The 598th Range Squadron is an active
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. It is assigned to the
23d Fighter Group
The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United S ...
and is stationed at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida where it replaced Detachment 1, 23d Fighter Group on 22 September 2015. The
squadron also operates the Deployed Unit Complex at
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
, Florida.
It was first activated at
MacDill Field
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assi ...
, Florida in April 1943 as the 598th Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it transferred to the
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...
, where it was a component of
IX Bomber Command. The squadron served in combat from April 1944 until the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, earning a
Distinguished Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
for an attack on
Ediger-Eller
Ediger-Eller is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Cochem, wh ...
, Germany, in December 1944 during the
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
. Following
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
the squadron remained in France until December 1945, when it returned the United States and was inactivated at
Camp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp in Central New Jersey that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Tra ...
.
Mission
The 598th Range Squadron is responsible for operating the range and a deployed unit complex located at
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
, FL. The
squadron provides extensive, diverse and convenient training airspace and ranges with capabilities for military air and ground training.
The Avon Park Air Ground Training Complex is the largest training range east of the Mississippi River and includes an long operational runway.
History
World War II

The squadron was established at
MacDill Field
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assi ...
, Florida in April 1943 as one of the original
squadrons
Squadron(s) may refer to:
Military
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 ...
of the
397th Bombardment Group 397th may refer to:
*397th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit
*397th Bombardment Wing, inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to the 45th Air Division of Strategic Air Command
* 397th Engineer Battalion (Unite ...
, a
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in t ...
medium bomber group.
[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 283–284] It drew its initial cadre from the 21st Bombardment Group. The squadron trained under Third Air Force
The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...
at stations in the southeastern United States. After completing its training by participating in the Tennessee Maneuvers, the squadron departed Hunter Field
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia.
Hunter features a runway that is long and an Airport ramp, aircraft par ...
, Georgia for the European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...
on 13 March 1944.[
The squadron was temporarily stationed at ]RAF Gosfield
Royal Air Force Gosfield or more simply RAF Gosfield is a former Royal Air Force station in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north of Braintree, Essex, Braintree; about north-northeast of London
Established in 1943, ...
upon its arrival in England in early April 1944. On the 15th of the month, its parent group displaced the 363d Fighter Group 363rd or 363d may refer to:
*363d Expeditionary Operations Group, inactive United States Air Force unit
*363d Bombardment Squadron or 19th Antisubmarine Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit
*363d Fighter Squadron or 164th Airlift Squadro ...
at RAF Rivenhall
Royal Air Force Rivenhall or more simply RAF Rivenhall is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southeast of Braintree, Essex, Brain ...
and flew its first combat mission five days later.[ In preparation for ]Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...
, the invasion of Normandy
Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
, the squadron participated in Operation Crossbow
''Crossbow'' was the code name in World War II for Anglo-American operations against the German V-weapons, long range reprisal weapons (V-weapons) programme. The primary V-weapons were the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket, which were launched agai ...
, attacking V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb ( "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () name was Fieseler Fi 103 and its suggestive name was (hellhound). It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug a ...
launch pads. It also struck bridges, coastal defenses, marshalling yard
A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway y ...
s and airfield
An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...
s in northern France. On D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
the squadron attacked strong points and bombed fuel dumps and other objectives to support ground forces throughout the Normandy Campaign.[
In July 1944, the squadron participated in ]Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the dis ...
, attacking German forces near Saint Lo
In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
, France, during the Allied breakout there. In August, the squadron moved from England to Gorges Airfield
Gorges Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Gorges in the Manche region of northern France.
Located just outside Gorges (likely to the east or southeast), the United States Army Air Forc ...
, an Advanced Landing Ground in France. From there it attacked naval targets at Saint Malo
Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany.
The walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...
and Brest. Once on the Continent, the squadron made frequent moves forward as the Allied forces advanced during the Northern France Campaign
The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers of World War II, Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French ...
. By September the squadron began flying missions into Germany, attacking depots and defended areas.[
During the ]Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
, the squadron struck enemy lines of communications. On 23 December 1944 the unit severed a railway bridge at Ediger-Eller
Ediger-Eller is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Cochem, wh ...
, Germany, despite heavy flak
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...
and fighter opposition from the Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
. For this action it was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
. The squadron continued to fly missions to support the Allied drive into Germany until 20 April 1945, exactly one year after its first combat mission, having completed 239 combat missions.[
After ]V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
the squadron returned to its former base at Peronne Airfield, France, and remained there until December, when it returned to the United States. Upon arrival at Camp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp in Central New Jersey that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Tra ...
, New Jersey in late December 1945, the squadron was inactivated.[
]
Range management
The squadron was redesignated 598th Range Squadron and activated at the MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida.
The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...
auxiliary field at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida on 22 September 2015. It replaced Detachment 1, 23d Fighter Group
The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United S ...
, which had been managing the range and the Deployed Unit Complex at MacDill previously. The 598th Squadron operates both the Avon Park Air Force Range in Polk County and Highlands County, Florida and the Deployed Unit Complex.[
The squadron is part of the ]23d Fighter Group
The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United S ...
, part of the 23d Wing
The 23rd Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
Mission
The mission of the 23rd Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunder ...
, located at Moody Air Force Base
Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia.
Geography
The base is mostly in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with a portion in Lanier County. Georgia State Route 125 runs through the west ...
, Georgia.[
]
Lineage
* Constituted as the 598th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 20 March 1943
: Activated on 20 April 1943
* Redesignated 598th Bombardment Squadron, Medium c. April 1944
: Inactivated on 31 December 1945
* Redesignated 598th Range Squadron on 12 August 2015
: Activated on 22 September 2015[
]
Assignments
* 397th Bombardment Group, 20 April 1943 – 31 December 1945
* 23d Fighter Group, 22 September 2015 – present[
]
Stations
* MacDill Field, Florida, 20 April 1943
* Avon Park Army Air Field, Florida, 14 October 1943
* Hunter Field
Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia.
Hunter features a runway that is long and an Airport ramp, aircraft par ...
, Georgia, 1 November 1943 – 13 March 1944
* RAF Gosfield (Station 154),[Station number in Anderson, p. 22] England, 5 April 1944
* RAF Rivenhall (Station 168),[ England, 15 April 1944
* ]RAF Hurn
Royal Air Force Hurn or more simply RAF Hurn is a former Royal Air Force station located approximately north west of Christchurch, Dorset, England
Opened in 1941, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. ...
(AAF-492), England, 4 August 1944
* Gorges Airfield (A-26), France, 30 August 1944
* Dreux/Vernouillet Airfield (A-41), France, c. 16 September 1944
* Peronne Airfield (A-72),[Station number in Johnson, p. 21] France, c. 8 October 1944
* Venlo Airfield
Royal Air Force Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, in Germany was a Royal Air Force station until 15 June 2001. It was situated next to the village of Elmpt, approximately west of Düsseldorf on the Dutch–German border. The ba ...
(Y-55), Netherlands, 25 April 1945
* Peronne Airfield (A-72),[ France, 30 May – c. December 1945
* Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 30 – 31 December 1945
* Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida, 22 September 2015 – present][Station information in Haulman, Factsheet, except as noted.]
Aircraft
* Martin B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in ...
, 1943–1945[
]
Awards and campaigns
See also
* List of United States Air Force squadrons
The United States Air Force and its predecessors include a number of specialized Air Force Squadrons. These units vary widely in size and may include several hundred enlisted airmen commanded by an officer in the rank of captain to lieutenant col ...
* List of Martin B-26 Marauder operators
This is a list of Martin B-26 Marauder operators. The main user of the Martin B-26 Marauder was the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). During this period the Martin Marauder was also operated by the US Navy, Free French Air Force, the South Af ...
References
Notes
; Eplanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II
Squadrons of the United States Air Force