World War II Organization and training in the United States The
squadron was first organized at
Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas on 1 August 1943 as the
794th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the
468th Bombardment Group. It was intended to be a
Boeing B-29 Superfortress squadron, however due to the lack of B-29 availability, it was initially equipped with
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. Smoky Hill was one of four bases chosen for B-29 training based on their proximity to
Boeing's factory at
Wichita, Kansas, where most of the early Superfortresses would be produced. Delays in producing the B-29, labor disputes at the engine manufacturer, and modifications to the planes to make them ready for combat resulted in belated deliveries to combat units and it was close to the end of 1943 before aircrews could train in the new bomber in any number. Ground echelon personnel began shipping out to prepare the airfields for the bombers without completing their training in the United States. The air echelon of the squadron trained with the B-29 in Kansas until March 1944, when it departed for its first overseas base,
Kharagpur Airfield, Bengal, India, The squadron completed its training and deployed from the United States to India in March 1944, flying across the South Atlantic and Africa to reach its combat station. The squadron moved its available aircraft to its forward base at
Pengshan Airfield near
Chengtu. Staging of B-29s, already armed and loaded with bombs began on 13 June and was only completed on the day of the raid, with only refueling needed in China. The primary target for this mission was the
Imperial Steel Works at
Yawata. The unit staged through bases not only in China for attacks on Japan, but from other bases in India and Ceylon. It conducted
mining operations off the coasts of French Indochina, near
Saigon and China, near
Shanghai. It attacked Japanese targets in Southeast Asia, including aircraft factories, naval installations, transportation facilities and iron works, and it flew sorties to targets as distant as Indonesia. In August 1944, the squadron again struck the Imperial Steel Works in Yawata, earning its first
Distinguished Unit Citation. In October 1944, the 468th Bombardment Group was reorganized, along with other groups in XX Bomber Command. The squadron's strength was increased by three B-29s made available by the inactivation of the
795th Bombardment Squadron and maintenance personnel from the disbanding maintenance squadrons of the 468th. During its remaining time in the
China-Burma-India Theater, the squadron found itself more frequently attacking tactical targets in Formosa and the Philippines to support of forces advancing in the Pacific. The squadron abandoned its forward bases in China in January 1945, but continued attacks from Indian airfields. It attacked a supply dump in
Rangoon, Burma; rail targets near Bangkok, Thailand and
Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, and the
drydock in
Singapore. On 4 May, the squadron left its base in India for the island of
Tinian, although elements of the 468th Group had begun moving as early as February.
B-52 Stratofortress operations In the late 1950s SAC was concerned that bases with large concentrations of bombers made attractive targets for a Soviet attack. SAC's response was to break up its wings and scatter their aircraft over a larger number of bases. As part of this force dispersal, SAC established the
4123d Strategic Wing at
Clinton-Sherman Air Force Base, Oklahoma. However, the 4123d was a
Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing, which could not carry a permanent history or lineage, and SAC wanted to replace it with a permanent unit. In February 1963, the 70th Bombardment Wing replaced the 4123d, and the 6th was reactivated, assuming the personnel and
Boeing B-52E Stratofortresses of the 4123d's
98th Bombardment Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated. The squadron trained for strategic bombing missions. Some personnel were deployed to the Pacific after 1968, and for several months in 1968 and in 1969, all of the squadron's aircraft and most of its personnel were deployed to Southeast Asia, where they were attached to other SAC organizations conducting combat missions under
Operation Arc Light. With the implementation of this program, the squadron was inactivated at the end of 1969. ==Lineage==