358th Fighter Squadron

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 358th Fighter Squadron


caption= 358th Fighter Squadron Patch
dates= 12 November 1942 - 20 November 1946
21 February 1951 - 15 January 1972
1 June 1972 - Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch=United States Air Force
type= Fighter
role=
size=
command_structure= Air Combat Command
12th Air Force
355th Fighter Wing
355th Operations Group
current_commander=
garrison= Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
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notable_commanders=
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The 358th Fighter Squadron (358 FS) is part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.

Mission

The 358th conducts all formal course directed aircraft transition, day and night weapons and tactics employment, day and night air refueling, and dissimilar air combat maneuvers. The squadron trains pilots to plan, coordinate, execute, and control day and night close air support, air interdiction and battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance. [http://www.dm.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4332 355 OG Fact Sheet] ]

History

The 358th flew combat missions in the European Theater of Operations from, 14 September 1943–25 April 1945 and supported combat operations in Korea from, 21 February 1951–27 July 1953. [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0358fs.html AFHRA 358 FS Page] ]

The squadron flew weather reconnaissance in the Far East from, 1951–1972. It trained A-7 Corsair II aircrews from, July 1976–October 1979 and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircrews from, c. October 1979–c. October 1991.

=Operations=

*World War II
*Korean War

=Lineage=

*358th Fighter Squadron (1942 - 1943)
*358th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine (1943 - 1945)
*358th Reconnaissance Squadron, Weather Scouting (1945 - 1951)
*358th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium, Weather (1951 - 1954)
*358th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (1954 - 1972)
*358th Tactical Fighter Squadron (1972 - 1976)
*358th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron (1976 - 1991)
*358th Fighter Squadron (1991 - Present)

=Assignments=

*355th Fighter Group (1942 - 1946)
*2143d Air Weather Wing (1951 - 1954)
*1st Weather Wing (1954 - 1960)
*9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing (1960 - 1972)
*355th Fighter Wing (1972 - Present)
**Attached: 354th Tactical Fighter Wing (c. 29 December 1973 - c. 14 May 1974)

=Bases stationed=

*Orlando Air Base, Florida (1942 - 1943)
*Norfolk Municipal Airport, Virginia (1943)
*Philadelphia Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania (1943)
*RAF Steeple Morden, England (1943 - 1945)
*Gablingen, Germany (1945)
*Schweinfurt, Germany (1945 - 1946)
*Mitchel Field, New York (1946)
*Misawa Air Base, Japan (1951)
*Yokota Air Base, Japan (1951 - 1972)
**Detachment: Andersen Air Force Base, Guam (11 March 1960 - 18 April 1962)
*Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona (1972 - Present)
**Deployed: Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (c. 29 December 1973 - c. 14 May 1974)

=Aircraft Operated=

*P-47 Thunderbolt (1943 - 1944)
*P-51 Mustang (1944 - 1945)
*WB-29 (1951 - 1957)
*WB-50 (1956 - 1965)
*RB-57 (1962 - 1964, 1966 - 1972)
*C-130 Hercules (1962 - 1964)
*WB-47 (1963 - 1966)
*WC-135 Constant Phoenix (1964 - 1972)
*A-7 Corsair II (1972 - 1979)
*A-10 Thunderbolt II (1979 - Present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0358fs.html USAF 358th Fighter Squadron History]
* [http://www.dm.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4332 355th Operations Group Fact Sheet]

Also See