386th Tactical Fighter Squadron

386th Tactical Fighter Squadron
386th Tactical Fighter Squadron
	Squadron emblem
Active	1942–1959
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force

The 386th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 312th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Cannon Air Force Base. New Mexico. It was inactivated on 18 February 1959.

History

Operational history

Established in early 1942 as a light bomb squadron, equipped with A-24 Banshees, although equipped with export model A-31 Vengeance dive bombers for training. Trained under Third Air Force in the southeast United States, also used for antisubmarine patrols over the Atlantic southeast coast and then Gulf of Mexico.

Deployed to Southern California in early 1943 to the Desert Training Center, trained in light bombing while supporting Army maneuvers in the Mojave Desert until October.

Re-equipped with North American A-36 Apache dive bombers and deployed to New Guinea as part of Fifth Air Force. In the Southwest Pacific the squadron attacked Japanese strong points and tactical positions and targets of opportunity in support of MacArthur's campaign along the north coast of New Guinea; then advancing into the Netherlands East Indies and Philippines as part of the Island Hopping campaign. Re-equipped with P-40s; then later A-20 Havocs. Engaged in heavy fighting on Leyte; Mindoro and Luzon in the Philippines during 1944–1945.

The 386th was selected to carry out field operation testing of the Consolidated B-32 Dominator in mid-1945 and made test flights over Luzon and Formosa in June. The squadron moved to Okinawa in mid-August and after the Atomic Bomb missions had been flown. It flew several combat operations with the B-32 in spite of the de facto cease-fire that had been called following the bombing of Nagasaki. During this time, the B-32s flew mainly photographic reconnaissance missions, most of which were unopposed. However, during a reconnaissance mission over Tokyo on 18 August, two B-32s were attacked by Japanese fighters. The American gunners claimed two kills and one probable, but one aircraft was badly shot up and one of her crew was killed with two being injured.^[1]^[2] This was to prove to be the last combat action of World War II. After VJ-Day, the surviving B-32 aircraft were ordered to return to the United States, ending the test program. The 386th remained on Okinawa until December until returning to the United States with most personnel demobilizing. It was inactivated as a paper unit on 6 January 1946.

The squadron was reactivated as a B-29 Superfortress unit in the reserves in 1947, but lack of funding and personnel led to rapid inactivation. It transferred to Tactical Air Command in the mid-1950s and activated first with F-86 Sabres, then F-100 Super Sabres in 1958.

The squadron was inactivated in 1959 when its parent 312th Tactical Fighter Wing was inactivated and redesignated as the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing. Personnel and equipment of the squadron were re-designated as the 522d Tactical Fighter Squadron.

Lineage

Constituted 386th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 28 January 1942

Activated on 15 March 1942

Redesignated: 386th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 27 July 1942

Redesignated: 386th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 6 December 1943

Redesignated: 386th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 July 1945

Inactivated on 18 December 1945

Redesignated: 386th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 14 July 1947

Activated in the reserve on 30 July 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated: 386th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 29 July 1954

Activated on 1 October 1954

Redesignated: 386th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958

Inactivated on 18 February 1959.

Assignments

312th Bombardment Group, 15 March 1942 – 18 December 1945
Tenth Air Force, 30 July 1947
312th Bombardment Group, 13 August 1947 – 27 June 1949
312th Fighter-Bomber Group, October 1954
312th Fighter-Bomber (later Tactical Fighter) Wing, 8 October 1957 – 18 February 1959.

Stations

Bowman Field, Kentucky, 15 March 1942
Will Rogers Airport, Oklahoma, 12 June 1942
Hunter Field, Georgia, 18 August 1942
DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana, 18 February 1943
Rice Army Airfield, California, 13 April 1943
Salinas Army Air Base, California, 13 August – 24 October 1943
Jackson Airfield (7 Mile Drome), Port Moresby, New Guinea, 30 November 1943
Gusap Airfield, New Guinea, c. 25 December 1943
Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 12 June 1944
Hollandia Airfield Complex, Netherlands East Indies, 12 July 1944
Tanauan Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, 19 November 1944

McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines Commonwealth, 26 January 1945
Mangaldan Airfield, Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, c. 10 February 1945
Floridablanca Airfield (Basa Air Base), Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, c. 20 April 1945
Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, C. 13 August – 28 November 1945
Fort Lewis, Washington, c. 13–18 December 1945
Ellington Field, Texas, 30 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
Clovis (Later Cannon) AFB, New Mexico, 1 October 1954 – 18 February 1959.

Aircraft

A-31 Vengeance, 1942–1943
A-24 Banshee, 1942–1943
North American A-36 Apache, 1943
P-40 Warhawk, 1943–1944
A-20 Havoc, 1944–1945
B-32 Dominator, 1945
F-86 Sabre, 1955–1956
F-100 Super Sabre, 1956–1959.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

^ Dorr, Robert F. (14 August 2015). "The Last American to Die in World War II". Defense Media Network. Faircount Media Group. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
^ Harding, Stephen (November 2008). "The Last to Die". Smithsonian. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 19 November 2023.

Sources

Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

External links

[1] Dorr, Robert F. (14 August 2015). "The Last American to Die in World War II". Defense Media Network. Faircount Media Group. Retrieved 19 November 2023.

[2] Harding, Stephen (November 2008). "The Last to Die". Smithsonian. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 19 November 2023.