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 heavy bombers. It trained over the US east coast flying training missions. It also had some second-line Northrop A-17 Nomad dive bombers assigned. After the outbreak of World War II in Europe it flew patrols over the Atlantic Coast searching for German U-boat activity.

Deployed to Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico in late 1940, the unit was assigned to the Caribbean Air Force, 25th Bombardment Group. The unit was called to face possible action, with its sister 1st Bombardment Squadron, in April and May 1942, however, when it patrolled the Vichy French Martinique area. By 1 November 1942, the squadron was transferred (minus personnel) to Edinburgh Field, Trinidad.^[3]

In August 1943, the 10th Squadron, which had by then been consolidated with the personnel and equipment of the old 1st Bombardment Squadron re-equipped with the North American B-25 Mitchell. A detachment was also maintained at Port-of-Spain at this time.^[3]

With the Navy taking over the antisubmarine mission, the squadron moved to France Field, Canal Zone in December 1943, where it became an element of the VI Bomber Command. 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, Nebraska where it became a B-25 Mitchell medium bomber replacement training unit under Second Air Force. Inactivated June 1944.

Reserve bombardment squadron

Strategic Air Command

The squadron was reactivated in 1955 as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) Boeing B-47 Stratojet 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.^[2]

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Squadron

It was reactivated on 1 December 1961 as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile squadron assigned to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.^[2] It was initially equipped with 50 LGM-30A Minuteman Is 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, North Dakota in 1996; the Minuteman IIs being retired. It has maintained ICBMs on alert ever since.

Assignments

• 25th Bombardment Group, 1 February 1940 (attached to VI Bomber Command 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^[1]

Stations

• Langley Field, 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, Trinidad, 1 October 1943
• France Field, Panama Canal Zone, 11 December 1943 – 2 May 1944
• Lincoln Army Air Field, Nebraska, 25 May – 17 June 1944
• Westover Field (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, Guam, 9 January – c. 3 April 1958

• Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, 1 December 1961 – present^[1]

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, 1947–1949
• Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan, 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^[1]

Notes

Explanatory notes

Citations

Bibliography

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

• Hagdedorn, Dan (1995). Alae Supra Canalem: Wings Over the Canal. Nashville, TN: Turner Publishing. ISBN 1-56311-153-5.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. 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. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.