850th Strategic Missile Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 850th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the 44th Missile Wing
, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base
, South Dakota
. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.
heavy bomber squadron in mid-1943; trained under Second Air Force
in the northwestern United States. Deployed to European Theater of Operations
(ETO) in April 1944; being diverted to VIII Composite Command and attached to a provisional special operations unit in England
.
Used long-range B-24s to carry out special operations missions; dropping personnel and supplies to the resistance forces in Occupied France
, Belgium
, Holland, Denmark
, and Norway
.
Relieved from clandestine operations in August 1944 and rejoined former heavy bomber group and re-equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses. Engaged in strategic bombardment raids over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany, attacking enemy military and industrial targets until the German capitulation in May, 1945.
Most of squadron personnel demobilized in Europe, small cadre of personnel returned B-17s to the United States and reformed as a unit in Florida
. Programmed for conversion to a B-29 Superfortress
heavy bombardment squadron and deployment to Central Pacific Area (CPA) for strategic bombardment raids over the Japanese Home Islands; however never re-equipped and was inactivated after the Japanese Capitulation in November 1945.
Reactivated in 1960 as a HGM-25A Titan I ICBM launch squadron. Squadron was deployed in a 3x3 configuration, which meant a total of nine missiles were divided into three bases. Each missile base had three ICBM missiles ready to launch at any given time. Reassigned from the 28th Bombardment Wing to the newly established 44th Strategic Missile Wing at Ellsworth on 1 January 1962, making the 28th BMW a fully B-52 Stratofortress
organization.
On November 19, 1964, Defense Secretary McNamara announced the phase-out of remaining first-generation SM-65 Atlas and Titan I missiles by the end of June 1965. Consequently, the Titan Is of the 850th SMS were removed from alert status on January 4th, 1965. The last missile was shipped out on February 12th. The Air Force subsequently deactivated the squadron on 25 March.
Missile sites were later sold off to private ownership after demilitarization. Today the remains of the sites are still visible in aerial imagery, in various states of use or abandonment.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last assignment was with the 44th Missile Wing
44th Missile Wing
The 44th Missile Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Twentieth Air Force, being assigned to Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. It was deactivated on 4 July 1994....
, based at Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota....
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.
History
Established as a B-24 LiberatorB-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
heavy bomber squadron in mid-1943; trained under Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
in the northwestern United States. Deployed to European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
(ETO) in April 1944; being diverted to VIII Composite Command and attached to a provisional special operations unit in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Used long-range B-24s to carry out special operations missions; dropping personnel and supplies to the resistance forces in Occupied France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Holland, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
.
Relieved from clandestine operations in August 1944 and rejoined former heavy bomber group and re-equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses. Engaged in strategic bombardment raids over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany, attacking enemy military and industrial targets until the German capitulation in May, 1945.
Most of squadron personnel demobilized in Europe, small cadre of personnel returned B-17s to the United States and reformed as a unit in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Programmed for conversion to a B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
heavy bombardment squadron and deployment to Central Pacific Area (CPA) for strategic bombardment raids over the Japanese Home Islands; however never re-equipped and was inactivated after the Japanese Capitulation in November 1945.
Reactivated in 1960 as a HGM-25A Titan I ICBM launch squadron. Squadron was deployed in a 3x3 configuration, which meant a total of nine missiles were divided into three bases. Each missile base had three ICBM missiles ready to launch at any given time. Reassigned from the 28th Bombardment Wing to the newly established 44th Strategic Missile Wing at Ellsworth on 1 January 1962, making the 28th BMW a fully B-52 Stratofortress
B-52 Stratofortress
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber operated by the United States Air Force since the 1950s. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, who have continued to provide maintainence and upgrades to the aircraft in service...
organization.
On November 19, 1964, Defense Secretary McNamara announced the phase-out of remaining first-generation SM-65 Atlas and Titan I missiles by the end of June 1965. Consequently, the Titan Is of the 850th SMS were removed from alert status on January 4th, 1965. The last missile was shipped out on February 12th. The Air Force subsequently deactivated the squadron on 25 March.
Missile sites were later sold off to private ownership after demilitarization. Today the remains of the sites are still visible in aerial imagery, in various states of use or abandonment.
Lineage
- Constituted 850th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 September 1943
- Activated on 1 October 1943
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Redesignated 850th Strategic Missile Squadron, and activated, on 22 June 1960
- Inactivated on 25 March 1965.
Assignments
- 490th Bombardment Group490th Bombardment GroupThe 490th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the III Bomber Command, being stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
, 1 October 1943 - VIII Air Force Composite Command, 11 May 1944
- Attached to 801st Bombardment Group (Provisional), 22 May-10 August 1944
- 490th Bombardment Group490th Bombardment GroupThe 490th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the III Bomber Command, being stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....
, 10 August 1944-7 November 1945 - Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, 22 June 1960 - 28th Bombardment Wing, 1 December 1960
- 44th Strategic Missile Wing, 1 January 1962-25 March 1965
- 490th Bombardment Group
Stations
- Salt Lake City AABSalt Lake City International AirportSalt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district...
, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, 1 October 1943 - Mountain Home AAF, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, 4 December 1943-9 April 1944 - RAF HarringtonRAF HarringtonRAF Harrington is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located west of Kettering in Northamptonshire south of the village of Harrington across the B576 road, now the A14.-USAAF use:...
(AAF-179), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 27 April 1944 - RAF CheddingtonRAF CheddingtonRAF Cheddington is a former World War II airfield in England, located 1 mile south-west of Cheddington in Buckinghamshire. The airfield was closed in 1952.-Origins:...
(AAF-113), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 11 May 1944 - RAF HarringtonRAF HarringtonRAF Harrington is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located west of Kettering in Northamptonshire south of the village of Harrington across the B576 road, now the A14.-USAAF use:...
(AAF-179), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 27 May 1944 - RAF EyeRAF EyeRAF Eye is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 11 miles NE of Stowmarket in Suffolk.- USAAF use:Eye airfield was constructed by the 827th and 859th U S Army Engineer Battalions during 1943, with additional work by British contractors. It was completed early in 1944 and...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(AAF-138), 12 August 1944-c. 26 August 1945 - Drew Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 3 September-7 November 1945 - Ellsworth AFB, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 1 December 1960-25 March 1965,
Aircraft and missiles
- B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
, 1943–1944 - B-17 Flying Fortress, 1944–1945
- HGM-25A Titan I, 1960–1965
- Operated three missile sites: (1 Dec 1960-25 Mar 1965)
- 850-A, 4 miles NNW of Wicksville, South Dakota 44°08′10"N 102°37′02"W
- 850-B, 5 miles SSE of Hermosa, South Dakota 43°46′34"N 103°08′46"W
- 850-C, 10 miles SE of Sturgis, South Dakota 44°23′51"N 103°18′48"W