19th Weapons Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 19th Weapons Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 unit, assigned to the USAF Weapons School
USAF Weapons School
The USAF Weapons School is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the 57th Wing. It is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Mission:...

 at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Originated as the 19th Observation Squadron, activated 5 February 1942, redesignated the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron on 17 June 1963. The 19th originally flew antisubmarine missions during WWII, then moved to China in 1944 to begin observation missions in support of Chinese ground forces and later flew resupply missions to resistance forces operating behind enemy lines in French Indochina. From 1963 through 1968 the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron flew forward air support and observation missions over Vietnam until its mission was transferred to Osan AB, South Korea in 1972, where it provided Eighth US Army and Republic of Korea ground forces with aerial reconnaissance and close air support.

Overview

The squadron has two syllabi, the Intelligence Weapons Instructor Course and the Intelligence Sensor Weapons Instructor Course, and a flight that supports mission planning for 17,000 sorties annually.

World War II

Activated as the 19th Observation Squadron (Light) on 5 Feb 1942. The squadron activated on 2 Mar 1942 at Miami Municipal Airport as part of the Air Force Combat Command. Five days later, it moved to Jacksonville Municipal Airport, Florida. Two days after that, it became part of Army Air Forces. On the 29th, it became part of the 66th Observation Group.

It moved to Pope Army Airfield, North Carolina on 11 May 1942. While there, it was redesignated as the 19th Observation Squadron. On 19 October 1942, it moved to Morris Field, North Carolina. On 2 April 1943, it changed name once again, to 19th Liaison Squadron
19th Liaison squadron
The 19th Liaison squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Tenth Air Force, stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington...

. The following day, it transferred bases to Camp Campbell, Kentucky. On 22 June 1943, it changed airfields once more, to Aiken Army Airfield, South Carolina. On 11 August 1943, it was assigned to I Air Support Command.

It flew anti-submarine missions using A-20 Havocs, B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...

s, and O-52 Owls, while undergoing observation training at these various bases in the southeastern states. They used L-1 Vigilants, L-2 Grasshoppers, Aeronca L-3
Aeronca L-3
|-See also:-External links:* * *...

s, L-4 Grasshoppers, L-5 Sentinel
L-5 Sentinel
The Stinson L-5 Sentinel was a World War II era liaison aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military and by the British Royal Air Force. Along with the Stinson L-1 Vigilant, the L-5 was the only other American liaison aircraft of WWII that was purpose-built for military use and had no...

s, L-6 Grasshoppers, and Douglas O-46s for observation sorties. P-39 Airacobras, P-43 Lancer
P-43 Lancer
The Republic P-43 Lancer was a single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter aircraft built by Republic, first delivered to the United States Army Air Corps in 1940. A proposed development was the P-44 Rocket. While no world-beater as a fighter, the P-43A had a very good high-altitude...

s, and P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The 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...

s were also in the squadron aircraft inventory.

From Aiken, the squadron shipped cross-country to Camp Anza
Camp Anza
Camp Anza was a United States Army installation near Riverside, California during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943....

, California, arriving on 28 March 1944. This was a transit base for the squadron, as it shipped out to Bombay (now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

), India. It arrived in India on 9 April, and was attached to U. S. Army Forces, China-India-Burma. It spent an itinerant few weeks further training in India, moving through Kanchrapara
Kanchrapara
Kanchrapara is a city and a municipality under Bijpur police station of Barrackpore subdivision. in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.-Geography:...

 and Ondal
Ondal
Andal is an administrative division in Durgapur subdivision of Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Andal and Durgapur police stations serve this block. Headquarters of this block is at Andal More and Andal...

, to land in Chabua
Chabua
Chabua is a town and a town area committee in Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam, India.-Geography:Chabua is located at . It has an average elevation of 106 metres .-Demographics:...

 on 17 May.

It then moved onward to Kunming
Kunming
' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...

, China arriving on 29 May 1944. They were attached to Y Force
Y Force
Y Force was the SEAC designation given to Chinese forces under the command of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek that re-entered Burma from Yunnan in 1944 as one of the Allies fighting in Burma Campaign of World War II.-1942:...

, to begin observation missions in support of Chinese Nationalist ground forces. They supported Y Force until 8 August. Their American parent unit would be variously Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....

 and the 69th Composite Wing.

At various times, the 19th operated detachments from Kunming, Poashan, Wenshan, Yunnanyi, Chihkiang, Kweiyang, and Liuchow. It moved bases to Chengkung on 28 March 1945. After March 1945, the squadron carried mail and passengers to American liaison personnel in South China, and the 19th flew re-supply missions to resistance forces operating behind enemy lines in French Indochina.

On 1 August, the 19th was placed under operational control of Tenth Air Force
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....

. Shortly after the Japanese surrendered, on 18 August 1945, the 19th moved to Nanning
Nanning
Nanning is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush tropical foliage.-History:...

, China. From there it returned via Calcutta, India to the U.S., where it inactivated on 1 Dec 1945 at Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

, Washington.

Vietnam War

The 19th TASS was the first Forward Air Control squadron assigned to the Vietnam War. It began with O-1 Bird Dogs transferred from army aviation.

The squadron was activated at Bien Hoa
Bien Hoa
Biên Hòa is a city in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, about east of Ho Chi Minh City , to which Bien Hoa is linked by Vietnam Highway 1.- Demographics :In 1989 the estimated population was over 300,000. In 2005, the population wss 541,495...

, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 on 17 June 1963, under Pacific Air Forces. The unit's original mission was support of the South Vietnamese Air Force; it also trained Vietnamese pilots and observers. Besides forward air control and artillery control, it performed a multiplicity of other roles: psychological warfare
Psychological warfare
Psychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...

, radio relay, and resupply missions, as well as aerial escort for convoys, helilifts, and trains.

It was assigned to the 34th Tactical Group, 8 July 1963 through 8 August 1964. It was during this time that Richard Whitesides was the first FAC of the Vietnam War to win the first Air Force Cross
Air Force Cross (United States)
The Air Force Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. The Air Force Cross is the Air Force decoration equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross .The Air Force Cross is awarded for extraordinary heroism...

, on a mission near Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh
Khe Sanh is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà.Khe Sanh Combat Base was a United States Marine Corps outpost in South Vietnam used during the Vietnam War. The airstrip was built in September 1962...

. Its original mandate was a one year assignment to train the VNAF, with the 19th's O-1's to be turned over to the South Vietnamese at the end of the year. The Tonkin Gulf incident scotched those plans. One of the additional missions was flying support and forward air control for Project DELTA
Project DELTA
Project DELTA was one of three Greek letter special forces reconnaissance projects formed by the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV during the Vietnam War to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam....

 in their covert insertions into Laos. They began this secretive mission in July 1963, and carried it out until the 21st TASS took over the role.

The 19th served in its roles until 8 August 1964, when it was briefly inactivated. It was reactivated on 16 October, 1964, once again under Pacific Air Forces; it was reassigned to the 34th Tactical Group, 21 October 1964. In this incarnation, its principal mission was visual reconnaissance and forward air control of fighter-bombers, although it continued to train Vietnamese pilots and observers. It was shifted to the 6251st Tactical Fighter Wing on 8 July 1965. Shortly thereafter, on 8 November 1965, it was transferred to the 505th Tactical Air Support Group
505th Command and Control Wing
The United States Air Force's 505th Command and Control Wing is organized under the USAF Warfare Center. The 505th CCW is dedicated to improving warfighter readiness through integrated training, tactics development and testing for operational-level command and control of air, space and cyberspace...

. The 19th TASS began flying actual forward air control sorties out of Bien Hoa on 11 November 1965, using the call sign Sidewinder. By July 1966, the 19th was parceled out among numerous forward operating locations in III Corps
III Corps
List of military corps — List of military corps by numberA number of countries have Third, or III, Corps:* 3rd Corps * III Corps * III Corps...

 and II Corps
II Corps
List of military corps — List of military corps by numberA number of countries have Second, or II, Corps:*II Anzac Corps *II Corps *2nd Army Corps *II Corps *II Corps...

. While serving as Forward Air Controllers and/or Air Liaison Officers, they used the radio net under various call signs, most of which were names of serpents.

Beginning in 1968, the 19th TASS extended its squadron inventory to include O-2 Skymaster
O-2 Skymaster
The O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster utilized as an observation and forward air control aircraft...

s and OV-10 Bronco
OV-10 Bronco
The North American Aviation Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is a turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency combat, and one of its primary missions was as a forward air control aircraft...

s. On 15 January 1971, it absorbed the 22nd Tactical Air Support Squadron, leaving the 22nd an unmanned unequipped paper unit. Representative of this change, the FACs supporting the 199th Light Infantry Brigade upgraded from 0-1s to OV-10s at this time.

On 15 January 1971, it absorbed the 22nd Tactical Air Support Squadron, leaving the 22nd an unmanned unequipped paper unit. The unit transferred to Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang-Thap Cham in Ninh Thuan Province....

, Vietnam on 1 August 1971. On 30 September 1971, another unit acquired the 19th's inventory. The 19th then remained a paper squadron until 15 January 1972, when it transferred to the inactive theater of South Korea, to Osan AB.

By the time the 19th TASS left Vietnam, it had won three Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...

s, four Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat V, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm, and numerous campaign honors for its Vietnam wartie service.

Korean Service

Transferred to Osan AB, South Korea, on 15 Jan 1972. It became part of the 314th Air Division
314th Air Division
The 314th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Osan AB, South Korea. It was inactivated in September 1986....

; Colonel William Peters was placed in command. It was then reconstituted and took over the 0-2 aircraft of another squadron. Its new role was support of the Eighth U.S. Army and Republic of Korea ground forces, providing close air and aerial reconnaissance support. In 1973, the 19th trained the Republic of Korea Air Force
Republic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force is the air force of South Korea...

 to operate a Direct Air Support Center.

On 30 September 1974, the Squadron was transferred to the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical)
51st Fighter Wing
The 51st Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Osan Air Base, South Korea.The 51st Fighter Wing is under Pacific Air Forces' Seventh Air Force...

. In 1975, the squadron converted to the OV-10A Bronco. From 1975 until 1980, 19th TASS operated the forward air control mission within the Korean tactical air control system. On 15 April 1976, Detachment 1 of the 19th was assigned to Camp Casey, South Korea, remaining there until 8 January 1980.

On 8 January 1980, the 19th TASS was forwarded to the 5th Tactical Air Control Group. In 1983, the squadron converted to the OA-37B Dragonfly twin-jet aircraft. In 1985, the 19th switched back to the OV-10. On 1 August 1989, the 19 TASS transferred to Suwon AB, ROK and converted to the OA-10A aircraft. The OV-10s were either retired or transferred to the USMC.

During its time in the Republic of Korea, the 19 TASS used the call sign 'Misty'. The 19th TASS remained an active combat-ready unit flying the OA-10A aircraft until the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

The squadron was inactivated on 1 October 1993, without seeing further combat action.

Modern era

USAF Weapons School Intelligence Division was activated in 1989. Re-designated as the 19th Weapons Squadron on 3 February 2003.

Lineage

  • Constituted 19th Observation Squadron (Light) on 5 Feb 1942
Activated on 2 Mar 1942
Re-designated: 19th Observation Squadron on 4 Jul 1942
Re-designated: 19th Liaison Squadron on 2 Apr 1943
Inactivated on 1 Dec 1945
  • Re-designated 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron (Light), and activated, on 17 Jun 1963
Organized on 8 Jul 1963
Discontinued, and inactivated, on 8 Aug 1964
  • Activated on 16 Oct 1964
Organized on 21 Oct 1964
Inactivated on 1 Oct 1993
  • Re-designated 19th Weapons Squadron on 24 Jan 2003
Activated and organized on 3 February 2003, assuming assets of Intelligence Division, USAF Weapons School

Assignments

  • Air Force Combat Command, 2 Mar 1942
  • Army Air Forces, 9 Mar 1942
  • 66th Observation (later, 66th Reconnaissance) Group, 29 Mar 1942
  • I Air Support Command (later, I Tactical Air Division), 11 Aug 1943
  • U. S. Army Forces, China-Burma-India, Apr 1944
  • Fourteenth Air Force
    Fourteenth Air Force
    The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....

    . 29 May 1944
Attached to Y Force, 29 May 1944-
  • 69th Composite Wing, 10 Jun 1944
Remained attached to Y Force to 8 Aug 1944
  • Tenth Air Force
    Tenth Air Force
    The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....

    , 1 Aug-1 Dec 1945
  • 34th Tactical Group, 8 Jul 1963-8 Aug 1964
  • 34th Tactical Group, 21 Oct 1964
  • 6251st Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 Jul 1965
Attached to 6250th Tactical Air Support Group, Provisional, 1 Aug-8 Nov 1965
  • 505th Tactical Control Group, 8 Nov 1965
Attached to 6253d Tactical Air Support Group, Provisional, 9 Sep-8 Dec 1966
  • 504th Tactical Air Support Group, 8 Dec 1966
  • 314th Air Division, 15 Jan 1972
  • 51st Composite Wing, 30 Sep 1974
  • 5th Tactical Air Control Group, 8 Jan 1980
  • 51st Operations Group
    51st Operations Group
    The 51st Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 51st Fighter Wing, stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea....

    , 1 Oct 1990-1 Oct 1993
  • USAF Weapons School
    USAF Weapons School
    The USAF Weapons School is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the 57th Wing. It is stationed at Nellis AFB, Nevada.-Mission:...

    , 3 Feb 2003-Present

Stations

  • Miami Army Airfield, FL, 2 Mar 1942
  • Jacksonville Army Airfield, FL, 7 Mar 1942
  • Pope Army Airfield, NC, 11 May 1942
  • Morris Field, NC, 19 Oct 1942
  • Campbell Army Airfield
    Campbell Army Airfield
    Campbell Army Airfield is a military airport at Fort Campbell, which is located near Hopkinsville, a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. Previously Campbell Air Force Base, a U.S. Air Force installation from 1947 to 1959, this U.S. Army airfield has two asphalt paved runways: 5/23...

    , KY, 3 Apr 1943
  • Aiken Army Airfield, SC, 22 Jun 1943-26 Feb 1944
  • Juhu Aerodrome
    Juhu Aerodrome
    Juhu Aerodrome an airport serving Mumbai, was India's first civil aviation airport. It is currently used by small private aircraft and as a heliport....

    , Bombay, India, 9 Apr 1944
  • Kanchrapara Airfield, India, c. 15 Apr 1944
  • Ondal Airfield, India, 29 Apr 1944
  • Chabua Airfield, India, 17 May 1944
  • Kunming Airport, China, 29 May 1944

  • Chengkung Airfield
    Chengkung Airfield
    Chengkung Airfield is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield in China, located approximately 20 miles south-southeast of Kunming in the People’s Republic of China.-History:...

    , China, 28 Mar 1945
  • Nanning Airport, China, 18 Aug 1945
  • Calcutta Airport, India, c. Oct-7 Nov 1945
  • Fort Lewis
    Fort Lewis
    Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....

    , WA, 30 Nov-1 Dec 1945
  • Bien Hoa AB, South Vietnam, 8 Jul 1963-8 Aug 1964; 21 Oct 1964
  • Phan Rang AB, South Vietnam, 1 Aug 1971
  • Osan AB, South Korea, 15 Jan 1972
  • Suwon AB, South Korea, 1 Aug 1989
  • Osan AB, South Korea, 1 Oct 1990-1 Oct 1993
  • Nellis AFB, NV, 3 Feb 2003-Present


Aircraft

  • A-20 Havoc, 1942-1943
  • B-25 Mitchell
    B-25 Mitchell
    The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...

    , 1942-1943
  • DB-7 Boston, 1942-1943
  • L-1 Vigilant, 1942-1943, 1944-1945
  • L-4 Grasshopper, 1942-1943, 1943-1944
  • Douglas O-46, 1942-1943
  • O-52 Owl, 1942
  • P-39 Airacobra, 1942-1943
  • P-43 Lancer
    P-43 Lancer
    The Republic P-43 Lancer was a single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter aircraft built by Republic, first delivered to the United States Army Air Corps in 1940. A proposed development was the P-44 Rocket. While no world-beater as a fighter, the P-43A had a very good high-altitude...

    , 1942-1943
  • L-2 Grasshopper, 1943, 1943-1944

  • L-3 Grasshopper, 1943
  • L-5 Sentinel
    L-5 Sentinel
    The Stinson L-5 Sentinel was a World War II era liaison aircraft used by all branches of the U.S. military and by the British Royal Air Force. Along with the Stinson L-1 Vigilant, the L-5 was the only other American liaison aircraft of WWII that was purpose-built for military use and had no...

    , 1943, 1943-1945
  • L-6 Grasshopper, 1943; 1943-1944
  • P-51 Mustang
    P-51 Mustang
    The 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...

    , 1943
  • O-1 Bird Dog, 1963-1964, 1964-1970, 1971
  • O-2 Skymaster
    O-2 Skymaster
    The O-2 Skymaster is a military version of the Cessna 337 Super Skymaster utilized as an observation and forward air control aircraft...

    , 1968-1971, 1972-1975
  • OV-10 Bronco, 1968-1971, 1975-1983, 1985-c. 1989
  • OA-37 Dragonfly
    A-37 Dragonfly
    The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...

    , 1983-1985
  • A(later OA)-10 Thunderbolt II
    A-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,...

    , 1989-1993
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK