447th Missile Squadron The 447th Missile Squadron ( 447 MS ) is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the 321st Missile Group , stationed at Great Falls AFB , North Dakota The 447 MS was equipped with the LGM - 30G Minuteman III Intercontinental ballistic missile ( ICBM ) , with a mission of nuclear deterrence . With the end of the Cold War , the 447th was inactivated on 30 September 1998 . History . World War II . Activated in mid - 1942 as a B - 25 Mitchell medium bomber squadron , it was trained by the Third Air Force in the southeastern United States . It deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations ( MTO ) , being assigned to the Twelfth Air Force in Algeria in early 1943 . While in North Africa , the squadron engaged primarily in support and interdictory operations , bombing marshalling yards , rail lines , highways , bridges , viaducts , troop concentrations , gun emplacements , shipping , harbors and other objectives . The squadron also engaged in psychological warfare missions , dropping propaganda leaflets behind enemy lines . It took part in the Allied operations against Axis forces in North Africa between March and May 1943 , the reduction of Pantelleria and Lampedusain islands during June , the invasion of Sicily in July and the landing at Salerno on the Italian mainland in September . The squadron was also involved in the Allied advance toward Rome during January – June 1944 , the invasion of Southern France in August 1944 and the Allied operations in northern Italy from September 1944 to April 1945 . On 11 November 1944 the aircraft pictured ( right ) was part of an 18 aircraft formation which attacked three enemy troop convoys and dropped fragmentation bombs on them while attempting to move though the Brenner Pass . The aircraft was hit by ground fire and about 60 % of its right vertical tail was blown off . However , the Mitchell was able to return to its base on Corsica with only a single working rudder . The squadron was inactivated in Italy after the German capitulation in September 1945 . The squadron was re - activated as part of the Air Force Reserve in 1947 and equipped with A - 26 / B - 26 Invader medium bombers , then inactivated in 1949 due to budget cuts . Strategic Air Command . It was reactivated in 1953 as a Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) B - 47 Stratojet squadron . It trained in air - to - air refueling and strategic bombardment operations with the B - 47 . In 1961 , the squadron began transferring its B - 47s to other SAC wings and became non - operational as part of the phaseout of the Stratojet . Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Squadron . On 1 November 1963 the 447th Strategic Missile Squadron was organized as a SAC LGM - 30F Minuteman II intercontinental ballistic missile wing . It was activated on 1 Feb 1965 , being made operational on 7 December 1966 , with a complement of 50 missiles . It participated in “ Project Long Life II , ” a unique reliability test in which modified Minuteman missiles were fueled to travel a few hundred yards . The first launch from a silo occurred on 19 October 1966 and was declared unsuccessful . Nine days later , a second attempt also failed . A third attempt under “ Project Giant Boost ” occurred in August 1968 and again proved unsuccessful . The squadron converted to LGM - 30G Minuteman III missiles from December 1971 to March 1973 . These missiles represented a significant technological advance , having multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles ( MIRVs ) . Coordinating the missile changeover required complex planning and execution . With the restructuring of the Air Force and the disestablishment of SAC in the early 1990s , the squadron was reassigned to Air Combat Command ( ACC ) in 1992 and then came under Air Force Space Command ( AFSPC ) in 1993 . In March 1995 , the Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) Commission selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for inactivation . The squadron was ordered to securely transfer its alert responsibilities to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base , Montana . It maintained nuclear alert until inactivated in 1998 , nearly 40 years after it first went on alert . 447th Missile Squadron Launch Facilities