325th Fighter Wing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 325th Fighter Wing | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 24 June 1942 — present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Tyndall Air Force Base |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Brigadier General Tod Wolters |
| Notable commanders |
Richard Myers |
The 325th Fighter Wing (325 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.
Contents |
[edit] Mission
Through Trust and Teamwork Train Expeditionary Airpower Experts Who Will Guarantee Air Dominance.
[edit] History
The 325th trained in the U.S. with P-40 aircraft before moving to North Africa by ship and transport planes, January-February 1943. It entered combat in April 1943 and began escorting medium bombers, flying strafing missions, and conducting sea sweeps from bases in Algeria and Tunisia. The group participated in the defeat of Axis forces in Tunisia, the reduction of Pantelleria, and the conquest of Sicily. The 325th received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for action over Sardinia on 30 July 1943 when the group, using diversionary tactics, forced a superior number of enemy planes into the air and destroyed more than half of them. The group did not fly combat missions from the end of September to mid-December 1943 as the group converted to P-47 aircraft and moved to Italy.
The 325th began operations with Fifteenth Air Force in December 1943, and primarily engaged in escort operations. It received a second DUC for a mission on 30 January 1944 when the group flew more than 300 miles at very low altitude to surprise the enemy fighters that were defending German airdromes near Villaorba, Italy; by severely damaging the enemy's force, the 325th enabled heavy bombers to strike vital targets in the area without encountering serious opposition. The group converted to P-51 aircraft in May 1944 and provided the fighter escort on the first shuttle bombing mission from Italy to Russia in early June 1944. It escorted heavy bombers during long-range missions to attack the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg, the Daimler-Benz tank factory at Berlin, oil refineries at Vienna, and other targets, such as airfields, marshalling yards, and communications targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia. It also covered operations of reconnaissance aircraft and strafed such targets as trains, vehicles, and airfields. The group continued combat operations until May 1945. The group moved back to the U.S. and was deactivated after V-E Day.
The group was reactivated and then the wing stood up in 1947 and 1948 respectively. It conducted air defense of the U.S. west coast, 1948-1952 and 1956-1968. Beginning in spring 1949, the 325th conducted the All Weather Combat Crew Training School. During 1950, the wing also controlled a troop carrier squadron and from May 1950 to June 1951, provided training for elements of a troop carrier wing. From August 1955, the 325th served as the "host" unit at McChord Air Force Base until October 1956. From February-July 1968, the wing operated an air defense detachment at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The 325th was again deactivated in late 1968.
The wing was reactivated at Tyndall Air Force Base in 1981. It provided Air Defense Weapons Center operational and technical advice on air defense and tactics from, 1981-1983. It also provided test and evaluation new air defense equipment, including use of the PQM-102 and QF-100, former operational aircraft modified to function as manned/unmanned drones. In October 1983, the wing assumed a new mission of conducting qualification training of tactical aircrews. Beginning in 1983 it deployed T-33 and later, F-15 aircraft to USAF, Air National Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy air units to provide electronic countermeasures and dissimilar air combat training and to increase aircrew combat proficiency. The wing performed alert duties from, 1988-1990, intercepting unidentified aircraft and assisting the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in anti-smuggling efforts. It became host unit at Tyndall Air Force Base in September 1991. The 325th has conducted the Air Force's initial qualification training program for the F-22 since 2003.
[edit] Operations
[edit] Previous designations
- 325th Fighter Group (1942 – 1948)
- 325th Fighter Wing (1948 – 1950)
- 325th Fighter-All Weather Wing (1950 – 1951)
- 325th Fighter-Interceptor Wing (1951 – 1956)
- 325th Fighter Wing (1956 – 1981)
- 325th Fighter Weapons Wing (1981 – 1983)
- 325th Tactical Training Wing (1983 – 1991)
- 325th Fighter Wing (1991 – Present)
[edit] Assignments
[edit] Major command
- Air Defense Command (1963 – 1971)
- Air Education and Training Command (1971 – Present)
[edit] Numbered Air Force
- Twelfth Air Force (1943 – 1947)
- First Air Force (1947, 1991 – 1993)
- Fourth Air Force (1947 – 1948)
- USAF Air Defense Weapons Center (1981 – 1991)
- Nineteenth Air Force (1993 – Present)
[edit] Subordinate organizations
325th Operations Group (325 OG)
- 2d Fighter Squadron (2 FS)
- 43d Fighter Squadron (43 FS)
- 95th Fighter Squadron (95 FS)
- 325th Air Control Squadron (325 ACS)
- 325th Operations Support Squadron (325 OSS)
325th Maintenance Group (325 MXG)
- 325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (325 AMXS)
- 325th Maintenance Operations Squadron (325 MOS)
- 325th Maintenance Squadron (325 MXS)
325th Mission Support Group (325 MSG)
- 325th Civil Engineering Squadron (325 CES)
- 325th Communications Squadron (325 CS)
- 325th Contracting Squadron (325 CONS)
- 325th Mission Support Squadron (325 MSS)
- 325th Security Forces Squadron (325 SFS)
- 325th Services Squadron (325 SVS)
325th Medical Group (325 MDG)
- 325th Aerospace-Dental Squadron (325 ADS)
- 325th Medical Operations Squadron (325 MDOS)
- 325th Medical Support Squadron (325 MDSS)
[edit] Bases stationed
- Mitchel Field, New York (1942)
- Hillsgrove, Rhode Island (1942 – 1943)
- Camp Kilmer, New Jersey (1943)
- Tafaraoui, Algeria (1943)
- Tunisia (1943)
- Italy (1943 – 1945)
- Camp Kilmer, New Jersey (1945)
- Mitchel Field, New York (1947)
- Hamilton Air Force Base, California (1947 – 1948)
- Moses Lake Air Force Base, Washington (1948 – 1950)
- McChord Air Force Base, Washington (1950 – 1952, 1956 – 1968)
- Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida (1981 – Present)
[edit] Aircraft operated
- P-40 Warhawk (1942 – 1943)
- P-47 Thunderbolt (1943 – 1944)
- P-51 Mustang (1944 – 1945, 1951 – 1952)
- P-61 Black Widow (1947 – 1948)
- F-82 Twin Mustang (1948 – 1951)
- F-94 Starfire (1950 – 1952)
- C-54 Skymaster (1950)
- F-86 Sabre (1955 – 1957)
- F-102 Delta Dagger (1956 – 1960)
- F-106 Delta Dart (1960, 1981 – 1983)
- F-101 Voodoo (1981 – 1982)
- T-33 Shooting Star (1981 – 1988)
- TF/QF/PQM-102 (1981 – 1983)
- QF-100 (1982 – 1983)
- F-15 Eagle (1983 – Present)
- F-22 Raptor (2003 – Present)
[edit] Unit shields
 325 OG |
 2 FS |
 43 FS |
 95 FS |
 325 ACS |
 325 OSS |
 325 MXG |
 325 MOS |
 325 AMXS |
 325 MXS |
 325 MSG |
 325 CES |
 325 CS |
 325 CONS |
 325 MSS |
 325 SFS |
 325 SVS |
 325 MDG |
 325 MDOS |
 325 ADS |
 325 MDSS |
[edit] External links
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