| 46th Tactical Missile Squadron | |
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Emblem of the 46th Air Defense Missile Squadron (1959-1972) |
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| Active | 1942-1972 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Troop Carrier/Tactical Missile |
The 46th Troop Carrier Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Fifth Air Force, stationed at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated on 1 April 1949.
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Activated under Air Transport (Later I Troop Carrier) Command in May 1942; Trained at several airfields in Texas and the Midwest and southeast. Also performed various airlift missions as part of training. Deployed to Fifth Air Force in Australia during late 1942 and January 1943. Performed cargo airlift; supply and evacuation; combat paratrooper jumps and other assigned missions along the northern coast of New Guinea; the Dutch East Indies and in the Philippines as part of MacArthur's island hopping offensive against the Japanese in the Southwest Pacific.
Deployed to Okinawa in August 1945 after the Japanese capitulation and became part of the Fifth Air Force army of occupation. Equipped with long-range C-46 Commando aircraft and was reassigned to Japan and the Korean peninsula during late 1945. Initial missions included the evacuation of former Allied prisoners of war; later primarily cargo transport missions in the occupied areas of Japan and Korea during the postwar era. Inactivated in 1949 in Japan due to budget constraints; its aircraft being assigned to other units as part of the consolidation.
Reactivated inn 1959 at McGuire AFB, training personnel and prepared for operation of the BOMARC surface-to-air missiles; operated and maintained BOMARC missiles and associated equipment, trained personnel, and maintained a capability to intercept and destroy hostile aircraft until inactivation. The Bomarc site is located 4 miles (6.4 km) east-southeast of McGuire AFB at . Although geographically separated from the base, the squadron received administrative and logistical support from McGuire. The squadron was inactivated on 31 October 1972, the last of the Bomarc missile squadrons inactivated.
The squadron was re-designated as the 46th Tactical Missile Squadron on 19 September 1985 while remaining inactive.
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.