes
conducted an attack on the Japanese carrier Akagi during the decisive Battle of
Midway.

In April of 1942, once ensconced in northern Australia, the
men of the 22nd were immediately thrown into battle without fighter protection
to stem the Japanese tidal wave that was threatening to overwhelm the crumbling
Allied position in the Southwest Pacific, and they conducted some of the
earliest bombing raids on the Japanese airfield at Lae and the bastion of
Rabaul from primitive airfields in New Guinea. These early American air
operations are some of the most exciting of the Pacific war and are fully covered
with text and photos from the American and Japanese sides. Although initially
equipped with the B-26 Marauder, the 22nd later partially converted to the B-25
Mitchell before becoming a B-24 Liberator Heavy Bombardment unit during the
spring of 1944 and continuing the fight across the Southwest Pacific to the
very doorstep of Japan. The Group became the only Army Air Force unit to sink
an enemy cruiser during the war.

Revenge of the Red Raiders consists of 624 pages and is
illustrated by more than 1000 photos, four magnificent color paintings by top
aviation artist Jack Fellows, 48 full-color aircraft profiles, 3 aircraft
cut-away drawings and 16 detailed maps that pinpoint all bases, every mission
flown and the site of each aircraft lost. Nearly every aircraft flown by the
unit is depicted in the book’s extensive photo collection. This chronological
text is enhanced by appendices of leaders, casualties, the history of every
combat aircraft flown and an encyclopedic history of the unit’s aircraft markings
and insignias. A final appendix details the histories of both the aircraft and
crews of the 48 B-26, B-25 and B-24 aircraft illustrated in the color profile
section. Assembled from wartime records of the U.S., Japan and Australia and
supplemented by the personal experiences of hundreds of the unit’s veterans,
this book stands as a landmark in aviation history. A particularly unique
feature is the careful matching of information from both American and Japanese
sources, providing for the first time an accurate account of virtually all of
the combat encounters both in the air and against shipping at sea.

Revenge of the Red Raiders

The long-awaited history of the 22nd Bombardment Group in
WWII, Revenge of the Red Raiders, has been published and is now available from
International Research and Publishing. It is the second volume in the series
“Eagles Over the Pacific” and follows the acclaimed history of the
345th BG – Warpath Across the Pacific. Copies can be ordered directly from the
website. International Research and Publishing International orders welcome.

Revenge of the Red Raiders is the most thorough account of
this important US Army Air Corp bombardment group. Following the attack on
Pearl Harbor the 22nd BG was rushed to Australia and went into action over
Rabaul in April of 1942 with the B-26 Marauder in a series of daring unescorted
raids. In mid-1943, it partially converted to the B-25 Mitchell before changing
to the B-24 Liberator during the spring of 1944. The unit was stationed on
Okinawa at the end of the war.

This is an encyclopedic 624-page history written by Larry
Hickey (Warpath Across the Pacific), Walter Gaylor (WWII vet 22nd BG historian)
and Don Evans Harry Nelson, (who served with the 22nd). The authors draw upon
all available group and squadron histories, personal diaries memoirs as well as
interviews with over 200 veterans. Translations of Japanese Navy and Army air
force records by noted authority Sam Tagaya have been integrated into the
history to provide a full account of the 22nd’s combat. The text is
complemented by over 1000 photos, many from the personal collections of
veterans and never before published. Sixteen detailed maps depict the locations
of all missions flown and aircraft losses. Illustrations include a 32-page
color section of rare photos, patches, combat paintings by Jack Fellows, and 48
color profiles of 22nd BG planes by Steve Ferguson. Fully-indexed. Copies
autographed by Larry Hickey upon request.

“This is one of the most comprehensive treatments of a
combat air unit ever attempted, and hopefully will be a landmark publication in
aviation history. I hope that you enjoy this monumental effort.” Larry Hickey.