Maintain combat ready aircrews and aircraft capable of deploying in response to worldwide contingencies and emergencies.

[4][2] Both elements met at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah on 8 June 1943, where initial training with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator took place.

The squadron moved to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa in July 1943 to complete training.

The air echelon departed Sioux City late in October 1943 and flew to the United Kingdom via the southern route: Florida, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and West Africa.

[7] The unit operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organization until the war ended, striking such targets as industries in Osnabrück, synthetic oil plants in Lutzendorf, chemical works in Ludwigshafen, marshalling yards at Hamm, an airfield at Munich, an ammunition plant at Duneberg, underground oil storage facilities at Ehmen, and factories at Münster.

[8] This was the longest running continuous air battle of World War II – some two and a half hours of fighter attacks and flak en route and leaving the target area.

It attacked shore installations on D-Day, 6 June 1944,[11] and supported ground forces at Saint-Lô by striking enemy defenses in July 1944.

It was awarded the Croix de guerre with Palm by the French government for operations in the theater from December 1943 to February 1945[8] supplying the resistance.

After the bomb run, the group was alone in the skies and was attacked from the rear by an estimated 150 Luftwaffe planes, resulting in the most concentrated air battle in history.

[8] The 700th Bombardment Squadron was activated again under Air Defense Command (ADC) in the reserves during the summer of 1947 at McChord Field, Washington, where it trained under the supervision of the 406th AAF Base Unit.

After conducting training for two years, the squadron was inactivated in June 1949,[1] when ConAC reorganized its combat units under the wing base organizational model.

[19] As a result, the 700th redesignated as the 700th Troop Carrier Squadron in September and began training in Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft.

When Continental Air Command reorganized under the dual deputy system in November the squadron attachment to the wing became an assignment.

This was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, but mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it proved difficult.

[23] To resolve this, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons at the start of 1962.

[1] The squadron assisted with the redeployment of Army and Marine Corps personnel from Grenada following Operation Urgent Fury in 1983.

[citation needed] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency