355th Fighter Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=355th Fighter Wing


caption=
dates= 12 November 1942 — present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=Air Force
type=
role=
size=
command_structure=Air Combat Command
current_commander=Colonel [http://www.dm.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=11373 Paul Johnson]
garrison=Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=Steeple Morden Strafers
patron=
motto=
colors=
identification_symbol=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders= John D. W. Corley
Michael Dugan
George B. Simler
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=

The 355th Fighter Wing (355 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.

Mission

Provide war-fighters with forces for close air support (CAS), air interdiction (AI), forward air control (FAC), combat search and rescue (CSAR), ground based tactical air control, and airbase operations.

History

World War II

The 355th Fighter Group was first activated 12 November 1942. Originally equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts, the group began using P-51 Mustangs in 1944 and quickly gained acclaim as the "Steeple Morden Strafers," 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 the 8th Air Force during World War II.

In the mid-1950s, the group was assigned to the Air Defense Command and based at McGhee Tyson Airport, Tennessee. Then flying the F-86 Sabre, the group provided fighter defense for the Oak Ridge Atomic Energy Plant, the Tennessee Valley Authority dams, and the eastern region of the United States.

Vietnam Era

The unit transferred to the Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand in 1965. During the next five years, it flew more than 101,000 sorties over North Vietnam, dropping 202,596 tons of bombs and destroying 12,675 targets. The wing's pilots were credited with twenty airborne kills of MiG aircraft and eight aircraft destroyed on the ground. Nicknamed "PACAF's Pride," the unit received three Presidential Unit Citations and three Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with the combat "V" device. It is also noteworthy that, of the twelve airmen awarded the Medal of Honor in the Vietnam War, two belonged to the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing: Majors Merlyn H. Dethlefsen and Leo K. Thorsness.

The 355th transferred to the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 1971, but continued to deploy aircraft and personnel to Southeast Asia until 1974. Initially equipped with the A-7D Corsair II, the wing began using the A-10 Thunderbolt II in 1976. By the end of the decade, with the gradual phaseout of the A-7 fleet, the 355th became the Air Force's sole A-10 training wing.

Recent Activity

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 in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, when 355th-trained A-10 pilots destroyed 1,000 tanks, 2,000 vehicles, 1,200 artillery pieces, and two helicopters. While the wing as a whole did not deploy to the Persian Gulf, more than 250 members augmented forces in theater and filled shortages in the United States.

The unit was re-designated the 355th Fighter Wing 1 October 1991 as the lines between tactical and strategic forces blurred and the Air Force leadership began to merge these forces under Air Combat Command. As part of this restructuring, on 1 May 1992, the 355th Wing absorbed 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.

Captain Craig D. Button was attached to the 355th Fighter Wing (he is noted for his mysterious flight and crash on April 2, 1997).

The 355th Wing currently provides air assets to commanders involved in operations around the globe, including Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

Reorganization

An era came to a close when on 30 September 2002 the 42nd 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, and 79th Rescue Squadrons equipped with HC-130 aircraft and HH-60 helicopters.

Another change saw the 41st and 43rd Electronic Combat Squadrons fall under the operational control of the 55th Wing at the Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. On 1 October 2003, the three combat search-and-rescue squadrons fell under the command of the 563rd Rescue Group.

Operations

*World War II
*Vietnam War
*Operation Desert Shield
*Operation Desert Storm
*Operation Enduring Freedom
*Operation Iraqi Freedom

Previous designations

*355th Fighter Group (1942 – 1962)
*355th Tactical Fighter Wing (1962 – 1979)
*355th Tactical Training Wing (1979 – 1991)
*355th Fighter Wing (1991 – 1992)
*355th Wing (1991 – 2006)
*355th Fighter Wing (2007 – Present)

Assignments

Major command

*United States Air Forces in Europe (1945 – 1946)
*Air Defense Command (1955 – 1957)
*Tactical Air Command (1962 – 1970)
*Air Combat Command (1971 – Present)

Numbered Air Force

*Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics (1942 – 1943)
*Ninth Air Force (1945 – 1946, 1976 – 1992): 836th Air Division, 1 Jan 1981-1 May 1992
*First Air Force (1946)
*Thirteenth Air Force (1965 – 1970)
*Twelfth Air Force (1971 – 1976, 1992 – Present)

ubordinate organizations

355th Operations Group (355 OG)
*354th Fighter Squadron (354 FS)
*357th Fighter Squadron (357 FS)
*358th Fighter Squadron (358 FS)
*355th Training Squadron (355 TS)
*607th Air Control Squadron (607 ACS)
*355th Operations Support Squadron (355 OSS)
*West Coast A-10 Demonstration Team

355th Maintenance Group (355 MXG)
*355th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (355 AMXS)
*355th Maintenance Operations Squadron (355 MOS)
*355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron (355 EMS)
*355th Component Maintenance Squadron (355 CMS)

355th Mission Support Group (355 MSG)
*355th Civil Engineering Squadron (355 CES)
*355th Communications Squadron (355 CS)
*355th Contracting Squadron (355 CONS)
*355th Logistics Readiness Squadron (355 LRS)
*355th Mission Support Squadron (355 MSS)
*355th Security Forces Squadron (355 SFS)
*355th Services Squadron (355 SVS)

355th Medical Group (355 MDG)
*355th Dental Squadron (355 DS)
*355th Medical Operations Squadron (355 MDOS)
*355th Aerospace Medicine Squadron (355 AMDS)
*355th Medical Support Squadron (355 MDSS)

Bases stationed

*Orlando Air Base, Florida (1942 – 1943)
*Norfolk Airport, Virginia (1943)
*Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1943)
*RAF Steeple Morden, England (1943 – 1945)
*Gablingen, Germany (1945 – 1946)
*Schweinfurt, Germany (1946)
*Mitchel Field, New York (1946)
*McGhee Tyson Airport, Tennessee (1955 – 1958)
*George Air Force Base, California (1962 – 1964)
*McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas (1964 – 1965)
*Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (1965 – 1970)
*Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona (1971 – Present)
*Luke AFB,Arizona (1976 - Present, 607th ACS)

Aircraft operated

*P-47 Thunderbolt (1942 – 1944)
*P-51 Mustang (1944 – 1946)
*F-86 Sabre (1955 – 1957)
*F-105 Thunderchief (1962 – 1970)
*EB-66 Destroyer (1966 – 1970)
*RB-66 Destroyer (1965 – 1966)
*F-111 Aardvark (1968)
*F-4 Phantom II (1971)
*A-7 Corsair II (1971 – 1979)
*DC-130 Hercules (1971 – 1976)
*AQM-34 (1974 – 1975)
*BGM-34 (1974 – 1975)
*CH-3 (1972 – 1976)
*RC-130 Hercules (1975 – 1976)
*A-10 Thunderbolt II (1976 – Present)
*EC-130 Commando Solo (1992 – 2002)
*O-2 Skymaster (1982 – 1992)
*OV-10 Bronco (1982 – 1992)
*A-37 Dragonfly (1982 – 1990)
*HH-60 Pave Hawk (2003)

See also

* 58th Air Division
* 835th Air Division, 21 Jul 1964-8 Nov 1965.

References

*

External links

* [http://www.dm.af.mil/ Davis-Monthan AFB Home Page]