during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945. It bombed enemy transportation to assist Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. The squadron flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945. Return to the United States and inactivation Following V-E Day, the squadron redeployed to the United States. Most of the squadron's planes left Rackheath on 12 June 1945, while the ground echelon sailed on the on 6 July. The squadron began to reassemble at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota later in July. The squadron was selected for transition into the Boeing B-29 Superfortress and trained with the new bomber at Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico and Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska, although Japan had surrendered. The squadron completed its transition into the Superfortress and, in January 1946, moved to Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, where it became one of the first units in Strategic Air Command. On 4 August 1946, the squadron was inactivated and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the 352d Bombardment Squadron, which was simultaneously activated. Fighter operations As the United States Air Force expanded its McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fleet in April 1965, it activated the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base Florida. Although it was planned that the squadrons of the 33d Wing would be Convair F-102 Delta Dagger squadrons that were inactivating in the Pacific, these squadrons were still winding down their operations, so the 33d was initially formed with the 786th, 787th, 788th and 789th Tactical Fighter Squadron. The 33d embarked on a program of tactical training with the Phantom. In June 1965, the squadron was inactivated and its planes and personnel were transferred to the 40th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which moved on paper to Eglin from Yokota Air Base, Japan. Lineage Constituted as the 789th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943 Activated on 1 August 1943 Redesignated 789th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 10 August 1944 Redesignated 789th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945 Inactivated on 4 August 1946 Redesignated 789th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 9 February 1965 and activated (not organized) Organized on 1 April 1965 Inactivated on 20 June 1965 Assignments 467th Bombardment Group, 1 August 1943 – 4 August 1946 Tactical Air Command, 9 February 1965 (not organized) 33d Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 April 1965 – 20 June