524th Special Operations Squadron

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524th Special Operations Squadron
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
524th Special Operations Squadron emblem[note 1]
524th Fighter Squadron emblem[note 2][1]

The 524th Special Operations Squadron is an active squadron of the

492d Special Operations Wing
.

History

World War II

Southwest Pacific

The

Hunter Field, Georgia and equipped with Douglas B-18 Bolo medium bombers. In August the squadron was redesignated the 91st Bombardment Squadron and was assigned directly to the 27th Group.[1] On 21 October the squadron was ordered to the Philippines in response to the growing crisis in the Pacific and it sailed on 1 November.[2]

Douglas A-24 Banshee Dive Bomber formerly with the 27th Bombardment Group at Charters Towers Airfield, Australia

The squadron arrived at

attacked the Philippines in December the situation had not changed. Unknown to the men of the squadron, to avoid capture or destruction of their aircraft, the ship carrying the planes was diverted to Australia. Members of the squadron flew to Australia to pick up their A-24s from the USAT Meigs. However, because swift Japanese advance prevented the airmen in Australia from returning to the Philippines, these members of the air echelon of the 27th group were ordered to operate from Brisbane.[2]

The ground echelon of the 27th was evacuated south from Luzon on 25 December to the

Fremantle, Western Australia
. The squadron continued to participate in combat in the Southwest Pacific 4 May 1942.

On 12 February pilots of the 91st flew their A-24s to

Distinguished Unit Citations (DUC).[2]

On 25 March the surviving 27th Bombardment Group personnel were assigned to the

8th Bombardment Squadron. On 4 May the unmanned and unequipped 91st Bombardment Squadron was transferred back to the United States.[2]

Mediterranean Theater

The squadron was re-manned and re-equipped at Hunter Field with the

Ste-Barbe-du-Tlelat Airfield, Algeria, arriving on 26 December[1] to enter combat in North Africa with Twelfth Air Force
.

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt

Maintenance and support personnel went by sea to North Africa while aircrews and the A-20s flew to South America then across to North Africa, In North Africa, the A-20s were sent to other groups and the 91st was redesignated as the 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and equipped with the

North American A-36 Apache dive bomber. The squadron flew its first combat missions of the war from Korba Airfield, Tunisia on 6 June 1943. The 524th was redesignated the 524th Fighter Squadron in May 1944 and converted first to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, then to the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft.[1]

During

Fifth Army during the Allied drive toward Rome.[2]

The squadron took part in Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France, and assisted Seventh Army's advance up the Rhone Valley, receiving a fifth DUC for helping to disrupt the German retreat on 4 September 1944.[2] The 524th took part in the air interdiction of the enemy's communications in northern Italy, and assisted in the Allied drive from France into Germany during the last months of the war. The unit was at Biblis, Germany on V-E Day.[2] The squadron remained in Germany with the Army of Occupation until October 1945 before returning to the US, where it was inactivated upon arriving at the port of embarkation in November.[1]

Army of Occupation Duty

Within a year, the 524th was again activated under

Andrews Field, Maryland where it was assigned to Strategic Air Command
(SAC).

Strategic Air Command

27th Fighter Wing North American F-82E Twin Mustangs and a Boeing B-29 Superfortress at Kearney AFB.

SAC moved the squadron to

Hamilton AFB
, California that could be modified for the F-82 which were fitted on the pylons of the Twin Mustang that solved the problem. With a reduction in tension, the unit returned to its home base in Nebraska during September.

In January 1949, Eighth Air Force planned a large airshow at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas. All of its assigned units were to participate in a coordinated flyover. Kearney AFB was socked-in with a blizzard on the day of the show. Nevertheless, paths were cut through the snow for the aircraft to taxi and somehow the F-82s got airborne, joining up with SAC bombers over Oklahoma on schedule. The flyover by the Twin Mustangs was a tremendous success, with SAC leadership being amazed that the F-82 was truly an all-weather aircraft and the unit able to carry out their mission despite the weather.

In early 1949, the squadron began carrying out long-range escort profile missions. Flights to Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Washington DC were carried out. For

Idlewild Airport in New York City soon followed, with the aircraft flying non-stop from Kearney AFB. Two months later SAC decided to close Kearney AFB and the 524th transferred to Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas on 16 March.[1]

27th Fighter-Escort Group F-84Gs at Bergstrom AFB in 1952

At Bergstrom, the 524th transitioned to jet aircraft with

Far East Air Forces
(FEAF) or Alaska as replacement aircraft or for air defense duties.

The squadron participated in the deployment of 180 F-84s from Bergstrom AFB to

36th Fighter-Bomber Group. This operation won the unit's parent 27th Fighter-Escort Wing the Mackay Trophy for 1950.[4] This was the second long-range mass flight of jet fighter aircraft in aviation history. This feat was repeated in October when aircraft were ferried to Neubiberg Air Base
, Germany.

Korean War

Republic F-84E Thunderjet at Taegu AB (K-2), South Korea, 1951

In November 1950, the 524th received orders to deploy to Japan to support FEAF in the

Kisarazu Air Base where they were preflighted for a short flight to Yokota Air Base
. However, due to the open air deck shipment the aircraft had salt air induced corrosion, landing gear damage and some aircraft also had flat tires.

On 1 December FEAF split the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing into forward and rear echelons. Advanced headquarters and operational squadrons were at

49th Fighter-Bomber Wing
for logistical support, while the rear echelon would rely on the 6160th Air Base Wing.

For the next six months, the unit flew missions in support of ground forces, earning another DUC for missions between 26 January and 21 April 1951.

MiG-15
fighters.

In June the unit began to give combat orientation to their replacements, the newly arrived

27th Fighter-Escort Wing as SAC implemented the Dual Deputate organization.[1][note 5]

Cold War

524th TFS F-100F Super Sabre 56-3878 fighter trainer in natural metal finish

On 20 January 1953 the squadron was redesignated as the 524th Strategic Fighter Squadron[1] to reflect the changed emphasis on strike missions and the decreasing need for escort missions. With the arrival of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress into the SAC inventory, the fighter escorts were no longer necessary for the new fast jet bombers, which flew missions individually, not in large formations. On 1 July 1957, the 27th wing was transferred to Tactical Air Command (TAC) and the squadron became 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.[1]

TAC assigned the squadron to Twelfth Air Force and the unit re-equipped with the new McDonnell F-101A Voodoo, which had been planned under SAC. Its mission was to deliver a centerline nuclear bomb to a target. The F-101A was capable of little else and although designated as a fighter aircraft, it had poor aerial combat capabilities and would not have fared well in any air-to-air combat against enemy aircraft although its speed was demonstrated when it broke the world speed record on 12 December 1957.[5]

The squadron became the 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1958

312th Tactical Fighter Wing, which was inactivated.[7]

As United States involvement in the

Misawa AB, Japan in 1965.[1] As USAF F-100 resources were transferred to these squadrons, the 524th's mission, like that of most TAC fighter units in the US, focused on combat crew training.[5] The squadron conducted F-100 replacement training from 1 January 1966 to 6 March 1969.[1]

F-16 of the 524th Fighter Squadron

With the withdrawal of the F-100 from Vietnam in 1970, and the phaseout of the aircraft from the active Air Force inventory, the 27th TFW began conversion to the

Nellis AFB, Nevada facilitated training while the squadron waited for its own planes. By July 1972, the last operational active duty Air Force F-100s were transferred to the Air National Guard. Beginning in January 1980 the 524th served as the 27th wing's primary F-111 training squadron. The squadron conducted overseas deployments to maintain combat readiness of its personnel and aircraft from 1984 to 1989.[1] From September 1992 to July 1993 squadron aircrews and support personnel rotated to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, in support of Operation Provide Comfort
.

F-16 Operations

In 1995 the squadron began to transition to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. With the arrival of the F-16s, the squadron's F-111s were sent to storage. The F-111 in various forms had been at Cannon AFB for 29 years.

On 15 January 1998, the 524th ventured to the Middle East for their first overseas deployment since transitioning to the F-16. The unit was the major force provider for the 524th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at

Hill AFB, Utah for Exercise Combat Hammer. During the exercise, they dropped inert GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs and fired live AGM-65 Maverick
antitank missiles on Utah test range. The hit rate was one of the highest ever seen in the Air Force, showcasing the lethality of the Block 40 F-16.

During

Operation Allied Force
in 1999, the squadron was "on-call" duty to augment forces. The quick termination of hostilities precluded the unit from seeing action.

On 11 September 2001 when terrorists attacked the

Operation Iraqi Freedom
, dropping nearly a million pounds of precision guided munitions, more than any other F-16 Block 40 squadron in history.

Special Operations

On 1 April 2009, Air Force Special Operations Command prepared for the expansion of the 27th Special Operations Group by activating the 7524th Special Operations Squadron, Provisional at Cannon Air Force Base. As the squadron approached full strength, the 524th was activated again as the 524th Special Operations Squadron and assumed the provisional unit's mission, personnel, and equipment.

On 19 November 2009 a

492d Special Operations Wing, in order to better coordinate with its reserve Total Force partner unit, the 919th Special Operations Wing's 859th Special Operations Squadron.[9]

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 11th Reconnaissance Squadron (Light) on 20 November 1940
Activated on 15 January 1941
Redesignated 91st Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 14 August 1941
Redesignated 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 23 August 1943
Redesignated 524th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 30 May 1944
Inactivated on 7 November 1945
  • Activated on 20 August 1946
Redesignated 524th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine on 22 July 1947
Redesignated 524th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 1 December 1949
Redesignated 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron on 1 February 1950
Redesignated 524th Strategic Fighter Squadron on 20 January 1953
Redesignated 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 1 July 1957
Redesignated 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958
Redesignated 524th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 8 July 1980
Redesignated 524th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991.
Inactivated on 20 September 2007
Redesignated 524th Special Operations Squadron on 23 September 2009
Activated on 1 October 2009[1]

Assignments

  • 27th Bombardment (later, 27th Fighter-Bomber; 27th Fighter) Group
Attached on 15 January 1941
Assigned 14 August 1941 – 7 November 1945
  • Ground echelon attached to: 5th Interceptor Command as infantry unit: 2 January – 9 April 1942
  • 27th Fighter (later, 27th Fighter-Escort) Group, 20 August 1946 (attached to 136th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 30 June 1951 – 12 August 1951, 27th Fighter-Escort Wing, 25 August 1951 – 15 June 1952)
  • 27th Fighter-Escort (later, 27th Strategic Fighter; 27th Fighter-Bomber; 27th Tactical Fighter; 27th Fighter) Wing, 16 June 1952 (attached to
    50th Fighter-Bomber Wing
    , 17 June 1959 – 8 July 1959)
  • Turkish United States Logistics Command, 10 February 1961 – 16 June 1961
  • 4158th Strategic Wing, 30 October 1961 – 14 November 1961
  • 2d Air Division
    , 9–c. 27 June 1963 and 21 January–19 March 1964
  • 39th Air Division, 1 December 1964 – 28 March 1965
  • 27th Operations Group, 1 November 1991 – 20 September 2007.
  • 27th Special Operations Group, 1 October 2009[1]
  • 492d Special Operations Group, May 2017[9]

Stations

Aircraft

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation
 7 December 1941– ca. Apr 1942 Philippine Islands 91st Bombardment Squadron[1]
Distinguished Unit Citation 8 December 1941–22 December 1941 Philippine Islands 91st Bombardment Squadron[1]
Distinguished Unit Citation 6 January 1942–8 March 1942 Philippine Islands 91st Bombardment Squadron[1]
Distinguished Unit Citation 10 September 1943 Italy 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1]
Distinguished Unit Citation 4 September 1944 France 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
Distinguished Unit Citation 26 January 1951–21 April 1951 Korea 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
 15 August 1968 – 15 August 1969 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 January 1981 – 30 June 1982 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 January 1988 – 31 December 1989 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 April 1992–30 September 1992 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation 7 December 1941 – ca. April 1942 91st Bombardment Squadron[1]
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
 9 November 1950 – 31 May 1951 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Philippine Islands 91st Bombardment Squadron[1]
East Indies 91st Bombardment Squadron[1]
Sicily 91st Bombardment Squadron[1][note 6]
Naples-Foggia 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1]
Anzio 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1][note 7]
Rome-Arno 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1][note 7]
Northern France 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
Southern France 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
North Apennines 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
Rhineland 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
Central Europe 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
Air Combat, EAME Theater 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
World War II Army of Occupation 524th Fighter Squadron
Chinese Communist Forces Intervention 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1]
First United Nations Counteroffensive 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1]
Chinese Communist Forces Spring Offensive 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1]
United Nations Summer-Fall Offensive 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1]
Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
National Resolution 16 December 2005 – 9 January 2007 524th Fighter Squadron[1]
Iraqi Surge 10 January 2007 – 20 September 2007 524th Fighter Squadron[1]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron.

Notes

  1. ^ Approved 21 January 1955, newest rendition approved on 19 July 2010.
  2. ^ Approved 21 January 1955.
  3. USS Spearfish (SS-190)
    .
  4. USS Cape Esperance (CVE-88)
    .
  5. ^ Under this plan flying squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Operations and maintenance squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Maintenance
  6. ^ Redesignated 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron during campaign
  7. ^ a b Redesignated 524th Fighter Squadron during campaign

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax Dollman, TSG Davis (17 October 2017). "Factsheet 524 Special Operations Squadron (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 78–79
  3. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 250–252
  4. ^ "Mackay 1950–1959 Recipients". National Aeronautic Association. Retrieved 23 September 2013. The Mackay Trophy is awarded for the most meritorious flight of the year by an Air Force person, persons, or organization.
  5. ^ a b c Ravenstein, pp. 50–52
  6. ^ Mueller, pp. 29–34
  7. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 159–160
  8. Military Times. Archived from the original
     on 23 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Washburn, Michael (31 May 2017). "524th SOS relocates from Cannon to Duke Field". 27th Special Operations Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Field number in Johnson
  11. ^ Field number in Endicott

Bibliography

Further reading
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