742d Missile Squadron

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742d Missile Squadron
	LGM-30G Minuteman III test launch at Vandenberg AFB, California
Active	1943–1945; 1947–1949; 1956–1957; 1962–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Intercontinental ballistic missile
Garrison/HQ	Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota
Motto(s)	Clavis Pacis Latin The Key to Peace
Mascot(s)	Wolfpack
Engagements	; World War II (EAME Theater)
Decorations	; Distinguished Unit Citation (2x); ; Air Force Outstanding Unit Award (9x)
Commanders
Current; commander	Lt. Col. Jared Nelson
Insignia
742d Missile Squadron emblem (modified 4 November 1998 form emblem approved 4 May 1964) [1]
unofficial 742d Bombardment Squadron emblem

Last updated March 05, 2019

The 742d Missile Squadron is part of the 91st Missile Wing based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It operates Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The 91st Missile Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command Twentieth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota as a tenant unit.

Minot Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force installation in Ward County, North Dakota, 13 miles (20 km) north of the city of Minot via U.S. 83. In the 2010 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5,521, down from 7,599 in 2000. Minot AFB is the home of two major wings: the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing, both of the Global Strike Command (AFGSC).

An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a guided ballistic missile with a minimum range of 5,500 kilometres (3,400 mi) primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery. Similarly, conventional, chemical, and biological weapons can also be delivered with varying effectiveness, but have never been deployed on ICBMs. Most modern designs support multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRVs), allowing a single missile to carry several warheads, each of which can strike a different target.

History

World War II

Established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment unit in mid-1943; assigned to II Bomber Command for training. Primarily trained in New Mexico and Utah received deployment orders for the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) in November 1943. Moved to Virginia where the group flew long-range convoy escort missions over the Mid-Atlantic, October–November 1943 while station in Italy was being constructed.

The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943.

New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern region of the United States of America; its capital and cultural center is Santa Fe, which was founded in 1610 as capital of Nuevo México, while its largest city is Albuquerque with its accompanying metropolitan area. It is one of the Mountain States and shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona; its other neighboring states are Oklahoma to the northeast, Texas to the east-southeast, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua to the south and Sonora to the southwest. With a population around two million, New Mexico is the 36th state by population. With a total area of 121,590 sq mi (314,900 km²), it is the fifth-largest and sixth-least densely populated of the 50 states. Due to their geographic locations, northern and eastern New Mexico exhibit a colder, alpine climate, while western and southern New Mexico exhibit a warmer, arid climate.

Utah is a state in the western United States. It became the 45th state admitted to the U.S. on January 4, 1896. Utah is the 13th-largest by area, 31st-most-populous, and 10th-least-densely populated of the 50 United States. Utah has a population of more than 3 million according to the Census estimate for July 1, 2016. Urban development is mostly concentrated in two areas: the Wasatch Front in the north-central part of the state, which contains approximately 2.5 million people; and Washington County in Southern Utah, with over 160,000 residents. Utah is bordered by Colorado to the east, Wyoming to the northeast, Idaho to the north, Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. It also touches a corner of New Mexico in the southeast.

Deployed to Southern Italy in January 1944; entered combat in January 1944, being assigned to Fifteenth Air Force. Engaged in very long range strategic bombing missions to enemy military, industrial and transportation targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia, bombing railroad marshalling yards, oil refineries, airdrome installations, heavy industry, and other strategic objectives.

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern and Western Europe. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates San Marino and Vatican City. Italy covers an area of 301,340 km² (116,350 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal and Mediterranean climate. With around 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth-most populous EU member state and the most populous country in Southern Europe.

France, officially the French Republic, is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The metropolitan area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to the northeast, Switzerland and Italy to the east, and Andorra and Spain to the south. The overseas territories include French Guiana in South America and several islands in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.3 million. France, a sovereign state, is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban areas include Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lille and Nice.

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central and Western Europe, lying between the Baltic and North Seas to the north, and the Alps to the south. It borders Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France to the southwest, and Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands to the west.

In addition to strategic missions in the Balkans, the group bombed troop concentrations, bridges, marshalling yards, and airdromes during the fall of 1944 to hamper the enemy’s withdrawal from the region. The group also supported ground forces at Anzio and Cassino in March 1944; knocked out gun positions in preparation for the invasion of Southern France in August 1944; and assisted the final Allied drive through Italy in April 1945 by hitting such targets as bridges, gun positions, and troop concentrations.

Remained in Italy after the German Capitulation in May, although unit personnel were demobilized throughout the summer of 1945. Group was inactivated in Italy on 9 September 1945.

Reactivated in the Air Force Reserve in 1947 with B-29 Superfortresses. Trained at Hensley Field, Texas. Inactivated in 1949 due to budget restrictions.

Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Geographically located in the South Central region of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.

Tactical Air Command

Allocated to Tactical Air Command during the 1950s. Activated at Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina in 1956 as part of a second Fighter-Day Group planned for the new installation. Some personnel were assigned but never became operational with aircraft. Inactivated in July 1957 due to budget restrictions; personnel assigned were reassigned to 354th Fighter-Day Group.

Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 June 1992 and its personnel and equipment absorbed by Air Combat Command (ACC).

South Carolina is a state in the Southeastern United States and the easternmost of the Deep South. It is bordered to the north by North Carolina, to the southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the southwest by Georgia across the Savannah River.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Squadron

Reactivated on 1 Nov 1962 as an ICBM squadron assigned to the 455th Strategic Missile Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota. Initially equipped with 50 LGM-30B Minuteman Is in 1963. Reassigned to 91st Strategic Missile Wing in 1968. Upgraded to LGM-30G Minuteman III in 1968/1969, has maintained ICBMs on alert ever since.

North Dakota is a U.S. state in the midwestern and northern regions of the United States. It is the nineteenth largest in area, the fourth smallest by population, and the fourth most sparsely populated of the 50 states. North Dakota was admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889, along with its neighboring state, South Dakota. Its capital is Bismarck, and its largest city is Fargo.

Lineage

Constituted 'as the 742d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 May 1943

Activated on 1 June 1943

Redesignated 742d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 6 March 1944

Inactivated on 9 September 1945

Redesignated 742d Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 27 December 1946

Activated in the reserve on 10 January 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated 742d Fighter-Day Squadron on 7 May 1956

Activated on 25 July 1956

Inactivated on 1 July 1957

Redesignated 742d Strategic Missile Squadron and activated on 28 June 1962 (not organized)

Organized on 1 November 1962

Redesignated as 742d Missile Squadron on 1 September 1991^[1]

Assignments

455th Bombardment Group, 1 June 1943 – 9 September 1945
Tenth Air Force, 10 January 1947
455th Bombardment Group, 25 March 1947 – 27 June 1949
455th Fighter-Day Group, 25 July 1956 – 1 July 1957
Strategic Air Command, 28 June 1962 (not organized)
455th Strategic Missile Wing, 1 November 1962
91st Strategic Missile Wing, 25 June 1968
91st Operations Group, 1 September 1991
91st Missile Group, 1 July 1994
91st Operations Group, 1 February 1996 – present^[1]

Stations

Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 1 June 1943
Kearns Army Air Base, Utah, 9 September 1943
Langley Field, Virginia, 5 October – 13 December 1943
San Giovanni Airfield, Italy, 15 January 1944
Bari Airfield, Italy, c. July – 9 September 1945
Hensley Field, Texas, 10 January 1947 – 27 June 1949
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, 25 July 1956 – 1 July 1957
Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, 1 November 1962 – present^[1]

Aircraft and missiles

Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945
Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1947–1949
LGM-30 Minuteman I, 1963–1971
LGM-30 Minuteman III, 1968–present^[1]

742d Missile Squadron Launch Facilities

Missile Alert Facilities (K-O flights, each controlling 10 missiles) are located as follows:

K-1 8.8 mi SxSW of Kenmare ND, 48°33′02″N102°07′12″W / 48.55056°N 102.12000°W

L-1 1.5 mi SW of Bowbells ND, 48°47′21″N102°16′06″W / 48.78917°N 102.26833°W

M-1 9.1 mi E of Kenmare ND, 48°40′22″N101°52′31″W / 48.67278°N 101.87528°W

N-1 3.7 mi W of Mohall ND, 48°45′34″N101°35′31″W / 48.75944°N 101.59194°W

O-1 9.5 mi NW of Maxbass ND, 48°49′28″N101°16′55″W / 48.82444°N 101.28194°W

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This is a list of the LGM-30 Minuteman missile Missile Alert Facilities and Launch Facilities of the 91st Missile Wing, 20th Air Force, assigned to Minot AFB, North Dakota.

References

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 Robertson, Patsy (June 9, 2010). "Factsheet 742 Missile Squadron (AFGSC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved October 21, 2016.

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.

External links

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[742MSfacts-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Robertson, Patsy (June 9, 2010). "Factsheet 742 Missile Squadron (AFGSC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved October 21, 2016.