551st Strategic Missile Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 551st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base
, Nebraska
. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.
. Deployed to England
in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during June 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Second Air Force
and was programmed to be re-equipped with B-29 Superfortress
es for deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to units inactivation in September 1945, being neither manned or equipped.
Effective 15 September 1947, the squadron was activated at Selfridge Field
, Michigan
. Having been allotted to the organized reserves, with assignment to Second Air Force
, Air Defense Command, it was redesigned as a very heavy bombardment unit on 25 August. In August 1948, the squadron was assigned to the Tenth Air Force
, which in December, became a part of the Continental Air Command
. On 1 December 1948 it was again reassigned to Air Defense Command where it remained on reserve service until being inactivated on 27 June 1949 due to budget restrictions.
SM-65F Atlas
ICBM launch squadron, stationed at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska
and assigned to the 818th Air (later Strategic Aerospace) Division
on 1 April 1961. The squadron was assigned twelve missiles, based in a 1 x 12 configuration: twelve independent widely dispersed launch sites comprised the missile squadron.
The Atlas F was the final and most advanced version of the Atlas ICBM and was stored in a vertical position inside underground concrete and steel silos. When stored, the Atlas F sat atop an elevator. If a missile was placed on alert, it was fueled with RP-1 (kerosene) liquid fuel, which could be stored inside the missile for extended periods. If a decision was made to launch the missile, the missile was raised to the surface and the liquid oxygen tank was filled. The launch would occur shortly after completion of this process. (see below for site details).
The exposure on the surface that this procedure entailed was the great weakness of the Atlas F. It was exposed and vulnerable during this time. The Titan II and Minuteman missiles could be launched from within their silos, thereby eliminating this vulnerability. Also, since the Titan did not use a cryogenic fuel or oxydizer, and the Minuteman was a solid fuel rocket, they could be stored fully fueled and ready to launch within a very few minutes.
The 551st SMS operated twelve launch silos; one missile at each site. The missiles were retired and removed in early 1965 in favor of the more advanced LGM-25C Titan II; squadron was inactivated on 25 June 1965. Missile sites were later sold off to private ownership after demilitarization.
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...
unit. Its last was assigned to the 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base
Lincoln Air Force Base
Lincoln Air National Guard Base, previously Lincoln Air Force Base, is a Nebraska Air National Guard installation located approximately northwest of Lincoln, Nebraska. The facility is a joint use civil airport/military base with the Lincoln Airport which provides airline, charter and general...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.
World War II
Activated in late 1942 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron, trained under Second Air ForceSecond Air Force
The 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....
. Deployed to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during June 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The 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....
and was programmed to be re-equipped with B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es for deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to units inactivation in September 1945, being neither manned or equipped.
Effective 15 September 1947, the squadron was activated at Selfridge Field
Selfridge Field
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, 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"....
. Having been allotted to the organized reserves, with assignment to Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The 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....
, Air Defense Command, it was redesigned as a very heavy bombardment unit on 25 August. In August 1948, the squadron was assigned to the Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, which in December, became a part of the Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...
. On 1 December 1948 it was again reassigned to Air Defense Command where it remained on reserve service until being inactivated on 27 June 1949 due to budget restrictions.
Strategic Air Command
Reactivated in 1960 as a Strategic Air CommandStrategic 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...
SM-65F Atlas
SM-65F Atlas
The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between 1961 and 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-F, along with the Atlas-E, was refurbished for orbital launches as the...
ICBM launch squadron, stationed at Lincoln AFB, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and assigned to the 818th Air (later Strategic Aerospace) Division
818th Air Division
The 818th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska...
on 1 April 1961. The squadron was assigned twelve missiles, based in a 1 x 12 configuration: twelve independent widely dispersed launch sites comprised the missile squadron.
The Atlas F was the final and most advanced version of the Atlas ICBM and was stored in a vertical position inside underground concrete and steel silos. When stored, the Atlas F sat atop an elevator. If a missile was placed on alert, it was fueled with RP-1 (kerosene) liquid fuel, which could be stored inside the missile for extended periods. If a decision was made to launch the missile, the missile was raised to the surface and the liquid oxygen tank was filled. The launch would occur shortly after completion of this process. (see below for site details).
The exposure on the surface that this procedure entailed was the great weakness of the Atlas F. It was exposed and vulnerable during this time. The Titan II and Minuteman missiles could be launched from within their silos, thereby eliminating this vulnerability. Also, since the Titan did not use a cryogenic fuel or oxydizer, and the Minuteman was a solid fuel rocket, they could be stored fully fueled and ready to launch within a very few minutes.
The 551st SMS operated twelve launch silos; one missile at each site. The missiles were retired and removed in early 1965 in favor of the more advanced LGM-25C Titan II; squadron was inactivated on 25 June 1965. Missile sites were later sold off to private ownership after demilitarization.
Lineage
- Constituted as 551st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 25 November 1942
- Activated on 1 December 1942
- Inactivated on 28 August 1945
- Redesignated 551st Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 25 August 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 15 September 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949
- Redesignated 551st Strategic Missile Squadron, and activated, on 24 October 1960
- Organized on 1 April 1961
- Inactivated on 25 June 1965
Assignments
- 385th Bombardment Group, 1 December 1942-28 August 1945
- ETO Fuselage Code: HR
- 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....
, 15 September 1947 - Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 1 July 1948 - First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, 15 August 1948 - Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 1 December 1948-27 June 1949 - 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 October 1960 - 818th Air (later Strategic Aerospace) Division818th Air DivisionThe 818th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska...
, 1 April 1961 - 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing, 1 January 1964-25 June 1965
- Second Air Force
Stations
- Davis-Monthan Field, 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 December 1942 - El Paso Army Airfield, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 4 January 1943 - Geiger Field, Washington. 1 February 1943
- Great Falls Army Air Base, 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,...
, 11 March – 7 June 1943
- RAF Great AshfieldRAF Great AshfieldRAF Great Ashfield was a World War II airfield in England. It is located 10 miles east of Bury St. Edmunds and two miles south of Great Ashfield village in Suffolk. Great Ashfield Airfield is still in private use although much reduced in size...
(AAF-155), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 29 June 1943-6 August 1945 - Sioux Falls Army Air Field, 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...
, 14–28 August 1945 - Selfridge FieldSelfridge FieldSelfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, 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"....
, 15 September 1947-27 June 1949 - Lincoln AFB, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 1 April 1961-25 June 1965
Aircraft and missiles
- B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945
- B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
, 1947-1949. - SM-65F AtlasSM-65F AtlasThe SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between 1961 and 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-F, along with the Atlas-E, was refurbished for orbital launches as the...
Missile, 1961–1965
- Operated twelve missile sites of one missile at each site (12 total):
- 551-1 4.9 mi WNW of Avoca, NE 40°48′59"N 096°12′22"W
- 551-2 3.6 mi E of Eagle, NE 40°49′20"N 096°21′42"W
- 551-3 2.6 mi WSW of Nehawka, NE 40°48′32"N 096°02′01"W
- 551-4 4.5 mi W of Nebraska City, NE 40°40′36"N 095°56′43"W
- 551-5 0.8 mi SSE of Palmyra, NE 40°41′40"N 096°22′50"W
- 551-6 4.5 mi N of Tecumsch, NE 40°25′53"N 096°11′23"W
- 551-7 2.1 mi WNW of Firth, NE 40°30′59"N 096°38′24"W
- 551-8 4.3 mi SW of Beatrice NE 40°13′40"N 096°48′42"W
- 551-9 6.7 mi W of Wilber, NE 40°29′02"N 097°05′18"W
- 551-10 3.3 mi ENE of Bradshaw, NE 40°53′43"N 097°41′09"W
- 551-11 3.0 mi NE of Tamora, NE 40°55′36"N 097°11′11"W
- 551-12 2.9 mi NE of Brainrd, NE 41°12′40"N 096°57′42"W