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The 571st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
unit. It was last assigned to the
390th Strategic Missile Wing The 390th Strategic Missile Wing was an intercontinental ballistic missile organization of the United States Air Force. Part of Strategic Air Command, it was stationed at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The wing was first organized as ...
at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was equipped with the
LGM-25C Titan II The Titan II was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier HGM-25A Titan I, Titan I missile. Titan II was originally designed and used as an ICBM, but was later adapted as a Med ...
intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
, with a mission of nuclear deterrence. The squadron was inactivated as part of the phaseout of the Titan II on 3 December 1983. The squadron was first activated during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
as the 571st Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it deployed to the
European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...
, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It was twice awarded the
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
for its actions in combat. After
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in August 1945.


History


World War II


Activation and training in the United States

The squadron was first activated at
Geiger Field Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport in Spokane, Washington, United States, located approximately west-southwest of Downtown Spokane. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and ...
, Washington in January 1943 as the 571st Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the
390th Bombardment Group 39 may refer to: * 39 (number) * one of the years: ** 39 BC ** AD 39 ** 1939 ** 2039 * ''39'' (album), a 2000 studio album by Mikuni Shimokawa * '39", a 1975 song by Queen * "Thirty Nine", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Almost Heathen'' ...
.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 667 A cadre from the squadron and
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
went to the
Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics The Army Air Forces Tactical Center was a major command and military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It trained cadres from newly formed units in combat operations under simulated field condition ...
at
Orlando Army Air Base Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlan ...
, Florida for advanced training. The 390th Group was the first to go through this training process, which was followed by later combat groups. The squadron was filled out with
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
s beginning the following month and trained at Geiger and at
Great Falls Army Air Base Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" * Artel Great (bo ...
, Montana until early July 1943. The squadron's air echelon ferried their B-17s to England via the north Atlantic ferry route, with the first bombers arriving on 13 July. The ground echelon departed for
Camp Shanks Camp Shanks was a United States Army installation in the Orangeburg, New York area. Named after Major General David C. Shanks, it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. The camp was the largest U.S. Army embark ...
and the New York Port of Embarkation, sailing on the on 17 July, reaching England ten days later.Maurer, ''Combat Groups'', pp. 277–78Freeman, pp. 255–56


Combat in the European Theater

The squadron arrived at its combat station,
RAF Framlingham Royal Air Force Framlingham or more simply RAF Framlingham is a former United States Army Air Forces WWII airfield located southeast of Framlingham, and northeast of Ipswich, Suffolk, England. History United States Army Air Forces use F ...
in July 1943 and flew its first combat mission on 12 August against targets in the
Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr Area, sometimes Ruhr District, Ruhr Region, or Ruhr Valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 1,160/km2 and a populati ...
. Five days later, the squadron attacked the
Messerschmitt Messerschmitt AG () was a German share-ownership limited, aircraft manufacturing corporation named after its chief designer Willy Messerschmitt from mid-July 1938 onwards, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, in parti ...
factory at
Regensburg Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
, for which it earned its first
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
(DUC). The Regensburg mission was a "shuttle" mission, and the squadron continued after striking the target to recover at
Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...
bases in North Africa. Poor weather at the departure bases extended the time required to assemble the strike force, making fuel reserves critical. Half of the fighter cover missed the rendezvous, lessening the bombers' protection. For an hour and a half after its entry into German airspace, the strike force bore attacks from German
interceptors An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are cap ...
. The 390th Group suffered the heaviest losses of the leading
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
, but had the best bombing results, which destroyed equipment used for the assembly of the
Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed (German for "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ("Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messersc ...
jet fighter, delaying its introduction into service. On 14 October 1943, the squadron carried out an attack on the
ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...
factories at
Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a town#Germany, city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding Schweinfurt (district), district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultur ...
, braving unrelenting attacks by enemy fighters, despite which, the 390th Group had the highest accuracy of the attacking force. For this mission it received a second DUC. In late February 1944, the squadron participated in
Big Week Operation Argument, after the war dubbed Big Week, was a sequence of raids by the United States Army Air Forces and RAF Bomber Command from 20 to 25 February 1944, as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive against Nazi Germany. The objective o ...
, the concentrated assault on Germany's aircraft manufacturing industry, including plants manufacturing aircraft instruments and depots for aviation supplies. Other strategic targets included attacks on navy bases at
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
, bridges at
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
,
marshalling yards A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway y ...
at
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
, factories at
Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
, synthetic oil plants at
Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese ...
, and oil refineries at
Zeitz Zeitz (; , ) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Saxony. History First a Slavic pagan settlem ...
. The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic bombing campaign to fly
air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as Strafing, strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS r ...
and
interdiction Interdiction is interception of an object prior to its arrival at the location where it is to be used in military, espionage, and law enforcement. Military In the military, interdiction is the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy f ...
missions. It bombed near
Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
fifteen minutes before the first landings on the Normandy coast on
D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
. It provided support during
Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the dis ...
, the breakout at
Saint Lo In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
in late July 1944. During the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
from December 1944 through January 1945, it cut German supply lines to the battle area. It attacked Axis
air base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...
s to support Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
, in March 1945. The squadron flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945.


Return to the United States and inactivation

Just prior to and after
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
, the squadron dropped food supplies to civilians in the Netherlands. The squadron's aircraft began returning to the United States on 25 June 1945, while the ground echelon sailed on the in early August. The squadron reassembled at
Sioux Falls Army Air Field Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served ...
, South Dakota later that month and was inactivated there on 28 August 1945.


Intercontinental ballistic missiles

The squadron was redesignated the 571st Strategic Missile Squadron and organized at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona on 1 May 1962 as a
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was 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 compon ...
(SAC)
LGM-25C Titan II The Titan II was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company from the earlier HGM-25A Titan I, Titan I missile. Titan II was originally designed and used as an ICBM, but was later adapted as a Med ...
intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...
squadron. The squadron was mostly formed from ground up and was initially concerned with training and duties associated with facility construction, for the first Titan did not arrive until November, and the squadron's first missile silo (571-9) went on operational alert in 1963. When the full squadron went on alert in November 1963, the 390th Wing became the first Titan II wing to go on alert. The Titan II was an improvement over the Titan I. It used storeable liquid propellant and all inertial guidance. It could be launched from its silo and carried a larger warhead. The squadron operated nine missile sites: : 571-1 (18 Jul 1963 – 2 Aug 1983), 6.4 mi E of Benson, AZ : 571-2 (17 Sep 1963 – 21 Nov 1983), 4.7 mi W of Benson, AZ : 571-3 (10 Oct 1963 – 4 Oct 1983), 4.6 mi ESE of Pantano, AZ : 571-4 (24 Oct 1963 – 10 Aug 1983), 5.7 mi WSW of Pantano, AZ : 571-5 (24 Jul 1963 – 3 Mar 1983), 8.4 mi SE of Continental, AZ : 571-6 (2 Jul 1963 – 29 Sep 1982), 5.4 mi S of Amado, AZ : 571-7 (15 Jul 1963 – 12 Nov 1982), 3.8 mi NNW of Continental, AZ : 571-8 (15 Apr 1963 – 8 Feb 1984), 10.3 mi W of Keystone Peak, AZ : 571-9 (6 Apr 1963 – 4 Jan 1984), 5.6 mi WSW of Three Points, AZ In November 1964, the squadron and the 390th Wing became the first Titan II unit in SAC to complete an operational readiness inspection. On 2 October 1981, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Frank Carlucci Frank Charles Carlucci III ( ; October 18, 1930 – June 3, 2018) was an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of Defense from 1987 to 1989 in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. He was the first Italian A ...
directed the inactivation of the Titan II as soon as possible. Project Rivet Cap, the termination of the Titan II weapons system, formally began with the removal of site 571-6 from alert on 30 September 1982. In November 1983, explosive demolition of Titan II silos at Davis-Monthan began. The squadron was inactivated on 2 December 1983. Complexes that were still active were transferred to the 570th Strategic Missile Squadron, and the last former squadron site (571-8) was inactivated on 8 February 1984. Local aviation enthusiasts associated with the Pima Air Museum won Defense Department approval in 1984 to set aside one silo for permanent display. The silo at Green Valley (571-7) was retained by the Air Force and leased to local government for use as the "
Titan Missile Museum The Titan Missile Museum, also known as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 or as Titan II ICBM Site 571-7, is a former ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) site located about south of Tucson, Arizona in the United States. It was constructed ...
." With a training Titan II missile in place, the silo is maintained by a dedicated organization of volunteers from nearby retirement communities. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the only surviving sample of a Titan II installation. In addition to the launch complex and missile, the museum obtained auxiliary support equipment for display.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 571st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 15 January 1943 : Activated on 26 January 1943 : Redesignated 571st Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 20 August 1943 : Inactivated on 28 August 1945 * Redesignated 571st Strategic Missile Squadron and activated on 28 November 1961 (not organized) : Organized on 1 May 1962 : Inactivated on 2 December 1983Lineage information, including assignments and aircraft, through March 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 667.SAC Missile Chronology, p. 75


Assignments

* 390th Bombardment Group, 26 January 1943 – 28 August 1945 * Strategic Air Command, 28 November 1961 (not organized) * 390th Strategic Missile Wing, 1 May 1962 – 3 December 1983


Stations

* Geiger Field, Washington, 26 January 1943 * Great Falls Army Air Base, Montana, 6 June – 4 July 1943 * RAF Framlingham (AAF-153), England, 26 July 1943 – 6 August 1945 * Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 14–28 August 1945 * Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 1 May 1962 – 3 December 1983Station information through March 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 667, except as noted.


Aircraft and missiles

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1945 * LGM-25C Titan II, 1965–1983


Awards and campaigns


See also

*
List of United States Air Force missile squadrons This article lists the missile squadrons of the United States Air Force. There are nine missile squadrons currently active in the United States (listed in bold type); all nine are equipped to operate intercontinental ballistic missiles. Aerodyna ...
*
B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces This is a list of United States Army Air Forces B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces, including variants and other historical information. Heavy bomber training organizations primarily under II Bomber Command in t ...


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II
571 __NOTOC__ Year 571 (Roman numerals, DLXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 571 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent ...
Military units and formations disestablished in 1983