It was last assigned to the 2d Operations Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it was inactivated on 1 October 1993, and its resources transferred to another unit.

From bases in England, and later on the European continent, it participated in combat until late April 1945, and was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions.

The squadron was again activated in February 1963, when it assumed the personnel and Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses of another unit at Dow Air Force Base, Maine.

It stood alert and flew training missions until 1968, when Dow closed and it moved to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.

After completing its training by participating in the Tennessee Maneuvers, the squadron departed Hunter Field, Georgia for the European Theater of Operations on 13 March 1944.

On D-Day the squadron attacked strong points and bombed fuel dumps and other objectives to support ground forces throughout the Normandy Campaign.

[1] Starting in the late 1950s, Strategic Air Command (SAC) dispersed its Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.

[8] SAC received authority to replace its strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft with Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, which could carry a lineage and history.

Half of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike.

[citation needed] On the first day of the war, elements of the squadron participated in Operation Senior Surprise,[e] which was led by the 596th's commander, Lt Col John Beard.