56th Training Squadron

56th Training Squadron
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
56th Training Squadron Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
56th Training Squadron emblem (approved 20 July 1984)
Patch with the 56th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 1 March 1944)

The 56th Training Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.

The squadron was first activated at

Army Air Forces

in 1944.

The squadron was redesignated the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and activated late in 1952 as an

Air Defense Command

began to phase them out of its inventory.

In 1979, the squadron was redesignated as the 56th Tactical Training Squadron. It dropped the "Tactical" from its designation in 1991. Since 1979, except for a brief break in 1993–1994, the squadron has conducted academic training for United States Air Force fighter pilots, earning six

Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards

along the way.

Mission

The 56th Training Squadron trains almost half of the United States Air Force's new fighter pilots each year. It provides academic and ground training for pilots transitioning into the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon at Luke Air Force Base, and at the Papago Park military reservation in Phoenix, Arizona. Courses provided by the unit include initial instruction, transition courses, senior officer courses, Thunderbird/aggressor pilot instruction, forward air control, night systems and F-16 Block 50 specialized conversion courses. It also provides academic, simulator and live mission training for upgrading weapons directors. It establishes quality control of training materials and manages all international military student affairs and aircrew training devices for the 56th Fighter Wing.^[3]

History

World War II

The

air defense force for the northwest Pacific coast during the first few months of World War II.^[4] The squadron was redesignated as a fighter unit in May 1942.^[2]

On 20 June 1942, the air echelon of the 56th took its newly assigned

Distinguished Unit Citation.^[2]

The air echelon returned to the United States in December 1942 and rejoined the group, which had been assigned to

Army Air Forces (AAF) was finding that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.^[8] As a result, in 1944 the squadron was disbanded as the AAF converted to the AAF Base Unit system.^[2] The units at Bartow were replaced by the 340th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter),^[9]

Cold War

The squadron was reconstituted as the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, activated at

North American F-86F Sabres.^[10] In February 1953 the 56th was assigned to the 575th Air Defense Group,^[2] and in July converted to radar equipped and Mighty Mouse rocket armed F-86Ds.^[10]

On 18 August 1955, as part of

97th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.^[12] At Wright-Patterson the squadron was assigned to the 4706th Air Defense Wing until the spring of 1956 when it transferred to the 58th Air Division.^[2]

The squadron was the primary air defense unit for southwestern Ohio and the research facilities at Wright-Patterson.

In the Spring of 1957, the 56th FIS began re-equipping with the North American

Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) computers.^[10]

The unit became proficient with both the F-86L and SAGE, and won an Air Defense Command "A" award for live rocket SURE-FIRE missions in the late summer of 1957.

The transition into the F-86L was short-lived however, as the squadron began transition into the "missile-with-a-man-in-it", the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in May 1958,^[10] becoming the second ADC squadron equipped with the Starfighter. The squadron received both single seat F-104As and the two-seat, dual-control, combat trainer F-104B. The performance of the F-104B was almost identical to that of the F-104A, but the lower internal fuel capacity reduced its effective range considerably. The 56th FIS was under operational control of 30th Air Division (Air Defense), before being transferred to the Detroit Air Defense Sector in April 1959.^[2]

It was found that the F-104A was not very well suited for service as an interceptor. Its short interception range was a problem for North American air defense, and its lack of all-weather capability made it incapable of operating in conjunction with the SAGE system. Its service with the ADC was consequently quite brief, and the F-104As of the 56th FIS were transferred to the Air National Guard.

With the transfer of the Starfighters, ADC shut down operations at Wright-Patterson and the 56th FIS was inactivated at Wright-Patterson on 1 March 1960.^[10]

Training

In 1979, the squadron became the 56th Tactical Training Squadron and was assigned to the

Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for its performance of this mission.^[1]

Lineage

Constituted as the 56th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940

Activated on 15 January 1941

Redesignated 56th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 15 May 1942

Disbanded on 1 May 1944

Reconstituted and redesignated 56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, on 14 November 1952

Activated on 27 November 1952

Discontinued on 1 March 1960

Redesignated 56th Tactical Training Squadron on 25 September 1979

Activated on 1 October 1979

Redesignated 56th Training Squadron on 1 November 1991

Inactivated on 20 July 1993

Activated on 1 April 1994 [1]

Assignments

54th Pursuit Group (later Fighter Group), 15 January 1941 – 1 May 1944
4708th Defense Wing, 27 November 1952
575th Air Defense Group, 16 February 1953
4706th Air Defense Wing, 18 August 1955
58th Air Division, 1 March 1956
30th Air Division, 1 September 1958
Detroit Air Defense Sector, 1 April 1959 – 1 March 1960
56th Tactical Fighter Wing (later 56th Tactical Training Wing, 56th Fighter Wing), 1 October 1979
56th Operations Group, 1 November 1991 – 20 July 1993
56th Operations Group, 1 April 1994 – present^[1]

Stations

Hamilton Field, [California, 15 January 1941
Everett Army Air Field (later Paine Field), Washington, 26 June 1941
Elmendorf Field
, Alaska Territory, 23 October 1942 – 21 December 1942)
Bartow Army Air Field, Florida, May 1943-1 May 1944
Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, 27 November 1952
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 18 August 1955 – 1 March 1960
MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, 1 October 1979 – 20 July 1993
Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, 1 April 1994 – present^[1]

Aircraft

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1941
Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1941–1943
North American P-51 (later F-51) Mustang, 1943–1944, 1952–1953
F-86F Sabre, 1953
F-86D Sabre, 1953–1957
F-86L Sabre, 1957–1958
Lockheed F-104A/B Starfighter, 1958–1960^[1]

Awards and campaigns

Award	Dates	Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation	c. June 1942 – 4 November 1942	Alaska, 56th Fighter Squadron^[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1980 – 30 June 1982	56th Tactical Training Squadron^[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 June 1984 – 31 May 1986	56th Tactical Training Squadron^[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 May 1987 – 30 April 1989	56th Tactical Training Squadron^[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 May 1989 – 30 April 1990	56th Tactical Training Squadron^[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 May 1990 – 30 April 1991	56th Tactical Training Squadron^[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1994 – 30 June 1996	56th Training Squadron^[1]

Campaign Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
	Air Combat Asiatic-Pacific	20 June 1942 – 21 December 1943	56th Fighter Squadron^[2]
	American Theater	7 December 1941 – 1 May 1944	56th Fighter Squadron

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l Endicott, Judy G. (15 June 2010). "Factsheet 56 Training Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 227
^ "Factsheet 56th Operations Group". 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs. 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 116–117
^ Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 228
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 195
^ Craven & Cate, p. 75, The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF
^ See Abstract, History of Bartow AAF May–Jul 1944 Retrieved 12 November 2012
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Cornett & Johnson, p. 116
^ Buss, et al., p.6
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 323

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, 1956
Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
LCCN 48-3657
.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
ISBN 0-912799-02-1
.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
ISBN 0-405-12194-6
.