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524th Special Operations Squadron | |
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 AC-146A Wolfhound operated by the 524th | |
| Active | 1941–1945; 1946–2007; 2009–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Special Operations |
| Part of | Air Force Special Operations Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Cannon AFB |
| Nickname | Hounds of Heaven |
| Engagements | Southwest Pacific Theater Mediterranean Theater of Operations European Theater of Operations Korean War Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Korean Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 524th Special Operations Squadron emblem[note 1] |  |
| 524th Fighter Squadron emblem[note 2][1] |  |
The524th Special Operations Squadron is an active squadron of theUnited States Air Force, based atDuke Field,Florida, with the492d Special Operations Wing.
Thesquadron was first activated byGeneral Headquarters Air Force in early 1941 as the11th Reconnaissance Squadron, attached to the27th Bombardment Group atHunter Field,Georgia and equipped withDouglas B-18 Bolomedium bombers. In August the squadron was redesignated the91st Bombardment Squadron and was assigned directly to the 27th Group.[1] On 21 October the squadron was ordered to thePhilippines in response to the growing crisis in the Pacific and it sailed on 1 November.[2]
The squadron arrived atFort William McKinley in thePhilippines and prepared for delivery of itsA-24 Bansheedive bombers. However, when theImperial Japanese Armyattacked the Philippines in December the situation had not changed. Unknown to the men of the squadron, to avoid capture or destruction of their aircraft, the ship carrying the planes was diverted to Australia. Members of the squadron flew to Australia to pick up their A-24s from theUSAT Meigs. However, because swift Japanese advance prevented the airmen in Australia from returning to the Philippines, these members of the air echelon of the 27th group were ordered to operate from Brisbane.[2]
The ground echelon of the 27th was evacuated south from Luzon on 25 December to theBataan Peninsula, arriving to form the2nd Battalion (27th Bombardment Group),Provisional Infantry Regiment (Air Corps). For the 99 days following theattack on Pearl Harbor until their surrender to the Japanese after theBattle of Bataan, the men of the squadron and other ground elements of the27th Bombardment Group and other Air Corps units in the Philippines became the only Air Force units in history to fight as an infantry regiment and to be captured as a unit. After surrendering, they were forced to endure the infamousBataan Death March. Of the 880 or so Airmen who were taken prisoner, fewer than half survived captivity. However, a number of officers and enlisted men of the 27th Bomb Group were evacuated out of the Philippines in fiveUnited States Navy submarines just before it was overrun by the Japanese during April.[note 3] On the night of 3 May 1942 these subs managed to sneak intoManila Bay and evacuate American personnel fromCorregidor to Java andFremantle, Western Australia. The squadron continued to participate in combat in the Southwest Pacific 4 May 1942.
On 12 February pilots of the 91st flew their A-24s toMalangJava in the Netherlands East Indies to defend the island. From 27 February through 1 March, three A-24s of the 91st participated inBattle of the Java Sea. For its efforts in the Philippines and the Southwest Pacific during late 1941 and early 1942, the squadron received threeDistinguished Unit Citations (DUC).[2]
On 25 March the surviving 27th Bombardment Group personnel were assigned to the3rd Bombardment Group atCharters Towers Airfield in Queensland, Australia. The remaining A-24 aircraft were added to the8th Bombardment Squadron. On 4 May the unmanned and unequipped 91st Bombardment Squadron was transferred back to the United States.[2]
The squadron was re-manned and re-equipped at Hunter Field with theDouglas A-20 Havoc light bomber. After additional training in Mississippi and Louisiana, the group moved toSte-Barbe-du-Tlelat Airfield, Algeria, arriving on 26 December[1] to enter combat in North Africa withTwelfth Air Force.
Maintenance and support personnel went by sea to North Africa while aircrews and the A-20s flew to South America then across to North Africa, In North Africa, the A-20s were sent to other groups and the 91st was redesignated as the524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and equipped with theNorth American A-36 Apache dive bomber. The squadron flew its first combat missions of the war fromKorba Airfield, Tunisia on 6 June 1943. The 524th was redesignated the524th Fighter Squadron in May 1944 and converted first to theCurtiss P-40 Warhawk, then to theRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft.[1]
DuringOperation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, operations included participation in the reduction ofPantelleria andLampedusa Islands andsupporting ground forces. In theItalian Campaign the squadron covered the landings atSalerno and received a DUC for preventing three German armored divisions from reaching the Salernobeachhead on 10 September 1943. In addition, the group supported theFifth Army during the Allied drive toward Rome.[2]
The squadron took part inOperation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France, and assistedSeventh Army's advance up the Rhone Valley, receiving a fifth DUC for helping to disrupt the German retreat on 4 September 1944.[2] The 524th took part in theair interdiction of the enemy's communications in northern Italy, and assisted in the Allied drive from France into Germany during the last months of the war. The unit was atBiblis, Germany onV-E Day.[2] The squadron remained in Germany with the Army of Occupation until October 1945 before returning to the US, where it was inactivated upon arriving at the port of embarkation in November.[1]
Within a year, the 524th was again activated underthe United States Air Forces Europe as part of the occupation forces in Germany atFritzlar Air Base when the27th Fighter Group took over the mission, personnel, and P-47 Thunderbolts of the inactivating366th Fighter Group.[2][3] Less than a year later, in June 1947, the squadron was transferred without personnel or equipment toBad Kissingen Airfield, then toAndrews Field, Maryland where it was assigned toStrategic Air Command (SAC).
SAC moved the squadron toKearney Army Air Field Nebraska the following month as Kearney was taken out of caretaker status. At Kearney the 524th was initially equipped with theNorth American P-51D Mustang. The mission of the squadron was to fly long-rangeescort missions for SACBoeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. In 1948 the 524th upgraded toNorth American F-82 Twin Mustangs.[1] With the arrival of the F-82s, the older F-51s were sent toAir National Guard units. The first production F-82Es reached the 27th in early 1948, and almost immediately the unit deployed toMcChord AFB, Washington in June where its squadrons stood on alert on a secondaryair defense mission due to heightened tensions resulting from theBerlin Airlift. The 27th could launch an escort mission if conflict broke out in Europe. From McChord, the group flew its Twin Mustangs on weather reconnaissance missions over the northwest Pacific, but problems were encountered with their fuel tanks. UnusedNorthrop F-61 Black Widow external tanks were found atHamilton AFB, California that could be modified for the F-82 which were fitted on the pylons of the Twin Mustang that solved the problem. With a reduction in tension, the unit returned to its home base in Nebraska during September.
In January 1949,Eighth Air Force planned a large airshow atCarswell Air Force Base, Texas. All of its assigned units were to participate in a coordinated flyover. Kearney AFB was socked-in with a blizzard on the day of the show. Nevertheless, paths were cut through the snow for the aircraft to taxi and somehow the F-82s got airborne, joining up with SAC bombers over Oklahoma on schedule. The flyover by the Twin Mustangs was a tremendous success, with SAC leadership being amazed that the F-82 was truly an all-weather aircraft and the unit able to carry out their mission despite the weather.
In early 1949, the squadron began carrying out long-range escort profile missions. Flights to Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Washington DC were carried out. ForPresident Truman's 1949 inauguration, the squadron's parent 27th Fighter Wing launched 48 aircraft to fly in the review in formation down Pennsylvania Avenue. Another flyover over the newly dedicatedIdlewild Airport in New York City soon followed, with the aircraft flying non-stop from Kearney AFB. Two months later SAC decided to close Kearney AFB and the 524th transferred toBergstrom Air Force Base, Texas on 16 March.[1]
At Bergstrom, the 524th transitioned to jet aircraft withRepublic F-84E Thunderjet in 1950. It was redesignated the524th Fighter-Escort Squadron on 1 February, to reflect the squadron mission.[1] By the end of summer, the transition to the Thunderjets was complete and the Twin Mustangs were mostly sent to reclamation, with a few being sent toFar East Air Forces (FEAF) or Alaska as replacement aircraft or for air defense duties.
The squadron participated in the deployment of 180 F-84s from Bergstrom AFB toFürstenfeldbruck Air Base Germany in September 1950, via Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, and England, delivering the Thunderjets to the36th Fighter-Bomber Group. This operation won the unit's parent27th Fighter-Escort Wing theMackay Trophy for 1950.[4] This was the second long-range mass flight of jet fighter aircraft in aviation history. This feat was repeated in October when aircraft were ferried toNeubiberg Air Base, Germany.
In November 1950, the 524th received orders to deploy to Japan to support FEAF in theKorean War. The squadron departed Bergstrom on 11 November refueling atWilliams AFB, Arizona en route toSan Diego, California. The squadron sailed on three aircraft carriers.[note 4] By 30 November the ground echelon arrived atKimpo Air Base (K-14), South Korea, preparing for the arrival of the air echelon which unloaded in Japan. Once unloaded from the transport carriers, the aircraft were barged toKisarazu Air Base where they were preflighted for a short flight toYokota Air Base. However, due to the open air deck shipment the aircraft had salt air induced corrosion, landing gear damage and some aircraft also had flat tires.
On 1 December FEAF split the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing into forward and rear echelons. Advanced headquarters and operational squadrons were atTaegu Air Base (K-2), South Korea; while support units and the rear echelon were located atItazuke Air Base, Japan. The advanced echelon would rely on the49th Fighter-Bomber Wing for logistical support, while the rear echelon would rely on the6160th Air Base Wing.
For the next six months, the unit flew missions in support of ground forces, earning another DUC for missions between 26 January and 21 April 1951.[1] These missions included close support of the largest paratroop landing in the Korean War and escort for B-29 Superfortress bombers on raids over North Korea, including air-to-air combat with enemyMiG-15 fighters.
In June the unit began to give combat orientation to their replacements, the newly arrived136th Fighter-Bomber Wing. They also assisted the49th Fighter-Bomber Wing to transition fromLockheed F-80 Shooting Stars to F-84Es. The 524th was relieved from attachment to FEAF and returned to Bergstrom in August. Once at Bergstrom, the squadron's parent 27th Fighter-Escort Group became non-operational and the squadron was attached directly to the27th Fighter-Escort Wing as SAC implemented the Dual Deputate organization.[1][note 5]
On 20 January 1953 the squadron was redesignated as the524th Strategic Fighter Squadron[1] to reflect the changed emphasis on strike missions and the decreasing need for escort missions. With the arrival of theBoeing B-47 Stratojet andBoeing B-52 Stratofortress into the SAC inventory, the fighter escorts were no longer necessary for the new fast jet bombers, which flew missions individually, not in large formations. On 1 July 1957, the 27th wing was transferred toTactical Air Command (TAC) and the squadron became524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.[1]
TAC assigned the squadron toTwelfth Air Force and the unit re-equipped with the newMcDonnell F-101A Voodoo, which had been planned under SAC. Its mission was to deliver a centerline nuclear bomb to a target. The F-101A was capable of little else and although designated as a fighter aircraft, it had poor aerial combat capabilities and would not have fared well in any air-to-air combat against enemy aircraft although its speed was demonstrated when it broke the world speed record on 12 December 1957.[5]
The squadron became the524th Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1958[1] when USAF ended the distinction between "Fighter-Bomber" and "Fighter-Day" units. In 1959 the Voodoo's days at Bergstrom ended after the installation returned to SAC to operate as a B-52 and KC-135 base.[6] Rather than inactivate a unit with such a distinguished history, the 524th and other elements of the27th Tactical Fighter Wing moved on paper toCannon AFB, New Mexico,[5] where they took over the mission, personnel andNorth American F-100 Super Sabres of the312th Tactical Fighter Wing, which was inactivated.[7]
As United States involvement in theVietnam War expanded, the squadron deployed twice toTakhli RTAFB, Thailand in 1963 and 1964. However, by 1965 deployed squadrons in Southeast Asia were replaced by squadrons permanently stationed there and the squadron made its final Pacific deployment toMisawa AB, Japan in 1965.[1] As USAF F-100 resources were transferred to these squadrons, the 524th's mission, like that of most TAC fighter units in the US, focused on combat crew training.[5] The squadron conducted F-100 replacement training from 1 January 1966 to 6 March 1969.[1]
With the withdrawal of the F-100 from Vietnam in 1970, and the phaseout of the aircraft from the active Air Force inventory, the 27th TFW began conversion to theGeneral Dynamics F-111. Loaned F-111As fromNellis AFB, Nevada facilitated training while the squadron waited for its own planes. By July 1972, the last operational active duty Air Force F-100s were transferred to theAir National Guard. Beginning in January 1980 the 524th served as the 27th wing's primary F-111 training squadron. The squadron conducted overseas deployments to maintain combat readiness of its personnel and aircraft from 1984 to 1989.[1] From September 1992 to July 1993 squadron aircrews and support personnel rotated toIncirlik Air Base, Turkey, in support ofOperation Provide Comfort.
In 1995 the squadron began to transition to theGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. With the arrival of the F-16s, the squadron's F-111s were sent to storage. The F-111 in various forms had been at Cannon AFB for 29 years.
On 15 January 1998, the 524th ventured to the Middle East for their first overseas deployment since transitioning to the F-16.The unit was the major force provider for the524th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron atPrince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, where it was assigned to the4404th Operations Group, Provisional. Later that year, it deployed toHill AFB, Utah for ExerciseCombat Hammer. During the exercise, they dropped inertGBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs and fired liveAGM-65 Maverick antitank missiles on Utah test range. The hit rate was one of the highest ever seen in the Air Force, showcasing the lethality of the Block 40 F-16.
DuringOperation Allied Force in 1999, the squadron was "on-call" duty to augment forces. The quick termination of hostilities precluded the unit from seeing action.
On 11 September 2001 when terrorists attacked theWorld Trade Center in New York City andThe Pentagon in Washington, D.C., aircraft from the squadron went on air defense alert. In December 2002, the 524th deployed toKuwait and participated inOperation Iraqi Freedom, dropping nearly a million pounds of precision guided munitions, more than any other F-16 Block 40 squadron in history.
On 1 April 2009,Air Force Special Operations Command prepared for the expansion of the27th Special Operations Group by activating the7524th Special Operations Squadron, Provisional atCannon Air Force Base. As the squadron approached full strength, the 524th was activated again as the524th Special Operations Squadron and assumed the provisional unit's mission, personnel, and equipment.
On 19 November 2009 aBombardier Dash 8 crashed, destroying the aircraft and injuring all nine passengers and crew, three seriously. An investigation blamed the crash on crew error, citing the crew's failure to load an adequate amount of fuel on the aircraft for the flight and refusing to turn back or seek an alternate landing site as it became apparent that the aircraft did not have sufficient fuel to reach its destination. The Air Force declined to provide details as to whether the crew was punished for the crash.[8] Around 31 May 2017, the 524th SOS was relocated toDuke Field to become part of the492d Special Operations Wing, in order to better coordinate with its reserve Total Force partner unit, the919th Special Operations Wing's859th Special Operations Squadron.[9]
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| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 7 December 1941–ca. Apr 1942 | Philippine Islands 91st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 8 December 1941–22 December 1941 | Philippine Islands 91st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 6 January 1942–8 March 1942 | Philippine Islands 91st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 10 September 1943 | Italy 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 4 September 1944 | France 524th Fighter Squadron[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 26 January 1951–21 April 1951 | Korea 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 15 August 1968 – 15 August 1969 | 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 1981 – 30 June 1982 | 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 1988 – 31 December 1989 | 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 April 1992–30 September 1992 | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] |
_Streamer.png) | Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation | 7 December 1941 –ca. April 1942 | 91st Bombardment Squadron[1] |
 | Korean Presidential Unit Citation | 9 November 1950 – 31 May 1951 | 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Philippine Islands | 91st Bombardment Squadron[1] | ||
| East Indies | 91st Bombardment Squadron[1] | ||
 | Sicily | 91st Bombardment Squadron[1][note 6] | ||
| Naples-Foggia | 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1] | ||
| Anzio | 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1][note 7] | ||
| Rome-Arno | 524th Fighter-Bomber Squadron[1][note 7] | ||
| Northern France | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | ||
| Southern France | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | ||
| North Apennines | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | ||
| Rhineland | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | ||
| Central Europe | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | ||
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | ||
 | World War II Army of Occupation | 524th Fighter Squadron | ||
 | Chinese Communist Forces Intervention | 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1] | ||
| FirstUnited Nations Counteroffensive | 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1] | ||
| Chinese Communist Forces Spring Offensive | 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1] | ||
| United Nations Summer-Fall Offensive | 524th Fighter-Escort Squadron[1] | ||
 | Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | ||
.svg) | National Resolution | 16 December 2005 – 9 January 2007 | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Iraqi Surge | 10 January 2007 – 20 September 2007 | 524th Fighter Squadron[1] |
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