The 10th Missile Squadron is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

unit. It is assigned to the 341st Operations Group, stationed at

Malmstrom Air Force Base Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. ...

, Montana. The squadron is equipped with the

LGM-30G Minuteman III The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G Minuteman III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and r ...

Intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapo ...

, with a mission of nuclear deterrence.

History

World War II

Established in 1939 as a prewar bombardment squadron, it was equipped with a mixture of Douglas B-18 Bolo medium and early-model

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Thea ...

heavy bombers. It trained over the US east coast flying training missions. It also had some second-line

Northrop A-17 Nomad The Northrop A-17, a development of the Northrop Gamma 2F model, was a two-seat, single-engine, monoplane, attack bomber built in 1935 by the Northrop Corporation for the United States Army Air Corps. When in British Commonwealth service during ...

dive bombers assigned. After the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

in Europe it flew patrols over the Atlantic Coast searching for German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

activity. Deployed to

Borinquen Field Ramey Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redeveloped into Rafael Hernandez Airpor ...

, Puerto Rico in late 1940, the unit was assigned to the

Caribbean Air Force The United States Air Forces Southern Command is an inactive Major Command of the United States Air Force. It was headquartered at Albrook Air Force Base, Canal Zone, being inactivated on 1 January 1976. Initially designated Panama Canal Air Forc ...

25th Bombardment Group Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

. The unit was called to face possible action, with its sister

1st Bombardment Squadron 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

, in April and May 1942, however, when it patrolled the

Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

area. By 1 November 1942, the squadron was transferred (minus personnel) to Edinburgh Field, Trinidad.Hagdedorn, In August 1943, the 10th Squadron, which had by then been consolidated with the personnel and equipment of the old

re-equipped with the

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...

. A detachment was also maintained at Port-of-Spain at this time. With the Navy taking over the antisubmarine mission, the squadron moved to

France Field France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Canal Zone in December 1943, where it became an element of the

VI Bomber Command The VI Bomber Command was a military formation of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force. It was based throughout its service at Albrook Field, in the Panama Canal Zone. It was inactivated on 1 Novembe ...

. The Squadron carried on patrols up and down the Atlantic coast of Panama and into neighboring Colombian waters until relieved from assignment to Sixth Air Force and returned to the United States. on 2 May 1944. It moved to

Lincoln Army Air Field Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, Nebraska where it became a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber replacement training unit under

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

. Inactivated June 1944.

Reserve bombardment squadron

Strategic Air Command

The squadron was reactivated in 1955 as a

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

(SAC)

Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...

squadron. It trained in air refueling and strategic bombardment operations with the B-47. In 1961, the squadron transferred its B-47s to other SAC wings and was inactivated.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Squadron

It was reactivated on 1 December 1961 as an

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapo ...

squadron assigned to the

341st Missile Wing The United States Air Force's 341st Missile Wing is an intercontinental ballistic missile unit headquartered at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. Up until 1 July 2008, it was designated as the 341st Space Wing. Established as a World War II T ...

, Montana. It was initially equipped with 50

LGM-30A Minuteman I The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G Minuteman III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and r ...

s in early 1962, becoming SAC's first operational Minuteman squadron. It upgraded to the Minuteman IB in 1964 and the Minuteman IIF in 1967. It received control of LGM-30G Minuteman III silos from the inactivating 321st Strategic Missile Wing at

Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado and west of Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Reconnaissance Wing (319 RW) assigned to the Air Combat Co ...

, North Dakota in 1996; the Minuteman IIs being retired. It has maintained ICBMs on alert ever since.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 10th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 December 1939 : Activated on 1 February 1940 : Redesignated 10th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 7 May 1942 : Redesignated 10th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 21 September 1943 : Inactivated on 17 June 1944 * Redesignated 10th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 11 March 1947 : Activated in the reserve on 18 June 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 10th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 7 June 1955 : Activated on 1 September 1955 : Discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1961 * Redesignated 10th Strategic Missile Squadron, (ICBM-Minuteman) and activated on 2 August 1961 (not organized) : Organized on 1 December 1961 : Redesignated 10th Missile Squadron on 1 September 1991

Assignments

* 25th Bombardment Group, 1 February 1940 (attached to

after 13 December 1943) * VI Bomber Command, 17 December 1943 * Second Air Force, c. 9 May – 17 June 1944 * 341st Bombardment Group, 18 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 341st Bombardment Wing, 1 September 1955 – 25 June 1961 * Strategic Air Command, 2 August 1961 (not organized) * 341st Strategic Missile Wing, 1 December 1961 * 341st Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – present

Stations

Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfo ...

, Virginia, 1 February – 26 October 1940 * Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, 1 November 1940 * Edinburgh Field, Trinidad, c. 1 November 1942 : Detachment operated from Port of Spain, Trinidad, 27 August – 12 October 1943 *

Waller Field Waller Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force World War II air base located in northeastern Trinidad. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Valencia south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and roughly 32 km from t ...

, Trinidad, 1 October 1943 * France Field,

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the ter ...

, 11 December 1943 – 2 May 1944 * Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, 25 May – 17 June 1944 *

Westover Field Westover may refer to: People * Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian * Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, ...

(later Westover Air Force Base), Massachusetts, 18 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 * Abilene Air Force Base (later Dyess Air Force Base), Texas, 1 September 1955 – 25 June 1961 : Deployed to

Andersen Air Force Base Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base This is a list of installations operated by the United States Air Force located within the United States and abroad. Locations where the Air Force have a notable ...

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

, 9 January – c. 3 April 1958 * Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, 1 December 1961 – present

Aircraft and Missiles

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1940 * Northrop A-17 Nomad, 1940–1941 * Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1940–1943 * North American B-25 Mitchell, 1943–1944 *

North American AT-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

, 1947–1949 *

Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan Beechcraft is an American brand of civil aviation and military aircraft owned by Textron Aviation since 2014, headquartered in Wichita, Kansas. Originally, it was a brand of Beech Aircraft Corporation, an American manufacturer of general aviati ...

, 1947–1949 * B-47 Stratojet, 1956–1961 * LGM-30A/B Minuteman I, 1962–1968 * LGM-30F Minuteman II, 1968–1991 * LGM-30G Minuteman III, 1996 – present

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* * {{USAAF 6th Air Force World War II

010 010 may refer to: * 10 (number) * 8 (number) in octal numeral notation * Motorola 68010, a microprocessor released by Motorola in 1982 * 010, the telephone area code of Beijing * 010, the Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the R ...

Military units and formations in Montana