868th Tactical Missile Training Squadron The 868th Tactical Missile Training Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force . Its last assignment was with the 868th Tactical Missile Training Group , stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force Base , Arizona . It was inactivated on 31 May 1990 . History . World War II . Originally a B - 24 Liberator bomber squadron in the Pacific Theater of World War II , assigned directly to Headquarters , Thirteenth Air Force . The squadron was equipped with RADAR equipped Liberators ( unofficially designated as the SB - 24 " Snooper " ) with an extra crew member to operate the SCR - 717 10 cm RADAR ; the SCR - 729 Aircraft RADAR beacon and a number of other specialized devices . The mission of the squadron was for low level , anti - shipping strikes under the cover of darkness . They had this capability because the radar - sighting devices permitted operation of the bomb - release mechanism irrespective of visual sighting of the target . The 868th Bombardment Squadron flew its special radar - equipped SB - 24 Snoopers nightly from 8 to 27 August 1943 on 1900 mile round trips from Los Negros Island to bomb Palau . By 23 August , Wadke Island was operational and the 5th and 307th Bombardment Groups started day light B - 24 missions over Palau . Between 25 August and 4 September , nine missions dropped over 600 tons of bombs . Major damage occurred throughout Palau , but at a cost : seven B - 24 ’ s did not return . An enemy fighter shot down one and AAA shot down at least three others over Babeldaob and adjacent Koror ; these four were reported to have crashed within sight of the islands . Parachutes from two B - 24 ’ s were seen by wingmen and at least two crewmembers were later recorded as captured . The remaining B - 24 ’ s fell into deep water outside the Palau Islands . By March 1944 , the Japanese ceased sending shipping convoys to the Solomons area and the 868th Bombardment Squadron was out of a job and were subsequently used as pathfinders for high - altitude bombers . Special missions were flown against land targets at night and one of the intentions was to prevent the Japanese from sleeping just as the Japanese “ Washing Machine Charlie ” did against the United States Marines on Guadalcanal . They participated in the destruction of Truk in April 1944 . In August 1944 they conducted nightly 1100 mile two - plane attacks from Los Negroes to the Palaus in the Dutch East Indies . Ten B - 24 " Snoopers " of the 868th Bomb Squadron struck Soerabaja , Java , on 7 May , flying a total distance of 2660 statute miles , in 17 hours and 40 minutes , one of the longest flights ever made by B - 24 aircraft in combat formation . Seven " Snoopers " shattered their own record soon after by flying a strike against Batavia , Java , 3 June 1945 ; they flew in formation from Palawan to Batavia and return to cover a distance of 3000 statute miles , in 18 hours and 40 minutes . A measure of success was achieved in both strikes against Java ; in each case , the Japanese were taken by surprise and shipping in the harbors was left either sunk or damaged . From October 1944 through V - J Day , the " Snoopers " accounted for 119 ships totaling more than 62 , 000 tons sunk , 31 ships totaling 38 , 000 tons probably sunk , and 322 ships totaling 110 , 000 tons damaged . This included a 600 foot , 13 , 000 ton aircraft carrier , probably sunk in March 1945 . Starting August 7 , 1945 the " Snoopers " were flying strikes from Yontan Airfield , Okinawa . They flew as far as Genzan in Korea and Japan ' s Kyushu Island . On August 7 , 1945 the last " Snooper " to be lost in action also became the only American plane downed on Korean soil . Cold War . During the Cold War , became a MGM - 1 Matador Tactical Missile squadron . Formed at Orlando AFB , Florida , as part of Ninth Air Force , Tactical Air Command in 1955 . Trained in Florida until deployed to Pacific Air Forces Thirteenth Air Force . Lead elements of the squadron began deploying to Tainan Air Base , Taiwan , in May 1957 with conventional warheads on missiles , main squadron in November when W - 5 warheads were available , and the official reassignment to PACAF on 1 February 1958 . Upon arrival at Tainan , squadron was supported by the creation of Detachment 2 of the 6200th Air Base Wing , which was also known as the " Tainan Air Base Group " . The support group went through renumbering almost as often as the missile squadrons and on August 18 , 1958 the unit ’ s name was changed to the 6214th Air Base Group . The 17th TMS was re - designated as the 868th Tactical Missile Squadron in June 1958 . The squadron was assigned to Taiwan as part of their first Quick Strike commitment , and stood vigilant alert duty assigned to the Taiwan Straits until inactivated in March 1962 . During the 1980s , became a training squadron for the BGM - 109 Tomahawk Ground Launched Cruise Missile ( GLCM ) . During preparations to fire drones into Iraqi air defences in 1990 - 91 , the group was utilised to assist in the launch of BGM - 74s and Navy ADM - 141 TALD s from King Khalid and Ar ' ar into Iraq . Personnel under the direction of Colonel Douglas Livingston were despatched to Saudi Arabia , as the group represented the little Air Force expertise that was available on ground - launched missiles . ( Gordon and Trainor , The Generals ' War , 1995 , 113 - 114 . ) Inactivated as a result of the INF Treaty in 1990 .