549th Combat Training Squadron
549th Combat Training Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1944–1947; 1969-1988; 1991 – present |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Type | Squadron |
Role | Combat Training |
Part of | 57th Operations Group |
Garrison/HQ | Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada |
Engagements | |
Decorations | |
Insignia | |
Emblem of the 549th Combat Training Squadron (approved 17 July 1944)[1] |
The 549th Combat Training Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It conducts air support and air interdiction sorties in "Green Flag (West)" exercises to train USAF fighter pilots and the aerospace power component to the US Army's brigade combat training.
The unit was originally formed as the 549th Night Fighter Squadron in 1944. After training, it was deployed to Seventh Air Force and ordered to the Mariana Islands in the Central Pacific. Its mission was the air defense of Twentieth Air Force Boeing B-29 Superfortress airfields on Iwo Jima. It also provided night escort for the B-29s in case of Japanese interceptor attacks. It later served on Okinawa where it was inactivated in December 1945.
The squadron was reactivated during the
Mission
The 549th Combat Training Squadron hosts Green Flag-West exercises, a realistic air-surface integration combat training exercise involving the air forces of the United States and its allies, is primarily conducted in conjunction with US Army Combat Training Center exercises at
History
World War II
The
The squadron moved by train to
After a month on Saipan, the squadron moved to the newly captured Central Field, on Iwo Jima in March 1945. Even after its capture, Iwo Jima remained vulnerable to long range Japanese attacks, and its mission was to defend the new American airfields being built there. A large percentage of the squadron's missions consisted of long-distance patrols over water, many of which involved interceptions of Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers. Its presence, although rarely shooting down any enemy aircraft, did cause the bombers to jettison their loads and beat a hasty retreat from the area. The squadron remained assigned to Iwo Jima for the balance of the Pacific War, flying long range missions over eastern China and night interdiction missions to chi Chi Jima. It was demobilized there in early 1946, and inactivated on 5 February as an administrative unit[3]
The squadron was reactivated briefly on 26 June 1946 as part of the
Cold War
The squadron was reactivated in 1969 as the 549th Tactical Air Support Training Squadron, training USAF and South Vietnamese
It continued the FAC training mission after the United States withdrawal from the Vietnam War, providing Direct Air Support Center and Tactical Air Control Party personnel and equipment to support US Army units. It was inactivated on 1 July 1988.[1]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 549th Night Fighter Squadron in April 1944
- Activated on 1 May 1944
- Inactivated on 5 February 1946
- Activated on 25 June 1946
- Inactivated on 19 February 1947
- Redesignated 549th Tactical Air Support Training Squadron on 18 Aug 1969
- Activated on 15 Oct 1969
- Inactivated on 1 Jul 1988
- Redesignated 549th Joint Training Squadron, and activated, on 1 Nov 1991
- Redesignated 549th Combat Training Squadron on 1 Jul 1994[1]
Assignments
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Stations
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Aircraft
- Douglas P-70 Havoc, 1944
- Northrop P-61 Black Widow, 1944–1946
- North American OV-10 Bronco, 1969–1988
- Cessna O-2 Skymaster, 1975–1986[1]
- Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1991 – present
- General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1991 – present
See also
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Robertson, Patsy (31 July 2009). "Factsheet 549 Combat Training Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ "Fact Sheets: Green Flag". 99th Air Base Wing Public Affairs. 6 June 2015. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
- ^ a b c Pape, Campbell & Campbell[page needed]
- ^ "Abstract, History 549 Night Fighter Squadron Jun 1946-Feb 1947". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- ^ Haas & Robinson[page needed]
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Haas, Michael E.; Robinson, TSG Dale K. (1994). Air Commando! 1950-1975: Twenty-Five years at the Tip of the Spear (PDF). Hurlburt Field, FL: Air Force Special Operations Command Office of History. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Pape, Garry R.; Campbell, John M.; Campbell, Donna (1991). Northrop P-61 Black Widow: The Complete History and Combat Record. Minneapolis, MN: Motorbooks International. ISBN 978-0-879385-09-5.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.