786th Air Expeditionary Squadron
| 786th Air Expeditionary Squadron | |
|---|---|
|
786th Air Expeditionary Squadron airmen support Rwandan Defense Force troop rotation | |
| Active | 1943-1945, 1965; 2006; 2009; 2012 |
| Country |
 United States |
| Branch |
 United States Air Force |
| Role | Expeditionary operations |
| Part of | United States Air Forces Europe |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with unofficial 786th Bombardment Squadron emblem[1][2] |
 |
The 786th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 466th Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona on 17 October 1945.
History
World War II
Established in mid-1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb group; trained under Second Air Force in Idaho. Completed training in early 1944; deploying to European Theater of Operations (ETO) assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England.
Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment operations over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany, March 1944-May 1945 attacking enemy military and industrial targets as part of the United States' air offensive against Nazi Germany. Most personnel demobilized in Europe after the German capitulation in May 1945; a small cadre returned to the United States, being programmed for conversion to being a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomb squadron and deployment to the Central Pacific to engage in strategic bombardment over Japan.
Training ended after Japanese capitulation in August 1945, unit inactivated in October; its training aircraft being assigned to other squadrons or sent to storage.
Fighter operations
As the United States Air Force expanded its McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fleet in April 1965, it activated the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base Florida. Although it was planned that the squadrons of the 33d Wing would be Convair F-102 Delta Dagger squadrons that were inactivating in the Pacific, these squadrons were still winding down their operations, so the 33d was initially formed with the 786th, 787th, 788th and 789th Tactical Fighter Squadrons. The 33d embarked on a program of tactical training with the Phantom. In June 1965, the squadron was inactivated and its planes and personnel were transferred to the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which moved on paper to Eglin from Misawa Air Base, Japan.[3]
Expeditionary unit
In April 2006, the squadron was converted to provisional status and redesignated the 786th Air Expeditionary Squadron. It was activated in May at Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, with a detachment at Baumholder, Germany.[4] It was activated again in September in Nigeria.[5]
The squadron provided airlift into Darfur for the 55th Battalion of the Rwandan Army for United Nations efforts there in 2007.[6]
Its most recent activations have been for operations in Spain and Iceland.[7][8][9]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 786th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943
- Activated on 1 August 1943
- Redesignated 786th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 10 August 1944
- Redesignated 786th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945
- Inactivated on 17 October 1945[10]
- Redesignated 787th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 9 February 1965 and activated (not organized)
- Converted to provisional status and redesignated 786th Air Expeditionary Squadron on 24 April 2006[4]
Assignments
- 466th Bombardment Group, 1 August 1943 – 17 October 1945[10]
- 33d Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 April–20 June 1965[3]
- Attached to Air Command, Europe, 1 May 2006–2006[4]
- 458th Air Expeditionary Group, 3–20 September 2006[5]
- Attached to Third Air Force, 2 April–31 Oct 2007[12][13]
- 458th Air Expeditionary Group, 5 May–5 June 2009[7][8]
- Attached to Third Air Force, 1 May 2012 – unknown[9]
Stations
- Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 1 August 1943
- Kearns Army Air Base, Utah 31 August 1943
- Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 27 November 1943 - 10 February 1944
- RAF Attlebridge (AAF-120),[14] England 8 March 1944 - c. 6 July 1945
- Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 15 July 1945 - 25 July 1945
- Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, 25 July 1945 - 15 August 1945
- Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 15 August-17 October 1945[10]
- Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 1 April–20 June 1965[3]
- Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1 May 2006–2006[4]
- Kaduna, Nigeria, 3–20 September 2006[5]
- Kigali International Airport, Rwanda, 29 April–31 October 2007[12][13]
- Moron Air Base, Spain, 5 May–5 June 2009[7][8]
- Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland, 1 May 2012 – unknown[9]
Aircraft
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945[10]
References
- Notes
- ↑ Aircraft is Consolidated B-24J-180-CO Liberator serial 44-40807
- Citations
- ↑ Watkins, pp. 105-106
- ↑ See Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 756 (no official emblem)
- 1 2 3 Bailey, Carl E. (November 28, 2007). "Factsheet 33 Fighter Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, May 2006, Maxwell AFB, AL
- 1 2 3 4 5 Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, September 2006, Maxwell AFB, AL
- ↑ Dorrance, Capt Erin (November 19, 2007). "Hybrid battalion moves into Darfur". 435th Air Ground Operations Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, May 2009, Maxwell AFB, AL
- 1 2 3 4 Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, June 2009, Maxwell AFB, AL
- 1 2 3 4 Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, May 2012, Maxwell AFB, AL
- 1 2 3 4 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 755
- 1 2 See Bailey, Factsheet 33 Fighter Wing
- 1 2 3 Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, September 2006, Maxwell AFB, AL
- 1 2 3 Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, Air Force Organization Change Status Report, September 2006, Maxwell AFB, AL
- ↑ Station number in Anderson.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
- 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. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- 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. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved December 17, 2016.
- Watkins, Robert (2008). Battle Colors: Insignia and Markings of the Eighth Air Force In World War II. Vol I (VIII) Bomber Command. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7643-1987-6.