63d Bombardment Squadron The 63d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Wing , based at Little Rock AFB , Arkansas . It was inactivated on January 31 , 1970 . History . Established in 1940 and activated in 1941 as a bomber squadron , assigned to the GHQ Air Force Northeast Air District . Trained and was equipped with both early model B - 17C / D Flying Fortress heavy bombers and B - 18 Bolo medium bombers at Langley Field , and flew training missions over the Mid - Atlantic States . After the Pearl Harbor Attack , was deployed to New England and began flying antisubmarine missions from Bangor Airport over the Newfoundland Straits and performing aerial convoy patrols over the North Atlantic shipping lanes . Deployed to Australia in February 1942 , being assigned to the new Fifth Air Force being formed after the withdraw from the Philippines of remaining heavy bombers . The squadron reached Australia in March 1942 , but did not enter combat until September , when it finally had a reasonable complement of aircraft . From then until November 1944 the squadron operated in support of the campaign in Papua New Guinea , first from Australia , then from New Guinea and Owi Island , concentrated in particular in attacks on shipping . The unit experimented with low level skip bombing , using this tactic at the Battle of the Bismarck Sea , 2 – 4 March 1943 with some success . Between May and September 1943 the squadron ' s B - 17s were replaced with B - 24 Liberator s , believed to be more suited to the long ranges of many Pacific missions . In November 1944 the squadron moved to the Philippines , helping the ground campaign on Luzon as well as conducting long range strategic bombing missions against targets in China and Formosa . Finally in July 1945 it moved to Le Shima , from where it flew missions over Japan , still attacking shipping , as well as airfields and railways until the Japanese Capitulation in August . Squadron demobilized on Okinawa , aircraft being sent to the Philippines for reclamation . Inactivated as a paper unit in April 1946 . Reactivated under Strategic Air Command in late 1946 and equipped with B - 29 Superfortress es . One of the first operational B - 29 squadrons of SAC , the squadron was not fully manned or equipped until 1948 . Trained for strategic bombardment missions during the postwar years ; began upgrading to the new B - 50 Superfortress , an advanced version of the B - 29 in 1948 . The B - 50 gave the unit the capability to carry heavy loads of conventional weapons faster and farther as well as being designed for atomic bomb missions if necessary . By 1951 , the emergence of the Soviet Mig - 21 interceptor in the skies of North Korea signaled the end of the propeller - driven B - 50 as a first - line strategic bomber . Replaced the propeller - driven B - 50s with new B - 47E Stratojet swept - wing medium bombers in 1954 , capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union . In the late 1950s , the B - 47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence , and was being phased out of SAC ' s strategic arsenal . Began sending aircraft to other B - 47 wings as replacements in late 1959 . Moved to Carswell AFB , Texas in early 1960 , in preparation for receiving the new B - 58 Hustler supersonic medium bomber , sending the last of its B - 47s to AMARC in early 1960 . Received the first B - 58s in March , receiving new aircraft throughout 1960 . Performed training and became proficient with the new bomber , reaching Operational Ready state in 1962 . Trained and participated in many SAC exercises and deployment throughout the 1960s . Phaseout of the B - 58 fleet was ordered by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in December 1965 , since it was felt that the high - altitude performance of the B - 58 could no longer guarantee success against increasingly sophisticated Soviet air defenses . Began sending aircraft to AMARC in November 1969 , the squadron inactivated in January 1970 . Reactivated in 1972 at Andersen AFB , Guam , as a provisional B - 52G Stratofortress squadron due to Andersen going back on alert due to the North Vietnam ese Vietnam War 1972 Easter Offensive and the commencement of Operation Linebacker I and later Linebacker II strategic bombing missions in December 1972 . Squadron ' s aircraft flew very long range combat missions over Indochina during 1972 , ending combat operations on 15 August 1973 flying the last B - 52 raid over Cambodia . Went non - operational in November 1973 after combat operations ended over Indochina ; inactivated on 30 June 1975 after the fall of South Vietnam .