452d Flight Test Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 452d Flight Test Squadron (452 FLTS) is part of the 412th Test Wing
and is based at Edwards Air Force Base
, California
.
medium bomber squadron in mid-1942; trained under Third Air Force
in Florida
. Deployed to European Theater of Operations
(ETO), being assigned to VIII Bomber Command
3d Bombardment Wing in England
. Engaged in attacks on enemy targets in France
and the Low Countries
; being reassigned to IX Bomber Command in 1943 with the establishment of Ninth Air Force
in England. Also supported VIII Bomber Command strategic bombardment raids in Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany
, attacking enemy airfields to disrupt interceptor attacks on heavy bomber formations and destroy enemy interceptor aircraft on the ground before they could be launched.
After D-Day
deployed to Advanced Landing Ground
s in France
and later Belgium
. Provided tactical air support and bombardment of enemy strong points and military targets to disrupt resistance to Allied ground forces advancing from the French invasion beaches and the ensuing offensives on the continent; 1944-1945. Attacked enemy forces as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany, 1945 and continued offensive tactical operations in support of ground forces until German capitulation in May 1945.
Became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe
army of occupation in Germany during 1945. Demobilized in place and personnel returned to the United States in the fall of 1945; squadron inactivated as a paper unit in December 1945.
Reactivated as a reserve air training command squadron; assigned and performed advanced flight training for air cadets, 1947-1949. Inactivated due to funding restrictions. Assigned to Tactical Air Command
and reactivated in 1954 flying F-86 Sabre
s; later F-100 Super Sabre
s as a fighter-day squadron. Inactivated in 1957 due to funding restrictions. Reactivated in 1972 as an Air Training Command
navigator training squadron; flew T-29; later T-43
navigation classroom aircraft. Concluded flight training in 1993 as part of the Cold War
drawdown; redesignated as a Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB under Air Force Materiel Command
.
412th Test Wing
The 412th Test Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards Air Force Base, California.-Overview:...
and is based at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
History
Established as a B-26 MarauderB-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
medium bomber squadron in mid-1942; trained under Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Deployed to European Theater of Operations
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
(ETO), being assigned to VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...
3d Bombardment Wing in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Engaged in attacks on enemy targets in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
; being reassigned to IX Bomber Command in 1943 with the establishment of Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
in England. Also supported VIII Bomber Command strategic bombardment raids in Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, attacking enemy airfields to disrupt interceptor attacks on heavy bomber formations and destroy enemy interceptor aircraft on the ground before they could be launched.
After D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
deployed to Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground
Advanced Landing Ground was the term given to the temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II in support of the invasion of Europe...
s in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and later Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Provided tactical air support and bombardment of enemy strong points and military targets to disrupt resistance to Allied ground forces advancing from the French invasion beaches and the ensuing offensives on the continent; 1944-1945. Attacked enemy forces as part of the Western Allied invasion of Germany, 1945 and continued offensive tactical operations in support of ground forces until German capitulation in May 1945.
Became part of 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...
army of occupation in Germany during 1945. Demobilized in place and personnel returned to the United States in the fall of 1945; squadron inactivated as a paper unit in December 1945.
Reactivated as a reserve air training command squadron; assigned and performed advanced flight training for air cadets, 1947-1949. Inactivated due to funding restrictions. Assigned to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
and reactivated in 1954 flying F-86 Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The 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...
s; later F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
s as a fighter-day squadron. Inactivated in 1957 due to funding restrictions. Reactivated in 1972 as an Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
navigator training squadron; flew T-29; later T-43
Boeing T-43
|-See also:-External links:* http://www.militaryaircraft.de/pictures/military/aircraft/T-43/T-43A_Gator.html* http://www.gruntsmilitary.com/t43a.shtml* http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/12ftw.htm...
navigation classroom aircraft. Concluded flight training in 1993 as part of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
drawdown; redesignated as a Flight Test Squadron at Edwards AFB under Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command
Air Force Materiel Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. AFMC was created July 1, 1992 through the reorganization of Air Force Logistics Command and Air Force Systems Command....
.
Lineage
- Constituted 452d Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 1 Jun 1942
- Activated on 17 Jul 1942
- Redesignated 452d Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 9 Oct 1944
- Inactivated on 12 Dec 1945
- Redesignated 452d Bombardment Squadron, Light, on 3 Jul 1947
- Activated in the Reserve on 9 Aug 1947
- Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949
- Redesignated 452d Fighter-Day Squadron on 24 Mar 1954
- Activated on 1 Jul 1954
- Inactivated on 18 Nov 1957
- Redesignated 452d Flying Training Squadron on 28 Jul 1972
- Activated on 1 Apr 1973
- Inactivated on 31 May 1993
- Redesignated 452d Test Squadron on 31 Aug 1993
- Activated on 1 Oct 1993
- Redesignated 452d Flight Test Squadron on 1 Mar 1994.
Assignments
- 322d Bombardment Group 17 Jul 1942-12 Dec 1945; 9 Aug 1947-27 Jun 1949
- 322d Fighter-Day Group, 1 Jul 1954-18 Nov 1957
- 323d Flying Training Wing, 1 Apr 1973
- 323d Operations Group, 15 Dec 1991-31 May 1993
- 412th Operations Group, 1 Oct 1993-.
Bases stationed
- MacDill Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 17 Jul 1942 - Drane Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 22 Sep-15 Nov 1942 - RAF RattlesdenRAF RattlesdenRAF Rattlesden is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 9 miles SE of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.-USAAF use:Rattlesden airfield was built in 1942 as a Class A bomber airfield. The airfield had three intersecting concrete runways, perimeter track and, for USAAF use,...
(AAF-126), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 1 Dec 1942 - RAF Bury St EdmundsRAF Bury St EdmundsRAF Bury St Edmunds was a World War II airfield in England. The field is located 3 miles east of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. The airfield, now in private ownership and much reduced in size, is still active and is known as Rougham Airfield....
(Rougham) (AAF-468), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 22 Mar 1943 - RAF Andrews FieldRAF Andrews FieldRAF Station Andrews Field is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Great Dunmow; about north-northeast of London...
(Great Saling) (AAF-485), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 12 Jun 1943 - Beauvais/Tille Airfield (A-61), FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, c. 29 Sep 1944 - Le Culot AirfieldBeauvechain Air BaseBeauvechain Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield in Belgium, located south of Beauvechain ; east-southeast of Brussels...
(A-89), BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, c. 26 Mar 1945 - AAF Station Wickenrode, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Jun 1945 - AAF Station Hornel, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Jul 1945
- Clastres Airfield, France, c. 1 Oct-3 Dec 1945
- Camp Myles StandishCamp Myles StandishCamp Myles Standish was a U.S. Army camp located in Taunton, Massachusetts. It functioned as a prisoner-of-war camp, a departure area for about a million U.S...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 11-12 Dec 1945 - Reading AAFld (later, Muni Aprt)Reading Regional AirportReading Regional Airport , also known as Carl A. Spaatz Field, is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Reading, a city in Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States...
, PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, 9 Aug 1947-27 Jun 1949 - Foster AFB, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 1 Jul 1954-18 Nov 1957
- Deployed at Landstuhl AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, 20 Sep-4 Oct 1956- Mather AFB, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 1 Apr 1973-31 May 1993 - Edwards AFB, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 1 Oct 1993–Present
- Mather AFB, California
Aircraft Operated
- B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
(1942–1945) - AT-6 Texan (1947–1949)
- AT-7 Navigator (1947–1949)
- AT-11 Kansan (1947–1949)
- 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...
(1954–1955) - F-100 Super SabreF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
(1955–1957) - T-29 Flying Classroom (1973–1975)
- T-43 Bobcat (1973–1993)