World War II Initial organization and training The
squadron was first activated on 15 January 1941 at
Langley Field, Virginia as the
69th Bombardment Squadron, one of the three original
bombardment squadrons of the
38th Bombardment Group. The squadron trained with
Martin B-26 Marauders, but also flew
Douglas B-18 Bolos. In June 1941, the squadron moved to
Jackson Army Air Base, Mississippi. Shortly after the
attack on Pearl Harbor, on 19 January 1942, the ground echelon of the squadron departed for Australia. The air echelon remained at Jackson and continued training until May 1942, when it departed for the
Southwest Pacific Theater, However, when the squadron reached the Hawaiian Islands, it was detained there and participated in the defense of
Midway Island. Although it was not formally reassigned from the 38th Group until 1943, it was no longer under the control of the 38th from this time.
Cold War The 69th was reactivated as a
Strategic Air Command Convair B-36 Peacemaker bombardment squadron in 1953. Engaged in worldwide training missions with the B-36 until 1956 when re-equipped with the jet
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The 69th was part of the 42nd Bomb Wing at Loring AFB, ME. The 69th was part of Strategic Air Command alert force. On 16 September 1958, a B-52D (serial number 55-65) assigned to the squadron crashed in the vicinity of St Paul, Minnesota, while transiting en route on a continental United States (CONUS) training mission. The cause of the crash was believed to be a separation of flight controls that led to the tail separating from the aircraft. Of the eight crewmembers involved, only the copilot survived while several civilians were injured. A plaque was erected at the site of the crash in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. During the Vietnam War the squadron deployed personnel and aircraft to
Andersen Air Force Base,
Guam and
U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand, for
Operation Arc Light missions from 1968 to 1975. Inactivated on 31 Dec 1993 with the drawdown of US Strategic forces. November 2010 saw the squadron deploy six B-52H Stratofortresses to
Andersen Air Force Base, Guam for the first time since the
Vietnam War as part of U.S. Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence. On 5 June 2015, the 69th deployed three B-52H Stratofortress bombers to
RAF Fairford for two weeks for exercises BALTOPS 15 and Saber Strike 15 taking place in Europe. Four B-52H Stratofortress bombers from the 69th Bomb Squadron were flown to
Nellis Air Force Base to participate in exercise Red Flag 15–3, which took place 13–31 July 2015. On 19 May 2016 at 08:32 local time, a B-52H Stratofortress serial number 60-47 "Neanderthaul", crashed on takeoff at
Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. The aircraft was assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, which was deployed to Andersen as part of the United States' Indo-Pacific Command's continuous bomber presence. The aircraft was carrying inert (training) weapons. The pilots observed birds on takeoff and saw all right-side engines failing at a critical phase during the takeoff. The pilot commanded to abort the takeoff but there was not enough runway remaining to safely stop, leading to the aircraft departing the runway. The main landing gear collapsed and the aircraft drag chute, which is used to slow the aircraft down during landing procedures, failed to deploy fully during the aborted takeoff and the aircraft came to rest 300 ft off the end of Runway 06L, short of the cliffs that dropped in the Pacific Ocean. All seven crew escaped safely, with one crew member sustaining minor injuries. An accident investigation board found no fault on the crews and in fact several crewmembers were awarded medals for their quick thinking and skill in ensuring no loss of life in the accident. During
Global Strike Challenge 2017 the squadron won both the LeMay Trophy, for the best in bomber operations, and the Linebacker Trophy, for the best B-52 squadron. In February 2018 a B-52H from the 69th that was stationed
Al Udeid Air Base set a new world record by dropping 24 precision-guided bombs on
Taliban targets, beating the previous record of 19 (also held by a B52H). Codename name for the mission was "Operation Jagged Knife", part of a larger effort to target Taliban drug and financial infrastructure. In July 2019, the 69th Bomb Squadron deployed to Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, in support of the continuous bomber presence mission directed by the United States Indo-Pacific Command. On 13 August 2019, a B-52H assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron temporarily based at Andersen assisted in the search for the Indonesian-flagged fishing vessel KM Aleluya. Adrift for 10 days without food, water or electricity, the crew was safely rescued by the AMVER vessel Isl Star, approximately 172 miles northwest of Palau. The deployment would be extended from 6 months to 9 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the longest and final CBP deployment in USINDOPACOM history. In July 2021, the 69th deployed on short notice back to Anderson in support of an international exercise with Australia and other Pacific partners. On 19 April 2022, the 69th returned from a deployment to RAF Fairford, England, where they supported multiple NATO exercises amid the
Russian invasion of Ukraine. In July 2022, the 69th participated in Exercise Red Flag 22–3 as a standoff and precision-guided weapon delivery platform with an emphasis on developing tactics, techniques, and procedures for contested environments that mimic the rapidly changing global environment. ==Lineage==