RB-50D ATRAN MISSIONS
West Germany = Fly a straight a line as possible from middle Germany to the East/West German border at 500ft and 1000ft absolute alt. Pull up at the border. At times an aircraft would return to Rhein/Main with tree limbs wrapped around the aircraft tail skid.

RB-50E/G DREAMBOAT MISSIONS
Missions were generally at 24,000 ft. with a duration of 12 to 14 hours.

The main missions were:

1. Rhine/Main to Baltic Sea. Up the middle of the Baltic Sea east of Gotland to a point east of Stockholm then orbit between Sweden and Finland and return.
   
   
2. Triangular track in Germany.
   
   
3. Rhein/Main to Adriatic en route to Incirlik and return to Rhein/Main.
   
   
4. Adana to Black Sea orbit hugging the coast line area.
   
   
5. Adana to Trapson orbit to Lake Van.
   
   
6. Some missions were flown over the Eastern Mediterranean south of Cyprus with British back-enders, primarily during the Lebanon crisis.
   
   
7. Norway = The 7499 Group designated Bodo, Norway as “7406th Support Squadron Det #2” in 1956 and a RB-50 flew there on a training mission. In Aug 1958 a C-130A-II (aircraft 56-528) flew there on a training mission. A request was put into the Norwegian government to operate SIGINT  missions out of Bodo, Norway to within 100 miles of the Russian coast but the Norwegians would not allow foreign units to be stationed on Norwegian soil. The designator “7406th Support Squadron Det #2” was closed out in 1964.

• In mid-January 1957 a flight crew ferried RB-50D aircraft 48-107 back to Greenville, Texas.
  
  
•  In Feb 1957 aircraft 49-312 was returned to the ZI for assignment to Wright Air Development Center, Wright-Patterson AFB. and brought back aircraft RB-50E 47-126.
  
  
• In March 1957 RB-50G “Dreamboat” aircraft 47-136 arrived, piloted by Captain Stewart.
  
  
• In March 1957 the first missions were flown out of Incirlik Air Base in Turkey.
  
  
• In May 1957 the squadron was visited by Tech Reps from Lockheed & Allison. The squadron learned that it would be receiving C-130 acft in the first half of 1958.
  
  
• In Oct 1957 aircraft 47-129 RB-50E arrived.
  
  
• In Nov 1957 aircraft 47-120 RB-50E arrived.
  
  
• By the end of 1957 the squadron had 37 Officers & 192 Airmen.
  
  
• In January 1958 Allison Engine Technical Representative, Mr. F J Danne, arrived for assignment. Allison engines would power the C-130A-Iis that would soon arrive.
  
  
• In January 1958 RB-50 47-157 was returned to the ZI for reassignment to the 6091st Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota AB, Japan.
  
  
• In April 1958 Major Paul H V Swanson became squadron commander and Captain Kirkbride was appointed Operations Officer.
  
  
• In April 1958 RB-50 47-136 was returned to the ZI for assignment to the 6091st Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota AB, Japan. At this time all C-130A training, flight & maintenance, was started at Evreux Air Base, France, home of a USAFE C-130 troop carrier wing.
  
  
• In June 1958 the squadron received its first C-130A-II aircraft (serial #56-0484).
  
  
• In July 1958 aircraft RB-50E 47-126 was returned to the ZI for assignment to the 6091st Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota AB, Japan.
  
  
• In Aug 1958 RB-50 49-307 was returned to the ZI for reassignment to the 1707th Air Transport Wing at Palm Beach AFB, FL.
  
  
• In October 1958 RB-50Es 47-120 & 47-129 were returned to the ZI for assignment to the 6091st Reconnaissance Squadron at Yokota AB, Japan. These were the last RB-50 aircraft at Rhein/Main.
  
  
• In July 1958 the squadron received aircraft 56-0525 and aircraft 56-0528.
  
  
• In August 1958 the squadron received aircraft 56-0534.
  
  
• On 2 September 1958, while flying a mission out of Incirlik, Turkey, aircraft 56-0528 strayed into Soviet controlled Armenia and was shot down.
  The 7406th lost a crew of six:
  Capt. Rudy J. Swiestra         
  Capt. Paul E. Duncan         
  Capt. Edward J. Jeruss
  1st Lt. John E. Simpson                  
  1st Lt. Ricardo M. Villarreal  
  S.Sgt. Laroy Price 
  The 6911th Radio Group, Mobile (RGM) lost 11 men.
  
  
• In Oct 1958 the squadron received aircraft 56-0540.
  
  
• In November 1958 the squadron received aircraft 56-0541.
  
  
• By the end of 1958 the squadron had 45 officers and 237 airmen.
  
  
• In January 1959 the squadron received aircraft 56-0538.