It served in combat in the European Theater of Operations, where it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for its actions.

[6] The 418th completed its training and departed Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska for the European Theater of Operations on 1 May 1943.

On 17 August 1943, it participated in an attack on a factory manufacturing Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in Regensburg, Germany, which seriously disrupted production of that plane.

Unknown to AAF intelligence at the time, the attack also destroyed almost all of the fuselage construction equipment for Germany's secret Me 262 jet fighter.

[4] From January to May 1944, the 418th attacked airfields, industrial targets, marshalling yards, and missile sites in Western Europe.

[8][d] Two days later, German fighters shot down the leader of the 45th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the 100th Group took the lead in another attack on Berlin.

In August and September it supported Operation Cobra, the breakout at Saint Lo, and bombed enemy positions in Brest.

As Allied forces drove across Northern France toward the Siegfried Line in October and November, it attacked transportation and ground defenses.

[1] Starting with the Regensburg mission of August 1943, the squadrons of the 100th Bombardment Group began suffering losses among the highest in VIII Bomber Command.

[12][e] Its highest one day loss occurred on the 6 March 1944 attack on Berlin, when 15 bombers failed to return.

"[6] The squadron was again activated in the reserve at Miami Army Air Field, Florida and assigned to the 100th Group on 29 May 1947.

[1] The squadron's personnel and equipment, along with other reserve units at Miami were transferred to elements of the 435th Troop Carrier Wing.

It also managed small test programs including the Slingsby T-3 Firefly, Beechcraft T-6 Texan II, and Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules.

[citation needed] In 2000 the number of EC-18B Advanced Range Instrumentation Aircraft and Boeing NKC-135 types at Edwards was reduced.

In this realignment, active duty tanker crews, engineers and program managers moved to the 418th along with their aircraft and missions.

At that time, the squadron was involved in 24 separate test projects, including upgrades for both the C-17 and the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.

[24] Later that year, the squadron began tests of Rapid Dragon, using C-130 and C-17 aircraft to air drop palletized long-range munitions systems.