725th Strategic Missile Squadron

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725th Strategic Missile Squadron
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
725th Bombardment Squadron emblem (World War II)[1]

The 725th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive

451st Strategic Missile Wing at Lowry Air Force Base
, Colorado, where it was inactivated on 25 June 1965.

The

V-E Day
, the 725th returned to the United States and was inactivated. It was activated again as a missile unit in 1961, when it assumed the assets of another squadron.

History

World War II

Organization and training in the United States

The

Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska to ferry their aircraft via the South Atlantic air ferry route to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. The ground echelon left on 26 November for the port of embarkation at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia for transportation by ship.[5]

Combat operations

745th Squadron B-24H Liberator[a]

The squadron arrived at

flak, but fought its way through to inflict serious damage on the targets and destroy many enemy aircraft.[3]

When returning from the Regensburg attack, runway conditions at Gioia del Colle were so poor that the aircraft of the 451st Group were unable to land there. Instead, the group's squadrons spread out among a number of bases in Italy. These poor conditions continued and on 8 March the squadron moved to Manduria Airfield, Italy. The 451st Group's 727th Bombardment Squadron was also relocated there[2][7]

On 6 April, the 725th moved to

Operation Grapeshot the final advance of Allied armies in northern Italy.[3] The squadron's last mission was flown on 26 April 1945 against marshalling yards at Sachsenburg, Austria.[8]

The squadron left Italy in June 1945, with the air echelon ferrying their planes, while most of the ground echelon sailed on the

Dow Field, Maine, where it was inactivated on 26 September 1945.[2] Personnel that were not discharged from the service on return to the United States were transferred to Air Transport Command units at Dow.[9]

Strategic Air Command

703d Strategic Missile Wing was located at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado.[10] SAC decided to replace the 703d Wing with the 451st Strategic Missile Wing.[11] As part of this change, the squadron was redesignated the 725th Strategic Missile Squadron and organized on 1 July 1961 to replace the 849th Strategic Missile Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated. The 725th absorbed the 849th's mission, personnel and missiles.[2][12]

HGM-25A Titan I missile sites

the squadron was deployed in a "3x3" configuration, which meant its nine missiles were divided into three sites. Each had three intercontinental ballistic missiles.[13] The squadron missile sites were:

725-A, 14 miles SE of Watkins, Colorado 39°35′15″N 104°27′42″W / 39.58750°N 104.46167°W / 39.58750; -104.46167 (725-A)
725-B, 4 miles NNE of Deer Trail, Colorado39°40′06″N 104°01′41″W / 39.66833°N 104.02806°W / 39.66833; -104.02806 (725-B)
725-C, 5 miles SSE of Elisabeth, Colorado 39°18′54″N 104°33′43″W / 39.31500°N 104.56194°W / 39.31500; -104.56194 (725-C)

On 19 November 1964, Defense Secretary

alert status and the squadron shipped the Air Force's last strategic Titan I missile out on 15 April.[15] The Air Force subsequently inactivated the squadron on 25 June.[16]

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 725th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 April 1943
Activated on 1 May 1943
Redesignated 725th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 10 May 1943
Inactivated on 26 September 1945
  • Redesignated 725th Strategic Missile Squadron (ICBM-Titan) and activated on 26 April 1961 (not organized)
Organized on 1 July 1961
Inactivated on 25 June 1965[17][18]

Assignments

  • 451st Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943 – 26 September 1945
  • Strategic Air Command, 26 April 1961 (not organized)
  • 451st Strategic Missile Wing, 1 July 1961 – 25 June 1965[11]

Stations

Aircraft and missiles

  • Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945[2]
  • HGM-25A Titan I, 1961–1965[18]

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation
 25 February 1944 Regensburg, Germany 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Distinguished Unit Citation 5 April 1944 Ploesti, Romania 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Distinguished Unit Citation 23 August 1944 Austria 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
 1 July 1963-30 June 1964 725th Strategic Missile Squadron[20]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Air Offensive, Europe 2 January 1944 – 5 June 1944 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Air Combat, EAME Theater 2 January 1944 – 11 May 1945 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Naples-Foggia 2 January 1944 – 21 January 1944 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Anzio 22 January 1944 – 24 May 1944 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Rome-Arno 22 January 1944 – 9 September 1944 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Normandy 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Northern France 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Southern France 15 August 1944 – 14 September 1944 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
North Apennines 10 September 1944 – 4 April 1945 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Rhineland 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Central Europe 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Po Valley 3 April 1945 – 8 May 1945 725th Bombardment Squadron[2]

See also

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References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. Turnitz, Austria on 23 August 1944. One can see the fire that had just started on the left wing behind the No. 1 engine. Baugher, Joe (2 June 2023). "1942 USAF Serial Numbers"
    . Joe Baugher. Retrieved 6 June 2023. Missing Air Crew Report 7956.
Citations
  1. ^ Watkins, pp. 96-97
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 721-722
  3. ^ a b c Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 325-326
  4. ^ History of the 451st Group, pp. 1-2
  5. ^ History of the 451st Group, pp. 7-9
  6. ^ History of the 451st Group, p. 10
  7. ^ History of the 451st Group, p. 11
  8. ^ History of the 451st Group, p. 33
  9. ^ a b History of the 451st Group, p. 35
  10. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 292-293
  11. ^ a b Ravenstein, p. 247
  12. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 780
  13. ^ SAC Missile Chronology, pp. 18-19
  14. ^ SAC Missile Chronology, p. 45
  15. ^ SAC Missile Chronology, p.47
  16. ^ SAC Missile Chronology, pp. 47-48
  17. ^ a b Lineage, including assignments and stations, through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 721
  18. ^ a b SAC Missile Chronology, p. 48
  19. ^ Mueller, p. 336
  20. ^ AF Pamphlet 900-2, p. 451

Bibliography

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

STRATEGIC MISSILES

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