374th Strategic Missile Squadron
374th Strategic Missile Squadron | |
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Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] | |
Insignia | |
Patch with 374th Strategic Missile Squadron emblem | |
Patch with 374th Bombardment Squadron emblem[a][1] |
The 374th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive
The
The squadron was redesignated the 374th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated in California in 1947. It was inactivated in 1949. It returned to its bombardment designation in 1951 and operated Boeing B-47 Stratojets for Strategic Air Command. In 1959 it moved as part of a test of a "super wing" concept, but was not operational until in inactivated in 1961.
History
World War II
Initial organization and training
The
The following month, a fresh
Combat operations
In late March 1943, the squadron arrived at
On 26 October 1944, Major
The squadron moved to Rupsi Airfield, Assam, India in June 1945. Its mission again was primarily air transport as it ferried gasoline and supplies from there back into China. The unit sailed for the United States in October 1945, and it was inactivated at the Port of Embarkation on 6 January 1946.[1][3]
Weather reconnaissance
The squadron was reactivated at
Strategic Air Command
Bomber operations
It was reactivated a few months later in October with new
By the late 1950s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. B-47s began the transition to AMARC (also known as the boneyard) at Davis-Monthan in July 1959 and the squadron became non-operational. It was inactivated on 25 June 1961.
Intercontinental ballistic missile squadron
The squadron was reactivated and redesignated as the 374th Strategic Missile Squadro, a SAC LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile missile squadron in 1962. It operated nine Titan II underground silos, construction of which began in 1960; the first (374–9), being operationally ready on 28 Oct 1963. The nine missile silos controlled by the 374th Strategic Missile Squadron remained on alert for over 20 years during the Cold War. The 1980 Damascus Titan missile explosion is a 'Broken Arrow' incident occurred at site 374–7 on 19 September 1980 which killed one airman and injured twenty-one personnel in the immediate vicinity (see below).
In October 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced that as part of the strategic modernization program, the Titan II systems were to be retired by 1 October 1987. Inactivation of the sites began on 17 March 1985 with 374-8 being the first; the last was on 15 Aug 1986 involving 374–1, 374–4 and 374–2. The squadron was inactivated the same day.
After removal from service, the silos had reusable equipment removed by Air Force personnel, and contractors retrieved salvageable metals before destroying the silos with explosives and filling them in. Access to the vacated control centers was blocked off. Missile sites were later sold off to private ownership after demilitarization. Today the remains of the sites are still visible through aerial imagery, in various states of use or dereliction.
Launch Complex 374-7 incident
On 18 September 1980 at Titan II Launch Complex 374–7, a 308th Missile Maintenance Squadron airman was adding pressure to the second stage oxidizer tank. During an incorrect application of a 9-pound socket wrench to the pressure cap, the airman accidentally dropped the socket, which fell down the silo, glanced off the thrust mount and punctured the pressurized first stage fuel tank containing aerozine 50.
Aerozine 50 is
At about 0300 hours, a tremendous explosion rocked the area. One possible trigger for the explosion was the collapse of the now-empty first stage fuel tank, allowing the rest of the missile (including the full oxidizer tank of the first stage) to fall and rupture, allowing the oxidizer to contact the fuel already in the silo. The initial explosion catapulted the 740-ton silo door away from the silo and ejected the second stage and warhead. Once clear of the silo, the second stage exploded. The warhead safety devices performed as designed and it did not explode. Twenty-one personnel in the immediate vicinity of the blast were injured. One member of the two-man silo reconnaissance team who had just emerged from the portal sustained fatal injuries.
At daybreak, the Air Force retrieved the warhead and took it to Little Rock AFB. During the recovery, the Missile Wing Commander received strong support from other military units as well as Federal, state, and local officials. Arkansas's governor, Bill Clinton, played an important role in overseeing the proper deployment of state emergency resources.
The wing received some of its greatest accolades in the wake of the disaster. Perhaps realizing the public confidence had suffered a blow, wing personnel made a stronger effort to reach out to local communities. This effort won Air Force recognition in 1983, when the wing became the first missile wing ever to win the General Bruce K. Holloway humanitarian service trophy for the year 1982. The unit also earned the Omaha trophy for 1982, recognizing it as the best in SAC.
Lineage
- Constituted as the 374th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
- Activated on 15 April 1942.
- Redesignated 374th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943
- Inactivated on 6 January 1946
- Redesignated 374th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather) on 16 September 1947.
- Activated on 15 October 1947
- Inactivated on 21 February 1951
- Redesignated 374th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 4 October 1951
- Activated on 10 October 1951.
- Discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1961
- Redesignated 374th Strategic Missile Squadron (ICBM-Titan) and activated 1 Sep 1962[7]
- Inactivated on 15 Aug 1986
Assignments
- 308th Bombardment Group, 15 April 1942 – 6 January 1946
- 7th Weather Group (later 2107th Air Weather Group), 15 October 1947 – 21 February 1951
- 308th Bombardment Group, 10 October 1951 (attached to 21st Air Division until 17 April 1952)
- 308th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 – 25 June 1961 (not operational after 15 July 1959)
- 308th Strategic Missile Wing, 1 September 1962 – 15 August 1986[7]
Stations
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Aircraft and missiles
- Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1942
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951, 1951–1952
- Boeing WB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951
- Boeing RB-29 Superfortress, 1947–1951
- Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1947–1951
- Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1953–1959
- LGM-25C Titan II, 1962–1986[7]
- The squadron operated nine missile sites:
- 374-1 (23 Dec 1963 – 15 Aug 1985), 1.1 mi ENE of Blackwell, Arkansas 35°13′36″N 092°49′18″W / 35.22667°N 92.82167°W
- 374-2 (19 Dec 1963 – 15 Aug 1986), 2.0 mi NNE of Plummerville, AR 35°11′19″N 092°37′50″W / 35.18861°N 92.63056°W
- 374-3 (19 Dec 1963 – 5 Aug 1986), 3.9 mi ENE of Hattieville, AR 35°18′41″N 092°43′25″W / 35.31139°N 92.72361°W
- 374-4 (28 Dec 1963 – 15 Aug 1986), 1.4 mi NNE of Springfield, AR 35°17′15″N 092°32′50″W / 35.28750°N 92.54722°W
- 374-5 (26 Dec 1963 – 19 May 1986), 3.3 mi ESE of Wooster, AR 35°10′04″N 092°23′33″W / 35.16778°N 92.39250°W
- 374-6 (18 Dec 1963 – 25 Jun 1986), 3.8 mi SW of Guy, AR 35°17′30″N 092°23′12″W / 35.29167°N 92.38667°W
- 374-7 (18 Dec 1963 – 21 Sep 1980)*, 3.3 mi NNE of Damascus, AR 35°24′50″N 092°23′50″W / 35.41389°N 92.39722°W
- 374-8 (20 Dec 1963 – 17 Mar 1985), 4.3 mi SSW of Quitman, AR 35°19′45″N 092°14′59″W / 35.32917°N 92.24972°W
- 374-9 (28 Oct 1963 – 3 Oct 1985), 2.5 mi SSW of Pearson, AR 35°24′34″N 092°08′58″W / 35.40944°N 92.14944°W
See also
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Approved 23 July 1952. Description: On an irregular diamond shield red a phantom "bat-man' head, body and legs yellow, wings hands, headgear black, grasping in each foot a bomb black. Although this emblem was not approved until 1952, it was used by the unit during World War II. Watkins, p. 84.
- ^ Aircraft is Consolidated B-24D-25-CO Liberator, serial 41-24251, Chug-A-Lug.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g Maurer, pp. 462-463
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 461-464, 521-522
- ^ a b c d e Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 182-184
- ^ a b c Strotman, Tony (2012). "308th Bombardment Group: China-Burma-India 1942-1945". Tony Strotman. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ Mueller, p. 63
- ^ a b "AWRA Organizational History: 55 Weather Reconnaissance Squadron". Air Weather Reconnaissance Association. Retrieved 18 February 2017. (reproducing Haulman, Daniel L. (15 Jul 1998), Lineage & Honors History 55 Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Air Force Historical Research Agency.)
- ^ a b c d Lineage information, including assignments and stations, through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadron, pp. 462-463
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556.
- Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Watkins, Robert A. (2017). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. Vol. VI, China-Burma-India & The Western Pacific. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-5273-7.
- Further reading
- Schlosser, Eric (2013). Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Incident, and the Illusion of Nuclear Safety. New York, NY: The Penguin Press. ISBN 978-1-59420-227-8.