615th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Encyclopedia
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 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at 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....
, South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. It was inactivated on 15 July 1971
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, 1957 and reactivated as a Fighter-Bomber, later Tactical Fighter squadron, equipped with F-100 Super Sabres. Performed routine deployments and exercises 1957-1966. Deployed to South Vietnam as part of USAF buildup of forces in 1966, engaging in tactical bombing of enemy targets in South Vietnam AOR. Inactivated in 1971 as part of USAF drawdown of forces in Indochina.
Lineage
- Constituted 615th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 March 1943
- Activated on 1 April 1943
- Inactivated on 28 August 1945
- Redesignated 615th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 27 December 1946
- Activated in the reserve on 10 January 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949
- Redesignated 615th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 30 August 1957
- Activated on 25 September 1957
- Redesignated 615th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958
- Inactivated on 31 July 1971
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 (later Tactical Fighter) Wing, 25 September 1957
- 834th Air Division, 27 April 1966
- 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, 16 July 1966
- 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, 10 October 1966-31 July 1971
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...
, 26 June 1947 - 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...
, 25 September 1957 - Phan Rang Air BasePhan Rang Air BasePhan 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....
, South VietnamSouth VietnamSouth Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, 16 July 1966-31 July 1971