The 563rd Flying Training Squadron (also 563d Flying Training Squadron) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was part of the

12th Flying Training Wing The 12th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Education and Training Command's Nineteenth Air Force. It is headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The wing is the parent organization for the 479th Flyin ...

at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, where it operated the

Boeing T-43 Bobcat The Boeing T-43 is a modified Boeing 737-200 that was used by the United States Air Force for training navigators, now known as USAF combat systems officers, from 1973 to 2010. Informally referred to as the Gator (an abbreviation of "navigator ...

conducting navigator training until inactivating on 19 November 2010. The squadron was originally activated during World War II as the 563d Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it deployed to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The squadron was twice awarded the

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

for its combat actions. Following V-E Day, it returned to the United States and was inactivated. The squadron was briefly active in the reserve in the late 1940s, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped. The squadron was redesignated the 563d Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated in 1953. It moved to Europe, but was inactivated in 1957, when it was replaced by another unit. It was activated again as the 563d Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1962. It conducted frequent deployments, but focused on training pilots for operations in Southeast Asia. Elements of the squadron participated in combat there, although the squadron remained in the United States. From 1973, it conducted Wild Weasel training. It deployed elements for Desert Storm before inactivating in 1992.

History

World War II

Initial training and deployment

The 563d was first activated as the 563d Bombardment Squadron at Gowen Field, Idaho, one of the four original squadrons of the

388th Bombardment Group 388th may refer to: *388th Electronic Combat Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *388th Fighter Squadron or 132nd Fighter Wing (132d W), United States Air Force unit assigned to the Iowa Air National Guard, located at Des Moines Interna ...

, in December 1942.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 275-276 The

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

that formed at Gowen moved to Wendover Field, Utah in February 1943, where the unit was fully manned and squadron training with

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

heavy bombers began. Training continued until June 1943, when it deployed to England. The air echelon ferried its B-17s to England via the northern ferry route, while the ground echelon departed for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, the port of embarkation, sailing in the on 1 July.Freeman, p. 255

Combat in Europe

The squadron assembled at RAF Knettishall, its combat station, and flew its first combat mission on 17 July, when it attacked an aircraft factory in Amsterdam. The squadron primarily engaged in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, attacking industrial sites, oil

refineries A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value. Types of refineries Different types of refineries ar ...

and storage facilities, communications centers and naval targets on the European Continent. The squadron was awarded a

(DUC) for attacking an aircraft factory at

Regensburg Regensburg or is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the Danube, Naab and Regen rivers. It is capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the state in the south of Germany. With more than 150,000 inhabitants, Regensburg is the f ...

, Germany, on 17 August 1943, withstanding heavy resistance to reach the target. It was awarded a second DUC for three separate missions: an earlier attack on a tire and rubber factory in Hanover, Germany on 26 July 1943 and two missions in 1944, one against synthetic oil refineries near Brüx, GermanyNow Most, Czech Republic. on 12 May and at Ruhland, Germany on 21 June. This last attack was on a shuttle bombing mission from England to Germany to

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...

, USSR,Now in the Ukraine. to

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...

, Italy, and back to England. Other strategic targets included aircraft factories at Brunswick,

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

, and

Reims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

; airfields at Paris, Berlin and in Bordeaux; naval installations at

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

, Kiel and La Pallice, chemical works in

Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning " Ludwig's Port upon Rhine"), is a city in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, on the river Rhine, opposite Mannheim. With Mannheim, Heidelberg, and the surrounding region, it form ...

; ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt and rail marshalling yards in Bielefeld, Brussels, and Osnabruck. The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic campaign to perform air support and air interdiction missions. It attacked military installations in France in early 1944 to help prepare the way for

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

, the invasion of Normandy, and on D Day hit coastal defenses, artillery batteries and transportation targets. It attacked troop concentrations and supply depots. In July 1944, it supported Operation Cobra at Saint Lo and the following month attacked targets in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Arnhem during

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...

, the unsuccessful attempt to secure a bridgehead across the Rhine in the Netherlands. It attacked transportation targets to support the final drive through Germany in early 1945.

Return and inactivation

The squadron flew its last combat mission in April 1945. After V-E Day, the squadron flew missions to the Netherlands to drop food in flooded areas. It then began redeploying to the United States. Its aircraft left Knettishall between 9 June and 5 July 1945. The ground echelon sailed again on the ''Queen Elizabeth'' on 5 August. The squadron inactivated at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota on 28 August 1945.

Air Force reserve

The squadron was activated in the reserves at

Orchard Place Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop business ...

, Illinois on 12 June 1947 and assigned to the

338th Bombardment Group The 338th Bombardment Group is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was last active with Continental Air Command at O'Hare International Airport, Illinois on 27 June 1949. It was first activated during World War II as the 338th Fighter G ...

. The squadron trained under the supervision of

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...

(ADC)'s 141st AAF Base Unit (Reserve Training) (later the 2471st Air Force Reserve Flying Training Center), although it does not appear that it was fully manned or equipped.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 217–218 Although nominally a bombardment unit, the squadron was equipped with North American AT-6 Texan and Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan trainers. In July 1948 Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

units from ADC. In 1949, the 563nd began to fly a few

Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...

and Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop carriers and Douglas B-26 Invader light bombers, but it was inactivated in June when ConAC reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system. President Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget also required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, At O'Hare, the 338th Group and its squadrons were inactivated, and most of its personnel transferred to the 437th Troop Carrier Wing.

Fighter operations in Europe

The squadron was redesignated the 563d Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated at

Clovis Air Force Base Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operation ...

, New Mexico in November 1953. The squadron was equipped with North American F-86F Sabres, with a capability of carrying nuclear weapons. A year after activation, in November 1954, the squadron was transferred to United States Air Forces Europe and departed, along with other elements of the

388th Fighter-Bomber Wing The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Units 388th Operations Group (388 OG) *4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS) : T ...

, for Étain-Rouvres Air Base, France. However, construction at Etain was not far enough advanced to permit it to accept fighter aircraft, and only the wing

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

settled in to the base.Ravenstein, pp. 209-211 Instead, the squadron ferried their Sabres to Bitburg Air Base, Germany, arriving the following month. Little flying was done in the squadron's first winter in Europe due to weather. It deployed to Wheelus Air Base, Libya in April 1955, where it was able to train in gunnery and bombing for the first time since arriving in Europe. The squadron rejoined the wing at its permanent base in France in July 1955, the first of the wing's squadrons to arrive. Starting in November 1955, it began deployments to Detachment 1 of the 388th Wing at Hahn Air Base, Germany to stand nuclear alert. The detachment moved to

Spangdahlem Air Base Spangdahlem Air Base (IATA: SPM, ICAO: ETAD, former code EDAD) is a NATO air base with the USAF as a tenant constructed between 1951 and 1953 and located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier ...

, Germany in February 1956. The unit flew support for the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...

and Hungarian crises. In August 1956, the squadron began training to convert to the North American F-100 Super Sabre. The conversion was completed by 2 April 1957. However, the squadron flew the "Hun" for less than a year. On 10 December 1957, the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing moved from Japan on paper to replace the 388th Wing, The 563d was inactivated and its mission, personnel and aircraft transferred to the

9th Fighter-Bomber Squadron 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

F-105 fighter operations

563d TFS Republic F-105D-31-RE Thunderchief 62-4386 at Yokota AB Japan 1965

The squadron was redesignated the 563d Tactical Fighter Squadron, organized at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas in October 1962 and assigned to the

388th Tactical Fighter Wing The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Units 388th Operations Group (388 OG) *4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS) ...

. The 563d was equipped with the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, although it initially flew F-100s as well until becoming an all Thunderchief unit. In February 1964, the 388th was replaced at McConnell by the

23d Tactical Fighter Wing The 23rd Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Mission The mission of the 23rd Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready Fairchild Republic A-10 Thund ...

. The squadron conducted tactical operations and training in preparation for global deployment. In April 1965, the 563d deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, where it participated in combat operations in the Vietnam War under the control of the

6235th Tactical Fighter Wing 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smalles ...

This was actually two different organizations. As the squadron arrived at Takhli, Pacific Air Forces formed the Tactical Fighter Wing, 6235th, Provisional. The provisional wing was replaced by a MAJCON wing with the same number on 8 July 1965, to which the squadron was attached until August, when it was relieved by the

562d Tactical Fighter Squadron 56 may refer to: * 56 (number) * one of the years 56 BC, AD 56, 1856, 1956, 2056 * 56.com, a Chinese online video platform * Fiftysix, Arkansas, unincorporated community in United States * Fifty-Six, Arkansas, city in United States * "Fifty Six", a ...

. On 27 July 1965, the unit participated in the first destruction of a

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

site in North Vietnam in

Operation Iron Hand Operation Iron Hand was a joint United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Navy (USN) operation conducted from 1965 to 1973 during the Vietnam War. It was a type of Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission, primarily intended to sup ...

. It participated in the first increment of Operation Rolling Thunder, and in several attempts to destroy the Thanh Hoa and

Paul Doumer Bridge Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

s. The squadron returned to McConnell after earning two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat "V" Device during its combat tour in Thailand. It had flown more than 1500 sorties over North Vietnam and Laos and lost ten of the F-105Ds it originally deployed with. Two squadron pilots were killed in action and three became

Prisoners of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

. In 1966, the squadron focused on training replacement F-105 pilots for units in Southeast Asia. It continued this mission until August 1970, when the need for "Thud Drivers" diminished with the withdrawal of the United States from Southeast Asia. The squadron continued to fly the F-105 until inactivated in July 1972.

Wild Weasel

On 31 July 1975, the 563rd was again activated at George Air Force Base, California as the 563d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and assigned to the

35th Tactical Fighter Wing The 35th Fighter Wing is an air combat unit of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Misawa Air Base, Japan. The wing is part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF)'s Fifth Air Force. The wing was first activated in August 1948 at Johnson A ...

. It initially flew Thunderstick II aircraft but replaced them with McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs in September 1975. In October 1978, the 563rd received new aircraft from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and was the first operational squadron to fly the advanced F-4G Wild Weasel. The unit served with this electronic warfare aircraft in many exercises until it was inactivated in October 1989.

Flying training

On 14 May 1993, the 563rd was redesigned the 563d Flying Training Squadron and activated at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The squadron was assigned to the

under Air Education and Training Command. In conjunction with the 562nd Flying Training Squadron, it operated the

aircraft conducting electronic warfare officer and combat systems officer training in electronic attack, threat reaction, and electronic surveillance. The 563rd also operated the T-25 Simulator. In 1996, its mission transferred to Pensacola Naval Air Station and Corry Station, Florida as the Air Force and the Navy combined their training activities and the squadron was inactivated in June 1996. The Air Force resumed training electronic warfare officers in 1999 and the squadron was reactivated in April. This training moved again to Pensacola and became the responsibility of the

479th Flying Training Group The 479th Flying Training Group is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola. A component of Air Education and Training Command, the group was activated on 2 October 2009. The current commander of the 479th Flying ...

and the squadron was inactivated in November 2010.Brief History of Randolph AFB, p. 52

Lineage

* Constituted as the 563rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 December 1942 : Activated on 24 December 1942 : Redesignated 563rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943 : Inactivated on 28 August 1945 * Redesignated 563rd Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 May 1947 : Activated in the reserve on 12 June 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 563rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 5 November 1953 : Activated on 23 November 1953 : Inactivated on 10 December 1957 * Redesignated 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron and activated on 1 May 1962 (not organized) : Organized on 1 October 1962 : Inactivated on 31 July 1972 * Redesignated 563rd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 15 July 1975 : Activated on 31 July 1975 : Redesignated 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1977 : Inactivated on 5 October 1989 * Redesignated 563rd Flying Training Squadron on 14 December 1992 : Activated on 14 May 1993 : Inactivated on 3 June 1996 * Activated on 30 April 1999Lineage information, including assignments and aircraft, through 2007 in Robertson. : Inactivated on 19 November 2010

Assignments

* 388th Bombardment Group, 24 December 1942 – 28 August 1945 * 338th Bombardment Group, 12 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 388th Fighter-Bomber Group, 23 November 1953 – 10 December 1957 (attached to 388th Fighter-Bomber Wing after 1 July 1957) *

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

, 1 May 1962 (not organized) * 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 October 1962 * 23rd Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 February 1964 (attached to

2nd Air Division The 2nd Air Division (2nd AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-Third Air Force, being stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It started operations on 7 N ...

, 8–9 April 1965; 6235th Tactical Fighter Wing rovisional 10 April-15 August 1965) *

832nd Air Division The 832nd Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, (TAC) assigned to Twelfth Air Force at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where it was inactivated on 1 October 1991. Th ...

, 1–31 July 1972 * 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, 31 July 1975 *

37th Tactical Fighter Wing The 37th Training Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the 2nd Air Force and the Air Education and Training Command. As the host unit to Lackland Air Force Base, Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, the 37th TRW is the predominan ...

, 30 March 1981 – 5 October 1989 * 12th Operations Group, 14 May 1993 – 3 June 1996 * 12th Operations Group, 30 April 1999 – 19 November 2010

Stations

* Gowen Field, Idaho, 24 December 1942 * Wendover Field, Utah, c. 1 February 1943 * Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 1 May-7 June 1943 * RAF Knettishall (AAF-136), England, June 1943 – c. 6 August 1945 * Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, c. 13–28 August 1945 * Orchard Place Airport, Illinois, 12 June 1947 – 27 June 1949 * Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, 23 November 1953 – 28 November 1954 * Bitburg Air Base, Germany, 12 December 1954 * Étain-Rouvres Air Base, France, 7 July 1955 – 10 December 1957 * McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, 1 October 1962 – 31 July 1972 (deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand 8 April-15 August 1965;

Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

, Florida 22 April-3 June 1971) * George Air Force Base, California, 31 July 1975 – 5 October 1989. * Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, 14 May 1993 – 3 June 1996 * Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, 30 April 1999Station information through 2007 in Robertson, except as noted. - 19 November 2010

Aircraft

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1943–1945) * North American AT-6 Texan (1947–1949) * Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan (1947–1949) * Curtiss C-46 Commando (1949) * Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1949) * Douglas B-26 Marauder (1949) * North American F-86 Sabre (1954–1956) * North American F-100 Super Sabre (1957, 1963–1964) * Republic F-105 Thunderchief (1963–1972) * McDonnell F-4 Phantom II (1975–1989) * Boeing T-43 Bobcat (1993–1996, 1999–2010)

Awards and campaigns

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II 0563 Military units and formations disestablished in 2010