World War II Initial organization and training The
squadron was activated at
Barksdale Field, Louisiana on 1 March 1942, as the
325th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the
92nd Bombardment Group. Later that month it moved to
MacDill Field, Florida and trained with
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. While training in Florida, the squadron also flew
antisubmarine patrols off the Florida coast. Meanwhile, the ground echelon left Bradenton on 18 July, arriving at
Fort Dix, New Jersey in the New York Port of Embarkation two days later. It sailed aboard the on 2 August and docked at
Liverpool on 18 August, moving to Bovingdon the same day. Although remaining a replacement crew training unit until May 1943, the squadron initially flew occasional combat missions. In January 1943, the squadron moved to
RAF Alconbury. The squadron earned a
Distinguished Unit Citation on 11 January 1944, when it successfully bombed aircraft manufacturing factories in
Oschersleben, Germany despite adverse weather, a lack of fighter protection and heavy
flak.
Strategic Air Command B-29 Superfortress operations The squadron was soon reactivated at
Fort Worth Army Air Field, Texas as a
Strategic Air Command (SAC) squadron in August 1946, when it absorbed the personnel and
Boeing B-29 Superfortresses of the
712th Bombardment Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated. In October, the squadron moved to
Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, but its stay there was short, as it moved to
Spokane Army Air Field, which would be its home station for almost fifty years in June 1947. It trained for strategic bombardment missions at all three locations. This deployment of B-29s, which were known to be capable of carrying
nuclear weapons, was part of a show of force to support the
Berlin Airlift. In reality, the squadron's B-29s had not been modified to be armed with nuclear weapons. In July 1950, the squadron deployed to
Yokota Air Base, Japan, where it came under the control of
Far East Air Forces Bomber Command (Provisional). The squadron bombed factories, refineries, iron works, hydroelectric plants, airfields, bridges, tunnels, troop concentrations, barracks, marshalling yards, road junctions, rail lines, supply dumps, docks, vehicles and other strategic and interdiction targets. It returned to Fairchild Air Force Base in late October 1950.
B-36 Peacemaker operations In 1951, the squadron transitioned to the
Convair B-36 Peacemaker intercontinental strategic bomber. The squadron participated in Operation Big Stick, a show of force in which the 92nd Wing deployed its B-36s to Japan. The squadron received the
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its participation in this exercise. Along with other operational elements of the
92d Bombardment Wing, the squadron deployed to
Andersen Air Force Base,
Guam from 16 October 1954 to 12 January 1955 and again from 26 April to 5 July 1956. It continued flying B-36s until 1957, when it began upgrading to
Boeing B-52D Stratofortresses.
B-52 Stratofortress operations Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen minute
alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. SAC planners were looking into methods to protect their forces in addition to the ground alert program as early as 1957. Tests under the name Operation Head Start were precursors to
Operation Chrome Dome. From 2 March to 30 June 1959, the 92nd Wing participated in Operation Head Start II, keeping five of its armed bombers in the air for the entire period.. In January 1961, SAC disclosed it was maintaining an airborne force for "airborne alert training." Soon after
detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, SAC brought all degraded and adjusted alert sorties up to full capability. On 20 October along with all B-52 units except those equipped with the B-52H, the squadron was directed to put two additional planes on alert. On 22 October, 1/8 of the squadron's B-52s were placed on airborne alert. Two days later, SAC went to
DEFCON 2, placing all aircraft on alert. SAC returned to normal airborne alert posture on 21 November . On 27 November, SAC finally returned the squadron to its normal alert posture. Starting in 1965, the squadron deployed bombers and aircrew to Southeast Asia to support SAC operations. These deployments continued through 1975. During three periods, March to September 1968, March to September 1969, and June 1972 through October 1973, all the squadron's resources were deployed to support
Operation Arc Light and
Operation Linebacker. During periods it was undeployed, the squadron maintained normal alert status, although even when planes were available for alert, crews had rotated to the combat zone and not all tasked alert sorties could be manned. On 28 September 1991, along with all SAC missile and bomber units, the squadron's B-52s were taken off alert. That same month, SAC implemented the Objective Wing organization, and the squadron was assigned to the reactivated 92nd Operations Group and redesignated the
325th Bomb Squadron. The following year, SAC was inactivated, and the squadron and most of the 92nd Wing transferred to
Air Combat Command.
B-2 Spirit operations The squadron was activated at
Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri as a
Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bomb squadron in January 1998 and assigned to the
509th Operations Group. The squadron flew combat missions from Whiteman to Kosovo in
Operation Allied Force from 24 March to 21 May 1999. It was the first B-2 unit to make a combat deployment when it deployed personnel and aircraft to participate in Operations
Enduring Freedom and
Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. Between 2001 and 2003, the squadron also flew missions from Whiteman and deployed elements to the Indian Ocean Area to perform combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq in the
Global War on Terror. The squadron qualifies weapons systems operators on the B-2 for the 509th Bomb Wing and the associate
131st Bomb Wing of the
Missouri Air National Guard. Its instructor pilots include both active duty airmen and members of the
Air National Guard. ==Lineage==