37th Bomb Squadron The 37th Bomb Squadron ( 37 BS ) is part of the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base , South Dakota . It operates B - 1 Lancer aircraft providing strategic bombing capability . The squadron is one of the oldest in the United States Air Force , its origins dating to 13 June 1917 , being organized at Kelly Field , Texas . The squadron deployed to England as part of the American Expeditionary Force during World War I . The squadron saw combat during World War II , and later became part of the Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) during the Cold War . Mission . Provide rapid , decisive and sustainable combat airpower anytime , anywhere . History . World War I . Established as a World War I Aero Squadron in Texas ; deployed to France in September 1917 . The squadron participated in aircraft construction from 1917 – 1918 and conducted flying training in 1918 . Returned to the United States and inactivated in 1919 . Inter - war years . Reactivated in 1933 as a Pursuit Squadron , equipped with P - 6 Hawks , A - 8 Shrike and A - 17A Nomad attack aircraft . Assigned to the Southeast Air District , flying coastal patrol missions from Langley Field , then Barksdale Field . Moved to Colorado and re - equipped with B - 18 Bolo medium bombers ; deploying to the Pacific Northwest . World War II . The 37th It flew antisubmarine patrols from , December 1941 – c . March 1942 . The squadron also contributed aircrews for the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo , Japan on 6 April 1942 . After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor , the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols over the Northwest Pacific coast until May 1942 . After the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands , squadron was deployed to the Alaska Territory . Flew combat missions during the Aleutian Campaign from forward bases on Adak and Amchitka during 1943 with B - 25 Mitchell s , attacking enemy targets on the occupied islands until their surrender . Returned to the Continental United States in late 1943 ; re - equipped with B - 24 Liberator heavy bombers and trained under Second Air Force . Deployed to European Theater of Operations ( ETO ) ; being assigned to Eighth Air Force in England . Engaged in various special operations missions as a CARPETBAGGER unit , assisting resistance forces by dropping supplies , weapons and personnel over Occupied Europe until August 1944 . Engaged in PSYOPS warfare against Nazi Germany , dropping leaflets and flying other combat missions until the German capitulation in May 1945 . Most of squadron personnel demobilized in England during the summer of 1945 , unit returned to the United States and being redesignated as a Very Heavy B - 29 Superfortress bombardment squadron . War in Pacific Theater ended before unit completed training and the squadron was inactivated in October 1945 . Cold War . Reactivated in 1947 under Tactical Air Command but not manned or equipped . Inactivated in 1948 . As a result of the Korean War , the squadron was reactivated again as part of Far East Air Force and equipped with B - 26 Invader bombers equipped for night attacks . Carried out attacks on Communist forces primarily over South Korea until the Korean War armistice in 1953 , then withdrawn to Japan where it remained until it was demobilized and administratively reassigned to Eglin # 9 Field in 1955 . Re - equipped with Martin B - 57A Canberra jet bombers and conducted evaluation testing of the aircraft at Eglin ; transitioned to B - 66B Destroyers in 1956 , the first squadron to receive the new tactical bomber . Deployed to RAF Sculthorpe , England briefly in 1958 before returning to Eglin and performing more testing on B - 66s with Jet Assisted Take Off ( JATO ) and until being inactivated due to budget cuts later in the year . Reactivated as a B - 52 Stratofortress squadron in 1977 ; inactivated in 1982 as part of the inactivation of the B - 52D . Modern era . Reactivated in 1987 as a B - 1 Squadron