| 864th Bombardment Squadron | |
|---|---|
_061127-F-1234S-019.jpg) B-52 stratofortress as flown by the squadron | |
| Active | 1943–1946; 1958–1960; 1963–1966 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Heavy bomber |
| Mottos | Optimus Maximus (Latin for 'The Best and Greatest') (1958–1960)[1] |
| Engagements | Pacific Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Philippine Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 864th Bombardment Squadron emblem(SAC era) |  |
| 864th Strategic Missile Squadron emblem[a][1] |  |
| 864th Bombardment Squadron emblem(World War II)[2] |  |
The864th Bombardment Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the494th Bombardment Wing atSheppard Air Force Base, Texas, where it flewBoeing B-52 Stratofortresses underStrategic Air Command. It was inactivated on 2 April 1966.
Thesquadron was first activated in late 1943 for service duringWorld War II. After training in the United States, it deployed to the Pacific, where it participated in thestrategic bombing campaign against Japan. It returned to the United States and was inactivated in 1946. In 1958, it was redesignated the864th Strategic Missile Squadron and conducted training on theSM-78 Jupiter missile until again inactivating in 1960. In 1963, it returned to its original designation and was activated at Sheppard.
The864th Bombardment Squadron was first activated atWendover Field, Utah on 1 December 1943 as one of the original squadrons of the494th Bombardment Group, the lastheavy bomber group formed by theArmy Air Forces.[1][3] It trained withConsolidated B-24 Liberators at Wendover and atMountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho. In January and February 1944, acadre of the squadron trained under simulated combat conditions atOrlando Army Air Base, Florida with theArmy Air Forces Tactical Center, withaircrews filling out the squadron in March. The air echelon began to receive new B-24Js in May and they began departing for Hawaii on 28 May.[4] The ground echelon began its move to Hawaii on 1 June 1944.[3]
The squadron remained atBarking Sands Army Air Field for additional training and modifications to its planes to meet theater standards until late September 1944, when it deployed toAngaur Airstrip in thePalau Islands.[4] The squadron ground echelon was initially involved with the construction of the base on Angaur.[3] Although some unit aircrews flew combat missions with the30th Bombardment Group fromSaipan, the air echelon only began to arrive on Angaur on 24 October 1944, after theSeabees and Army engineers had prepared the airstrip forheavy bomber operations.[4] The squadron finally conducted its first mission on 3 November, when it attacked Japaneseairfields onYap andKoror. It conducted attacks on Japanese military that had been bypassed as American forces had advanced in the Central Pacific. It also attacked the Philippines, hittinggun emplacements, bivouacs, and storage depots onCorregidor andCaballo Islands at the entrance toManila Bay. It also attacked radio communications installations and power plants at Japanese bases in the Philippines; and attacked airfields, includingClark Field on Luzon. Early in 1945, the 864th struck ammunition and supply dumps in theDavao Gulf andIllana Bay areas ofMindanao and airfields on the island.[3]
The squadron moved toOkinawa in June 1945. From its base atYontan Airfield it engaged primarily in attacks against enemy airfields onKyūshū and around theInland Sea of Japan untilV-J Day. It also struck airfields in China and Korea. The unit also participated inincendiary raids and dropped propaganda leaflets over urban areas of Kyūshū. After the war's end, the unit transporting personnel and supplies fromManila toTokyo. In December, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated at theVancouver Barracks Port of Embarkation on 6 January 1946.[1][3]
The squadron was redesignated the864th Strategic Missile Squadron and activated atRedstone Arsenal, Alabama in January 1958. This was the first of threeSM-78 Jupiter missile squadronsStrategic Air Command (SAC) would activate at the Redstone Arsenal.[5] Because the squadron's mission would be to conduct training ofItalian Air Force personnel on the Jupiter missile, it was stationed at the arsenal,[1] which was the location of theArmy Ballistic Missile Agency, which had developed the Jupiter, even though the 864th's parent organization, the1st Missile Division was located thousands of miles away atVandenberg Air Force Base, California. The first Jupiter for training was delivered in August.[6] Although the Air Force had been given responsibility for the Jupiter by theDepartment of Defense. it became clear that it would not operate the missile, and in April 1959, the squadron became the864th Technical Training Squadron. That same month a plan was developed to establish a Jupiter unit in the Italian Air Force,[6] which was to become the36th Strategic Interdiction Air Brigade. The 864th trained Italian Air Force personnel in the operation and launching of the Jupiter until it was inactivated on 1 June 1960[1] as the Italians assumed responsibility for their own missiles.[7]
As part of its program to disperse itsBoeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike, SAC had established the 4245th Strategic Wing atSheppard Air Force Base, Texas.[8][9] In February 1963, the494th Bombardment Wing assumed the aircraft, personnel and equipment of the discontinued 4245th wing. The 4245th was aMajor Command controlled (MAJCON) wing, which could not carry a permanent history or lineage,[10] and SAC wanted to replace it with a permanent unit. As part of this reorganization the 864th returned to its original designation as a bombardment squadron and assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the717th Bombardment Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated.[1][11]
One half of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen minutealert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.[12] The squadron also trained in strategic bomber operations.[13] In December 1965, a few months after the first B-52Bs started leaving the operational inventory,Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense, directed a phaseout program that would further reduce SAC's bomber force. This program called for the retirement of all B-52Cs, and of several subsequent B-52 models.[14] In this drawdown, the squadron was inactivated on 2 April 1966.[15]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
_Streamer.png) | Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation | 17 October 1944 – 4 July 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Japan | 30 September 1944 – 2 September 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Eastern Mandates | 30 September 1944 – 14 April 1944 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Air Combat, Asiatic–Pacific Theater | 30 September 1944 – 2 March 1946 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Leyte | 17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Luzon | 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Southern Philippines | 27 February 1945 – 4 July 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Western Pacific | 17 April 1945 – 2 September 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Ryukus | 24 June 1945 – 2 July 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| China Offensive | 24 June 1945 – 2 September 1945 | 864th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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