8th Special Operations Squadron
It has been suggested that the history of the unit while operating under that name be 8th Bombardment Squadron. (Discuss ) (May 2023) |
8th Special Operations Squadron | |
---|---|
Special Operations | |
Size | Squadron |
Part of | Air Force Special Operations Command |
Garrison/HQ | Hurlburt Field, Florida |
Nickname(s) | Blackbirds |
Engagements |
|
Decorations | George C. Kenney |
Insignia | |
8th Special Operations Squadron emblem (approved 18 June 1997) | |
8th Special Operations Squadron emblem (approved 15 June 1993)[2] | |
8th Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 21 June 1954)[3] | |
8th Attack Squadron emblem (approved 14 February 1924)[2] |
The 8th Special Operations Squadron is a squadron of the
The 8th is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force, being organized as the 8th Aero Squadron on 21 June 1917 at
During
Mission
The primary mission of the squadron is insertion, extraction, and resupply of unconventional warfare forces and equipment into hostile or enemy-controlled territory using airland or airdrop procedures.[4]
History
The 8th Special Operations Squadron can trace its history to 21 June 1917 when the 8th Aero Squadron was organized at Kelly Field, Texas.[5] The squadron has an unbroken history of over 95 years of service to the United States.
World War I
The 8th Aero Squadron was drawn from enlisted personnel of the 2d Company I, Provisional Aviation Camp,
Serving in France on the
The squadron returned to the United States on 3 May 1919, and largely demobilized at
Intra-War period
Upon its arrival at Kelly Field, the squadron was reorganized to a peacetime strength manning of two flights. At Kelly, the 8th, along with the
Mexican Border patrol
- see also: United States Army Border Air Patrol
The mission of the Army Surveillance Group was to carry out observation overflights along the Mexican Border. During this period, Mexico was enduring a period of revolution and unrest, which led to border violations and the deaths of American citizens. New personnel for the squadron were transferred from
At McAllen, an airfield had to be established. Land was first cleared by a construction squadron and by 18 August, they had succeeded in clearing off enough cactus and mesquite for a landing strip that was suitable for safe landings. Also, the engineers had put up seven tent hangars and several framed tent structures for the personnel. The first border reconnaissance flight was made by this flight of the Squadron on 29 July and as fast as planes could be assembled at Kelly Field and flown to the new airfield, border patrol work started.[7]
Squadron headquarters and Flight B remained at Kelly Field until 13 August 1919, when Flight B left for Laredo, Texas, and Headquarters, consisting of two officers and 17 men, joined Flight A at McAllen. B Flight consisted of six DH-4s which had been assembled at Kelly Field and were flown down to Laredo when the flight was ready to operate. Work of building a permanent camp at both flight stations was started at once, after their arrival at their respective stations. Seven buildings were erected at McAllen and about the same number was erected at Laredo. During March 1920, new DH-4B's, were ferried down to McAllen and Laredo by Kelly Field pilots. They were specially good for observation and liaison purposes since the new arrangements of cockpits put the pilot and observer close together.[7]
Still flying the DH-4, the squadron returned to Kelly Field on 20 June 1921, when the situation in Mexico stabilized. All personnel and material was ordered returned from Laredo and McAllen to Kelly Field, with the exception of three caretakers at each station which proceeded to close down the airfields.[7]
8th Squadron (Attack)
Upon their return to Kelly Field, both flights of the squadron were consolidated on 2 July 1921 and the last personnel from both detachments returned. The squadron was redesignated as the 8th Attack Squadron and received a
On 26 May 1922, a long-distance one-man non-stop record was set when Lt. Crocker when he made a non-stop flight from the Mexican Gulf Coast to the Canada–US Border, an approximate distance of 1200 miles, to demonstrate the mobility of the Air Service. The course was from
In June 1922, the squadron provided flood relief in the lower Rio Grande Valley. A commendable piece of work was done by Lt. Selzer in July 1922, in connection with the Rio Grande flood at
On 28 June 1926 the squadron moved from Kelly Field to
During this time the squadron flew many types of aircraft. These aircraft included
The 3d Attack Group resumed border patrols briefly again in 1929, after unrest erupted in Mexico. It deployed 18 of its aircraft on patrol along the Mexican border with Arizona in early April. The patrols lasted until early May when the situation in Mexico stabilized. After the border patrols ended, the squadron resumed its training activities at Fort Crockett.[7]
On 5 January 1932 the organization received its first A-12 attack airplane from the Curtis factory. By the last of January the Squadron had ten A-12s and four A-3Bs assigned. By late 1932, the squadron had upgraded to the Curtis A-8 Shrike. The low-wing monoplane represented the rapid advance in aircraft technology being achieved despite the economic difficulties of the Great Depression. It carried 400 pounds of bombs and was armed with five .30-caliber machine guns. The 8th received the A-12 Shrike, an improved version of the A-8, the next year.[7][clarification needed did the squadron upgrade from A-8s to A-12s or the other way around?]
On 12 February 1934, in compliance with Executive Order 6591, dated 9 February 1934, the organization began preparation for duty in connection with carrying the air mail. The Air Corps agreed to carry the US mail following a government dispute with the commercial carriers. When the Air Corps started to carry the mail in 1934 the 8th was one of the first Squadrons selected to be used in this capacity. On 15 May, the Army terminated its connection with the carrying of the mail and personnel and planes began returning to station and the squadron returned to its routine duties.[7]
On 1 March 1935 the squadron moved by train with the Group to
In 1937, the squadron received 13 Curtis A-18 Shrikes. This two-engine attack plane represented a technological advance. It carried 20 fragmentation bombs in the fuselage and up to four 100-pound bombs under its wings. Four .30-caliber machine guns mounted in the nose provided concentrated fire for strafing ground targets. It performed well, winning the Harmon Trophy for gunnery and bombing accuracy during its first year of operations.[7]
8th Bombardment Squadron
The Army redesignated the 8th Squadron as the 8th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 15 September 1939. In September 1939, the Squadron received the
On 6 October 1940, the squadron received orders to pack supplies and equipment for a change of station to
The 8th continued in this training capacity until October 1940 and during this period participated in all major field exercises and tactical maneuvers throughout the country. The 3d Bombardment Group spent its time at Savannah flying
The squadron was also assigned a small number of
World War II
After the
Operations from Australia
Upon the squadron's arrival in Brisbane, its aircraft had not yet arrived. The ground crews were pressed into service as ground crews for the
Combat missions from Charters Towers were conducted by staging through
While at Charters Towers the squadron received some
Battle of New Guinea
Port Moresby
The squadron moved to
On 4 April 1942. Colonel Davies led the crews of twelve B-25s on an 800-mile round trip strike from Port Moresby against the Japanese at
However, the B-25s as high level bombers were flying without escort fighters. Although better armed, they were still treated badly by swarms of Zeros. On 24 May six B-25s attacked Lae Airfield and one of them came back. Harassing missions were flown out of Jackson Airfield with the A-24s until 29 July when an eight ship convoy was spotted 50 miles north of
It was decided that the A-24 aircraft was unsuitable for dive-bombing land combat against the Japanese. The Japanese, possessing air superiority, easily dealt with the dive-bombers and the handful of inferior fighter escorts. After losing eleven A-24s and their two-man crews, the 3d Bombardment Group called off further dive-bomber missions from Jackson Airfield. They were withdrawn from New Guinea after it was realized that they were not suited for their intended role without adequate fighter protection and they were desperately in need of adequate workshop facilities and spares backup that were unavailable.[7]
In May 1942, the 8th was without any aircraft, and the men of the squadron settled down to enjoy the rumor that eventually it would receive A-20 Havocs. Capt. Galusha, acting as Commander, obtained three A-20Cs from the
The 8th was finally supplied with Douglas A-20C Havoc aircraft in August 1942. They returned to Australia for a short time to train in this new type of aircraft. On 28 September 1942, the Squadron was redesignated as the 8th Bombardment Squadron (Dive).
On 12 September 1942, the 8th and 89th Bombardment Squadron A-20s attacked the Japanese
Dobodura
By spring of 1943, the war was shifting to the Allies advantage. On 10 April 1943 a new base was established across the Owen Stanley Mountains at
At Dobodura the squadron began to receive B-25G Mitchells to replace the ones taken over from the Netherlands East Indies Air Force at Charters Towers. The B-25G was equipped with a 75-mm cannon, intended for use in anti-shipping strikes in the South Pacific. From Dobodura the 8th Squadron made one of the first raids on the Japanese Wewak Airport. The 3d Bombardment Group participated in a maximum effort against the Japanese airfields both at Wewak and Boram in mid-August, effectively neutralizing them and destroying most of the aircraft. The attacks paved the way for an airborne drop of American troops and an amphibious landing of Australian soldiers, who seized Nadzab and Lae in early September. The air attacks on the Japanese airfields and landings broke the back of any effective Japanese air capability in New Guinea and cleared the way for a further advance up the coast and the clearing of Dutch New Guinea of Japanese. The 3d Bombardment Group earned its second Distinguished Unit Citation for its support of the operation on 17 August 1943. Slowly the Japanese were pushed out of the "deep" South Pacific. Air and sea battles raged from Hollandia to Wewak. The net cost to Japanese airfields, personnel, planes and ocean-going vessels were tremendous.[7]
Also, the 8th began attacking the Japanese base at Rabaul, which the Japanese had turned into a fortress. It had been attacked by B-17s based in Australia early in the war, but until the establishment of an Allied base at Dobodura it was out of range of both the A-20s and B-25s. Since a direct landing assault was virtually impossible, the Americans decided on a strategy of taking Bougainville Island to the north and occupying the southern half of New Britain. Fifth Air Force received the mission of neutralizing the Japanese at Rabaul and supporting the landing to the north and south of the Japanese fortress. The 3rd Bombardment Group used its A-20s and B-25s with deadly effect in low-level attacks against Japanese ground targets and shipping. By firing the machine guns, the bomber crews forced the Japanese anti-aircraft gunners to run for cover, allowing time to drop the bombs with deadly accuracy.[7]
Nadzab
In May 1944, the same routine followed with the strafing and bombing along the coastal areas. On 5 February 1944, the unit moved to
Hollandia
The group moved to Hollandia Airfield on 7 May 1944 as the Japanese gave way to repeated assaults on their New Guinea strongholds. The 3d Bomb Group carried out strikes against Japanese shipping, struck airfields at low level and on 17 May, supported the landing at
Shipping at
The 3d Bomb Group spent the rest of the year supporting ground operations as the American and Australian Armies cleaned out the last vestiges of Japanese in the New Guinea and Bismarck Archipelago areas and seized additional islands closer to the Philippines. On 20 October 1944, General Douglas MacArthur's forces landed on Leyte Island in the central Philippines. After securing the island, they established logistical bases for further operations in the Philippines.[7]
When the landings were made upon Leyte Island in the central Philippines on 20 October, all men in the organization knew that soon their new destination would be some location in the Philippines. Rapid preparations were made in the closing days of October for a movement by water in the early part of November.[7]
Philippines Campaign
In November 1944, the 8th again prepared to move, splitting into advance and rear echelons. The advance echelon headed to Dulag Airfield, Leyte, Philippines on 15 November with 20 officers and 177 enlisted men. These men boarded a Landing Ship, Tank (LST) for Leyte. while 19 officers and 34 enlisted men of the rear echelon remained at Hollandia Airfield. Upon arrival at Dulag Airfield the 8th continued to fly missions against the enemy in support of ground force action. On 1 November there were 16 serviceable A-20Gs and 1 serviceable B-25J airplanes. On 30 November there were 15 serviceable A-20Gs. While based in the Philippines, the unit attacked shipping off the northwest coast of Luzon, flew missions in support of landings at Subic Bay, provided support for the recapture of Manila and Bataan, and cooperated with allied ground forces in bombing enemy held areas on Luzon and adjacent islands.[7]
However, the biggest change for the 3d Bombardment Group in the Philippines was that, unlike in New Guinea, it was no longer was the primary ground support unit for the landing forces island hopping in the Philippines. In New Guinea, it had been constantly at the brunt of battle. In the Philippines, the 3d was moved to a support role. In November, the entire group flew only one strike mission of 10 sorties and 4.5 combat hours was flown. No strike missions were flown from Dulag Field during the entire month of December 1944. In December new higher-horsepower A-20Hs arrived to replace the battle-weary A-20Gs.[7]
After about two months, the forward echelon of the 3d Bombardment Group moved again to Mc Guire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines on 30 December 1944. The rear remained at Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea until 23 January 1945, on which date the 8th Squadron planes left for McGuire Field, arriving on 24 January. From 24 to 31 January the entire Squadron was based at San Jose. On 1 January the Squadron had 16 serviceable A-20Hs and on 31 January there were 16 serviceable A-20Hs. The unit flew 6 missions for a total of 58 sorties. Resistance was light on the missions.[7]
On 9 January 1945, Lt Col
At the beginning of May 1945, the group began received four early production models of the
In June, the pace of action slowed. The squadron flew 5 missions for a total of 46 sorties. The 8th was involved in strikes against Japanese troop concentrations in the Cagayan Valley on Northern Luzon. The last organized Japanese resistance on Luzon was crushed by the end of June. Rumors of a move from McGuire Field to Okinawa in July prevailed throughout the month.[7]
The squadron remained at McGuire Field until 25 July when the ground echelon embarked for Okinawa. The end of July found the water echelon at sea, while the air echelon remained at San Jose. The unit flew four missions for a total of twelve sorties during the entire month, with all missions in July were attacks on the Japanese targets in Formosa. Throughout July, local transition training for the A-26B was conducted with flights between McGuire Field and
The first day of August 1945 found the ground echelon on the high seas en route to Okinawa, while the air echelon remained at McGuire Field on Mindoro. The ground echelon arrived on 6 August at Sobe Field, Okinawa and the air echelon arrived on 7 August. From 6 August until hostilities ceased on 12 August, the 8th was flying missions as part of a group effort against strategic targets on Kyushu and Honshu.[7]
Japanese occupation duty
When peace came the 8th was transferred to the Japanese Home Island of Honshu. The first U.S. personnel from the 3d Group touched down at
By the end of 1945, the last A-20 had been transferred out, and the group became an all A-26 outfit. The wartime personnel strengths declined rapidly as the Army underwent demobilization. By January 1946, the 13th, 89th and 90th Bombardment Squadrons had been reduced to one officer and one enlisted man each. The remaining personnel were concentrated in the 8th Bombardment Squadron. By late March, the personnel situation had improved to the extent that the 90th Bombardment Squadron could be made operational again. On 20 August 1946, the 3d Bomb Group moved to Yokota Air Base, near Tokyo. It considered naming Yokota after its Medal of Honor recipient, Major Raymond Wilkins. However, the name was not accepted.
On 18 August 1948, the
Korean War
On 22 June 1950, the 8th Squadron went on temporary duty to
On 30 June, President
On 1 August 1950 the 8th started flying night intruder missions. The 8th flew this type of mission for the remainder of the war except for an occasional special mission. Late in August the Air Force began flare missions over North Korea. Boeing B-29 Superfortresses would release parachute flares at 10,000 feet that ignited at 6,000 feet, whereupon cooperating B-26 bombers attacked any enemy movement discovered in the illuminated area.[8][9]
On 15 September 1950 the US
After the breakout from the Pusan Perimeter in November 1950, the 8th flew daily strike missions out of Iwakuni and at times recovering at
After Kunsan Air Base (K-8) South Korea was constructed with a suitable runway, the unit relocated there on 18 August 1951. The Army's 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion had built a 5,000 feet (1,500 m) runway for the light bombers, but the conditions at the base were still relatively primitive. Many of the creature comforts such as latrines and showers were still under construction.[8][9]
The night flying missions of the 8th aided in tallying up figures for locomotive and vehicle "kills". North Koreans found it almost suicidal to move large vehicle convoys by day. When they did attempt it, marauding fighter-bombers chopped the convoys to pieces. Moving large convoys at night seemed the only sensible choice, so the North Koreans began hauling their supplies under the cover of darkness. Rail traffic also took to moving at night, speeding from one tunnel to another until dawn. But night flying was a dangerous undertaking. The North Koreans knowing they had to protect their truck convoys placed flak batteries on hills and mountaintops that overlooked crucial road routes. At times, the gunners actually had to fire down into the valleys to hit the attacking B-26s. These flak traps could be deadly, and their plunging fire claimed many B-26 lives.[8][9]
For almost two years the air war went on and losses mounted and the claims piled up. In June 1953 the pace picked up with a full-scale maximum effort. Armament crew chiefs met the ships at night and readied the aircraft for early morning flights. Combat crews returned from missions, debriefed, and climbed back bleary-eyed and weary into their ships for early morning sorties. For two months this grueling routine was adhered to as schedule requirements rose.[8][9]
The 3d Bombardment Wing, one of the first air units to intervene on the side of the United Nations in 1950 was also the last air unit to drop ordnance on the North on 27 July 1953. With a few scant minutes remaining before the 22:00 deadline, a B-26 Night Intruder bearing the Liberty Squadron's yellow tail, opened its bomb bays and dropped the last load of explosives that detonated in North Korea. And then the stillness of the Armistice took hold.[8][9]
Cold War in Japan and Korea
After the cease-fire, the 3d BW returned to peacetime duty remaining at Kunsan AB, South Korea until October 1954, when it moved back to Johnson AB, Japan. Beginning in January 1956, the 3d Bombardment Group converted from the aging World War II era B-26 to the jet-powered
Since nuclear weapons could not be stationed in Japan, in August 1958, the 3d Group set up a rotation of crews to stand nuclear alert at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. This rotation continued until April 1964, when the 3d Group returned to Yokota to begin the process of inactivation. The 8th Bomb Squadron however remained in the Pacific and was realigned under the
Vietnam War
The increasing demands for aircraft in South Vietnam caused the Air force to reconsider the inactivation of the 8th Bomb Squadron and the retirement of the B-57B. The squadron was moved to Clark Air Base, Philippines.
In 1964, the worsening situation in South Vietnam led the United States to introduce Canberra tactical bombers to perform tactical bombing strikes against the Viet Cong (VC). In early 1964 orders were issued to the 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadrons for reassignment from rotational South Korean alert duty at Yokota for movement to Clark Air Base, Philippines for possible action in South Vietnam. As it happened, this move did not take place until 5 August, following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in which North Vietnamese gunboats clashed with United States Navy destroyers.[10]
According to the initial plan, 20 B-57Bs of the 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadrons were to be stationed at
The initial deployment to Vietnam got off on the wrong foot. The first two B-57Bs to land collided with each other on the ground and blocked the runway at Bien Hoa, forcing the rest of the flight to divert to
During the next few weeks, more B-57Bs were moved from Clark to Bien Hoa to make good these losses and to reinforce the original deployment. The B-57s shared an open-air, three-sided hangar with the Vietnamese Air Force that flew Douglas A-1 Skyraider aircraft, and things got so crowded at Bien Hoa at that time that some of the B-57s had to be sent back to Clark. Also, maintenance facilities for the B-57 at Bien Hoa were scarce.[10]
Further VC mortar attacks led General
In late May 1965 the surviving Canberras from the temporary duty 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadrons at Bien Hoa that had been operating from Tan Son Nhut after the Bien Hoa runway disaster were moved up to Da Nang Air Base to carry out night interdiction operations over North Vietnam and Laos. In order to make up losses incurred at Bien Hoa, some B-57Bs had to be transferred to Vietnam from the Kansas Air National Guard, and 12 B-57Es had to be withdrawn from target-towing duties and reconfigured as bombers.[10]
The squadron operated on rotating deployments from the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark, the B-57s carried out attack on trails used by communist trucks, storage and bivouac areas, bridges, buildings, and antiaircraft artillery sites. In October 1966, combat attrition in the B-57 force plus the increasing availability of higher performance fighters to carry out the air war against North Vietnam caused the 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadrons to be withdrawn from operations against the North from Da Nang Air Base and relocated to Phan Rang Air Base. At Phan Rang, the squadrons ended their temporary rotations from Clark and were assigned to the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing.[10]
From their new base, the Canberras carried out attacks against communist forces in the Central Highlands and supported U.S. ground troops in the
In January 1968, the 13th Squadron was inactivated and the 8th Squadron was left in permanent residence at Phan Rang. The main emphasis was again on night interdiction against the
A-37 Counter-Insurgency Operations
The 8th moved to Bien Hoa Air Base, where it redesignated as the 8th Attack Squadron and absorbed the
The 8th flew round-the-clock missions on both preplanned airstrikes and immediate infantry requests. Whenever a
By 1971, the Vietnamization of the war was in full swing, and the A-37s of the squadron began to be transferred to the
The squadron moved, without personnel or equipment, to the 405th Fighter Wing at Clark Air Base. On 1 July 1973, the unit was redesignated as the 8th Fighter Squadron but remained an unmanned and unequipped unit. The reason it was not simply inactivated is that the unit was the second oldest squadron in the Air Force was historically significant. It remained assigned without personnel or aircraft until March 1974.[7]
Special operations mission
The unit reverted to its old name the 8th Special Operations Squadron on 1 March 1974 when it moved without personnel or equipment to
The squadron was called on again in October 1983 to lead the way in
Members of the 8th were mobilized in December 1989 as part of a joint task force for
The 8th supported Operations Provide Promise and Deny Flight in Bosnia, Operation Assured Response in Liberia and Operation Southern Watch in Saudi Arabia. Even Hollywood relied on the crews of the 8th in the 1997 hit movie Air Force One.[4] When the MC-130H Combat Talon II became fully operational in 1997, the 8th became an associate squadron without assigned aircraft, performing its operational duties using MC-130E Combat Talon I's of the 711th Special Operations Squadron of Air Force Reserve Command.
When the
The 8th SOS opened a new chapter in its distinguished history when it transitioned from the Combat Talon I to the
In 2008, the 8th logged over 190 transoceanic flight hours during a self-deployment to the nation of Mali supporting United States Africa Command's Flintlock exercise. In 2009, 8th crews deployed to Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, where they delivered 40,000 pounds of critical food and medical supplies to remote Honduran villages. During the same year the 8th culminated its years of testing and evaluation with its first-ever combat deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. There, crews flew 123 total missions, of which 45 were direct assaults against known enemy insurgents.[4]
In June 2009, the 8th delivered humanitarian supplies to Honduras. In November 2009, the 8th returned from a three-month deployment in Iraq.[13]
In 2010, the squadron deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. During this deployment, its crews flew 875 combat sorties, 642 direct assault sorties, infiltrated 4069 special operations force assaulters, transported 284 terrorists and high-value targets and delivered over 87,000 pounds of supplies to allied forces.[4] In April 2010, one of 8th's Ospreys crashed while conducting combat operations in Zabul Province and two members of the squadron were killed.[14]
Lineage
- Organized as the 8th Aero Squadron on 21 June 1917
- Redesignated 8th Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) on 31 July 1918[citation needed]
- Redesignated 8th Aero Squadron on 3 May 1919[citation needed]
- Redesignated 8th Squadron (Surveillance) c. June 1921
- Redesignated 8th Squadron (Attack) c. November 1921
- Redesignated 8th Attack Squadron on 25 January 1923
- Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 15 December 1939
- Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 28 September 1942
- Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 25 May 1943
- Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron, Light c. April 1944
- Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron, Light, Night Intruder on 25 June 1951
- Redesignated 8th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical on 1 October 1955
- Redesignated 8th Attack Squadron on 18 November 1969
- Redesignated 8th Special Operations Squadron on 30 September 1970
- Redesignated 8th Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1973
- Redesignated 8th Special Operations Squadron on 1 March 1974.[15]
Assignments
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Stations
- World War I
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- Intra-War Period
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- World War II
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- United States Air Force
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Aircraft
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Operations
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See also
- List of American Aero Squadrons
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Dollman, David (1 February 2017). "8 Special Operations Squadron (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ a b Endicott, p. 399
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 45–47
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "8th Special Operations Squadron". 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs Office. 28 March 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ a b c Gorrell, pp. 110–112
- ^ Clay, p. 1375
- ^ 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 History, 8th Bombardment Squadron (L), 3d Bombardment Group (L) AAF, 31 May 1917 – 31 March 1944
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l No byline. "A Brief History of the 3rd Wing" (PDF). 673rd Air Base Wing History Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "8th Attack Squadron Association – Korean War". 8th Attack Squadron Association. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mikesh, [page needed]
- ^ Headquarters, Pacific Air Force, p. 11
- ^ "Bomber unit withdrawn". The New York Times. 1 October 1972. p. 4.
- ^ Moore, Mona (12 November 2009). "CV-22s return from first deployment with 8th SOS Homecoming". Northwest Florida Daily News. Archived from the original on 15 November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
- ^ ISAF: 4 killed in U.S. aircraft crash in Afghanistan http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/09/afghanistan.chopper.down/index.html?hpt=T2
- ^ Lineage information in Dollman, except as noted
- ^ World War I station information in Dollman, except as noted.
- ^ World War II station information in Dollman, except as noted.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Clay, Steven E. (2011). US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941 (PDF). Vol. 3 The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops 1919-1941. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. OCLC 637712205. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
- Gorrell, Col. Edgar S. (1974). History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919. Series E: Squadron Histories. Vol. 1 History of the 1st and 8th Aero Squadrons. Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service, General Services Administration. OCLC 215070705.
- 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. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Mikesh, Robert C. (1995). Martin B-57 Canberra: The Complete Record. Atglen, PA: ISBN 978-0887406614.
- 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.
- Headquarters, Pacific Air Forces (31 May 1972). Project Corona Harvest, USAF Force Withdrawal from Southeast Asia 1 January 1970 - 30 June 1971 (Secret, automatically declassified 1984) (PDF). Retrieved 5 October 2015.
External links
Media related to 8th Special Operations Squadron at Wikimedia Commons