Initial organization and training

The squadron was first activated at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah on 1 March 1942 as one of the original squadrons of the 305th Bombardment Group.^[3][4] and began training on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In June, it moved to Geiger Field, Washington, and in July, to Muroc Army Air Field, California for more intensive training.^[1][5] On 23 August, its ground echelon left for Fort Dix, New Jersey and sailed for the European Theater of Operations on the RMS Queen Mary on 5 September, landing in Scotland on 12 September. The air echelon received additional training at Hancock Field, New York, before taking the North Atlantic ferrying route to Prestwick in September and October.^[5]

Combat in Europe

Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress Hell Cat^{[lower-alpha 3]}

The ground echelon arrived at RAF Grafton Underwood in September. The squadron flew its first mission on 17 November 1942.^[5] In December it moved to RAF Chelveston, which would be its combat station for the remainder of the war.^[1]

The squadron primarily engaged in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It attacked targets in Belgium, France and Germany, including Kriegsmarine targets such as submarine pens, docks, harbors and shipyards. This included the attack on the naval yards at Wilhelmshaven on 27 January 1943, when heavy bombers of VIII Bomber Command made their first combat strike in German airspace.^[4]

It also attacked automotive factories and marshalling yards on the continent. On 4 April 1943, it made a precision strike on the Renault automotive factory in Paris in the face of devastating fighter attacks by an estimated 50 to 75 Focke-Wulf Fw 190s, which attacked the squadron's formation for fifty minutes,^[6] and heavy flak,^{[lower-alpha 4]} for which it was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC). Missions included attacks on Berlin, oil refineries at Merseburg, aircraft factories at Anklam, shipping at Gdynia and the ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt.^[4]

On 11 January 1944, the squadron participated in an attack on an aircraft plant in central Germany, near Brunswick. Extensive cloud cover had resulted in the recall of two of the three bombardment divisions involved in the mission and made the rendezvous of the fighter groups scheduled to provide cover in the target area difficult. In contrast, clear weather to the east of the target permitted the Germans to assemble one of the largest fighter formations since October 1943, with 207 enemy fighters making contact with the strike force. For this mission, it was awarded a second DUC. Between 20 and 25 February 1944, it took part in Big Week, the intensive campaign by Eighth Air Force against the German aircraft manufacturing industry.^[4][7]

The squadron was occasionally diverted from its strategic mission to carry out interdiction and air support missions. Prior to Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, it helped neutralize enemy forces with attacks on airfields, V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket launch facilities and repair shops. On D Day, it struck enemy strongholds near the landing beaches. In July 1944 it attacked enemy positions in advance of ground forces in Operation Cobra, the breakout at Saint Lo. It attacked antiaircraft batteries to support Operation Market Garden, the airborne attacks near Arnhem attempting to secure a bridgehead across the Rhine. In December 1944 and January 1945, it attacked enemy installations near the Battle of the Bulge. In March 1945, it supported Operation Varsity, airborne assault across the Rhine in Germany.^[4]

The squadron flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945.^[4] Following V-E Day, the squadron moved to Sint-Truiden Airfield in Belgium, from which it conducted photographic mapping flights over Europe and North Africa which came under the name Project Casey Jones. On 15 December 1945 it became part of the occupation force, when it moved to Lechfeld Airfield, Germany which it had bombed on 18 March 1944, and which it now used as an occupation base.^[5] The squadron was reduced in both personnel and equipment during 1946, and by the end of October, it had stopped all operations.^[5] It was inactivated on 25 December 1946.^[1]

B-58 operations

The squadron began training crews on the Convair B-58 Hustler in 1961, replacing its Stratojets. The squadron also was equipped with training models of the Hustler.^[1]

At the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Only six B-58s in the entire SAC inventory were on alert. Even these aircraft were "second cycle" (follow on) sorties. Training was suspended, and the squadron, along with SAC's other B-58 squadrons, began placing its bombers on alert. By the first week of November, 84 B-58s were standing nuclear alert, and as SAC redeployed its Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, 20 of these were "first cycle" sorties.^{[lower-alpha 5]} Within a short time, this grew to 41 bombers. By 20 November, SAC resumed its normal alert posture, and half the squadron's aircraft were kept on alert.^[9][10]

In December 1965, Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense announced a phaseout program that would further reduce SAC’s bomber force. This program called for the mid-1971 retirement of all B-58s and some Boeing B-52 Stratofortress models.^[11] With the removal of the B-58 from SAC's bomber force, the squadron was inactivated at the end of January 1970.