390th Strategic Missile Wing
Encyclopedia
The 390th Strategic Missile Wing was a United States Air Force
Strategic Air Command
organization. Its mission was to maintain and operationally control intercontinental ballistic missile
s (ICBMs).
During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 390th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an Eighth Air Force
B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed at RAF Framlingham
. The group flew 300 combat missions with 8,725 sorties. Its last mission was on 20 April 1945. Aircraft MIA: 144.
Activated 26 January 1943 at Geiger Field Washington. Formation did not begin until late February 1943. Training at Geiger until 6 June 1943 when the Group moved to Great Falls AAB, Montana. The aircraft went overseas on 4 July 1943 taking the northern ferry route from Iceland to Prestwick, where the first aircraft arrived on 13 July 1943. The ground unit left for Camp Shanks, New York on 4 July 1943 and sailed on the USS James Parker on 17 July 1943, and they arrived in Liverpool on 27 July 1943. Assigned to Eighth Air Force
. The 390th was assigned to the 13th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-J".
The group operated as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign and operated chiefly against strategic objectives, flying many missions with the aid of pathfinders. The 390th began combat on 12 August 1943. Five days later, the group attacked the Messerschmitt
aircraft complex at Regensburg
and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the mission.
The 390th received a 2d DUC for a mission on 14 October 1943 when the group braved unrelenting assaults by enemy fighters to bomb the antifriction-bearing plants at Schweinfurt
. Participating in the intensive Allied assault on the German aircraft industry during Big Week
, 20–25 February 1944, the organization bombed aircraft factories, instrument plants and air parks. Other strategic missions included attacks on marshalling yards at Frankfurt
, bridges at Cologne
, oil facilities at Zeitz
, factories at Mannheim
, naval installations at Bremen and synthetic oil refineries at Merseburg
.
The group sometimes flew interdictory and support missions. Bombing the coast near Caen
fifteen minutes before the landings in Normandy
on 6 June 1944. Attacked enemy artillery in support of ground forces during the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
in July. Cut German supply lines during the Battle of the Bulge
, December 1944 – January 1945. Hit airfields in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine
in March 1945.
The 390th Bomb Group flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. In over 300 missions, they dropped 19,000 tons of bombs. They lost 181 aircraft and seven hundred and fourteen airmen were killed. The group dropped food supplies to the Dutch during the week prior to V-E Day.
Redeployed States in June/August 1945. the aircraft left from Framlingham on the 25 and 26 June 1945. the ground unit sailed from Greenock on the Queen Elizabeth on 5 August 1945 and arrived in New York on 11 August 1945. The group was established at Sioux Falls AAFd South Dakota and inactivated there on 28 August 1945.
On 20 April 1960, the Fifteenth Air Force
announced selection of the base to support a Titan II missile wing. The 1 January 1962, activation of the 390th Strategic Missile Wing (SMW) marked the first standing up of a Titan II missile wing.
Its two component squadrons were the Arizona Sites 570th and the 571st Strategic Missile Squadrons.
Launcher locations for the 570th SMS were at Oracle, Three Points, Rillito (4 silos), and Oracle Junction (3 silos). The 571st SMS silos were located at Benson (2 silos), Mescal, Pantano, Continental (2 silos), Palo Alto, and Three Points. On 31 March 1963, site 570-2 (Three Points) was turned over to SAC for operational use. Additional silos joined the SAC inventory until 30 November, when the 18th and final Titan II went on alert. See missile squadron links for list of missile silos and geographic locations.
The 390th SMW became the first operational Titan II missile wing in the Air Force.
With a requirement to keep all 18 missiles on alert status around the clock, maintenance personnel often put in 80- to go-hour work weeks. Eventually, response times to act on maintenance problems were loosened to allow crews to react during normal working hours. Maintenance did ease at the end of 1964, as the Davis-Monthan silos became the first to receive "Project Green Jug" treatment entailing the installation of dehumidifier equipment that eased corrosion problems within the silos. Additional modifications would be made to increase missile reliability, survivability, and reaction time. Also toward the end of 1964, the 390th SMW underwent the first operational readiness inspection for a Titan II unit.
On 25 January 1965, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey toured complex 571-7. One month later, the 390th SMW performed the first operational launch test of one of its Titan 11s at Vandenberg AFB, California. Many more successful tests followed.
Competing in SAC's first ever missile competition called "Project Curtain Raiser" in 1967, the 390th SMW garnered the first "best crew" trophy. Since 1967, the Wing earned many additional accolades at these competitions which became known as "Olympic Arena."
In October 1981, President Ronald Reagan
announced that as part of the strategic modernization program, Titan II systems were to be retired by 1 October 1987. Deactivation began at Davis-Monthan on 1 October 1982. During the operation, titled "Rivet Cap", the missiles were removed and shipped to Norton AFB, California for refurbishment and storage. Explosive demolition began at the headworks of missile complex 570-7 on 30 November 1983. During the following May, the last Titan II at Davis-Monthan came off alert status.
Two months later, SAC deactivated the 390th Strategic Missile Wing.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
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...
organization. Its mission was to maintain and operationally control 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 (ICBMs).
During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 390th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed at RAF Framlingham
RAF Framlingham
RAF Framlingham is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 3 miles SE of Framlingham in Suffolk.-USAAF use:...
. The group flew 300 combat missions with 8,725 sorties. Its last mission was on 20 April 1945. Aircraft MIA: 144.
World War II
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. The 390th was assigned to the 13th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-J".
The group operated as part of the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign and operated chiefly against strategic objectives, flying many missions with the aid of pathfinders. The 390th began combat on 12 August 1943. Five days later, the group attacked the Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt
Messerschmitt AG was a famous German aircraft manufacturing corporation named for its chief designer, Willy Messerschmitt, and known primarily for its World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262...
aircraft complex at Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the mission.
The 390th received a 2d DUC for a mission on 14 October 1943 when the group braved unrelenting assaults by enemy fighters to bomb the antifriction-bearing plants at Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt is a city in the Lower Franconia region of Bavaria in Germany on the right bank of the canalized Main, which is here spanned by several bridges, 27 km northeast of Würzburg.- History :...
. Participating in the intensive Allied assault on the German aircraft industry during Big Week
Big Week
Between February 20–25, 1944, as part of the European strategic bombing campaign, the United States Strategic Air Forces launched Operation Argument, a series of missions against the Third Reich that became known as Big Week. The planners intended to lure the Luftwaffe into a decisive battle by...
, 20–25 February 1944, the organization bombed aircraft factories, instrument plants and air parks. Other strategic missions included attacks on marshalling yards at Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, bridges at Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, oil facilities at Zeitz
Zeitz
Zeitz is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river Weiße Elster, in the middle of the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia and Saxony.-History:...
, factories at Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, naval installations at Bremen and synthetic oil refineries at Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
.
The group sometimes flew interdictory and support missions. Bombing the coast near Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
fifteen minutes before the landings in Normandy
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
on 6 June 1944. Attacked enemy artillery in support of ground forces during the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
in July. Cut German supply lines during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, December 1944 – January 1945. Hit airfields in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
in March 1945.
The 390th Bomb Group flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. In over 300 missions, they dropped 19,000 tons of bombs. They lost 181 aircraft and seven hundred and fourteen airmen were killed. The group dropped food supplies to the Dutch during the week prior to V-E Day.
Redeployed States in June/August 1945. the aircraft left from Framlingham on the 25 and 26 June 1945. the ground unit sailed from Greenock on the Queen Elizabeth on 5 August 1945 and arrived in New York on 11 August 1945. The group was established at Sioux Falls AAFd South Dakota and inactivated there on 28 August 1945.
Cold War
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
announced selection of the base to support a Titan II missile wing. The 1 January 1962, activation of the 390th Strategic Missile Wing (SMW) marked the first standing up of a Titan II missile wing.
Its two component squadrons were the Arizona Sites 570th and the 571st Strategic Missile Squadrons.
Launcher locations for the 570th SMS were at Oracle, Three Points, Rillito (4 silos), and Oracle Junction (3 silos). The 571st SMS silos were located at Benson (2 silos), Mescal, Pantano, Continental (2 silos), Palo Alto, and Three Points. On 31 March 1963, site 570-2 (Three Points) was turned over to SAC for operational use. Additional silos joined the SAC inventory until 30 November, when the 18th and final Titan II went on alert. See missile squadron links for list of missile silos and geographic locations.
The 390th SMW became the first operational Titan II missile wing in the Air Force.
With a requirement to keep all 18 missiles on alert status around the clock, maintenance personnel often put in 80- to go-hour work weeks. Eventually, response times to act on maintenance problems were loosened to allow crews to react during normal working hours. Maintenance did ease at the end of 1964, as the Davis-Monthan silos became the first to receive "Project Green Jug" treatment entailing the installation of dehumidifier equipment that eased corrosion problems within the silos. Additional modifications would be made to increase missile reliability, survivability, and reaction time. Also toward the end of 1964, the 390th SMW underwent the first operational readiness inspection for a Titan II unit.
On 25 January 1965, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey toured complex 571-7. One month later, the 390th SMW performed the first operational launch test of one of its Titan 11s at Vandenberg AFB, California. Many more successful tests followed.
Competing in SAC's first ever missile competition called "Project Curtain Raiser" in 1967, the 390th SMW garnered the first "best crew" trophy. Since 1967, the Wing earned many additional accolades at these competitions which became known as "Olympic Arena."
In October 1981, President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
announced that as part of the strategic modernization program, Titan II systems were to be retired by 1 October 1987. Deactivation began at Davis-Monthan on 1 October 1982. During the operation, titled "Rivet Cap", the missiles were removed and shipped to Norton AFB, California for refurbishment and storage. Explosive demolition began at the headworks of missile complex 570-7 on 30 November 1983. During the following May, the last Titan II at Davis-Monthan came off alert status.
Two months later, SAC deactivated the 390th Strategic Missile Wing.
Lineage
- Constituted as 390th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 15 January 1943
- Activated on 26 January 1943
- Inactivated on 28 August 1945
- Established as 390th Bombardment Wing, Medium, on 23 March 1953
- Redesignated 390th Strategic Missile Wing (ICBM–Titan), and activated, on 28 November 1961
- Organized on 1 January 1962
- Inactivated on 31 July 1984
Assignments
- II Bomber CommandII Bomber CommandThe II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, 26 January – 4 July 1943 - 4th Bombardment Wing, July 1943
- Attached to: 402d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, July 1943
- 13th Combat Bombardment Wing, 8 January 1944 – 4 August 1945
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 12–28 August 1945 - 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...
, 28 November 1961 - 12th Air (later, 12th Strategic Aerospace; 12th Strategic Missile; 12th Air) Division, 1 January 1962 – 31 July 1984
Components
- 568th Bombardment Squadron568th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 568th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 462d Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Larson Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.-History:...
(BI), 26 January 1943 – 28 August 1945 - 569th Bombardment Squadron569th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 569th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It was inactivated on 1 April 1965.-History:...
(CC), 26 January 1943 – 28 August 1945 - 570th Bombardment (later Stragegic Missile) Squadron570th Strategic Missile SquadronThe 570th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 390th Strategic Missile Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 31 July 1984.-History:...
(DI), 26 January 1943 – 28 August 1945; 1 January 1962-31 July 1984 - 571st Bombardment (later Stragegic Missile) Squadron571st Strategic Missile SquadronThe 571st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 390th Strategic Missile Wing, stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It was inactivated on 31 July 1984.-History:...
(FC), 26 January 1943 – 28 August 1945; 1 January 1962-31 July 1984
Stations
- Geiger FieldSpokane International AirportSpokane International Airport is a commercial airport located about west of downtown Spokane in Spokane County, Washington. It is the primary airport for Spokane, eastern Washington, Coeur d'Alene, and northern Idaho...
, Washington, 26 January 1943 – 5 June 1943 - Great Falls AAB/Gore FieldGreat Falls International AirportGreat Falls International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located within city limits, three miles southwest of central Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana, USA...
, MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, 6 June – 4 July 1943 - RAF FramlinghamRAF FramlinghamRAF Framlingham is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 3 miles SE of Framlingham in Suffolk.-USAAF use:...
(USAAF Station 153), England, July 1943 – 4 August 1945 - Sioux Falls AAFldSioux Falls Regional AirportSioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a joint civil and military use airport located three nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Sioux Falls, a city in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, United States...
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 12–28 August 1945 - Davis-Monthan AFB, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 1 January 1962 – 31 July 1984
Aircraft and missiles
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1945
- LGM-25C Titan II, 1962–1984
DFC Recipients from 390th BG
| Herbert H. Alexander | Kenneth Allebach | John H. Alvey | Andrew Anzanos | |
| Andrew J. Archipole | Ray Armstrong | Darwin E. Arnold | Walter A. Backman | |
| Charles R. Bennett | James S. Bennett | Richard C. Berryman | Robert J. Billington | |
| Wade Birmingham | Vincent J. Black | Lester E. Boettcher | William H. Bowman | |
| William H. Breeze | Max Brier | Jack T. Bright | Robert N. Brown | |
| Robert H. Buhrmaster | Bernard M. Campbell | William A. Catto | William R. Centerwall | |
| Orman M. Coffin | Fletcher F. Conn | Harold M. Cummings | Robert L. Datz | |
| Samuel O. Davis | Louis W. Dolan | Kenneth E. Dougherty | Henry C. Douglas, Jr. | |
| George W. Durkee | John A. Embry | Edgar C. Engelbrecht | Delmer D. Everly | |
| James P. Fitzsimmons | Richard A. Foster | Scott P. Gerhart | Jack M. Giles | |
| Robert O. Good | William K. Gower | Chester P. Gunn | Robert N. Hale | |
| Ray R. Hall | Elmer C. Hanselman | High H. Hardwicke Jr. | Crockett L. Harmon | |
| Warren L. Hasse | Warren H. Hawes | Maurice M. Heaton Jr. | Edgar C. Heeseler | |
| Robert A. Heiser | Robert M. Henry | John J. Hickey | Patrick H. Hodgkin | |
| Philip D. Holman | Elbert R. Hoover | Milton S. Houser | Robert S. Jacobs | |
| Charles S. Jager | Thomas S. Jeffrey | Ora L. Jenkins | Clifford H. Jernigan | |
| Marvin C. Johns | Stanley A. Johnson | George F. McInerney | Edwin McMichael | |
| Howard F. Menadier | Jack Miller | Joseph A. Moller | Edgar W. Moody | |
| Frederick W. Ott | Robert H. Padbury | David P. Parry | ||
| William F. Pennebaker | Robert F. Redlinger | Robert W. Sabel | Edmund D. Shaw | |
| Marshall B. Shore | Berton S. Spring | Clarence A. Strawn | Robert G. Stutzman | |
| Robert M. Tuttle | George W. Von Arb | Robert W. Waltz | Robert W. Watts | |
| Gene O. Williams | Edgar M. Wittan | |||
External links
- 390th Memorial Museum
- 390th Strategic Missile Wing History
- Framlingham UK website Many original photographs supplied by veterans and their families plus modern day photographs and details of the restored control tower and museum.