The 856th Squadron moved to RAF Harrington in August, where it assumed the Operation Carpetbagger missions and most of the personnel and equipment of the 36th Bombardment Squadron.
 With the 492d Group, the squadron flew 198 Operation Carpetbagger missions by the middle of September.
 With black-painted aircraft configured with engine flame dampeners and optimized for night operations, the group operated chiefly over France with B-24s and Douglas C-47 Skytrains, transporting agents, supplies, and propaganda leaflets to patriots.
 As Allied forces moved forward through northern France and into Belgium, the need for Carpetbagger missions decreased and operations ended on 16 September 1944.
 The squadron's support for the French Resistance earned it the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
 With the drawdown of the Carpetbagger mission, the squadron concentrated on hauling gasoline to advancing mechanized forces in France and Belgium.
 After December 1944, the squadron began limited night bombing operations.

Although the reduced level of Carpetbagger operations diverted the majority of the 492d Group to other missions, the 856th Squadron resumed the missions in October of 1944, when it received all of the 492d Group C-47s.
 Now missions were flown to the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark, with a total of 41 missions flown in the winter of 1944-1945.
 These missions were flown under the direct control of Eighth Air Force under the direction of the Office of Strategic Services.
 Norwegian missions continued to the end of the war, although the majority of missions flown to support Norwegian operations were flown by a secret operation in Kallax Airfield,  Sweden under the direction of Colonel Bernt Balchen.
 Some of the squadron's crews were also detached to the 406th Bombardment Squadron for Nickling, or leaflet dropping missions.
 The squadron returned to the control of the 492d Group in March 1945, when some of its crews began operations from Dijon Airfield, France, flying agents into Germany under the names Operation Red Stocking and Operation Skywave.
 These operations continued until 26 April 1945.
 
The squadron left England for the United States in early August 1945.
In August 1945 it began to reform at Kirtland Field, New Mexico as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber squadron, however it became unnecessary when the Pacific War ended and it was inactivated on 17 October 1945.
The 856th Squadron moved to RAF Harrington in August, where it assumed the Operation Carpetbagger missions and most of the personnel and equipment of the 36th Bombardment Squadron.  With the 492d Group, the squadron flew 198 Operation Carpetbagger missions by the middle of September.  With black-painted aircraft configured with engine flame dampeners and optimized for night operations, the group operated chiefly over France with B-24s and Douglas C-47 Skytrains, transporting agents, supplies, and propaganda leaflets to patriots.  As Allied forces moved forward through northern France and into Belgium, the need for Carpetbagger missions decreased and operations ended on 16 September 1944.  The squadron's support for the French Resistance earned it the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.  With the drawdown of the Carpetbagger mission, the squadron concentrated on hauling gasoline to advancing mechanized forces in France and Belgium.  After December 1944, the squadron began limited night bombing operations.
Although the reduced level of Carpetbagger operations diverted the majority of the 492d Group to other missions, the 856th Squadron resumed the missions in October of 1944, when it received all of the 492d Group C-47s.  Now missions were flown to the Netherlands, Norway and Denmark, with a total of 41 missions flown in the winter of 1944-1945.  These missions were flown under the direct control of Eighth Air Force under the direction of the Office of Strategic Services.  Norwegian missions continued to the end of the war, although the majority of missions flown to support Norwegian operations were flown by a secret operation in Kallax Airfield,  Sweden under the direction of Colonel Bernt Balchen.  Some of the squadron's crews were also detached to the 406th Bombardment Squadron for Nickling, or leaflet dropping missions.  The squadron returned to the control of the 492d Group in March 1945, when some of its crews began operations from Dijon Airfield, France, flying agents into Germany under the names Operation Red Stocking and Operation Skywave.  These operations continued until 26 April 1945.  
The squadron left England for the United States in early August 1945. In August 1945 it began to reform at Kirtland Field, New Mexico as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber squadron, however it became unnecessary when the Pacific War ended and it was inactivated on 17 October 1945.
856th Bombardment Squadron