World War II

Reserve operations

The squadron was reactivated as a reserve unit under Air Defense Command (ADC) on 30 March 1947 at Johnstown Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania. It is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped with operational aircraft during this period. ^[17] In July 1948 Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.^[18] President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,^[19] and the 446th was inactivated^[2] and not replaced as reserve flying operations at Johnstown Municipal Airport ceased.

Strategic bomber unit

The squadron was reactivated on 15 December 1953 at Pinecastle Air Force Base, Florida,^[2] an Air Training Command (ATC) base, where ATC's 3540th Flying Training Wing conducted transition training on Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers.^[20] On 1 January 1954, the base and B-47 training mission were transferred to Strategic Air Command (SAC).^{[21][lower-alpha 4]} Under SAC's dual deputy organization, the squadron was assigned directly to the 321st Wing, with the group level organization eliminated. Over the next six months, the B-47 training mission at Pinecastle was phased out and was replaced by the 446th and other operational units of the 321st Bombardment Wing, and the squadron became operational in late May 1954.^[2][22]

The squadron trained in global strategic bombardment operations with the B-47. It deployed with the 321st Wing to RAF Lakenheath, England from December 1954 until March 1955 and to Sidi Slimane Air Base, Morocco From April through July 1956.^[22] Starting in 1957, overseas deployments of entire wings to stand alert were replaced by Operation Reflex. Reflex placed Stratojets and Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighters from multiple wings at bases closer to the Soviet Union for 90 day periods, although individuals rotated back to home bases during unit Reflex deployments.^[23] From 1958, SAC B-47 units began to assume an alert posture at their home bases, reducing the amount of time spent on alert at overseas bases, with an initial goal of maintaining one third of SAC’s planes on fifteen minute ground alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.^[24]

By 1961, SAC was relying on dispersed Boeing B-52 Stratofortress units as the backbone of its bomber force. The squadron and the rest of the 321st Wing became nonoperational on 15 September 1961 and were replaced by the 4047th Strategic Wing, a B-52 unit. The squadron was inactivated in late October 1961.^[2][22]

Intercontinental ballistic missile unit

On 1 November 1963 the squadron was redesignated the 446th Strategic Missile Squadron, a SAC intercontinental ballistic missile squadron, but it was not organized at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota until 1 July 1965,^[2] and equipped with LGM-30F Minuteman II missiles. It became operational on 7 December 1966, with a complement of 50 missiles. It participated in Project Long Life II, a 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 unsuccessful. Nine days later, a second attempt also failed. A third attempt under Project Giant Boost occurred in August 1968 and again proved unsuccessful.^{[citation needed]}

Squadron missile alert facilities (A-E flights, each controlling 10 missiles) were located as follows:

A-00 6.7 mi SE of Wales ND, 48°49′17″N 098°30′48″W

B-00 6.8 mi NxNW of Osnabrock ND, 48°45′49″N 098°11′36″W

C-00 5.7 mi NW of Edinburg ND, 48°32′43″N 097°57′50″W

D-00 1.7 mi SxSW of Nekoma ND, 48°33′14″N 098°22′50″W

E-00 4.3 mi SxSW of Hampden ND, 48°29′01″N 098°41′46″W

In December 1971, the squadron began replacing its Minuteman II missiles with LGM-30G Minuteman IIIs. These missiles were equipped multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles. The transition was completed in March 1972.^{[citation needed]}

In September 1991, SAC implemented the Air Force's Objective Wing Organization. With this restructuring, the squadron was assigned to the new 321st Operations Group along with the 321st Wing's other missile squadrons and a support squadron. With this change came a new name, the 446th Missile Squadron, as the Air Force dropped the terms "Strategic" and "Tactical" from the names of its units. The following June, SAC was disestablished and the squadron was transferred to Air Combat Command, along with other intercontinental missile units. This arrangement lasted only a year, for on 1 July 1993, these missile units became part of Air Force Space Command.^[25]

In March 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission selected the 321st 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 it was inactivated in 30 September 1998.^{[citation needed]}

Assignments

• 321st Bombardment Group, 26 June 1942 – 12 September 1945
• Eleventh Air Force,^{[lower-alpha 5]}30 March 1947
• 321st Bombardment Group, 30 September 1947 – 27 June 1949
• 321st Bombardment Wing, 15 December 1953 – 25 October 1961
• Strategic Air Command, 1 November 1963 (not organized)
• 321st Strategic Missile Wing (later 321st Missile Wing), 1 July 1965
• 321st Operations Group, 1 September 1991
• 321st Missile Group, 1 July 1994^[26] – 30 September 1998

Stations

Aircraft and missiles

• North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942–1945
• Boeing B-47E Stratojet, 1953–1961
• LGM-30F Minuteman II, 1965–1973
• LGM-30G Minuteman III, 1972–1998^[26]