| 850th Strategic Missile Squadron | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1960–1965 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Intercontinental ballistic missile |
| Motto | Always on Target (1960-1965)[1] |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | French Croix de Guerre with Palm |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 850th Strategic Missile Squadron emblem[b][1] |  |
| World War II fuselage code[2][c] | 7Q |
The850th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the44th Strategic Missile Wing atEllsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1965. Thesquadron was first activated in 1943 as the850th Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it deployed to theEuropean Theater of Operations and participated in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany. FollowingV-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in November 1945.
The squadron was redesignated as anintercontinental ballistic missile squadron, activated in June 1960, and equipped with theSM-68 Titan I intercontinental ballistic missile, with a mission of nuclear deterrence. The squadron was inactivated as part of the phaseout of the Titan I ICBM on 25 March 1965.
Thesquadron was first activated atSalt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah on 1 October 1943 as one of the four original squadrons of the490th Bombardment Group. In December, it moved toMountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho, where it began training withConsolidated B-24 Liberators. The 850th left its training base on 9 April 1944 for theEuropean Theater of Operations.[1][3] The ground echelon departed the port of embarkation atCamp Shanks, New York, sailing on theSSNieuw Amsterdam on 11 April and arriving in the United Kingdom on 25 April. The air echelon flew its planes along the southern ferry route beginning on 12 April.[4]
The squadron arrived atRAF Eye,[e] its combat station, on 28 April[1] Before it could begin combat with the 490th Group, the squadron moved toRAF Cheddington two weeks later and was attached to the801st Bombardment Group (Provisional) to performOperation Carpetbagger missions. It used its B-24s to drop personnel and supplies to theresistance forces in occupied France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. The squadron was relieved from clandestine operations on 12 August 1944 and its personnel and equipment were transferred to the857th Bombardment Squadron of the492d Bombardment Group, which replaced the provisional 801st Group asEighth Air Force's special operations unit.[1][5] The 850th was awarded theFrench Croix de Guerre with Palm for its support ofFrench resistance forces. The squadron was reformed at RAF Eye in the 490th Group, which was in the process of converting from Liberators to theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress as the93d Combat Bombardment Wing transitioned to make the3d Bombardment Division an all B-17 unit.[3][4]
Once transition to the B-17 was completed on 24 August, the squadron concentrated onstrategic bombing, attackingoil refineries,airfields,marshalling yards, and factories manufacturing aircraft and armored vehicles. It participated in raids againstBerlin,Cologne,Hamburg,Hanover,Kassel,Merseburg andMünster.[3] On occasion, the squadron was diverted from the strategic bombing campaign. It attacked enemylines of communication during theBattle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945. In the last month of the war in Europe, it carried outinterdiction missions to support advancing ground forces.[3] The squadron's last combat mission was flown on 20 April 1945.[4]
FollowingV-E Day, the squadron carried food to flooded areas of the Netherlands and transportedprisoners of war toAllied repatriation centers.[3] The air echelon began flying its planes back to the United States on 6 July 1945. The ground echelon sailed fromSouthampton on theRMS Queen Elizabeth on 26 August 1945.[4] The unit regrouped atDrew Field, Florida in September. It was inactivated there on 7 November 1945.[1]
The squadron was organized atEllsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota in December 1960 as the850th Strategic Missile Squadron, aSM-68 Titan Iintercontinental ballistic missile launch squadron and assigned to the28th Bombardment Wing.[6] The squadron was deployed in a 3x3 configuration, which meant a total of nine missiles were divided into three sites.[citation needed] Each missile base had three missiles ready to launch at any given time. The squadron was reassigned to the newly established44th Strategic Missile Wing on 1 January 1962.[6] It operated three missile sites:
Between 8 and 15 April 1963, the squadron became the first missile squadron to be the subject of a SACOperational Readiness Inspection. The squadron, however, did not pass the inspection.[7]On 19 November 1964, Defense SecretaryRobert S. McNamara announced the phase-out of remaining first-generationSM-65 Atlas and Titan I missiles by the end of June 1965. Consequently, the Titan Is of the 850th began to be removed from alert status on 4 January 1965.[8] The last missile was shipped out on 12 February,[citation needed] and the squadron was declared nonoperational on 15 February.[6] The Air Force subsequently inactivated the squadron on 25 March.[9]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | French Croix de Guerre with Palm | May–August 1944 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 28 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 28 April 1944 – 11 May 1945 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 850th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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