The 57th Operations Group (57 OG) is the operational component of the

57th Wing The 57th Wing (57 WG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The 57 WG's mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy ...

, assigned to the United States Air Force's

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

. The group is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The Group provides direct oversight of the Nellis flying mission through the 57th Operations Support Squadron. They manage the airfield, operate the air traffic control tower, and the Nellis Air Traffic Control Facility providing radar service to local flying operations and the National Airspace System. It is responsible for scheduling, training, life support, weapons, tactics and planning staff functions. In addition to these functions, it also maintains administrative oversight of the 57th ATG staff and the 57th Wing staff. The 57th OG also directs execution of two of the world's premier combat training exercises,

Red Flag Red flag may refer to: * Red flag (idiom), a metaphor for something signalling a problem ** Red flag warning, a term used by meteorologists ** Red flag (battle ensign), maritime flag signaling an intention to give battle with no quarter (fight to ...

and Green Flag.

Units

the 57th Operations Group is made up of the below units. Unless otherwise stated, the units are based at Nellis AFB, Nevada. * 6th Combat Training Squadron * 12th Combat Training Squadron ( Fort Irwin, California) * 57th Information Aggressor Squadron * 57th Operations Support Squadron * 64th Aggressor Squadron (

F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...

) *

65th Aggressor Squadron The 65th Aggressor Squadron is a United States Air Force unit currently operating the F-35A Lightning II. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Overview The 65th Aggressor Squadron currently flies the F- ...

( F-35 Lightning II) *

414th Combat Training Squadron The 414th Combat Training Squadron (414 CTS) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 57th Wing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The 414th is a non-flying organization charged with hosting Red Flag exercises, Air Combat Command's lar ...

* 507th Air Defense Aggressor Squadron *

548th Combat Training Squadron The 548th Combat Training Squadron is a United States Air Force squadron assigned to the 57th Operations Group at Fort Polk, Louisiana. It is geographically separated from the 57th, whose headquarters are at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. At F ...

(Green Flag East) ( Fort Polk, Louisiana) *

549th Combat Training Squadron The 549th Combat Training Squadron is a non-flying United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It conducts air support and air interdiction sorties in "Green Fla ...

(Green Flag West)

History

:''See

for associated lineage and timeline information.''

World War II

The group was first activated as the 57th Pursuit Group in January 1941, flying P-40 Warhawks as part of the Army Air Corps Northeast Defense Sector (later assigned to the I Fighter Command) at Mitchel Field, New York. It trained in New England and provided air defense of the northeast after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was redesignated as the 57th Fighter Group (FG) in May 1942. The 57th FG was reassigned to the U.S. Army Middle East Force in Egypt. In June 1942 the pilots and 72 new P-40Fs loaded aboard the aircraft carrier at

Quonset Point, Rhode Island Quonset Point (), also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Its name is widely known from the Quonset hut, which was first manufactured there. ''Quonset'' is an Algonq ...

, sailing 1 July. On 19 July, off the Gold Coast, they launched in four sections of 18 aircraft and flew to

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

, thence across Equatorial Africa to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

, officially becoming part of IX Fighter Command. However, prior to the group officially commencing operations, individual 57th FG pilots were attached to, and flew combat sorties with, P-40 squadrons of the Royal Air Force (RAF), South African Air Force (SAAF) and

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF), belonging to No. 211 Group, Desert Air Force. In October 1942, the 57th FG officially began

combat Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

operations Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

as a formation. The group took part in the Battle of El Alamein and, as part of Ninth Air Force, supported the Commonwealth Eighth Army's drive across Egypt and Libya, escorting bombers and flying strafing and

dive-bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughou ...

missions against airfields, communications, and troop concentrations until Axis defeat in Tunisia in May 1943. The unit participated in the reduction of Pantelleria (May–June 1943) and the conquest of Sicily (July–August 1943). For front-line operations in direct support of the Eighth Army from the Battle of El Alamein to the capitulation of enemy forces in Sicily, the group received a

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 ...

(DUC). In an aerial battle over the

Gulf of Tunis The Gulf of Tunis () is a large Mediterranean bay in north-eastern Tunisia, extending for from Cape Farina in the west to Cape Bon in the east. Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia, lies at the south-western edge of the Gulf, as have a series of ...

at Cape Bon in April 1943, the group destroyed approximately 74 of the enemy's transport and fighter aircraft while sending an equal number down to the sea and beaches to escape by crash landing. The 57th lost just six aircraft in this melee. Forever known by the 57th as the ''18 April 1943 Goose Shoot – "The Palm Sunday Massacre,"'' it received another DUC and it added four newly created aces. This action broke the German's aerial supply line and they surrendered Tunisia thirty days later. The 57th supported the British Eighth Army's landing at

Termoli Termoli (Neapolitan language, Molisano: ''Térmëlë'') is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) on the south Adriatic coast of Italy, in the province of Campobasso, region of Molise. It has a population of around 32,000, having expanded quickly af ...

and subsequent operations in Italy, being reassigned to Twelfth Air Force in August 1943. It flew dive-bombing, strafing, patrol, and escort missions. Early in 1944, the group converted to P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft and flew interdiction operations in Italy. The group moved to

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

on 30 March 1944 to operate as a separate task force. It flew interdiction missions against railroads, communication targets, and

motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as motorized vehicle or automotive vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on Track (rail transport), rails (such as trains or trams) and is used for the transportation of pe ...

s behind enemy lines, providing a minimum of 48 fighter-bomber sorties per day. During 9 days of combat operations during early April 1944, the 57th exceeded 50 sorties per day. While the group was stationed on Corsica, director William Wyler made a 45-minute long Technicolor documentary film, ''

Thunderbolt! ''Thunderbolt'' is a 1947 film directed by William Wyler and John Sturges which documented the American aerial operations of Operation Strangle in World War II, when flyers of the Twelfth Air Force based on Corsica successfully impeded Axis sup ...

''. filming combat missions of the 57th. The film concentrated on Operation Strangle. The film was released for the military in 1945 and for general release in 1947. The group earned a third DUC c. 14 April 1944 for attacks in the Florence-

Arezzo Arezzo ( , , ) , also ; ett, 𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌕𐌉𐌌, Aritim. is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of above sea level. ...

area. The group participated in the French campaign against Elba in June 1944 and in the invasion of Southern France in August. It engaged in interdiction and support operations in northern Italy from September 1944 to May 1945. For its operations in the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...

, the 57th earned the French

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

with Palm (awarded in late 1967). It was inactivated on 13 April 1953. The group remained in northern Italy after the end of the European War, demobilizing throughout the summer of 1945. It was reassigned to the United States in August 1945 and was inactivated at the end of August.

Cold War

The group was reactivated in August 1946 and assigned to Alaskan Air Command as part of the air defense forces in the northwest Pacific. The group assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 343d Fighter Group, which was simultaneously inactivated at

Shemya Army Air Base Eareckson Air Station , formerly Shemya Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force military airport located on the island of Shemya, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands. The airport was closed as an active Air Force Station on 1 July 1994. Howev ...

. It provided air defense initially in the Aleutian Islands, then moved in 1947 to Elmendorf Air Force Base. In 1948, as a result of the wing/base reorganization of the Air Force ( Hobson Plan), the group became part of the

57th Fighter Wing The 57th Wing (57 WG) is an operational unit of the United States Air Force (USAF) Warfare Center, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The 57 WG's mission is to provide well trained and well equipped combat forces ready to deploy ...

, which included three support groups in addition to the group. In January 1950, it was redesignated as the 57th Fighter-Interceptor Group. In January 1951, its parent 57th Fighter-Interceptor Wing inactivated, although the group remained active as part of the AAC air defense until 1 November 1952 when its personnel were reassigned and it became a paper unit. It was inactivated on 13 April 1953. The group was reactivated at Paine Field, WA as the 57th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and assigned to

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 ...

Seattle Air Defense Sector The Western Air Defense Sector (WADS) is a unit of the Washington Air National Guard located at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Tacoma, Washington. As a state militia unit, the Western Air Defense Sector is not in the normal United States Air Force cha ...

, assuming the equipment and personnel of the

326th Fighter Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, which was simultaneously inactivated. It was assigned the 64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was already at Paine with the 326th flying

Convair F-102 Delta Dagger The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft designed and manufactured by Convair. Built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s, it entered service in 1956. Its main purpos ...

s as its operational element and also several support units as it assumed USAF host unit duties at Paine.Cornett & Johnson, p. 137Cornett & Johnson, p. 145 It provided air defense over the Pacific Northwest. In June 1966, it briefly became non-operational when its 64th Squadron moved to Southeast Asia and was assigned away from the group. However, after two weeks, the

498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command stationed at Hamilton Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 30 September 1968. History World War ...

, flying Convair F-106 Delta Darts, moved to Paine and became the group's new operational squadron. It was inactivated 30 September 1968 when Air Defense Command closed its facilities at Paine AFB.

From 1991

On 1 November 1991, the group was redesignated the 57th Operations Group and activated as a result of the 57th Fighter Wing implementing the USAF objective wing organization. The 57 OG was assigned control of the wing's tactical units. Upon activation, the 57th OG managed Air Force tactical training through Red Flag and Air Warrior exercises. Between July 1995 and March 2002, the group gained the three MQ-1 Predator reconnaissance squadrons. The Group deployed the Predator elements of the 11th and 15th Squadrons in support of operations in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

(April 2000), Kuwait (October 2000), and Pakistan, September 2001 – January 2002 in support of

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

. The 57th Group's 66th Helicopter Squadron also deployed for operations in Northern Watch and Enduring Freedom. While at Nellis, the Group continued to provide air combat units for US and Allies with realistic, large force combat training at Red Flag. From 1 July 2005 to 1 March 2018 the group was non-flying as the flying squadrons of the 57th were split off into the new

57th Adversary Tactics Group The 57th Adversary Tactics Group (57 ATG) was the flying component of the 57th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The group was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, prior to being merged with the 57th Operat ...

, which consolidated all Aggressor activities under one group to provide the Combat Air Forces with the opportunity to train against a realistic, fully integrated threat array during large- and small-scale exercises such as Red Flag – Nellis, Red Flag – Alaska, Maple Flag, Green Flag and dissimilar air combat training deployments. On 2 March 2017 the group activated the 24th Tactical Air Support Squadron and once again is flying the

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

. On 31 March 2020, the 57th Adversary Tactics Group merged back into the 57th Operations Group, bringing the 64th Aggressor Squadron and its F-16s with it.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 57th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated as 57th Fighter Group (Single Engine) on 15 May 1942 : Inactivated on 7 November 1945 * Activated on 15 August 1946 : Redesignated as 57th Fighter-Interceptor Group on 20 January 1950 : Inactivated on 13 April 1953 * Redesignated as 57th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and activated on 24 February 1961 (not organized) : Organized on 1 April 1961 : Discontinued and inactivated on 30 September 1968 : Redesignated as 57th Fighter Weapons Group on 31 July 1985 (remained inactive) * Redesignated as 57th Operations Group on 1 November 1991 and activated

Assignments

7th Pursuit Wing 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, ...

, 15 January 1941 * I Interceptor Command (later I Fighter Command, 1 September 1941 * IX Fighter Command, c. 16 July 1942 * U.S. Army Middle East Force, July 1942 : Attached to Desert Air Task Force, 22 October 1942 * IX Fighter Command, 12 November 1942 : Attached to: Western Desert Air Force, 21 February 1943 : Attached to: Desert Air Force, c. April 1943 : Attached to: 7 South African Air Force No. 7 (South African) Wing?, 21 May 1943 : Attached to: XII Air Support Command, 22 August 1943 * Twelfth Air Force, 30 August 1943 * XII Air Support Command, 1 September 1943 * 57th Bombardment Wing, 1 November 1943 * Unknown (probably XII Air Support Command), 2 January – 4 March 1944 : Attached to 64th Fighter Wing, 2 March 1944 * XII Air Support Command (later XXII Tactical Air Command), 5 March 1944 : Remained attached to 64th Fighter Wing] until 28 March 1944 * 87th Fighter Wing, 23 April 1944 * XII Tactical Air Command, 10 September 1944 * XII Fighter (later, XII Tactical Air) Command, 15 September 1944 * Twelfth Air Force, 7 June – 7 August 1945 * Unknown, 8–22 August 1945 * Third Air Force, 23 August – 7 November 1945 * Alaskan Air Command, 15 August 1946 : Attached to Yukon Sector, Alaskan Air Command, 16–21 April 1947 * Headquarters, Fort Richardson, Alaska (later 57th Fighter Wing, Provisional), 20 November 1947 – 19 April 1948) *

, 20 April 1948 : Attached to

10th Air Division "The 10th Air Division assumed responsibility for the air defense of Alaska south of the Alaskan Range on 1 November 1950. Subordinate units flew numerous interception and training missions. Between June 1957 and March 1960, the division operated ...

efense 10 December 1950 * Alaskan Air Command, 1 January 1951 : Remained attached to 10th Air Division efenseuntil 1 March 1951 * 10th Air Division (Defense), 1 November 1952 – 13 April 1953 *

, 24 February 1961 *

, 1 April 1961 – 30 September 1968 * 57th Fighter Wing, 1 November 1991–present

Components

Operational Squadrons *

11th Reconnaissance Squadron The 11th Attack Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 432d Wing Air Combat Command at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned aerial vehicles. In 1995 the 11th became t ...

: 29 July 1995 – 1 May 2007 * 12th Combat Training Squadron: ? - present *

15th Reconnaissance Squadron 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...

: 1 August 1997 – 1 May 2007 *

17th Reconnaissance Squadron 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

: 8 March 2002 – 1 May 2007 * 24th Tactical Air Support Squadron: 2 March 2018 – 23 December 2020 *

58th Rescue Squadron The 58th Rescue Squadron is one of five active-duty squadrons under the command of the 563d Rescue Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona but located at Operating Site Alpha, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.http://www.nellis.af.mil/lib ...

: 14 June 2002 – 1 October 2003 * 64th Fighter (later 64th Fighter-Interceptor, 64th Aggressor) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 7 November 1945; 15 August 1946 – 13 April 1953; 1 April 1961 – 10 June 1966; 3 October 2003 – 15 September 2005; 31 March 2020 - present * 65th Fighter (later, 65th Fighter-Interceptor, 65th Aggressor) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 7 November 1945; 15 August 1946 – 13 April 1953; 9 June 2022 - present * 66th Fighter (later 66th Fighter-Interceptor) Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 7 November 1945; 15 August 1946 – 13 April 1953 * 57th USAF Dispensary: 1 April 1961 – 30 September 1968 * 57th Air Base Squadron (later 57th Combat Support Squadron): 1 April 1961 – 30 September 1968 * 57th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: 1 April 1961 – 30 September 1968 * 57th Materiel Squadron: 1 April 1961 – 1 August 1964 * 57th Operations Support Squadron: 1 November 1991 – present * 57th Supply Squadron 1 August 1964 – 30 September 1968 * 66th Rescue Squadron: 1 February 1993 – 1 October 2003 *

: 4 October 2007 – present * 498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: 25 June 1966 – 30 September 1968 *

547th Intelligence Squadron The 547th Intelligence Squadron is an active United States Air Force (USAF) unit. It is assigned to the 365th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group, stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The squadron serves as the USAFs ce ...

, 1 November 1991 – 15 September 2005 *

: 4 October 2007 – present *

: 4 October 2007 – present * 561st Fighter Squadron: 1 February 1993 – 1 October 1996.

Stations

* Mitchel Field, New York, 15 January 1941 * Bradley Field, Connecticut], 19 August 1941 *

Boston Airport Boston Airport may refer to: Serving Boston, Massachusetts (Greater Boston), United States * Boston Logan International Airport * Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport * Manchester–Boston Regional Airport * Worcester Regional Airport P ...

, Massachusetts, 8 December 1941-c. 1 July 1942 * Fort Dix Army Air Field, New Jersey, 5 July 1942 * New York Port of Embarkation, New York, 15–16 July 1942 *

Muqeible Airfield Muqeible Airfield is an abandoned military airfield located in the northern West Bank, approximately 1 km southwest of the village of Muqeible, Israel and 3 km north of Jenin, Palestine. The airfield was built in 1917 in the Ottoman ...

, British Mandate of Palestine, c. 20 July 1942 * Landing Ground 174, Egypt, 16 September 1942 *

RAF El Daba El Daba is a village and rail station about 180 km West of Alexandria by road. RAF El Daba (otherwise Desert Landing Ground 105) is a former Royal Air Force military airfield located approximately 4.6 kilometres south-southeast of the ...

, Egypt, 5 November 1942 * Sidi Haneish Airfield, Egypt, 8 November 1942 * Sidi Azeiz Airfield, Libya, 12 November 1942 * RAF Gambut, Libya, 13 November 1942 *

Martuba Airfield Martuba Airbase is a Libyan Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الليبية, Berber: Adwas Alibyan Ujnna) base in the Derna District of Libya, located approximately south-southeast of Derna, and east-northeast of Benghazi. History Dur ...

, Libya, 16 November 1942 *

Belandah Airfield Baheira Airfield is an abandoned military airfield complex in Libya, which is located about 19 Miles (30 km) Southeast of Ajdabiya, Libya. The facility was built either by the Italian Regia Aeronautica or German Luftwaffe about 1941. I ...

, Libya, 3 December 1942 *

Hamraiet Airfield Ras Lanuf Oil Airport is an airport in the Sirte District of Libya, located on the Mediterranean coast south-southwest of Benghazi. Its primary use is the transportation of oilfield workers from production facilities in the area. The Ras Lanuf ...

, Libya, 3 January 1943 *

Darragh Airfield Nanur Airport is an airport in the Wadi Maymun Darraj region of Libya, located approximately 200 km south-southeast of Tripoli in the Libyan desert. Although listed as a civil airport, it appears to function as a reserve Libyan Air Force ai ...

, Libya, 19 January 1943 *

Ben Gardane Airfield Ben Gardane Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, which was located near Bin Qirdan (Madanin) ; about 420 km south-southeast of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield built by the United States Army Corps of Engin ...

, Tunisia, 9 March 1943 *

Soltane Airfield Soltane Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, which was located approximately 5 km southeast of Ain Soltane (Sidi-Nsar-Allah), about 170 km south-southwest of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield built by t ...

, Tunisia, 21 March 1943 * Hazbub Airfield, Tunisia, 4 April 1943 *

Chekira Airfield Chekira Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, which was located near Wadi al `Akarit (Qabis), about 300 km south of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield built by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, used b ...

, Tunisia, 10 April 1943 *

El Djem Airfield El Djem Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, which is located approximately west-northwest of El Djem; about south-southeast of Tunis. It was a pre-1942 military airfield used by the German Luftwaffe which was a ...

, Tunisia, 14 April 1943 *

Hani Airfield Hani Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Tunisia, which was located near Hani, "six miles east of Kairouan" (Al Qayrawan) ; about 125 km south-southwest of Tunis. It was a temporary airfield built by the United State ...

, Tunisia, 21 April 1943 * Bou Grara Airfield, Tunisia, May 1943 * Malta, 27 June 1943 * Pachino Airfield, Sicily, 19 July 1943 *

Scordia Airfield Scordia Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, which is located approximately 1 km north of Scordia in Sicily. It was an all-weather temporary field built by the XII Engineer Command using a graded earth compacte ...

, Sicily, August 1943 *

Milazzo Airfield Milazzo Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield on Sicily, located in the southern suburbs of Milazzo, on the northern tip of the island. Built as a temporary wartime field by Army Engineers, using Pierced Steel Planking for run ...

, Sicily, 12 September 1943 * Messina Airfield, Sicily, 15 September 1943 * Reggio Airfield, Italy, 16 September 1943 * Rocca Bernardo Airfield, Italy, 17 September 1943 *

Gioia del Colle Air Base Gioia del Colle Air Base is an Italian Air Force ( Aeronautica Militare) base located in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy, located approximately 1 km south-southeast of Gioia del Colle. World War II During World War II the air base was ...

, Italy, c. 25 September 1943 *

Foggia Airfield The Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy. The airfields were used by the United States Army Air Force Fifteenth Air Force as part of the strat ...

, Italy, 30 September 1943 *

Amendola Airfield Amendola Air Base (ICAO: LIBA) is a military airfield of the Italian Air Force ( Aeronautica Militare). It is the home of 32nd Wing. Overview Amendola Air Base was primarily a training base for pilots of the AMX International AMX ground atta ...

, Italy, c. 27 October 1943 *

Cercola Airfield Cercola Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, located approximately 2 km north of Cercola in the Province of Naples in the Italian region Campania. It was an all-weather temporary field built by the United State ...

, Italy, 1 March 1944 * Alto Airfield,

, 30 March 1944 *

Ombrene Airfield Ombrene Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, which was located approximately 5 km southeast of Montefiascone, in the province of Viterbo, central Italy It was an all-weather temporary field built by the United ...

, Italy, 9 September 1944 * Grosseto Airfield, Italy, 24 September 1944 * Villafranca di Verona Airfield, Italy, 29 April 1945 * Grosseto Airfield, Italy, 7 May 1945 *

Bagnoli Airfield Bagnoli Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in northeast Italy, which is located approximately 4 km south of Conselve in the Province of Padua in the Italian region of Veneto. It was an all-weather temporary field built ...

, Italy, 15 July 1945 * Naples Capodichino Airport, Italy, 5–6 August 1945 * Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts, 18 August 1945 *

Drew Field Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective December 30, 2021. The ...

, Florida, 23 August – 7 November 1945 * Shemya Army Air Base, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, 15 August 1946 * Elmendorf Field, Alaska, 25 March 1947 – 13 April 1953 * Paine Field, Washington, 1 April 1961 – 30 September 1968 * Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 1 November 1991 – present

Aircraft assigned

* Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1944 * Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1945 *

Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...

, 1946 * North American P-51 Mustang, 1946–1948 *

Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...

, 1948–1951 * Lockheed F-94 Starfire, 1951–1952 * Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, 1961–1966 * Convair F-106 Delta Dart, 1966–1968 * McDonnell F-4 Phantom II, 1993–1996 * Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk, 1993–2003 *

General Atomics MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ( ...

, 1995–2005 *

General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

, 2003–2005, 2018–present * Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, 2022–present

Awards

* Distinguished Unit Citation * North Africa and Sicily, 24 October 1942 – 17 August 1943 * Tunis and Cape Bon Area, 18 April 1943 * Italy, 14 April 1944 Air_Force_Outstanding_Unit_Award_Streamer

Air_Force_Outstanding_Unit_Award_Streamer

* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award * 1 January 1995 – 31 May 1997 * 1 June 1998 – 31 May 2000 * 1 June 2001 – 31 May 2003 * 1 June 2003 – 31 May 2004 * 1 June 2004 – 31 May 2006 * French Croix de Guerre with Palm, October 1942 – May 1945

European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer

* European-African-Middle Eastern Theater * Campaigns : Air Combat, EAME Theater : Egypt-Libya : Tunisia : Sicily : Naples-Anzio : Rome-Arno : Southern France : Northern Apennines : Po Valley

References

Footnotes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * \

External links

Nellis AFB Home Page57th WingOfficial website of the 57th Fighter Group
* {{Navboxes , list = {{Aerospace Defense Command {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II {{USAAF 9th Air Force UK {{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II 057 Military units and formations in Nevada