The 11th Operational Weather Squadron (11OWS) was an operational weather squadron of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. The squadron was based out of

Elmendorf AFB Elmendorf Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) facility in Anchorage, Alaska. Originally known as Elmendorf Field, it became Elmendorf Air Force Base after World War II. It is the home of the Headquarters, Alaskan Air Command ( ...

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, and was responsible for forecasting Alaska's weather and analyzing its climate. The squadron was first activated in early 1941 as the Air Corps Detachment, Weather, Alaska at Ladd Field. It was soon moved to Elmendorf Field (later Air Force Base). The detachment oversaw weather stations in Alaska and after the

Attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

in February 1942 became the 11th Air Corps Squadron, Weather. The squadron was redesignated the 11th Weather Squadron in 1944. In 1952 the squadron was relocated to

Keesler Air Force Base Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city along the Gulf Coast in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., a Mississippi nati ...

in Mississippi where it inactivated five years later. In 1958 the squadron was reactivated at Elmendorf. The squadron was inactivated after a short stay at

Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redesignated Eielson Ai ...

in 1992. The squadron was reactivated as the 11th Operational Weather Squadron at Elmendorf in 1998.

History

World War II

The 11th Operational Weather Squadron was constituted as Air Corps Detachment, Weather, Alaska, on 15 November 1940, and activated on 11 January 1941 at Ladd Field, Alaska, assigned to the Ninth Service Command. The detachment was commanded by Captain Wilson H. Neal and consisted of a

Technical sergeant Technical sergeant is the name of three current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, and ...

and five other enlisted men, transferred from

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 m ...

. Its mission was to operate the Alaska Weather Region to provide Army Air Corps aircraft and Alaska Army units with weather service. The detachment relocated to Elmendorf Field on 2 May. On 7 December, when the Japanese attacked

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

, the detachment oversaw the weather stations at Elmendorf, Ladd,

Annette Island Annette Island or Tàakw.àani (Tlingit) is an island in the Gravina Islands of the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is at . It is about long and about wide. The land area i ...

, and Yakutat, a total of 44 enlisted men and three officers. The squadron was redesignated the 11th Air Corps Squadron, Weather, on 26 February 1942 and transferred to the 11th Air Force. On 28 May, it activated a weather station at Fort Glenn. In October, the squadron activated a weather station at Adak and its remotest station at St. Matthew Island. Now-Lieutenant Colonel Neal was transferred and replaced by Major Paul A. Carlson in November. A station at

Amchitka Amchitka (; ;) is a volcanic, tectonically unstable and uninhabited island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island, with a land area of ro ...

was activated on 24 January 1943. After the American liberation of Attu in May, the squadron established a weather station at Alexai Point on the island. The Adak and Alexai Point stations provided forecasts for a number of bombing raids against

Paramushir Paramushir (, , ) is a volcanic island in the northern portion of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It is separated from Shumshu by the very narrow Second Kuril Strait in the northeast , from Antsifer ...

in the summer. By the end of 1943, the squadron controlled 32 weather stations, manned by 81 officers, seven NCOs, and 447 enlisted men, its peak strength. On 6 January 1944, the squadron became the 11th Weather Squadron. In February, both weathermen and a radio operator at the Chuginadak station died of exposure while searching for a supply barge which had run aground on the island. During the war, three men of the squadron received the Distinguished Flying Cross, seventeen received the

Bronze Star The Bronze Star Medal (BSM) is a United States Armed Forces decoration awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces for either heroic achievement, heroic service, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service in a combat zone. Wh ...

, three were awarded the

Army Commendation Medal The Commendation Medal is a mid-level Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, United States military decoration presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service. Each branch of the United States Armed Forces issu ...

, and five were awarded the

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establi ...

. The squadron was transferred to the Army Air Forces Weather Service (later the

Air Weather Service An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosphere ...

) on 22 October 1945.

Cold War

On 4 December 1945, the squadron became part of the 7th Weather Group (later the 2107th Air Weather Group). On 20 April 1952, the squadron was relocated to

in Mississippi, becoming part of the

. A month later it became part of the 8th Weather Group. The squadron was inactivated at Keesler on 18 November 1957. The squadron returned to Elmendorf and was reactivated on 18 June 1958, replacing the 7th Weather Group. On 1 June 1959, the squadron became part of the 4th Weather Wing. It was transferred to the 3rd Weather Wing on 30 June 1972. Between 20 January and 1 February 1989, elements of the squadron participated in Exercise Brim Frost 89, training Joint Task Force-Alaska against invasion. The squadron became part of the 1st Weather Wing on 1 October 1989. It was reassigned to Pacific Air Forces on 30 September 1991, when weather squadrons of Air Weather Service were transferred to the commands they supported. The squadron relocated to

on 1 April 1992, becoming part of the 343d Operations Group on 15 April. The squadron was inactivated on 1 June.

Operational Weather Squadron

The squadron was redesignated the 11th Operational Weather Squadron on 5 February 1999, and activated on 19 February 1999 with the 611th Air Operations Group. The squadron provided mission tailored, operational, and tactical level

meteorological Meteorology is the scientific study of the Earth's atmosphere and short-term atmospheric phenomena (i.e. weather), with a focus on weather forecasting. It has applications in the military, aviation, energy production, transport, agriculture ...

geological Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...

oceanographic Oceanography (), also known as oceanology, sea science, ocean science, and marine science, is the scientific study of the ocean, including its physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. It is an Earth science, which covers a wide range of top ...

, and space environment products and services for

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

air and land operations in the Alaskan region. They provided headquarters staff support to the Alaskan Command,

Eleventh Air Force The Eleventh Air Force (11 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska.This unit is not related to the Eleventh Air Force headquart ...

, PACAF, and

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Alaska, and contingency support to the Alaska NORAD Region. As a result of USAF manpower and budget reductions, the 11th OWS was inactivated and merged with the 17th Operational Weather Squadron in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

in June 2008. This merger was completed on 13 June 2008.

Lineage

The lineage of the 11th Operational Squadron from inception to 2008: * Constituted as Air Corps Detachment, Weather, Alaska, on 15 November 1940 : Activated on 11 January 1941 * Redesignated 11th Air Corps Squadron, Weather (Regional Control) on 26 February 1942 * Redesignated 11th Weather Squadron on 6 January 1944 : Inactivated on 20 April 1952 : Activated on 20 April 1952 : Inactivated on 18 November 1957 : Activated on 18 June 1958 : Inactivated on 1 June 1992 * Redesignated 11th Operational Weather Squadron on 5 February 1999 : Activated on 19 February 1999 * Inactivated and merged with 17th Operational Weather Squadron on 13 June 2008

Assignments

The assignments of the 11th Operational Squadron from inception to 2008: * Ninth Service Command, 11 January 1941 – c. 1941 * Alaska Defense Force, c. 1941 *

, 26 February 1942 * AAF Weather Service, 22 October 1945 * 7th Weather (later, 2107th Air Weather) Group, 4 December 1945 *

, 20 April 1952 * 8th Weather Group, 20 May 1952 – 18 Nov 1957 * 3d Weather Group, 18 June 1958 * 4th Weather Wing, 1 June 1959 * 3d Weather Wing, 30 June 1972 * 1st Weather Wing, 1 October 1989 *

Pacific Air Forces The Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PAC ...

, 30 September 1991 * 343d Operations Group, 15 April – 1 June 1992 * 611th Air Operations Group, 19 February 1999 – 13 June 2008

Stations

The stations of the 11th Operational Squadron from inception to 2008: * Ladd Field, Alaska, 11 Jan 1941 * Elmendorf Field (later Air Force Base), Alaska, 2 May 1941 *

, Mississippi, 20 April 1952 – 18 November 1957 * Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, 18 Jun 1958 *

, Alaska, 1 April 1992 – 1 June 1992 * Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, 19 February 1999 – 13 June 2008

Awards and campaigns

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

11OWS article

11OWS History

The Papers of Alexander Karanikas on Arctic and Cold Weather Flying
at Dartmouth College Library {{Air Force Weather nav Weather 011 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 2008