851st Strategic Missile Squadron

851st Strategic Missile Squadron
Emblem of the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron
Active	1941-1965
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Anti-Submarine; Bombardment; Strategic Missile Launching Squadron

The 851st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 456th Strategic Missile Wing, based at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965

History

Lineage

• Constituted 78th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 20 Nov 1940

Activated on 15 Jan 1941

Redesignated: 78th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 30 Dec 1941

Redesignated: 7th Antisubmarine Squadron (Heavy) on 29 Nov 1942

Redesignated: 851st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 27 Sep 1943

Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945

• Redesignated 851st Strategic Missile Squadron, and activated, on 25 Aug 1960

Organized on Feb 1961

Inactivated 25 March 1965

Assignments

• 45th Bombardment Group, 15 Jan 1941
• 26th Antisubmarine Wing, 8 Dec 1942

Attached to: 25th Antisubmarine Wing, c. 16 Dec 1942

Attached to: 25th Bombardment Group, 4 Apr-20 Jul 1943

• 490th Bombardment Group, Oct 1943-7 Nov 1945
• Strategic Air Command, 25 Aug 1960
• 4126th Strategic Wing, 1 Feb 1961
• 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing, 1 Feb 1963-25 Mar 1965

Stations

• Savannah AAB, Georgia, 15 Jan 1941
• Grenier Field, New Hampshire, 20 Jun 1941
• Langley Field, Virginia, 9 Apr 1942
• Jacksonville AAF, Florida, 16 May 1942

Operated from Edinburgh Field, Trinidad, 20 Apr 1943-20 Jul 1943

• Mountain Home AAF, Idaho, 27 Sep 1943-9 Apr 1944
• RAF Eye, England, 28 Apr 1944-c. 26 Aug 1945
• Drew Field, Florida, 3 Sep 1945-7 Nov 1945
• Beale AFB, California, 1 Feb 1961-25 Mar 1965

Aircraft and missiles

• A-20, DB-7 Havoc, 1941-1942
• B-18 Bolo, 1942-1943
• B-24 Liberator, 1944
• B-17 Flying Fortress, 1944-1945
• Titan I, 1962-1965

Operational History

The squadron was organized in early 1941 as the 78th Bombardment Squadron assigned to First Air Force as a medium bombardment squadron equipped with A-20 Havocs, and later B-18 Bolos. The unit was assigned to the 45th Bombardment Group at Savannah AAB, Georgia, then moving to Grenier Field, New Hampshire.

After the United States entered World War II the group was ordered to search for German U-Boats and to fly aerial coverage of friendly convoys off the northeast coast, then being reassigned to Langley Field, Virginia, then to Jacksonville AAF, Florida flying missions along the mid-atlantic and southeast coastline. In May 1942, the squadron was redesignated as the 7th Antisubmarine Squadronand assigned to the 25th Antisubmarine Wing of the AAF Antisubmarine Command.

The squadron was deployed to the Caribbean and attached to the Sixth Air Force 25th Bombardment Group on Trinidad, flying antisubmarine patrols over the Caribbean as part of the Antilles Task Force during the spring and summer of 1943.

In September 1943 due to the pending turnover of aerial antisubmarine patrolling to the Navy, the squadron was redesignated as the 851st Bombardment Squadron and returned to the role of a heavy B-17 Flying Fortress squadron and deployed to RAF Eye, England as part of the Eighth Air Force 490th Bombardment Group. From England, the squadron flew combat missions over Europe until the end of the war. The squadron returned to Drew Field, Florida on 3 September 1945, then was deactivated on 7 November 1945.

During the Cold War, the 851st was redesignated as a Strategic Missile Squadron with numerous Titan I ICBM's on alert as part of Strategic Air Command (1962-1965).

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.