The 424th Tactical Air Support Training Squadron is an inactive
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 ...
unit. Its last assignment was with the
68th Tactical Air Support Group at
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...
, Florida, where the unit was inactivated on 31 October 1972. The unit conducted crew training for
special operations
Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations ma ...
, then
forward air control
Forward air control is the provision of guidance to close air support (CAS) aircraft intended to ensure that their attack hits the intended target and does not injure friendly troops. This task is carried out by a forward air controller (FAC).
...
from 1970 through 1972.
The unit was first activated as the 424th Night Fighter Squadron. The squadron was one of the first dedicated
night fighter
A night fighter (later known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor post-Second World War) is a largely historical term for a fighter aircraft, fighter or interceptor aircraft adapted or designed for effective use at night, during pe ...
Replacement Training Units of the
Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
. It trained replacement night fighter pilots who were then deployed overseas into combat until its inactivation in March 1944 due to a reorganization of
Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
training units.
[Pape, Campbell & Campbell]
History
World War II
The squadron was activated on 24 November 1943 at
Orlando Army Air Base
Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation.
Overview
Orlan ...
, Florida as the fourth night fighter training squadron of the
481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group
The 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group (481 NFOTG) was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces. It was inactivated on 31 March 1944 at Hammer Field, California.
The group was the primary night fighter Operational Training Unit (O ...
. Its mission was to be a
Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for Night Fighter pilots. It accepted
Army Air Forces Training Command
The United States Army Air Forces during World War II had major subordinate Commands below the Air Staff level. These Commands were organized along functional missions. One such Command was the Flying Training Command (FTC). It began as Air Cor ...
's twin-engine flying training and
North American B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...
transition school graduates and trained them as night fighter pilots. It was initially equipped with
Douglas DB-7
The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II.
Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...
s and Douglas P-70s.
As 1943 progressed additional aircraft and equipment arrived and the program expanded. In September, the first American-built dedicated night fighter began to arrive, the
Northrop YP-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed specifically as a night fighter.
Named for the North American spider ''Latrodect ...
and a few production P-61As. In January 1944 the entire program moved to
Hammer Field
Fresno Yosemite International Airport is a joint military–public airport in Fresno, California, United States. It is the primary commercial airport for the San Joaquin Valley and three national parks: Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. It ...
, California and was placed under
IV Fighter Command
The IV Fighter Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was activated under Fourth Air Force at March Field, California in June 1941, when it replaced a provisional organization. It was responsible for training fighter units and ...
. The move placed the squadron near Northrop manufacturing facility at
Hawthorne, California
Hawthorne is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area commonly known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay. As of the 2020 United States cens ...
and most programmed P-61 squadrons were planned for operations in the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...
and
China Burma India Theater
China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was ...
s.
In March 1944 the 420th was disbanded when the AAF found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible
tables of organization
A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of military units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well ...
were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit during a reorganization of units in the United States. The squadron's personnel and equipment were transferred to Squadron C of the 450th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Night Fighter Replacement Training Unit).
The squadron was redesignated the 424th Special Operations Training Squadron and activated at
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County.
The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...
, Florida. It was reassigned to the
68th Tactical Air Support Group in January 1972. After being redesignated the 424th Tactical Air Support Training Squadron in July, it was inactivated on 31 October 1972.
Lineage
* Constituted as the 424th Night Fighter Squadron on 23 November 1943
: Activated on 24 November 1943
: Disbanded on 31 March 1944
[Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 521]
* Redesignated 424th Special Operations Training Squadron on 9 June 1970
: Activated on 1 July 1970
: Redesignated 424th Tactical Air Support Training Squadron 15 July 1972
: Inactivated 31 Oct 1972
Assignments
* 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 24 November 1943 – 31 March 1944
*
1st Special Operations Wing
The 1st Special Operations Wing (1 SOW) at Hurlburt Field, Florida is one of three United States Air Force active duty Special Operations wings and falls under the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC).
The 1st Special Operations Wing ...
1 July 1970
* 68th Tactical Air Support Group, 1 January 1972 – 31 October 1972
Stations
* Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, 24 November 1943
* Hammer Field, California, 28 January– 31 March 1944
* Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 1 July 1970 – 31 October 1972
[Mueller, p. 141]
Aircraft Assigned
*
Douglas P-70 Havoc
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
* Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
* Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...
, 1943–1944
* Northrop P-61 Black Widow, 1944
See also
*
Operational - Replacement Training Units
Operational Training Units (OTU) and Replacement Training Units (RTU) were training organizations of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Unlike the schools of the Army Air Forces Training Command (AAFTC), OTU-RTU units were oper ...
References
; Notes
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
{{USAAF 4th Air Force World War II
Tactical air support squadrons of the United States Air Force