6th Air Defense Missile Squadron

World War II antisubmarine operations What is now the 6th Tactical Missile Squadron was originally activated as the 3d Reconnaissance Squadron in January 1941 equipped with North American B-25 Mitchells as part of First Air Force. After the United States entered World War II the squadron was ordered to search for German U-boats and to fly aerial coverage of friendly convoys The squadron also dropped supplies to American and Philippine resistance forces. In 1955, plans were made that the Suffolk County Air Force Base Missile Annex should be ready in February 1960. It was activated as the second operational BOMARC complex on 1 December 1959 (four missiles were ready by 1 January). It was part of the New York Air Defense Sector. The annex included a launch area with 56 Mode II Launcher Shelters in two flights—that meant that two compressor buildings were available to simultaneously ready two missiles to the "Standby" stage prior to "Fire-up". The squadron stood alert from 1960 to 1964, equipped with IM-99 (later CIM-10) BOMARC surface to air antiaircraft missiles. The squadron was tied into a Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) direction center which could use analog computers to process information from ground radars, picket ships and airborne aircraft to accelerate the display of tracking data at the direction center to quickly direct the missile site to engage hostile aircraft. The BOMARC missile site was located southwest of Suffolk County AFB at . Although geographically separated from the base, the annex was an off base facility of Suffolk County Air Force Base and the squadron command, administrative and logistic elements were on the base. The squadron ceased operations on 1 December 1965 and was inactivated on 15 December 1964. In 1985, the squadron was consolidated with the 6th Antisubmarine Squadron and the 6th Combat Cargo Squadron, but has never been active with this designation. ==Lineage==

; 6th Antisubmarine Squadron • Constituted as the 3d Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) on 20 November 1940 • 2d Combat Cargo Group, 1 May 1944 – 15 January 1946 • New York Air Defense Sector, 1 February 1959 – 15 December 1964 Stations • Langley Field, Virginia, 15 January 1941 • Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, 7 June 1941 • Mitchel Field, New York, 22 January 1942 • Westover Field, Massachusetts, 3 August 1942 – 1 April 1943 • RCAF Gander, Newfoundland, c. 12 April 1943 • RAF Dunkeswell, England, 21 August 1943 (air echelon only after September) :: Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, September – 30 October 1943 (ground echelon) • RAF Podington, England, November – 11 November 1943 (air echelon) • Syracuse Army Air Base, New York, 1 May 1944 • Baer Field, Indiana, 8 October 1944 – 27 October 1944 • Biak Island, Papua New Guinea, November 1944 (operated from Samar), 8 March 1945 – c. 25 March 1945 • Dulag, Leyte, Philippines, 26 March 1945 • Bolo Airfield, Okinawa, Ryuku Islands, Japan, 16 August 1945 • Yokota Airfield, Japan, September 1945 – 15 January 1946 • Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, 1 February 1959 – 15 December 1964 Awards and campaigns Aircraft and missiles • Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1941–1943 • North American B-25 Mitchell, 1941–1943 • Lockheed A-29 Hudson, 1942 • Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943 • Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1944, 1945 • Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1944–1945 • Boeing IM-99 (later CIM-10) BOMARC, 1959–1964 ==See also==