613th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 613th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at Torrejon Air Base
, Spain
. It was inactivated on 28 June 1991.
Assigned to Air Force Reserve January 1947. Never equipped or manned, inactivated 1949
Allocated to Tactical Air command, 1953 and reactivated as a Fighter-Bomber, later Tactical Fighter squadron. Performed routine deployments and exercises 1954-1966. Reassigned to NATO in 1966 as part of USAFE takeover of former SAC facilities in Spain. Performed routine deployments and exercises. Inactivated in 1991 as part of USAF drawdown of forces in Europe after the end of the Cold War.
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. Its last was assigned to the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at Torrejon Air Base
Torrejon Air Base
Madrid-Torrejón Airport is a commercial airport in Spain. It is a joint-use facility between the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Works. The civil part is dedicated primarily to executive and private aviation. The airport is located northeast of Madrid, west of Alcalá de...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It was inactivated on 28 June 1991.
History
Activated in early 1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron, trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to England in November 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Second Air Force for re-equipping with B-29 Superfortresses. Japanese capitulation led to inactivation in August 1945.Assigned to Air Force Reserve January 1947. Never equipped or manned, inactivated 1949
Allocated to Tactical Air command, 1953 and reactivated as a Fighter-Bomber, later Tactical Fighter squadron. Performed routine deployments and exercises 1954-1966. Reassigned to NATO in 1966 as part of USAFE takeover of former SAC facilities in Spain. Performed routine deployments and exercises. Inactivated in 1991 as part of USAF drawdown of forces in Europe after the end of the Cold War.
Lineage
- Constituted 613th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 March 1943
- Activated on 1 April 1943
- Inactivated on 28 August 1945
- Redesignated 613th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 27 December 1946
- Activated in the reserve on 10 January 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949
- Redesignated 613th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 24 November 1953
- Activated on 8 February 1954
- Redesignated 613th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958
- Inactivated on 28 June 1991
Assignments
- 401st Bombardment Group, 1 April 1943-28 August 1945
- Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe 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....
, 10 January 1947 - 401st Bombardment Group, 30 September 1947-27 June 1949.
- 401st Fighter-Bomber Group, 8 February 1954
- 401st Fighter-Bomber (later Tactical Fighter) Wing, 25 September 1957-28 June 1991
Stations
- Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 1 April 1943
- Geiger Field, Washington, 4 June 1943
- Great Falls Army Air Base, MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, 8 July-19 October 1943 - RAF DeenethorpeRAF DeenethorpeRAF Deenethorpe is a former World War II airfield in Northamptonshire, England, about two miles east of Corby.- USAAF use:Deenethorpe was constructed in 1943 and was allocated to the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force...
(AAF-128), 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...
, 4 November 1943-20 June 1945
- Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, c. 1–28 August 1945 - Brooks FieldBrooks City-BaseBrooks City-Base was a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas, southeast of Downtown San Antonio.In 2002 Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Development Authority as part of a unique project between local, state,...
, 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...
, 10 January 197-27 June 1949 - Alexandria (Later England) AFB, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 8 February 1954 - Torrejon Air BaseTorrejon Air BaseMadrid-Torrejón Airport is a commercial airport in Spain. It is a joint-use facility between the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Works. The civil part is dedicated primarily to executive and private aviation. The airport is located northeast of Madrid, west of Alcalá de...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, 27 April 1966-28 June 1991
Aircraft
- B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1945
- 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 - F-84 ThunderjetF-84 ThunderjetThe Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
, 1955–1957 - 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...
, 1957–1971 - 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,...
, 1971–1983 - F-16 Falcon, 1983–1991