565th Strategic Missile Squadron

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565th Strategic Missile Squadron
Distinguished Unit Citation
Insignia
565th Strategic Missile Squadron emblem[a][1]
565th Bombardment Squadron emblem[2]
World War II fuselage marking[2]EE

The 565th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive

alert status
.

The squadron was first activated during

V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States and was inactivated in September 1945. The squadron was active from 1947 to 1949 in the reserve
, but does not appear to have been fully equipped or manned.

History

World War II

Initial activation and training

The squadron was first activated as the 565th Bombardment Squadron in late December 1942 at

Sioux City Army Air Base via the North Atlantic ferry route.[1][3][4]

Combat in Europe

By the time the ground echelon arrived at the squadron's combat station,

93d Bombardment Groups to provide the squadron ground support in Libya.[5]

The squadron flew its first combat mission on 9 July 1943, with an attack on

Distinguished Unit Citation for this action. Before returning to England, the squadron participated in another long range attack on the Messerschmitt aircraft factory at Wiener Neustadt, Austria on 13 August, which reduced the production of Bf 109s at the factory by a third. The squadron returned to England in the last week of August.[3][7]

Squadron B-24[b]

The 565th flew its first combat mission from England on 7 September 1943, when it attacked an

Pas de Calais and participated in the strikes against the German aircraft manufacturing industry during Big Week in late February 1944.[3]

The squadron was occasionally diverted from strategic targets to perform

Saint Lo. During the Battle of the Bulge, from December 1944 to January 1945, it attacked storage depots and communications centers. It supported Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine by dropping food, ammunition, and other supplies to the ground troops. The squadron flew its last mission on 25 April 1945.[3][4]

Return to the United States and inactivation

Following

Charleston Army Air Field, South Carolina in June for air transport missions, but was not fully manned before inactivating on 13 September 1945.[1][3][4]

Air reserve

The squadron was activated in the

442d Troop Carrier Wing, which became the reserve organization at Fairfax.[1][11]

Intercontinental ballistic missiles

In October 1957,

706th Strategic Missile Wing,[13] although it was not operational until the end of January 1959.[14]

However, the Atlas missile itself was still under development and the first successful launch of an Atlas D missile from

Vandenberg Air Force Base, California in the first successful test of the Army's Nike Zeus missile interceptor program.[17]

SM-65D Atlas Missile sites

Squadron missile sites were located at:

565-A, 15.1 mi NW of Hillsdale WY 41°23′32″N 104°38′30″W / 41.39222°N 104.64167°W / 41.39222; -104.64167 (565-A)
565-B, 8.2 mi WNW of Carpenter WY 41°05′22″N 104°30′42″W / 41.08944°N 104.51167°W / 41.08944; -104.51167 (565-B)
565-C, 4.8 mi W of Granite Canon WY 41°05′08″N 105°08′45″W / 41.08556°N 105.14583°W / 41.08556; -105.14583 (565-C)

In response to the Cuban Missile Crisis, on 20 October 1962, SAC directed that all Atlas D missiles off alert for modifications be “as covertly as possible” and returned to alert status. Atlas missiles being used for operational readiness training were to be put on alert as soon as liquid oxygen was available. For safety reasons, liquid nitrogen was used rather than liquid oxygen during training.[18] Despite the need for stealth, eventually a priority was established that resulted in the entire production of liquid oxygen in the US being diverted to SAC to bring the missiles to readiness.[19] From 3 November the number of alert missiles was reduced until on 29 November the number was the same as before the crisis.[20] Normal training had resumed on 15 November.[21]

In May 1963, the Air Force determined that all Atlas D missiles would be phased out of its inventory between 1965 and 1968. A year later, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara directed this program be accelerated and the first Atlas D missile left Warren on 26 May 1964.[22] with the retirement of the Atlas D, the squadron became non operational in October 1964,[23] and was inactivated on 1 December 1964.[24][25]

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 565th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 December 1942
Activated on 24 December 1942
Redesignated 565th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 4 January 1944
Inactivated on 13 September 1945
  • Redesignated 565th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 25 August 1947
Activated in the reserve on 15 September 1947
Inactivated on 27 June 1949
  • Redesignated 565th Strategic Missile Squadron (ICBM-Atlas) on 22 April 1958
Activated on 1 December 1958
Inactivated on 1 December 1964[26][24][25]

Assignments

  • 389th Bombardment Group, 24 December 1942 – 13 September 1945
  • Second Air Force, 15 September 1947
  • Tenth Air Force, 1 July 1948 – 27 June 1949
  • 706th Strategic Missile Wing
    , 1 December 1958
  • 389th Strategic Missile Wing, 1 July 1961 – 1 December 1964[26][23]

Stations

Aircraft and missiles

  • Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
  • SM-65D Atlas, 1960–1964[26][22]

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation
 1 August 1943 Ploesti, Romania 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Air Offensive, Europe 16 June 1943 – 5 June 1944 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Air Combat, EAME Theater 16 June 1943 – 11 May 1945 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Sicily 3 July 1943 – 17 August 1943 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Naples-Foggia 18 August 1943 – 3 October 1943 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Normandy 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Northern France 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Rhineland 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Central Europe 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 565th Bombardment Squadron[1]

See also

Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. base; overall palewise
    a white intercontinental ballistic missile shaded light blue speeding upward, its fins red, three rocket motors Air Force blue emitting trails of flame, red, and Air Force golden yellow; encircling the shaft of the missile the light blue SAC ribbon spattered with white stars; outlines and details Air Force blue throughout.
  2. ^ Aircraft is Consolidated B-24J-145-CO Liberator, serial 44-40052, fuselage code EE -O.
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 663
  2. ^ a b Watkins, pp. 78-79
  3. ^ a b c d e Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 276-277
  4. ^ a b c Freeman, p. 255
  5. ^ Freeman, p. 86
  6. ^ Freeman, p. 87
  7. ^ Freeman, p. 89
  8. ^ See Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 662-663 (no aircraft listed as assigned to the squadron from 1947 to 1949).
  9. ^ "Abstract, Mission Project Closeup, Continental Air Command". Air Force History Index. 27 December 1961. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  10. ^ Knaack, p. 25
  11. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 238-240
  12. ^ SAC Missile Chronology, pp. 14, 18
  13. ^ a b SAC Missile Chronology, p. 20
  14. ^ Ravensein, pp. 294-295
  15. ^ SAC Missile Chronology, p. 26
  16. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 294-295
  17. ^ SAC Missile Chronology, p. 36
  18. ^ Kipp, et al., pp. 62-63
  19. ^ Kipp, et al., p. 64
  20. ^ Kipp, et al., p. 66
  21. ^ Kipp, et al., pp. 70-71
  22. ^ a b SAC Missile Chronology, pp. 40-44
  23. ^ a b Ravenstein, p. 211
  24. ^ a b See Ravenstein, p. 211 (end of assignment to 389th Wing).
  25. ^ a b See Mueller, p. 184 (end of assignment at F.E. Warren).
  26. ^ a b c Lineage data, including assignments and aircraft, through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 663.
  27. ^ Station number in Anderson.
  28. ^ Station ingormation through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 663, except as noted.
  29. ^ Mueller, p. 184

Bibliography

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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