World War II Organization and training in the United States The
squadron was first activated in 1943 as the
669th Bombardment Squadron (Light) at
Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, one of the four original squadrons assigned to the
416th Bombardment Group. The unit drew its initial
cadre from the
51st Bombardment Squadron of the
46th Bombardment Group at Will Rogers, and its
aircrews continued to fly with the 46th group until 11 May, when it received its first two planes. The 669th moved to
Lake Charles Army Air Field in June, where it began its training mission as a
North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber
Operational Training Unit under
Third Air Force. On 25 July, the unit began to transfer personnel to what would be the first group organized from is parent 416th group, the
418th Bombardment Group. of
Air Research and Development Command. Its TM-61 Matadors were designed to carry a nuclear warhead and after being rocket launched used a conventional jet engine to reach their targets. Training under the 6555th included individual training, followed by team training, where the individuals were joined and trained as crews. The final phase of training was conducted by the unit itself. Because of a shortage in training equipment and the earlier activation of the
1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron, the squadron's training was delayed until June. By the end of the year, the squadron was considered "basically trained." However, lack of systems equipment and training launch delays caused by problems with the Matador's performance delayed the squadron's planned deployment. The squadron then moved to
Orlando Air Force Base, Florida and
Tactical Air Command to prepare for operational deployment. However, the 6555th continued to provide administrative and logistical support to the 69th. Just before transfer the unit had made its first three training launches. By the end of June it had launched thirty missiles at night, day, in adverse weather, and as part of multiple missile launches and its training was considered complete. The squadron deployed to
United States Air Forces in Europe and was assigned to
Hahn Air Base in West Germany as part of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization's defense of western Europe. It became operational in October 1954. While at Hahn, it was redesignated as the
69th Tactical Missile Squadron. The squadron kept its missiles on alert from dispersed missile sites near Hahn until June 1958 when the squadron was inactivated and replaced at Hahn by the
405th Tactical Missile Squadron, which took over its personnel, equipment, and mission when the
701st Tactical Missile Wing and its component groups were inactivated and replaced by the
38th Tactical Missile Wing. ; Dispersed Matador missile sites at Hahn Air Base :: Hecken Missile Site It became operational in December 1960and stood alert during the
Cold War with nuclear armed IM-99A (later
CIM-10) BOMARC
surface to air antiaircraft missiles. The Dow BOMARC site was the fourth of fourteen BOMARC sites to be constructed. The squadron was tied into a
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment direction center operated by
Bangor Air Defense Sector which used
analog computers to process information from ground radars, picket ships and airborne warning aircraft to process tracking data at the direction center to quickly direct the missile site to engage hostile aircraft. The squadron never upgraded to the "B" model of the BOMARC, ==Lineage==