History
Activated in early 1941 by the Army Air Corps as a medium bomber squadron during the pre-war mobilization by the United States. Performed coastal patrols as part of First Air Force with B-18 Bolos and early-model B-26 Marauders.
Deployed to Australia in early 1942 to reinforce Fifth Air Force after its withdrawal to Australia. Re-equipped with B-25 Mitchell medium bombers and flew missions from Northern Queensland over New Guinea. Moved to forward airfields in New Guinea and followed MacArthur's advance along the northern coast of the island into the Netherlands East Indies flying tactical bombardment missions against Japanese strong points and airfields. Moved to Luzon, Philippines, as part of the United States liberation forces in 1945, then moved to Okinawa during the summer in preparation for the Invasion of Japan. Moved to Japan and became part of the Occupation Forces. Inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.
Reactivated in France in 1953 as a NATO B-57 light bombardment squadron, equipped for night bombardment with nuclear weapons. Moved to West Germany in 1958 as a MGM-1 Matador tactical missile squadron when the unit was ordered out of France. Remained as a tactical missile unit until 1966 when the Mace was retired.
Read more about this topic: 405th Tactical Missile Squadron
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“History is more or less bunk. It’s tradition. We don’t want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker’s damn is the history we make today.”
—Henry Ford (1863–1947)
“All history becomes subjective; in other words there is properly no history, only biography.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Look through the whole history of countries professing the Romish religion, and you will uniformly find the leaven of this besetting and accursed principle of action—that the end will sanction any means.”
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834)