71st Tactical Missile Squadron
The 71st Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 485th Tactical Missile Wing at Florennes Air Base, Belgium, where it was inactivated on 30 September 1989 with the implementation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The squadron was first activated as the 71st Bombardment Squadron in 1941 as the United States built up its military forces prior to World War II. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron deployed to the Southwest Pacific Theater, participating in combat until V-J Day, moving forward  from Australia to Okinawa. It earned four Distinguished Unit Citations for its actions during the war. The 71st moved to Japan as part of the occupation forces, although it was only partly manned and equipped for some of this time. The squadron was inactivated in 1949 as the Defense budget was reduced. The squadron was again activated in France in 1953, when it replaced an Air National Guard unit that had been mobilized for the Korean War and was being returned to state control. In 1958, the squadron moved on paper to Germany, where it became the 71st Tactical Missile  Squadron, taking over the missiles and personnel of another squadron, which was inactivated. It upgraded to the TM-76B Mace in 1962 and continued to operate the missile until the Mace was removed from operations in 1969. The squadron briefly trained pilots for the Air Force as the 71st Pilot Training Squadron in the 1970s, but returned to the cruise missile mission with the BGM-109G in 1984. History. World War II. The squadron was first activated by the Army Air Corps at Langley Field, Virginia in early 1941 as one of the three original squadrons of the 38th Bombardment Group  during the pre-war mobilization by the United States. It was equipped as a medium bomber squadron. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron performed coastal patrols as part of First Air Force with Douglas B-18 Bolos and early-model Martin B-26 Marauders. The squadron deployed to Australia in early 1942 to reinforce Fifth Air Force after its withdrawal to Australia. It re-equipped with North American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers and flew missions from Northern Queensland over New Guinea. It moved to forward airfields in New Guinea and followed MacArthur's advance along the northern coast of the  island into the Netherlands East Indies, It flew bombardment missions against Japanese shipping and airfields. The 71st was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for bombing and strafing Japanese troops and fortifications located on New Britain's Cape Gloucester to prepare for an amphibious attack on the island in December 1943. It earned another DUC for attacks on Japanese ships and airfields on 16 and 17 June 1944. The 71st moved to the Molucca Islands in November and attacked targets in the Philippines to prepare for the American attack on Leyte. In November it struck a large enemy convoy in  Ormoc Bay, preventing Japanese reinforcements from reaching the battle area, for which it was awarded another DUC. After moving to the Philippines, it continued to support ground forces fighting there, while also flying missions along the Chinese coast and to Formosa. It moved to Okinawa in July 1945 and conducted several missions against southern Japan before VJ Day. In November it moved to Japan and became part of the occupation forces. It was inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions. Tactical bomber operations. The 71st was reactivated at Laon-Couvron Air Base, France on 1 January 1953. It assumed the  mission, personnel and Douglas B-26 Invader light bombers of the 108th Bombardment Squadron, an Illinois Air National Guard squadron that had been mobilized for the Korean War, but was being returned to State control at the end of its active duty tour. Over the next two years, the squadron completed an upgrade of its Invader force to planes equipped for night intruder missions. As facilities at Laon were completed, it was able to move from tents to permanent buildings. In January 1955, the squadron's pilots began flying missions in jet Lockheed T-33 T-Birds to prepare them for conversion  to Martin B-57B Canberras. It would not be until the end of the year before the first B-57Cs, equipped with dual controls were on hand, so for some squadron pilots, their first solo in the Canberra was also their first flight in the bomber. In July 1955, the squadron's mission was changed from night intruder missions to the delivery of nuclear weapons. Starting in January 1956, the squadron, along with the other squadrons of the 38th Wing, began to rotate aircrews and aircraft to Landstuhl Air Base, where they stood alert with nuclear weapons (called Zulu Alert). The squadron  also participated in the wing's maintenance of twelve aircraft on alert at its home station. To maintain efficiency in its operational mission, the squadron deployed to Wheelus Air Base, Libya for gunnery and bombing practice. In December 1957, the 38th Bombardment Wing converted to the dual deputy organization. The 38th Bombardment Group was inactivated and the squadron was assigned directly to wing headquarters. At the start of 1958, the squadron began transferring its B-57s back to the United States. By 18 June, the squadron's operations at Laon had ceased. Matador and Mace missiles. The end of the B-57  bomber mission in Europe did not, however, result in the inactivation of the squadron. On 18 June, the 38th Wing moved to Germany, where it replaced the 701st Tactical Missile Wing. The 71st moved on paper to Bitburg Air Base, where it became the 71st Tactical Missile Squadron and assumed the mission, personnel and Martin TM-61 Matador missiles of the 1st Tactical Missile Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated. The wing's squadrons were dispersed among several bases in Germany, and the squadron was assigned to the missile group at Bitburg, the 585th Tactical Missile Group. The wing's missiles at  Bitburg were located at two remote missile launch sites. The squadron operated Site VII "Chargirl", which was located NW of Bitburg, , near . It also operated Site VIII, which was located SSW of Bitburg, , near. In September 1962, the 38th Wing reorganized, eliminating its groups. As a result, the squadron was now assigned directly to the 38th Tactical Missile Wing. At the same time, the wing completed its upgrade from Matadors to the TM-76 Mace missile. The Mace was a development of the Matador, with an internal guidance system. In 1966, the A model of the Mace was retired and the  missiles were shipped to Eglin Air Force Base. Florida to be used as targets. However, the 71st Tactical was the only squadron of the wing that operated the B model of the Mace with an inertial guidance system and longer range, and it remained active when the rest of the wing was inactivated, transferring to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg in October 1965. It remained active until the last Maces were withdrawn from Europe in 1969. Pilot training. The squadron was reactivated in August 1972 as the 71st Flying Training Squadron, when the 38th Wing replaced the 3640th  Pilot Training Wing at Laredo Air Force Base, Texas. The squadron operated Cessna T-37 Tweets in the primary phase of Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT). However, with the withdrawal of US forces from Vietnam, pilot training requirements of the Air Force were diminishing, and Laredo was scheduled to close. The squadron was inactivated along with the wing on 30 September 1973 as Laredo closed. However, the squadron's inactive period was short. It was again activated when the 38th Wing replaced the 3550th Pilot Training Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia on 1 December 1973. At Moody, the squadron provided  instruction in the basic phase of UPT with Northrop T-38 Talons. The Air Force's pilot requirements continued to drop, and the squadron ended operations in November 1975. The squadron was inactivated on 1 December 1975 along with the 38th Wing when Moody became a tactical tighter base after the Vietnam War ended. Ground launched cruise missile operations. The squadron returned to its missile mission and 71st Tactical Missile Squadron designation as a BGM-109G Gryphon ground launched cruise missile squadron in August 1984, when it was activated at Florennes Air Base, Belgium and assigned to the 485th Tactical Missile  Wing. It maintained 80 operational missiles in a combat-ready state. Almost as soon as the Gryphons deployed in Europe, protests erupted against them. The BGM-109G missile was site located at By the time the Gryphons were fully deployed in 1987, talks between the United States and the Soviet Union had begun that led to the signing of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, banning the missiles from Europe, and the squadron inactivated on 30 April 1989.