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355th Wing | |
|---|---|
 FourFairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt IIs from the 355th Operations Group | |
| Active | 1942–1946; 1955–1958; 1962–1970; 1971–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Davis–Monthan Air Force Base |
| Nicknames | Steeple Morden Strafers (WW II) PACAF Pride (Vietnam) |
| Motto | Our Might Always |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat V device Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Scott C. Mills |
| Notable commanders | John D. W. Corley Michael Dugan Claiborne H. Kinnard Jr. George B. Simler Bud Anderson Everett W. Stewart Robert R. Scott |
| Insignia | |
| 355th Wing emblem(Approved 16 March 1943)[1] |  |
| Original form of the emblem as approved |  |
The355th Wing (355 WG) is aUnited States Air Force unit assigned to theAir Combat Command'sFifteenth Air Force. It is stationed atDavis–Monthan Air Force Base inTucson,Arizona, where it operates theA-10 Thunderbolt II. The wing's mission is to provideclose air support (CAS),air interdiction (AI),forward air control (FAC),combatsearch and rescue (CSAR), ground-basedtactical air control, and airbase operations.
The 355th Fighter Group was first activated 12 November 1942. Originally equipped withRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts, the group began usingNorth American P-51 Mustangs in Spring, 1944.
The group was under the command of the65th Fighter Wing of theVIII Fighter Command,Eighth Air Force. The aircraft group identification was white spinners and cowling bands.
The group consisted of the following squadrons:
The 355 FG flew its first combat mission, a fighter sweep over Belgium, on 14 September 1943 and afterwards served primarily as escort forBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress/B-24 bombers that attacked industrial areas of Berlin, marshalling yards atKarlsruhe, an airfield at Neuberg, oil refineries at Misburg, synthetic oil plants atGelsenkirchen, locks atMinden, and other objectives. The group also flew fighter sweeps, area patrols, and bombing missions, striking such targets as air parks, locomotives, bridges, radio stations, and armoured cars.
The 355th quickly gained acclaim as the "Steeple MordenStrafers," a reference to its base in England and its lethal accuracy at low level. The fighter group destroyed or damaged 1,500 enemy planes, making it the top strafing outfit in theVIII Fighter Command duringWorld War II.
On 5 April 1944, shortly after converting from Thunderbolts to Mustangs, the group successfully bombed and strafed German airfields during a snow squall, only 2 aircraft were lost during this mission for which the group was awarded aDistinguished Unit Citation.
The group provided fighter cover forAllied forces landing in Normandy on 6 June 1944, and afterwards hit transportation facilities to cut enemy supply lines. Hit fuel dumps, locomotives, and other targets in support of ground forces during the breakthrough atSaint-Lô in July.
The 355th Fighter Group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945. On 3 July the group transferred to Gablingen, Germany for duty withUnited States Air Forces in Europe as part of the army of occupation. Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to Mitchel Field New York on 1 August 1946. It was inactivated on 20 November[1] due to the Air Force's policy of retaining only low-numbered groups on active duty after the war, and its mission, personnel and equipment transferred to the14th Fighter Group which was simultaneously activated.
Aces of the 355th Fighter Group[2][3]
| Name and Rank | Number of Aircraft Destroyed | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Capt.Henry W. Brown | 14.20 | |
| Maj.William J. Hovde | 10.50 | [note 4] |
| Lt. Col.Claiborne H. Kinnard Jr. | 8.00 | |
| Lt. Col. John L. Elder Jr | 8.00 | |
| Lt. Col.Gordon M. Graham | 7.00 | |
| Maj. Bert W. Marshall Jr | 7.00 | |
| Capt. Robert E. Woody | 7.00 | |
| Lt. Col.Everett W. Stewart | 7.00 | |
| Maj.Fred R. Haviland Jr. | 6.00 | |
| Maj. Henry S. Billie | 6.00 | |
| Capt.Norman E. Olson | 6.00 | [note 5] |
| Maj. Norman J. Fortier | 5.83 | |
| Capt. Walter J. Koraleski[note 6] | 5.53 | |
| Maj. Charles W. Lenfest | 5.50 | |
| Capt. Leslie D. Minchew | 5.50 | |
| Capt. James E. Duffy Jr | 5.20 | |
| Capt.William J. Cullerton | 5.00 | |
| Capt. Royce W. Priest | 5.00 | |
| Lt. Col. Raymond B. Myers | 5.00 | |
| Capt. James N. McElroy | 5.00 | |
| 1st. Lt. William E. Whalen | 5.00 | [note 7][note 8] |
| 1st. Lt. Charles D. Hauver | 5.00 |
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In August 1955, the group was redesignated the355th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and reactivated as part ofAir Defense Command's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[4] The group replaced the516th Air Defense Group and assumed its mission, personnel and equipment atMcGhee Tyson Airport, nearKnoxville Tennessee. The 516th's469th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was reassigned to the group,[5] while the354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron moved on paper fromOxnard Air Force Base, California to take over the aircraft of the460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which moved without personnel or equipment toPortland International Airport, Oregon.[6][7] The group served as theUnited States Air Force host organization for active duty units at McGhee Tyson and was assigned a number of maintenance and support units to carry out this function.[8][9][10]
The 354th and 469th Squadrons both flew theradar equipped andMighty Mouse rocket armedNorth American F-86D Sabre.[5][11] The group focused on defending theOak Ridge atomic plant andAlcoa aluminum production site.[12] In July 1957 the 355th was reduced to a single fighter squadron when the 469th was inactivated. Regular Air Force operations at McGhee Tyson ended on 8 January 1958 when the 355th Group and the 354th Squadron inactivated,[1][6] and the base was turned over to theTennessee Air National Guard, which had organized the134th Fighter Group there the previous month.
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On 13 April 1962 the355th Tactical Fighter Wing was established and activated at George AFB, California, being equipped with the newF-105 Thunderchief. After a period of organization at George, the wing was assigned to McConnell AFB, Kansas, becoming the host unit at the base.
The unit transferred to theTakhli Royal Thai Air Force Base inThailand in 1965. During the next five years, it flew more than 101,000sorties overNorth Vietnam, dropping 202,596 tons of bombs and destroying 12,675 targets. The wing's pilots were credited with twenty airborne kills ofMiG aircraft and eight aircraft destroyed on the ground. Nicknamed "PACAF's Pride," the unit received threePresidential Unit Citations and threeAir Force Outstanding Unit Awards with the combat "V" device. It is also noteworthy that, of the twelve airmen awarded theMedal of Honor in theVietnam War, two belonged to the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing:MajorsMerlyn H. Dethlefsen andLeo K. Thorsness.
The 355th was inactivated at Takhli on 10 December 1970 as part of the drawdown of US Forces in Southeast Asia in the early 1970s.
The 355th was reactivated atDavis–Monthan Air Force Base in 1971, being assigned toTactical Air Command. Initially, the wing had four squadrons (333d, 354th, 357th and 358th) equipped with the newA-7D Corsair II ground air support aircraft. It achieved operationally-ready status in 1972. In late 1972, the 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron deployed its Corsairs to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand and was attached to the354th Tactical Fighter Wing (Forward Echelon), which had deployed to Korat from Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina. From Korat, the 354th, and later the 357th, which replaced the 354th TFS in June 1973, conducted combat operations first in South Vietnam, then in 1973, in Cambodia, supporting the Lon Nol Government until 15 August 1973 when US combat operations in Southeast Asia were halted by Congress.
Withdrawing from Thailand in 1974, the wing began to send its Corsairs to theAir National Guard, and transitioning to the newA-10 Thunderbolt II. By 1979, the wing had completely transitioned to the A-10 and achieved operationally ready status. On 1 September 1979, Tactical Air Command took the 355th off deployment status and redesignated it as the355th Tactical Training Wing becoming the USAF's A-10 Thunderbolt II Operational Training Unit.
In 1984 the 355th Fighter Group was consolidated with the Wing, giving the 355th Tactical Training Wing the history, honors and lineage of the World War II and Cold War organization.
As the wing entered the 1990s, it continued to train A-10 crews for assignments to units in the United States, England, and South Korea. The 355th Wing regularly participated in air support exercises such as Air Warrior and weapons competitions such as Long Rifle, in which it consistently captured top A-10 honors. However, the wing's excellence wasn't limited to the cockpit; in 1990, it received the TAC Commander's Award for top aircraft maintenance, in the A-10 category, for the third consecutive year.
The wing's training program paid off when in 1990 squadrons were deployed to King Fahd International Airport in Saudi Arabia, being assigned to the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing (Provisional) during operation Desert Shield. In 1991 duringOperation Desert Storm, when 355th-trained A-10 pilots destroyed 1,000tanks, 2,000 vehicles, 1,200artillery pieces, and twohelicopters. While the wing as a whole did not deploy to thePersian Gulf, more than 250 members augmented forces in theater and filled shortages in the United States.
On 1 October 1991, the 355th Tactical Training Wing was redesignated as the355th Fighter Wing under the "Objective Wing" concept adapted by the Air Force as the lines between tactical and strategic forces blurred and the Air Force leadership began to merge these forces underAir Combat Command. The flying components of the wing were reassigned to the newly established355th Operations Group. As part of this restructuring, on 1 May 1992, the 355th became a composite wing, absorbing elements of the 602nd Air Control Wing, the 41st Electronic Combat Squadron, and of most other activities currently operating at the Davis–Monthan Air Force Base. With these diverse units as part of the organization, the designation was changed to the355th Wing on 1 May 1992.
An era came to a close when on 30 September 2002 the 42d Airborne Command and Control Squadron was designated inactive. The 355th Wing then underwent an extensive reorganization of forces on 1 October 2002. During this reorganization, new squadrons were added to the existing wing structure, while some squadrons were realigned under new group commanders. The 355th Wing also inherited the 48th, 55th, and79th Rescue Squadrons equipped withHC-130 aircraft andHH-60 helicopters.
Another change saw the 41st and 43d Electronic Combat Squadrons fall under the operational control of the55th Electronic Combat Group,55th Wing atOffutt Air Force Base inNebraska. On 1 October 2003, the three combat search-and-rescue squadrons fell under the command of the563d Rescue Group. The 355th Fighter Wing was redesignated355th Wing on January 2, 2019.[13]
The 355th Fighter Wing currently provides air assets to Air Expeditionary unit commanders involved in operations around the globe, as part of the globalwar on terrorism.
All units are based atDavis–Monthan AFB,Arizona.[14]
355th Wing Staff
| 355th Maintenance Group (355 MXG)
355th Mission Support Group
355th Medical Group
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355th Fighter Group
355th Fighter Wing
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Wings
Groups
Squadrons
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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