22d Fighter Squadron

Last updated
22d Fighter Squadron
22d Fighter Squadron - General Dynamics F-16C Block 50B Fighting Falcon - 90-0829.jpg
22d FS F-16CJ Block 50B Fighting Falcon - 90-0829
Active1940–1946; 1946–2010
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Role Fighter
Motto(s)Red Hot Fighters
Engagements
WW II American Campaign (Antisubmarine) Streamer.jpg
Antisubmarine, American Theater
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Streamer.jpg
Air Offensive, Europe
Battle of Normandy
Northern France Campaign
Rhineland Campaign
Ardennes-Alsace Campaign
Central Europe Campaign
Decorations
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 William R. Looney III "Toons"; James F. "Nails" Knight
Insignia
22d Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 27 June 1945) [1] 22d Fighter Squadron.png

The 22d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 52d Operations Group and stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It was inactivated on 13 August 2010. At various times during its existence, the squadron has gone by colloquial names "Stingers", "Adlers", "Bees", "Bumblebees" and "The BIG 22: Last of the Red Hot Fighter Squadrons".

United States Air Force Air and space warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

52d Operations Group

The 52d Operations Group is the flying component of the 52d Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). The group is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.

Spangdahlem Air Base architectural structure

Spangdahlem Air Base is a NATO air base with USAF tenant constructed between 1951 and 1953 and located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.

Contents

History

World War II

Antilles Air Command

The 22d Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) was constituted on 22 December 1939, and activated in February 1940 at Langley Field, Virginia. Flying the Curtiss P-36 Hawk, the squadron was one of several deployed to the Caribbean (later Antilles Air Command) and being stationed on bases established as part of the 1940 Destroyers for Bases Agreement with Great Britain. The squadron left from Norfolk, Virginia on 1 February 1940 with several others bound for Puerto Rico aboard the USAT Chateau Thierry from Norfolk for what turned into 29 months of overseas service, taking station at Ponce (later Losey Field) on 6 January 1941.

Curtiss P-36 Hawk family of fighter aircraft

The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of both the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation of combat aircraft—a sleek monoplane design making extensive use of metal in its construction and powered by a powerful radial engine.

Antilles Air Command

The Antilles Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Sixth Air Force, based at Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico. It was inactivated on 25 August 1946.

In the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2, 1940, fifty Caldwell, Wickes, and Clemson class US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions. Generally referred to as the "twelve hundred-ton type", the destroyers became the British Town class and were named after towns common to both the United States and Britain. Roosevelt used an executive agreement that did not require Congressional approval, but he came under heavy attack from antiwar political elements.

After its arrival at Ponce, the Squadron converted from the P-36A to Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. After the Pearl Harbor Attack on 7 December 1941, the Squadron was placed on 24-hour alert status and, the Squadron's P-40E's were flown to Howard Field, in the Panama Canal Zone to reinforce the defense units of the Panama Canal. The squadron returned to Ponce without aircraft, and upon their return, the squadron received some Bell P-39D Airacobras which were flown to Puerto Rico from the United States which joined the single example which had been on hand since at least June 1941. On 13 December, the unit Headquarters moved from Ponce to Vega Baja Airfield, 18°28′58″N066°25′58″W / 18.48278°N 66.43278°W / 18.48278; -66.43278 an auxiliary aerodrome in Puerto Rico, to provide better interception coverage for the island.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk family of fighter aircraft

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter of World War II, after the P-51 and P-47; by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation's main production facilities at Buffalo, New York.

Panama Canal Zone Former unincorporated territory of the United States surrounded by the Republic of Panama

The Panama Canal Zone was an unincorporated territory of the United States from 1903 to 1979, centered on the Panama Canal and surrounded by the Republic of Panama. The zone consisted of the canal and an area generally extending five miles (8.0 km) on each side of the centerline, excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of the Zone. Its border spanned three of Panama's provinces. When reservoirs were created to assure a steady supply of water for the locks, those lakes were included within the Zone.

Puerto Rico Unincorporated territory of the United States

Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and briefly called Porto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida.

Operations during most of the remainder of 1942 are vague, but involved very extensive over-water flying and many scrambles in response to reported U-Boat sightings, the vast majority of which turned up negative. A detachment of three P-39Ds was operating at Beane Field, St. Lucia by 28 February 1942 while the detachment at Waller Field. The unit was redesignated as the 22d Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942. On 2 September 1942, a detachment of the 32d Fighter Squadron which had been stationed at Curacao and Aruba was transferred outright to the 22d Fighter Squadron, but continued on at their stations on detached assignment. The detachment at Aruba was further attached to the 12th Bombardment Squadron and the detachment at Curacao was attached to the 59th Bombardment Squadron. The larger 22d Fighter Squadron detachment in Trinidad engaged in extensive antisubmarine activities.

Aruba Island country in the Caribbean, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands

Aruba is an island and a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean Sea, located about 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) west of the main part of the Lesser Antilles and 29 kilometres (18 mi) north of the coast of Venezuela. It measures 32 kilometres (20 mi) long from its northwestern to its southeastern end and 10 kilometres (6 mi) across at its widest point. Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands. Collectively, Aruba and the other Dutch islands in the Caribbean are often called the Dutch Caribbean.

59th Bombardment Squadron

The 59th Bombardment Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment wa with the 319th Bombardment Group, based at Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, Alabama. It was inactivated on 22 March 1951.

Trinidad The larger of the two major islands which make up Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies 11 km (6.8 mi) off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. Though geographically part of the South American continent, from a socio-economic standpoint it is often referred to as the southernmost island in the Caribbean. With an area of 4,768 km2 (1,841 sq mi), it is also the fifth largest in the West Indies.

With the Navy taking over the antisubmarine mission, the squadron was redeployed back to the United States, moving to Morrison Field, Florida by 27 May 1943.

Ninth Air Force

P-47 Thunderbolts of the 22d Fighter Squadron at Le Culot, Belgium, fall 1944 36fg-p47-uk-1944.jpg
P-47 Thunderbolts of the 22d Fighter Squadron at Le Culot, Belgium, fall 1944

Transferred to III Fighter Command in June 1943, began training for deployment to the European Theater of Operations as a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber squadron. Deployed to England in April 1944 as part of IX Fighter Command. Initial missions included strafing and dive-bombing armored vehicles, trains, bridges, buildings, factories, troop concentrations, gun emplacements, airfields, and other targets in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. The squadron also flew some escort missions with Eighth Air Force Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator strategic bombers.

The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt family of fighter aircraft

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II era fighter aircraft produced by the United States from 1941 through 1945. Its primary armament was eight .50-caliber machine guns and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 pounds (1,103 kg). When fully loaded the P-47 weighed up to eight tons (tonnes) making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine which was also used by two U.S. Navy fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair. The Thunderbolt was effective as a short-to-medium range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat and ground attack in both the World War II European and Pacific theaters.

IX Fighter Command

The IX Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany. It was inactivated on 16 November 1945.

On D-Day the squadron patrolled the air over the landing zones and by flying close-support and interdiction missions. Moved to its Advanced Landing Ground at Brucheville Airfield, France in July, then eastward as ground forces advanced on the continent. Operations supported the breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July and the thrust of United States Third Army toward Germany in August and September as part of the 303d Fighter Wing, XIX Tactical Air Command. In October, the squadron moved into Belgium to support Ninth United States Army.

Advanced Landing Ground

Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) were temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II during the liberation of Europe. They were built in the UK prior to the invasion and thereafter in northwest Europe from 6 June 1944 to V-E Day, 7 May 1945.

Brucheville Airfield

Brucheville Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Brucheville in the Normandy region of northern France.

Saint-Lô Prefecture and commune in Normandy, France

Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy.

Participated in the Battle of the Bulge during December 1944 and January 1945 by flying armed reconnaissance and close-support missions. Aided First United States Army's push across the Roer River in February 1945. Supported operations at the Remagen bridgehead and during the airborne assault across the Rhine in March. Also, during 1945, the squadron would receive their Disney-designed emblem. [2]

By V-E Day, the squadron was based at Kassel-Rothwestern Airfield, Germany, where it remained until February 1946 as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe Army of Occupation. In February, the unit was transferred, without personnel or equipment to Bolling Field, Washington, D.C where it was inactivated as a paper unit. [3]

22d FS P-80B Shooting Star at Furstenfeldbruck AB 22d Fighter Squadron - Lockheed P-80B-1-LO Shooting Star - 45-8634.jpg
22d FS P-80B Shooting Star at Furstenfeldbruck AB

Reactivated in October 1946 under Caribbean Air Command in the Canal Zone, returning to its prewar mission of the defense of the Panama Canal. The squadron conducted air defense training missions for the next two years initially with P-47's. The squadron upgraded to jet aircraft in December 1947 with the arrival of the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star.

As a result of the Berlin Blockade and other Cold War tensions in Europe, the squadron was deployed to Germany and was reassigned to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) during August 1948, becoming part of the third F-80 jet group assigned to USAFE. At Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base tactical operations included air defense, tactical exercises, maneuvers, and photographic reconnaissance. Upgraded to new Republic F-84E Thunderjets in 1950. Note, blue diagonal stripes were the markings of the 36th FBG, the red nose and tip tanks being colored red were the squadron markings. The squadron remained at Fürstenfeldbruck until 1952 when it was reassigned to the new Bitburg Air Base, west of the Rhine River near the French border in the Eifel mountains, near the town of Birtburg, Germany.

22d FBS F-84E 22d Fighter-Bomber Squadron - Republic F-84E-10-RE Thunderjet - 49-2223.jpg
22d FBS F-84E

Bitburg Air Base

In August 1953, the North American F-86F Sabre was introduced to the squadron, replacing the F-84s. In 1956, the squadron received the North American F-100 Super Sabre, marking the first time a wing in USAFE flew supersonic jets. On 15 May 1958, the squadron was re-designated as the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron and was part of the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing along with the 23rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (until 1972), 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, and 525th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

In May 1961, received the Republic F-105 Thunderchief and continued to carry on its Cold War mission of tactical nuclear weapons delivery. Twice in the early 1960s when Cold War tensions were elevated due to the 1961 Berlin Wall crisis and 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis the squadron rose to a high level of alert. The squadron was upgraded to the McDonnell F-4 Phantom II in 1966.

The squadron was upgraded to the McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle in April 1976 In 1980 more advanced F-15Cs and F-15Ds replaced the original F-15As. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the squadron conducted routine training missions and contributed aircraft and pilots to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing's Zulu Alert facility during the Cold War. When the F-15s first arrived at Bitburg AB, a German “wild park” (zoo) came to the squadron and “adopted” it.  The squadron designed an alternative emblem along with full-color aircrew patches with an eagle (animal) and US Flag on it and were dubbed the “Adlers” (which is German for eagle). For a time in the late seventies and early eighties the "Adler" name and emblem were used exclusively within the "ops" portion of the squadron, while the attached maintenance unit retained the "Stingers" name and emblem.  In 1982, a new squadron commander made the unpopular decision that the “Adler” patch would no longer be used, and reinstate the Walt Disney “Bumblebee” patch, which was the official patch. [4]

22d TFS F-105D Thunderchief 22d Tactical Fighter Squadron - Republic F-105D-10-RE Thunderchief - 60-0438.jpg
22d TFS F-105D Thunderchief

Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm

After the Invasion of Kuwait by Iraq in August 1990, the squadron was put on heightened readiness status awaiting possible deployment to the Gulf Region. At the time of the invasion, the 22nd Fighter Squadron was involved in the MSIP (Multi-Stage Improvement Program) [5] upgrade of their F-15s and could not be deployed as a coherent unit. During December 1990, those aircraft that had completed upgrades, along with pilots and maintainers from the 22nd AMU (Aircraft Maintenance Unit), augmented their sister squadron, the 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, for deployment to Al Kharj AB, Saudi Arabia in support of Operations Desert Shield and later Desert Storm. In January 1991, many of the remaining aircraft, pilots and maintainers from the squadron deployed to Incirlik AB, Turkey along with their other sister squadron, the 525th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and the F-15s of the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron from Soesterberg AB, The Netherlands. Despite their reduced numbers, the 22nd's remaining pilots and maintainers at Bitburg continued to provide aircraft for the Zulu Alert facility, as well as provided support for non-squadron F-15s en route to the war zone. In all locations, the aircraft and personnel of the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron performed amazing feats under demanding conditions. Not a single F-15 aircraft was lost in combat during the war and several returned with credited kills. Aircraft tail number 79-0078, one of the squadron's Al Kharj deployed aircraft, was credited with two Mig-21 kills on February 6, 1991. Aircraft tail number 79-0022, one of the squadron's aircraft deployed to Incirlik, was credited with a Mig-23 kill on January 28, 1991 and is currently on display, along with other squadron memorabilia, at the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in Pueblo, Colorado. In March 1991, the Incirlik-deployed squadron returned to Bitburg AB. [3] They were followed by the last members of the Al Kharj deployment in July 1991.

Operation Provide Comfort

The end of Operation Desert Storm marked the beginning of Operation Provide Comfort and once again the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, including the 22nd, was tasked with providing aircraft and personnel in support of Operation Provide Comfort and later Operation Provide Comfort II. This included enforcement of the northern and southern Iraqi no-fly zones and protection of Kurds in the northern region. While still deployed to Al Kharj, F-15C tail number 84-0014, an aircraft belonging to the 53rd TFS, but flown by 22nd pilot John "Nigel" Doneski, downed an Su-22 in violation of the southern no-fly zone. [6] In 1993, long after the squadron had been re-united in the middle of 1991, the 22nd returned to Incirlick as part of its ongoing commitment to Operation Provide Comfort II.

Spangdahlem Air Base

In the spring of 1994, as a result of the military post-Cold War draw down worldwide, the decision was made to close the operations portion of Bitburg Air Base and to send the squadron's F-15C/Ds and some of its personnel to RAF Lakenheath, England. Other personnel were absorbed by the 53rd Fighter Squadron ("Tactical" had been removed in the new post-Cold War era), which was moving to Spangdahlem, or assigned to other F-15 squadrons worldwide. However, the squadron's colors were transferred to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, on 1 April 1994. Once at Spandahlem, the 480th Fighter Squadron's colors were retired and the 22d's were assumed. The 22d then took on the mission, personnel and aircraft of the former 480th which flew the Block 50 F-16CJ, the Air Force's latest version of the Fighting Falcon. In 1998, the 22d transitioned from a primary general-purpose air interdiction squadron to its new primary mission as a Wild Weasel unit performing suppression of enemy air defenses. The squadron's most current version of the F-16 was outfitted with the high-speed anti-radiation missiles (HARM), GPS guided-inertial aided munitions, and the HARM targeting system. [3]

Peacekeeping operations

The 22d was quickly put into combat with its new capability when it deployed to Operation Northern Watch in January 1999, and engaged Iraqi radars with 12 HARMs while protecting coalition assets during heightened tensions with Iraq. After three months flying Operations Northern Watch missions, the squadron was retasked and returned to Spangdahlem Air Base where they flew combat missions into northern Yugoslavia protecting Lockheed F-117 Nighthawks and B-2 Spirits striking key military targets in and around Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in support of Operation Allied Force. The pilots of the 22d flew combat missions over Yugoslavia and fired 202 HARMs at Serbian radars. In addition, the squadron performed its secondary and tertiary missions, employing 16 Mk-84s on key military targets while providing air superiority. [3]

In December 2000 to March 2001, the squadron was assigned to Air Expeditionary Force 9. It regularly flew combat missions in support of Operations Northern and Operation Southern Watch. [3]

Operation Enduring Freedom

In response to U.S. presidential directives, following the 11 September attacks 22d provided fighter escort to Boeing C-17 Globemaster III over Afghanistan during humanitarian relief missions, within 100 hours of notification, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. This effort served as the template for USAFE's Euro Lightning operations concept. [3]

Operation Iraqi Freedom

In January 2003, the squadron forward deployed as the 22d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron to Southwest Asia in support of U.S. Central Command and flew combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The squadron played a key role during the 27-day air war by fulfilling its "Wild Weasel" mission of suppressing enemy air defenses and destroying Iraqi radar sites. [3]

Actor Nick Lachey in squadron gear in 2008 Nick Lachey at Ramstein1.jpg
Actor Nick Lachey in squadron gear in 2008

In April 2010 20 F-16Cs were flown from Spangdahlem to the 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard, one F-16 was transferred to Edwards Air Force Base, California. All aircraft were from the 22d Fighter Squadron. [7] As a result of the drawdown of F-16s, the 22d and 23rd Fighter Squadrons were inactivated on 13 August 2010 and formed the a single "new" squadron, the 480th Fighter Squadron. [8]

Lineage

Activated on 1 February 1940
Redesignated 22nd Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
Redesignated 22nd Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 20 August 1943
Inactivated on 31 March 1946
Redesignated 22nd Fighter Squadron, Jet Propelled on 27 October 1947
Redesignated 22nd Fighter Squadron, Jet on 17 June 1948
Redesignated 22nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950
Redesignated 22nd Fighter-Day Squadron on 9 August 1954
Redesignated 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron on 8 July 1958
Redesignated 22nd Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991
Inactivated on 13 August 2010 [1]

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

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36th Wing

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480th Fighter Squadron

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References

Notes
  1. ↑ Aircraft are Republic P-47D-28-RE Thunderbolts, serials 44-20211 and 44-19864 are identifiable. Aircraft 864 was lost to ground fire on Christmas Eve of that year with Lt Charles J. Loring, Jr. at the controls. He became a POW. During the Korean War, Loring was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
  2. ↑ Aircraft is Lockheed P-80B-1-LO Shooting Star serial 45-8634 Taken in summer 1948. Aircraft markings appear to be those of Caribbean Air Command, no Buzz Number on fuselage.
  3. ↑ Aircraft is Republic F-84E-10-RE Thunderjet serial 49-2223.
  4. ↑ Aircraft is Republic F-105D-10-RE Thunderchief serial 60-438.
Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dollman, TSG David (May 15, 2017). "Factsheet 22 Fighter Squadron (USAFE)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  2. ↑ Operhall, R. "Walt Disney Designs - USAFPatches.com". www.usafpatches.com. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "22 FS Fact Sheet". Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2008.
  4. ↑ "22nd Fighter Squadron". Skytrailer.com. 2016-02-19. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  5. ↑ "F-15 Multi-Stage Improvement Program". www.joebaugher.com. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  6. ↑ "Coalition Air-to-Air Victories in Desert Storm". www.rjlee.org. Retrieved 2018-09-25.
  7. ↑ Gradishar, SRA Kali L. (April 26, 2010). "F-16 drawdown to begin". 52d Fighter Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  8. ↑ Polesnak, 1 Lt Kathleen (August 24, 2010). "480th activated as Spangdahlem's newest F-16 squadron". 52d Fighter Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ Station number in Anderson.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Station number in Johnson.

Bibliography

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