598th Range Squadron | |
|---|---|
 USAF Pararescuemen prepare a simulated casualty for medical evacuation during a training exercise at Avon Park Air Force Range while theirSikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter orbits overhead | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 2015–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Range management |
| Part of | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Avon Park Air Force Range |
| Mottos | Si Vis Pacem Para Bellumn (Latin for 'If You Desire Peace, Prepare for War') |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 598th Range Squadron emblem |  |
| 598th Bombardment Squadron emblem[a][1] |  |
| World War II group tail marking[2] | Yellow diagonal stripe |
| World War II squadron fuselage code[2] | U2 |
The598th Range Squadron is an activeUnited States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the23d Fighter Group and is stationed at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida where it replaced Detachment 1, 23d Fighter Group on 22 September 2015. Thesquadron also operates the Deployed Unit Complex atMacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
It was first activated atMacDill Field, Florida in April 1943 as the598th Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it transferred to theEuropean Theater of Operations, where it was a component ofIX Bomber Command. The squadron served in combat from April 1944 until the end ofWorld War II, earning aDistinguished Unit Citation for an attack onEdiger-Eller, Germany, in December 1944 during theBattle of the Bulge. FollowingV-E Day the squadron remained in France until December 1945, when it returned the United States and was inactivated atCamp Kilmer.
The598th Range Squadron is responsible for operating the range and a deployed unit complex located atMacDill Air Force Base, FL. Thesquadron provides extensive, diverse and convenient training airspace and ranges with capabilities for military air and ground training.[3] The Avon Park Air Ground Training Complex is the largest training range east of the Mississippi River and includes an 8,000 foot (2,400 m) long operational runway.[4]
The squadron was established atMacDill Field, Florida in April 1943 as one of the originalsquadrons of the397th Bombardment Group, aB-26 Marauder medium bomber group.[1][5] It drew its initialcadre from the21st Bombardment Group.[6] The squadron trained underThird Air Force at stations in the southeastern United States. After completing its training by participating in theTennessee Maneuvers, the squadron departedHunter Field, Georgia for theEuropean Theater of Operations on 13 March 1944.[1][6]
The squadron was temporarily stationed atRAF Gosfield upon its arrival in England in early April 1944. On the 15th of the month, its parent group displaced the363d Fighter Group atRAF Rivenhall and flew its first combat mission five days later.[5][7] In preparation forOperation Overlord, the invasion ofNormandy, the squadron participated inOperation Crossbow, attackingV-1 flying bomb launch pads. It also struck bridges, coastal defenses,marshalling yards andairfields in northern France. OnD-Day the squadron attacked strong points and bombedfuel dumps and other objectives to support ground forces throughout the Normandy Campaign.[5]
In July 1944, the squadron participated inOperation Cobra, attacking German forces nearSaint Lo, France, during the Allied breakout there. In August, the squadron moved from England toGorges Airfield, anAdvanced Landing Ground in France. From there it attacked naval targets atSaint Malo andBrest. Once on the Continent, the squadron made frequent moves forward as the Allied forces advanced during theNorthern France Campaign. By September the squadron began flying missions into Germany, attacking depots and defended areas.[5]
During theBattle of the Bulge, the squadron struck enemy lines of communications. On 23 December 1944 the unit severed a railway bridge atEdiger-Eller, Germany, despite heavyflak andfighter opposition from theLuftwaffe. For this action it was awarded aDistinguished Unit Citation. The squadron continued to fly missions to support theAllied drive into Germany until 20 April 1945, exactly one year after its first combat mission, having completed 239 combat missions.[5][8]
AfterV-E Day the squadron returned to its former base atPeronne Airfield, France, and remained there until December, when it returned to the United States. Upon arrival atCamp Kilmer, New Jersey in late December 1945, the squadron was inactivated.[5]
The squadron was redesignated598th Range Squadron and activated at theMacDill Air Force Base auxiliary field at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida on 22 September 2015.[9] It replaced Detachment 1,23d Fighter Group, 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.[3]
The squadron is part of the23d Fighter Group, part of the23d Wing, located atMoody Air Force Base, Georgia.[3]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 23 December 1944 Germany | 598th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 5 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 598th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 598th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 598th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 598th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 598th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Central Europe | 5 April 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 598th Bombardment Squadron[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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