321st Missile Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 321st Missile Squadron (321 MS) is part of the 90th Missile Wing based at F. E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming
. It operates Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile
s.
medium bomber squadron. Trained under Third Air Force
in southeastern United States. Reassigned to Michigan
where squadron received Very Long Range (VLR) B-24D Liberator heavy bombers manufactured by Ford specifically for extended length missions over the Pacific.
Squadron deployed first to Hawaii
and trained on the heavy bombers for combat and long over ocean navigation and bombardment missions under Seventh Air Force
. Squadron deployed to Fifth Air Force
in Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), assembling in northern Queensland
, Australia
then moving to operational base in Papua New Guinea
. From airfields in New Guinea, the squadron carried out long-range strategic bombardment of enemy targets in New Guinea
, Dutch East Indies
, Philippine Islands and other areas from bases as ground forces sized them during MacArthur's island hopping campaign. Bombarded enemy targets on Okinawa; Iwo Jima
; Formosa
and eastern China
, eventually being stationed on Ie Shima preparing for VLR bombardment operations over the Japanese Home Isands
when the Japanese Capitulation occurred in August 1945. Squadron personnel demobilized in Okinawa and Philippines, aircraft sent to reclamation during fall of 1945. Inactivated as a paper unit in Early 1946.
The squadron was active but unmanned from, 1 July 1947-1 September 1948. Brought to operational status under Strategic Air Command
in 1951, being equipped with RB-29 Superfortresses at Fairchild AFB, Washington. Moved to Forbes AFB, Kansas
shortly afterward and conducted operational training from, 1 June 1951-September 1952, replacement training from, 1 June 1951-1 September 1953, and. SHORAN
training from, 10 November 1952-30 Novovember 1953 Replaced the propeller-driven RB-29s with new RB-47E Stratojet swept-wing reconnaissance bombers in 1954, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union. Flew many long-range clandestine missions with the RB-47, flying many ferret missions around the periphery of Soviet territory, and sometimes inside on penetration flights to map planned routes for B-52s if combat missions over the Soviet Union
ever became necessary. Began performing RB-47 crew training from, c. 1 January 1959-20 June 1960. Began phasing down RB-47 missions in 1959 when the vulnerability of the aircraft to Soviet air defenses became evident, was inactivated on 20 June 1960.
Reactivated on 9 April 1964 as an ICBM squadron assigned to the 90th Missile Wing at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming
. Initially equipped with 50 LGM-30B Minuteman Is in early 1964. Upgraded to LGM-30G Minuteman III in 1973/1974, has maintained ICBMs on alert ever since.
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. It operates Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
s.
History
Activated in spring 1942 as a B-26 MarauderB-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
medium bomber squadron. Trained under Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
in southeastern United States. Reassigned to Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
where squadron received Very Long Range (VLR) B-24D Liberator heavy bombers manufactured by Ford specifically for extended length missions over the Pacific.
Squadron deployed first to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and trained on the heavy bombers for combat and long over ocean navigation and bombardment missions under Seventh Air Force
Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
. Squadron deployed to Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
in Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), assembling in northern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
then moving to operational base in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. From airfields in New Guinea, the squadron carried out long-range strategic bombardment of enemy targets in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
, Philippine Islands and other areas from bases as ground forces sized them during MacArthur's island hopping campaign. Bombarded enemy targets on Okinawa; Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
; Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
and eastern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, eventually being stationed on Ie Shima preparing for VLR bombardment operations over the Japanese Home Isands
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
when the Japanese Capitulation occurred in August 1945. Squadron personnel demobilized in Okinawa and Philippines, aircraft sent to reclamation during fall of 1945. Inactivated as a paper unit in Early 1946.
The squadron was active but unmanned from, 1 July 1947-1 September 1948. Brought to operational status under Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
in 1951, being equipped with RB-29 Superfortresses at Fairchild AFB, Washington. Moved to Forbes AFB, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
shortly afterward and conducted operational training from, 1 June 1951-September 1952, replacement training from, 1 June 1951-1 September 1953, and. SHORAN
SHORAN
SHORAN is an acronym for SHOrt RAnge Navigation, a type of electronic navigation and bombing system with a precision radar beacon used in the B-26 and B-29 bomber aircraft during the Korean War.-Origin:...
training from, 10 November 1952-30 Novovember 1953 Replaced the propeller-driven RB-29s with new RB-47E Stratojet swept-wing reconnaissance bombers in 1954, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union. Flew many long-range clandestine missions with the RB-47, flying many ferret missions around the periphery of Soviet territory, and sometimes inside on penetration flights to map planned routes for B-52s if combat missions over the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
ever became necessary. Began performing RB-47 crew training from, c. 1 January 1959-20 June 1960. Began phasing down RB-47 missions in 1959 when the vulnerability of the aircraft to Soviet air defenses became evident, was inactivated on 20 June 1960.
Reactivated on 9 April 1964 as an ICBM squadron assigned to the 90th Missile Wing at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Initially equipped with 50 LGM-30B Minuteman Is in early 1964. Upgraded to LGM-30G Minuteman III in 1973/1974, has maintained ICBMs on alert ever since.
Lineage
- Constituted as 321 Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942
- Activated on 15 Apr 1942
- Redesignated as 321 Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 6 March 1944
- Inactivated on 27 Jan 1946
- Redesignated as 321 Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 11 Jun 1947
- Activated on 1 Jul 1947
- Inactivated on 6 Sep 1948
- Redesignated as 321 Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 20 Dec 1950
- Activated on 2 Jan 1951
- Redesignated as 321 Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium, on 16 Jun 1952
- Discontinued on 20 Jun 1960
- Redesignated as 321 Strategic Missile Squadron (ICBM-Minuteman) on 16 Sep 1963
- Organized on 9 Apr 1964
- Redesignated as 321 Missile Squadron on 1 Sep 1991
Assignments
- 90th Bombardment Group, 15 Apr 1942-27 Jan 1946; 1 Jul 1947-6 Sep 1948
- 90th Bombardment Group, 2 Jan 1951
- Attached to 90th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 16 Feb 1951-15 Jun 1952
- 90th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 16 Jun 1952-20 Jun 1960
- Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air CommandThe Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
, 24 May 1963 - 90th Strategic Missile Wing, 9 Apr 1964
- 90th Operations Group90th Operations GroupThe 90th Operations Group is the operational component of the United States Air Force 90th Missile Wing. It is stationed at Francis E...
, 1 Sep 1991-Present
Stations
- Key FieldKey fieldA key field is a field or set of fields of a database table which together form a unique identifier for a database record . The aggregate of these fields is usually referred to simply as "the key". Key fields also define searches...
, MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
(1942) - Barksdale Field, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
(1942) - Greenville Army Air Base, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
(1942) - Ypsilanti, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
(1942) - Wheeler Field, HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
(1942) - Iron Range AirfieldLockhart River AirportLockhart River Airport is an airport in Lockhart River, Queensland, Australia, located approximately 800 km north of Cairns on the eastern coast of Cape York Peninsula...
, Iron Range National ParkIron Range National ParkIron Range is a National Park located in Queensland, Australia, 1940 km northwest of Brisbane and 100 km east of Weipa in the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. Within the National Park is the Iron Range , Scrubby Creek mining site and the Lockhart River Aboriginal Reserve...
, QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(1942–1943) - Wards Airfield (5 Mile Drome)Wards AirfieldWards Airfield is a former World War II airfield near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The airfield was abandoned after the war and was developed into the Waigani area of Port Moresby....
, Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
(1943) - Dobodura Airfield ComplexGirua Airport-History:Girua Airport is located near Dobodura, to the north-east of the Embi Lakes, north-east of Inonda. To the south is Mt. Lamington, a volcano that dominates the skyline. The airport was built during World War II as part of the Dobodura Airfield Complex during late 1942 and early 1943. ...
, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
(1943–1944) - Nadzab Airfield ComplexLae Nadzab AirportLae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.-Airlines and destinations:-History:...
, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
(1944) - Mokmer AirfieldFrans Kaisiepo Airport-History:Mokmer Airfield was part of a complex of airfields built on Biak Island by the Japanese , of which Mokmer was the main USAAF facility after the island was taken by the United States after fierce fighting in late May and June 1944....
, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, (1944–1945) - McGuire FieldMcGuire FieldFor the airport in the United States, see San José International AirportSan Jose Airport , formerly known as McGuire Field, is an airport serving the general area of San Jose, Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines. It is one of three airports in Occidental Mindoro, the others being Mamburao...
, San JoseSan Jose, Occidental MindoroSan Jose is a 1st class municipality in the province of Occidental Mindoro, Philippines. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 111,009 people in 22,464 households. According to the 2007 census, the population increased to 118,807 people....
, MindoroMindoroMindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, (1945) - Ie Shima AirfieldIe Shima Airfieldis a gunnery and training facility, managed by the United States Marine Corps and a former World War II airfield complex on Ie Shima, an island located off the northwest coast of Okinawa Island in the East China Sea...
, Okinawa, (1945) - Fort William McKinleyFort William McKinleyFort William McKinley, was established in the Philippines during the Philippine–American War in 1901 when the whole land south of Pasig River down to Alabang was declared a U.S. Military Reservation. During the World War II era, it was where USAFFE had its headquarters for the Philippine Department...
, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
(1945–1946) - Andrews Air Force BaseAndrews Air Force BaseJoint Base Andrews is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force 11th Wing, Air Force District of Washington ....
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(1947–1948) - Fairchild Air Force BaseFairchild Air Force BaseFairchild Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Spokane, Washington.The host unit at Fairchild is the 92d Air Refueling Wing assigned to the Air Mobility Command's 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force...
, Washington (1951) - Forbes Air Force BaseForbes Air Force BaseForbes Field, previously Forbes Air Force Base, is a joint-use civil-military airport operated by the Topeka Airport Authority located approximately south of Topeka, Kansas....
, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
(1951–1960) - F. E. Warren Air Force Base, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
(1964–Present)
Aircraft and missiles
- B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
(1942–1945) - RB-29 Superfortress (1951–1954)
- RB-47E Stratojet (1954–1960)
- LGM-30B Minuteman I (1964–1974)
- LGM-30G Minuteman III (1973–Present)
- 321st Missile Squadron Launch Facilities
- Missile Alert Facilities (K-O flights, each controlling 10 missiles) are located as follows:
- K-01 6.8 mi S of Dix NE, 41°08′13"N 103°29′18"W
- L-01 21.9 mi N of Stoneham CO, 40°55′17"N 103°41′30"W
- M-01 12.1 mi NE of Stoneham CO, 40°42′15"N 103°28′55"W
- N-01 1.7 mi N of Raymer CO, 40°37′54"N 103°50′11"W
- O-01 11.8 mi E of Grover CO, 40°53′05"N 104°00′01"W