321st Bomb Wing - SAC - Mather AFB - B-52

Based at: Pinecastle (McCoy) AFB, Grand Forks AFB
Aircraft: B-47s, KC-97, Minuteman Missiles
Status:
Squadrons: 445 BS, 446 BS, 447 BS, 448 BS, 446 MS, 447 MS, 448 MS, 321 AR
Links: Grand Forks AFB

Activation
     Established as the 321st Bombardment Wing, Medium, on March 23, 1953. Activated on December 15, 1953 at Pinecastle (later McCoy) AFB, Florida.
B-47 Stratojets and KC-97 Tankers
     The newly-formed 321st absorbed the resources of the 4042nd Flying Training Wing in late 1954, thus acquiring it's B-47s and KC-97s. Conducted global bombardment training and air refueling operations to meet SAC's global commitments 1954 - 1961. The wing was deployed at RAF Station Lakenheath, England Dec 9, 1954 - March 5, 1955 and at Sidi Slimane AB, Morocco April 9 - July 3, 1956.
     On Aug 11-12 1957 a wing B-47 flew non-stop from Anderson AFB, Guam to Said Slimane AFB, Morocco - a distance of 11,450 miles - in 22.5 hours, establishing a new flight record.
     The wing lost it's tankers in 1956. It was replaced by the 4047th Strategic Wing in October 1961.
From 1959 to 1961, it had C-124 cargo planes.
Minuteman Missiles
     Redesignated the 321st Strategic Missile Wing and activated on August 14, 1964. Organized on November 1, 1964 at Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota. There it monitored the Minuteman II ICBM facility then being constructed (November 1964 - Nov 1966.)   First Minuteman missile assigned in August 1964 and first squadron completely equipped in April 1966. The 321st Strategic Missile Wing was operational with it's full complement of 150 Minuteman missiles in November 1966.
Status
     Active as missile wing?
Components
Squadrons
         The bombardment squadrons flew B-47s.
445 BS: Assigned Dec 15, 1953 - Oct 24, 1961 (Not operational Dec 15, 1953 - May 31, 1954 and
         Sept 15 - Oct 25, 1961
446 BS: Assigned Dec 15, 1953- Oct 25, 1961 (Not operational Dec 15, 1953 - May 31, 1954 and
         Sept 15 - Oct 25 1961:
447 BS: Assigned Dec 15, 1953 - Oct 25, 1961 (Not operational Dec 15, 1953 - May 31, 1954)
448 BS: Assigned Feb 1, 1954 - Oct 24, 1961 (Not operational May 23 - Oct 25, 1961
        Three of the four bombardment squadrons were redesignated missile squadrons:
446 MS: Assigned July 1, 1965 -
447 MS: Assigned Feb 1, 1965 -
448 MS: Assigned Sept 15, 1965 -
307 AR: Attached Sept 28 - Nov 8, 1954
321 AR: Assigned Nov 8, 1954 - Sept 16, 1956 (Detached Aug 16 - Sept 16, 1956