52d Operations Group
Encyclopedia
52d Fighter Wing
The 52d Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-Mission:The 52 FW maintains, deploys and employs F-16CJ and A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives...
, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
. The group is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base is a United States Air Force base located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.-Units:...
, Germany.
Overview
The 52d Operations Group maintains, deploys and employs F-16 Falcon; A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives. The 52 OG supports the Supreme Allied Commander Europe with mission-ready personnel and systems providing expeditionary air power for suppression of enemy air defenses, close air support, air interdiction, counterair, air strike control, strategic attack, combat search and rescue, and theater airspace control.
The group also supports contingencies and operations other than war as required.
Assigned Units
The 52 OG (Tail Code: SP) commands two flying squadrons, one air control and one support squadron- 81st Fighter Squadron81st Fighter SquadronThe 81st Fighter Squadron is part of the 52d Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.-Mission:...
"Panthers" (Yellow tail stripe)
- Activated on 15 January 1942, the 81 FS flies the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.
- 480th Fighter Squadron480th Fighter SquadronThe 480th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 52d Operations Group, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany...
- 480th Fighter Squadron
- Activated on 1 February 1940, the 480 FS flies the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.
- 52d Operations Support Squadron
- Responsible for all facets of airfield operations, or ops, air traffic control, weather, aircrew life support and training, intelligence analysis and support, weapons and tactics training, 52 FW battle staff operations, airspace scheduling, range ops and wing flying hour program.
- 606th Air Control Squadron
- The 606 ACS is a self-contained mobile combat unit including the TPS-75 Radar. The unit provides daily command and control to the 52 OG's two flying squadrons in addition to the occasional control of NATO AWACS from Gelsenkirchen AB and visiting aircraft from around the USAFE Theater.
World War II
The unit was constituted as 52d Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940 and was activated on 15 January 1941. It was redesignated to 52d Fighter Group in May 1942 and trained with P-39 Airacobra and Curtiss P-40Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
aircraft, and the 52d trained and participated in maneuvers with them from 1941–1942 till it moved to the United Kingdom, the air echelon arriving in July 1942 and the ground echelon in August.
It trained with the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
as part of Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
and flew missions from England to France during August and September of that year. Group pilots flew Spitfires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
from Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
during the invasion of North Africa
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
on 8 November 1942. The remainder of the group arrived by ship after the campaign
Military campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...
had ended. The group then operated as part of Twelfth Air Force through April 1944, thereafter becoming a part of Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, serving in combat in the Mediterranean until the end of the war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It flew escort, patrol, strafing
Strafing
Strafing is the practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. This means, that although ground attack using automatic weapons fire is very often accompanied with bombing or rocket fire, the term "strafing" does not specifically include the...
, and reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
missions to help defeat Axis forces in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. In Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, it attacked railroads, highways, bridges, coastal shipping and other targets to support the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
operations. Having converted to P-51s in April and May 1944, the group escorted bomber
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s that attacked objectives in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. It received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for a mission on 9 June 1944 when the group protected bombers that struck aircraft factories, communications centers, and supply lines in Germany. The 52d flew one of the first shuttle missions to Russia from 4–6 August 1944, and received a second DUC for strafing attacks on a landing field in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
on 31 August 1944, destroying a large number of enemy fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
and transport planes. On 24 March 1945, the group's aircraft flew the longest escort mission ever flown in Europe—1600 miles round-trip to Berlin. The 52d returned to the US in August 1945 and was inactivated on 7 November 1945.
Cold War
The 52d was reactivated in Germany on 9 November 1946 and was assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe as an occupation unit. From 1946 to 1947, the 52d served as fighter group in Germany and in November 1947 it was transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the United States in June 1947 and redesignated 52d Fighter Group (All Weather) in May 1948, and thereafter 52d Fighter-Interceptor Group in May 1951 flying P-61 Black WidowP-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
s and later F-82 Twin Mustang
F-82 Twin Mustang
The North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first...
s, later with Lockheed F-94 Starfires
F-94 Starfire
The Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the United States Air Force's first operational jet-powered all-weather interceptor aircraft. It was a development by Lockheed of the twin-seat T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft.-Design and development:...
jet interceptors beginning 1950. The 52d was inactivated on 6 February 1952.
The 52d was reactivated on 18 August 1955 and designated 52d Fighter Group (Air Defense). It was assigned to Air Defense Command and equipped with F-86D Sabre aircraft. It served as an air defense unit in the New York/New Jersey area of the United States until being inactivated at the end of 1969.
With the deactivation of the 86th Air Division
86th Air Division
The 86th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany...
in 1970, the 52d Fighter Group was activated at Erding AB, West Germany under Seventeenth Air Force
Seventeenth Air Force
Seventeenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service...
in 1971. The group took over the function of the 86th AD at Erding and performed a F-102 Delta Dagger
F-102 Delta Dagger
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...
NATO air defense mission. In 1972 the F-102s were withdrawn from Europe and the 52d FG was deactivated.
Modern era
On 31 March 1992, the 52d Operations Group was activated as a result of the 52d Fighter Wing implementing the USAF objective wing organization. Upon activation, the 52d OG was bestowed the lineage and history of the 52d Fighter Group and assumed responsibility of the 52 Fighter Wing's operational squadrons.During the 1990s, the wing supported no-fly zone operations over Bosnia and northern Iraq and combat operations against Serbia during Operation Allied Force in 1999. After terrorist attacks on the United States in 2001, the wing supported Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, deploying combat and support elements in support of US and NATO missions.
Lineage
- Established as 52d Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940
- Activated on 16 January 1941
- Redesignated 52d Fighter Group on 15 May 1942
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Redesignated 52d Fighter Group (All Weather) on 18 October 1946
- Activated on 9 November 1946
- Redesignated: 52d Fighter Group, All Weather, on 10 May 1948
- Redesignated: 52d Fighter-All Weather Group on 20 January 1950
- Redesignated: 52d Fighter-Interceptor Group on 1 May 1951
- Inactivated on 6 February 1952
- Redesignated 52d Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 20 June 1955
- Activated on 18 August 1955 by redesignation of 519th Air Defense Group519th Air Defense GroupThe 519th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4709th Air Defense Wing, being stationed at Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York...
- Discontinued, and inactivated, on 1 July 1963, components assigned to 52d Fighter Wing52d Fighter WingThe 52d Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-Mission:The 52 FW maintains, deploys and employs F-16CJ and A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives...
(Air Defense).- Activated on 30 September 1968
- Inactivated on 31 December 1969
- Redesignated 52d Tactical Fighter Group on 17 February 1970
- Activated on 1 April 1971
- Inactivated on 31 July 1972
- Redesignated 52d Operations Group on 1 March 1992
- Activated on 31 March 1992.
Note: The Air Defense Command 519th Air Base Group was activated on 6 February 1952, at Suffolk County AFB, New York. Redesignated 519th Air Defense Group
519th Air Defense Group
The 519th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4709th Air Defense Wing, being stationed at Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York...
on 16 February 1953, the unit was redesignated as the 52d Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 18 August 1955 as part of the ADC "Project Arrow", which redesignated notable World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
combat units.
Assignments
- 6th Pursuit Wing, 16 January 1941
- I Interceptor (later, I Fighter) CommandI Fighter CommandThe I Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Mitchel Army Airfield, New York...
, 1 October 1941 - First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, c. 15 June 1942 - VIII Fighter CommandVIII Fighter CommandThe VIII Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at RAF Honington, England. It was inactivated on 20 March 1946....
(attached to Royal Air ForceRoyal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
), 13 July 1942 - 6th Pursuit Wing, 18 August 1942
- XII Fighter Command, 14 September 1942
- Attached to Tunis Fighter Sector, c. 19 January 1943
- XII Air Support Command, 18 February 1943
- North West Coastal Air Force, 23 May 1943
- 1st Air Defense Wing, 19 August 1943
- 62d Fighter Wing, 1943
- 63d Fighter Wing, 16 November 1943
- Fifteenth Air ForceFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, 1 May 1944 - 306th Bombardment (later, 306th Fighter) Wing306th Fighter Wing (World War II)The 306th Fighter Wing was a World War II United States Army Air Force organization assigned to Fifteenth Air Force as an intermediate-level command and control organization...
, 3 May 1944 - 305th Bombardment Wing305th Air DivisionThe 305th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Command, assigned to Fourth Air Force, being stationed at McChord Air Force Base, California...
, 13 June – August 1945 - Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 22 August – 7 November 1945
- 64th Fighter Wing, 9 November 1946
- XII Tactical Air Command, 15 May 1947
- Air Defense Command, 25 June 1947
- First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, 29 October 1947 - 104th Wing (Provisional), 26 December 1947
- 52d Fighter Wing, All-Weather (later, 52d Fighter-All Weather Wing 52d Fighter-Interceptor Wing)52d Fighter WingThe 52d Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-Mission:The 52 FW maintains, deploys and employs F-16CJ and A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives...
, 9 June 1948 – 6 February 1952 - 4709th Air Defense Wing, 18 August 1955
- 4707th Air Defense Wing4707th Air Defense WingThe 4707th Air Defense Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division, being stationed at Stewart Air Force Base, New York...
, 1 March 1956 - 4709th Air Defense Wing, 8 July 1956
- 4621st Air Defense Wing (later, New York Air Defense Sector), 1 October 1956 – 1 July 1963
- 35th Air Division, 30 September 1968
- 21st Air Division, 19 November – 31 December 1969
- Seventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air ForceSeventeenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force located at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The command served the United States Air Forces in Europe during its years of active service...
, 1 April 1971 – 31 July 1972 - 52d Fighter Wing52d Fighter WingThe 52d Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.-Mission:The 52 FW maintains, deploys and employs F-16CJ and A/OA-10 aircraft and TPS-75 radar systems in support of NATO and the national defense directives...
, 31 March 1992 – present
Components
- 2d Pursuit (later, 2d Fighter; 2d Fighter [All Weather]; 2d Fighter, All Weather; 2d Fighter-Interceptor)2d Fighter SquadronThe 2d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force Unit. It was last part of the 325th Fighter Wing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida...
: 16 January 1941 – 7 November 1945; 9 November 1946 – 6 February 1952; 18 August 1955 – 1 July 1963; 30 September 1968 – 31 December 1969 - 4th Pursuit (later, 4th Fighter)4th Fighter SquadronThe 4th Fighter Squadron is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-History:...
: 16 January 1941 – 7 November 1945 - 5th Pursuit (later, 5th Fighter; 5th Fighter [All Weather]; 5th Fighter, All Weather; 5th Fighter-Interceptor): 16 January 1941 – 7 November 1945; 9 November 1946 – 6 February 1952; 18 August 1955 – 1 February 1960
- 22d Fighter Squadron22d Fighter SquadronThe 22d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 52d Operations Group and stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It was inactivated on 13 August 2010.-World War II:...
: 1 April 1994 – 12 August 2010 - 23d Fighter Squadron: 31 March 1992 – 12 August 2010
- 53d Fighter Squadron53d Fighter SquadronThe 53d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 52d Operations Group and stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It was inactivated on 31 March 1999.-World War II:...
: 25 February 1994 – 31 March 1999 - 81st Fighter Squadron81st Fighter SquadronThe 81st Fighter Squadron is part of the 52d Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.-Mission:...
: 31 March 1992 – present - 98th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron98th Fighter-Interceptor SquadronThe 98th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Air Defense Command New York Air Defense Sector stationed at Suffolk County AFB, New York. It was inactivated on September 30, 1968....
: attached, c. 20 June – 1 July 1963 - 480th Fighter Squadron480th Fighter SquadronThe 480th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 52d Operations Group, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany...
: 31 March 1992 – 1 April 1994, 13 August 2010–present - 510th Fighter Squadron510th Fighter SquadronThe 510th Fighter Squadron is part of the 31st Operations Group at Aviano Air Base, Italy. It is a combat-ready F-16CM fighter squadron prepared to deploy and fly combat sorties as tasked by NATO and US combatant commanders...
: 1 October 1992 – 1 February 1994.
Stations
- Selfridge FieldSelfridge FieldSelfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 16 January 1941 - Norfolk Airport, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 18 December 1941 - Selfridge FieldSelfridge FieldSelfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 16 January 1942 - Florence Army Airfield, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, 18 February 1942 - Wilmington Airport, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 27 April 1942 - Grenier Field, New HampshireNew HampshireNew Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, 14 – 24 June 1942 - RAF Eglinton (USAAF Station 344), DerryDerryDerry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, 14 July 1942 - RAF GoxhillRAF GoxhillRAF Goxhill is a former Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Force station in England. It is located just to the east of the village of Goxhill, on the south bank of the Humber estuary, opposite the city of Kingston upon Hull, in north Lincolnshire....
(USAAF Station 345), England, 26 August – 22 October 1942 - Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria, 9 November 1942
- Oran Es Sénia AirportOran Es Sénia AirportOran Es Sénia Airport is an airport located 4.7 nm south of Oran, near Es Sénia, in Algeria.-History:During World War II, La Sénia Airport was first used by the French Air Force as a military airfield, first by the Armée de l'Air, and after June 1940, by the Armistice Air Force of the Vichy...
, Oran, Algeria, 14 November 1942 - Orleansville AirfieldOrleansville AirfieldOrleansville Airfield was a World War II military airfield in Algeria, near Chlef, approximately 170 km southwest of Algiers. It was a temporary airfield constructed by Army Engineers using compacted earth for its runway, parking and dispersal areas, not designed for heavy aircraft or for...
, Algeria, 2 January 1943 - Telergma Airfield, Algeria, 20 January 1943
- Youks-les-Bains AirfieldYouks-les-Bains AirfieldYouks-les-Bains Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Algeria, located about 20 km northwest of Tebessa. The airfield today consists of several agricultural fields, with the faint remains of its main runway, parts of a taxiway and a few aircraft dispersal hardstands visible in aerial...
, Algeria, 9 March 1943 - Le Sers AirfieldLe Sers AirfieldLe Sers Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, about 3 km of As Sars; 130 km southwest of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield constructed by Army Engineers using compacted earth for its runway, parking and dispersal areas, not designed for heavy aircraft or...
, Tunisia, 14 April 1943 - La Sebala AirfieldLa Sebala AirfieldLa Sebala Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, which was located about 1 km north of Cebalat; 15 km north-northwest of Tunis...
, Tunisia, 21 May 1943 - Boccadifalco AirfieldPalermo-Boccadifalco AirportPalermo-Boccadifalco Airport , also known as Emanuele Notarbartolo Airport, is the elder of two facilities which serve the Sicilian capital Palermo, in Italy. Located on the outskirts of the city, just before Monte Cuccio, it is one of the oldest airports in the country. Today it houses a Botanical...
, Sicily, 30 July 1943
- Borgo Airfield, Corsica, 1 December 1943
- Aghione AirfieldAghione AirfieldAghione Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in France, which was located approximately 27 km southeast of Corte on Corsica. It was an all-weather temporary field built by the XII Engineer Command using Pierced Steel Planking for runways and parking areas, as well as for...
, Corsica, 29 April 1944 - Madna Airfield, Italy, 14 May 1944
- Piagiolino AirfieldPiagiolino AirfieldPiagiolino Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, which was located about 1 km southwest of Monterado ; 200 km north of Rome...
, Italy, 21 April 1945 - Lesina Airfield, Italy, 8 July – 10 August 1945
- Drew Field, Florida, 25 August – 7 November 1945
- AAF Station Schweinfurt, Germany, 9 November 1946
- AAF Station Bad Kissingen, Germany, 5 May – 25 June 1947
- Mitchel Field, New York, 25 June 1947
- McGuire AFB, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 4 October 1949 – 6 February 1952 - Suffolk County AFB, New York, 18 August 1955 – 1 July 1963; 30 September 1968 – 31 December 1969
- Detachment operated at Atlantic City Airport, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 30 September 1968 – 31 December 1969- Erding AB, West Germany, 1 April 1971 – 31 July 1972
- Spangdahlem AB, Germany, 31 March 1992–present
Aircraft assigned
- P-40 Warhawk (1941–1942)
- P-39 Airacobra (1942)
- SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
(1942–1944) - P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
(1944–1945) - P-61 Black WidowP-61 Black WidowThe Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first operational U.S. military aircraft designed specifically for night interception of aircraft, and was the first aircraft specifically designed to use radar. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II...
(1947–1948) - F-82 Twin MustangF-82 Twin MustangThe North American F-82 Twin Mustang was the last American piston-engine fighter ordered into production by the United States Air Force. Based on the P-51 Mustang, the F-82 was originally designed as a long-range escort fighter in World War II; however, the war ended well before the first...
(1948–1952) - F-94 StarfireF-94 StarfireThe Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the United States Air Force's first operational jet-powered all-weather interceptor aircraft. It was a development by Lockheed of the twin-seat T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft.-Design and development:...
(1950–1952)
- F-86 SabreF-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
(1955–1957) - F-102 Delta DaggerF-102 Delta DaggerThe Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...
(1957–1960) - F-101 VoodooF-101 VoodooThe McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
(1959–1963, 1968–1969) - F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
(1992–1994) - F-16 Falcon (1992–present)
- A-10 Thunderbolt IIA-10 Thunderbolt IIThe Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
(1992–present) - F-15 EagleF-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
, 1994–1999