6th Air Defense Missile Squadron

What is now the 6th Tactical Missile Squadron was originally activated as the 3d Reconnaissance Squadron in early 1941,[2] equipped with North American B-25 Mitchells as part of First Air Force. After the United States entered World War II the squadron was ordered to search for German U-boats and to fly aerial coverage of friendly convoys[2] initially off the southeast coast. It then moved to Mitchel Field, New York[2] to patrol the sea approaches to New York City. In April 1942, the squadron was redesignated as the 393d Bombardment Squadron (Medium).[2][note 1]

Later in 1942, the squadron was redesignated as 6th Antisubmarine Squadron, and reassigned to 25th Antisubmarine Wing of Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command (AAFAC). After joining AAFAC, it moved to Westover Field, Massachusetts to patrol the sea approaches to Boston, then to Gander, Newfoundland to fly antisubmarine patrols over North Atlantic convoy routes. The squadron was reassigned to 479th Antisubmarine Group in Southwest England in August 1943[2] and flew killer hunts against German U-boats in the Bay of Biscay off the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border. Along this part of the occupied French coast were major Kriegsmarine U-boat bases at Brest, Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle (La Pallice) and Bordeaux.[2] Its ground echelon was ordered in September, just prior to inactivation of AAFAC, to move to Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, where it was inactivated on 30 October 1943, while the air echelon was disbanded in England in late November 1943[2] with squadron aircraft reassigned to the United States Navy. Squadron personnel remaining in England were reassigned to Eighth Air Force units as replacement personnel.

The second birth of the squadron was in 1944, when it was activated as the 6th Combat Cargo Squadron at Syracuse Army Air Base, New York as part of the 2d Combat Cargo Group.[1] After training in New York and moving briefly to Baer Field, Indiana for overseas processing, the squadron moved to the Pacific.[1] Operating from Biak Island, it flew passengers and cargo to American bases in Australia, New Guinea, the Admiralty Islands, and the Philippines.[3] The squadron also dropped supplies to American and Philippine resistance forces.[3] It transported personnel and supplies to the Ryukus and evacuated casualties on the return flights until moving to Okinawa.[3] It then transported personnel and equipment to Japan and ferried liberated prisoners of war to the Philippines.[3] It moved to Japan, where it served as part of the Occupation Forces, until it was inactivated in 1946. The squadron was disbanded in 1948.[1]

The third activation of the squadron was as the 6th Air Defense Missile Squadron on 1 February 1959.[4]

In 1955, plans were made that the Suffolk County Air Force Base Missile Annex should be ready in February 1960.[5] It was activated as the second operational BOMARC complex on 1 December 1959 (four missiles were ready by 1 January).[6] It was part of the New York Air Defense Sector. The annex included a launch area with 56 Mode II Launcher Shelters in two flights - that meant that two compressor buildings were available to simultaneously ready two missiles to the "Standby" stage prior to "Fire-up".[7]

The squadron stood alert from 1960 to 1964, equipped with IM-99 (later CIM-10) BOMARC surface to air antiaircraft missiles. The squadron was tied into a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) direction center which could use analog computers to process information from ground radars, picket ships and airborne aircraft[8] to accelerate the display of tracking data at the direction center to quickly direct the missile site to engage hostile aircraft.[9]

The BOMARC missile site was located 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Suffolk County AFB at 40°50′00″N 072°40′51″W. Although geographically separated from the base, the annex was an off base facility of Suffolk County Air Force Base and the squadron command, administrative and logistic elements were on the base. The squadron was inactivated on 15 December 1964.

In 1985, the squadron was consolidated "on paper" with the 6th Antisubmarine Squadron and the 6th Combat Cargo Squadron,[10] but has never been active with this designation.

• 2d Bombardment Wing, 15 January 1941 (attached to the 13th Bombardment Group)
• III Bomber Command, 5 June 1941 (remained attached to the 13th Bombardment Group)
• 13th Bombardment Group, 25 February 1942
• 25th Antisubmarine Wing, 30 November 1942
• Army Air Forces Antisubmarine Command, 8 June 1943
• 479th Antisubmarine Group, 14 August-11 November 1943[11]
• 2d Combat Cargo Group, 1 May 1944 - 15 January 1946[1]
• New York Air Defense Sector, 1 February 1959 - 15 December 1964[4]

• Langley Field, Virginia, 15 January 1941[2]
• Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, 7 June 1941[2]
• Mitchel Field, New York, 22 January 1942[2]
• Westover Field, Massachusetts, 3 August 1942 – 1 April 1943[2]
• Gander Airport, Newfoundland, c. 12 April 1943[2]
• RAF Dunkeswell, England, 21 August 1943 (air echelon only after September)[2]

Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, September-30 October 1943 (ground echelon)[2]

• RAF Podington, England, November-11 November 1943 (air echelon)[2]
• Syracuse Army Air Base, New York, 1 May 1944[1]
• Baer Field, Indiana, 8 October 1944 - 27 October 1944[1]
• Biak Island, Papua New Guinea, November 1944 (operated from Samar), 8 March 1945 - c. 25 March 1945[1]
• Dulag, Leyte, Philippines, 26 March 1945[1]
• Bolo Airfield, Okinawa, Ryuku Islands, Japan, 16 August 1945[1]
• Yokota Airfield, Japan, September 1945 - 15 January 1946[1]
• Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, 1 February 1959 - 15 December 1964[4]

• Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1941–1943
• North American B-25 Mitchell, 1941–1943
• Lockheed A-29 Hudson, 1942
• Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943
• Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1944, 1945
• Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1944-1945
• Boeing IM-99 (later CIM-10) BOMARC, 1959-1964

Explanatory notes

Citations

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 28. ISBN 0-912799-02-1.
• 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.
• McMullen, R. F. (15 February 1980). History of Air Defense Weapons 1946–1962 (Report). ADC Historical Study No. 14. Historical Division, Office of information, HQ ADC.</ref>
• Winkler, David F.; Webster, Julie L (1997). Searching the skies: The legacy of the United States Cold War Defense Radar Program. Champaign, IL: US Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratories. p. 39. LCCN 97020912.
• IM-99A Bases Manual (Report). Seattle, Washington: Boeing: Pilotless Aircraft Division. 3 December 1959.