The 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
unit. It was last assigned to the
401st Tactical Fighter Wing
The 401st Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe to be activated or inactivated at any time as needed. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
The group was fi ...
at
Torrejon Air Base, Spain, where it was inactivated on 1 October 1991.
The
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
was first activated during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
as the 612th Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States it moved to England, where it participated in the
strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It earned two
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 ...
s for combat action. Following
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...
, the squadron was inactivated in England. It was briefly active in the
reserves from 1947, becoming a corollary unit in 1949. In the spring of 1951, it was
mobilized
Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...
for the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
and its personnel were used to fill out other units before the squadron was inactivated
The squadron was redesignated the 612th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated in 1954 at
Alexandria Air Force Base
Alexandria International Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles (5 mi, 7 km) west of the central business district of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. The airport is operated by the E ...
, Louisiana. In 1965 in moved to Japan, but most of the squadron was assigned to a detachment located in Vietnam. In 1971 it formally moved to Vietnam for a few months before it moved to
Torrejon Air Base, Spain, where it continued fighter operations until inactivating in 1991.
History
World War II
Organization and training for combat
The 612th Bombardment Squadron was activated March 1943 at
Ephrata Army Air Base
Ephrata Municipal Airport is a public use airport located southeast of the central business district of Ephrata, a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 ...
Washington as one of the original squadrons of the
401st Bombardment Group
The 401st Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe to be activated or inactivated at any time as needed. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
The group was fi ...
.
[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 285–286] The initial 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 ...
for the squadron was drawn from the 395th Bombardment Group at Ephrata and the 383d Bombardment Group at Rapid City Army Air Field
Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder.
The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Strike ...
, South Dakota. The cadre soon departed for Orlando Army Air Base
Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation.
Overview
Orlando ...
, Florida, where they conducted simulated combat missions with the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
out of Brooksville Army Air Field.
The ground echelon moved to Geiger Field
Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately west-southwest of downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and includes areas ...
, Washington in May 1943 and to Great Falls Army Air Base
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
, Mount in July. At Great Falls the first combat crews were assigned to the squadron. In the final stage of training the squadrons dispersed with the 612th remaining at Great Falls, while the other squadrons trained at bases in Montana and Wyoming.[Closway, p. 45]
After completing training the ground echelon left for overseas on 19 October 1943. After staging at Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks was a United States Army installation in the Orangetown, New York area. Named after Major General David C. Shanks, it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. The camp was the largest U.S. Army embarka ...
, New York they embarked on the RMS Queen Mary
RMS ''Queen Mary'' is a retired British ocean liner that sailed primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard-White Star Line and was built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. ''Queen Mary'', along with , ...
and sailed on 27 October disembarking at Greenock
Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...
on the Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
on 3 November 1943. The air echelon staged for deployment at Scott Field, Illinois then flew to England under the control of Air Transport Command
Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces.
It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...
via Newfoundland, Iceland and Scotland.[
]
Combat in the European Theater of Operations
On arrival in England, half of the 401st group's aircrew
Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose.
Commercial aviation
Flight deck positions ...
s were immediately reassigned to the 351st Bombardment Group.[ The rest of the squadron became part of ]Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
at RAF Deenethorpe
Royal Air Force Deenethorpe or more simply RAF Deenethorpe is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Corby, Northamptonshire, England. It has one remaining tarmac runway at 1200m (3937ft) long.
United States Army Air Forces use
De ...
. The 612th became part of the 92d Combat Bombardment Wing of the 1st Bombardment Division
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
. Its tail code was Triangle-S.[
On 26 November the 612th flew its first combat mission against ]Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
, Germany. The 401st group did not suffer the combat loss of an airplane until its ninth mission on 30 December. The squadron operated chiefly against strategic targets, bombing industries, submarine facilities, shipyards, missile sites, marshalling yards, and airfield
An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
s.[ On 11 January 1944 the squadron was in the lead group of the 1st Bombardment Division in an attack against aircraft manufacturing facilities at ]Oschersleben
Oschersleben () is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2020 about 19,000.
History
On November 23, 994 Oschersleben was first mentioned in a document by the Emperor Otto III. In 1235 ...
, Germany. Although the bombers were able to attack, poor weather conditions prevented the division from receiving effective fighter cover. For over three hours the bomber formation suffered more than 400 attacks by Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
fighters, including air-to-air rocket
An air-to-air rocket or air interception rocket is an unguided projectile fired from aircraft to engage other flying targets. They were used briefly in World War I to engage enemy observation balloons and in and after World War II to engage enem ...
attacks. Despite these attacks the unit continued its attack and struck a telling blow against German aircraft production for which the squadron was 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 ...
(DUC).[
A little over a month later, on 20 February, the squadron earned its second DUC for an attack on the ]Erla Maschinenwerke
Erla is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center
* Instituto Naciona ...
aircraft manufacturing facilities in Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, Germany. Despite fighter attacks and battle damage to the 612th's planes, 100% of the unit's bombs fell within 1000 feet of the aiming point.[ Beginning in October 1944, the unit concentrated its attacks on Axis oil reserves.][
In addition to strategic missions, squadron operations included attacks on transportation, airfields, and fortifications prior to the ]Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
invasion. On D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
the 612th attacked Normandy beachhead areas dropping bombs five minutes before troops landed. The following month it provided close air support
In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
for the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô (, ; br, Sant Lo) is a commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy.[Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...]
in August and 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 ...
in September. During the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...
in December 1944 and January 1945, the unit attacked transportation and communications in the battle area. It supported airborne forces involved in Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest air ...
in March 1945.[
The squadron flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945 against ]Brandenberg
Brandenberg is a municipality in the Austrian state of Tyrol in the district Kufstein. It consists of the ''Brandenberg'' village and the ''Aschau'' locality (German: ''Ortsteil'').
Brandenberg was first mentioned in 1140, and became an independe ...
. It had flown 254 combat missions from Deenethorpe airfield. After V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...
, the squadron flew missions to Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
, Austria to evacuate British and French prisoners of war. It also flew "Trolley" sightseeing missions at low level, flying ground support personnel over the Ruhr
The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...
and Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
to see the damage that had been done as a result of their efforts.
The unit was alerted for redeployment to the Pacific Theater and the last plane departed Deenethorpe in early June. The ground echelon sailed on the RMS Queen Elizabeth
RMS ''Queen Elizabeth'' was an ocean liner operated by Cunard Line. With ' she provided weekly luxury liner service between Southampton in the United Kingdom and New York City in the United States, via Cherbourg in France.
While being constr ...
on the fifth. Upon arrival in the US, personnel were granted thirty days leave, reassembling at Sioux Falls Army Air Field
Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served a ...
, South Dakota, but plans had changed and personnel were either transferred to Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
units or processed for discharge and the squadron was inactivated.
Reserve operations
The squadron was activated at Brooks Field (later Brooks Air Force Base
Brooks Air Force Base was a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas, southeast of Downtown San Antonio.
In 2002, Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Developmen ...
), Texas in June 1947 as a unit of the reserves.[ It trained under the supervision of the 178th AAF Base Unit (later 2593d Air Force Reserve Training Center) 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). It is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped. In 1948, Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.
During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary au ...
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. President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force. As a result, in June 1949, the 612th moved to Biggs Air Force Base
Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas.
History Biggs Field/Biggs Army Airfield (1916–47)
On 15 June 1919, following an attack b ...
and became a corollary unit of Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
's 97th Bombardment Wing, which was stationed there.[ The May 1949 Air Force Reserve program had called for this new type of unit, which was a reserve unit integrated with an active duty unit. The plan was viewed as the best method to train reservists by mixing them with an existing regular unit to perform duties alongside the regular unit.
All reserve corollary units were ]mobilized
Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and ...
for the Korean war. The 612th was called up on 1 May 1951. Its personnel were used as fillers for other organizations and it was inactivated on 25 June.[
]
Fighter operations
The squadron was redesignated the 612th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated at Alexandria Air Force Base
Alexandria International Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles (5 mi, 7 km) west of the central business district of Alexandria, in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. The airport is operated by the E ...
, Louisiana in February 1954. Initially equipped with North American F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...
s, then with Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version ...
s, by 1957 the squadron was flying North American F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...
s as the 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron.[ The squadron participated in firepower demonstrations ]military exercise
A military exercise or war game is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat. This also serves the purpose of ensuring the com ...
s and maneuvers, It deployed aircraft and personnel to Europe and the Middle East to support NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
. During the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
, the squadron operated from Homestead Air Force Base
Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) of th ...
, Florida. By 1965, however, deployments had begun to the Pacific and Southeast Asia.[Ravenstein, pp. 214-215]
The squadron moved to Misawa Air Base
is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, in the northern part of the island of Honshū of Japan. It is located northeast of Misawa railwa ...
, Japan in November 1965, where it was assigned to the 39th Air Division
The 39th Air Division (39th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Fifth Air Force at Misawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated on 15 January 1968.
History
"Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the 3 ...
. From Misawa, the squadron deployed aircraft and crews to Detachment 2 of the 39th Division, located at Kunsan Air Base
Kunsan K-8 Air Base is a United States Air Force base located at Gunsan Airport, on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is located in the town of Gunsan (also romanized as Kunsan), about south of Seoul.
...
, South Korea. In 1966, the squadron deployed to Phan Rang Air Base
Phan Rang Air Base (also called Thành Sơn Air Base) is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam)'' military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang – Tháp Chàm in Ninh Thuận Provi ...
, South Viet Nam. On 10 October, Detachment 1 of the squadron was formed at Phan Rang, where it came under the operational control of the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing. Although the squadron continued to exist as a paper unit at Misawa, all of its resources were assigned to the detachment, which engaged in combat operations in Vietnam.[Ravenstein, pp. 60-63] Between June 1967 and April 1969, the detachment operatied from Phu Cat Air Base
Phu or ''variation'', may refer to:
Places
* Phủ, prefecture in 15th–19th century Vietnam
People Given name
*Phu Dorjee (died 1987), first Indian to climb Mount Everest without oxygen
* Phu Dorjee Sherpa (died 1969), first Nepali to climb Mou ...
under the control of the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing, before returning to Phan Rang.[
In January 1968, the 39th Air Division was inactivated and the 475th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Misawa. The squadron was reassigned, but remained a paper unit until March 1971, when it moved without personnel and equipment and replaced Detachment 1 at Phan Rang. The American presence in Vietnam was being reduced, however, and the squadron's time at Phan Rang was limited. Combat operations ceased in late June, and on 15 July the squadron moved without personnel and equipment for the second time.][
]
The squadron moved on paper to rejoin the 401st Wing at Torrejon Air Base, Spain in July 1971, replacing the 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron and assuming its personnel and McDonnell F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowe ...
s. The squadron deployed to advanced locations in Europe and the Middle East, where it stood alert status
An alert state or state of alert is an indication of the state of readiness of the armed forces for military action or a state against natural disasters, terrorism or military attack. The term frequently used is "on high alert". Examples scales i ...
. In 1983, the squadron converted to the 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 ...
.
It deployed its forces to Incirlik Air Base
Incirlik Air Base ( tr, İncirlik Hava Üssü) is a Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac (1335 ha), located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, east of t ...
, Turkey in 1990, where they formed the 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Provisional) under the 7440th Composite Wing
The 7440th Composite Wing (Provisional) was a List of MAJCOM wings of the United States Air Force, Major Air Command-controlled (MAJCON) temporary Wing (air force unit), wing of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), active in Turkey in 19 ...
(Provisional). After return to Torrejon the squadron was inactivated in the fall of 1991 as the United States removed its combat units permanently stationed in Spain.
Lineage
* Constituted as the 612th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 March 1943
: Activated on 1 April 1943
: Redesignated 612th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy ''ca''. 1 November 1943
: Inactivated on 28 August 1945
* Redesignated 612th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 27 May 1947
: Activated in the reserve on 26 June 1947
: Redesignated 612th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 27 June 1949
: Ordered to active service on 1 May 1951
: Inactivated on 25 June 1951
* Redesignated 612th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 24 November 1953
: Activated on 8 February 1954
: Redesignated 612th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958[Lineage information, including assignments, stations and aircraft through March 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 684]
: Inactivated on 1 October 1991
Assignments
* 401st Bombardment Group, 1 April 1943 – 28 August 1945
* 401st Bombardment Group, 26 June 1947 – 25 June 1951
* 401st Fighter-Bomber Group, 8 February 1954
* 401st Fighter-Bomber Wing (later Tactical Fighter Wing), 25 September 1957[
* 39th Air Division, 3 November 1965][
* 475th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 January 1968
* 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 March 1971][
* 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 July 1971 – 1 October 1991][Assignment information through 1977 in Ravenstein, pp. 214-215]
Stations
* Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 1 April 1943
* Geiger Field, Washington, 4 June 1943
* Great Falls Army Air Base, Montana, 8 July 1943 – 19 October 1943
* RAF Deenethorpe (AAF-128), England, 4 November 1943 – 20 June 1945
* Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, c. 1 August 1945 – 28 August 1945
* Brooks Field (later Brooks Air Force Base), Texas, 26 June 1947
* Biggs Air Force Base, Texas, 27 June 1949 – 25 June 1951
* Alexandria Air Force Base (later England Air Force Base), Louisiana, 8 February 1954[
* Misawa Air Base, Japan, 3 November 1965
* Phan Rang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, 15 March 1971
* Torrejon Air Base, Spain, 5 July 1971 - 1 October 1991][Fletcher, p.190 (through 1982)]
Aircraft
* 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 ...
, 1943–1945
* North American F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing So ...
, 1954–1955
* Republic F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...
, 1954–1957
* North American F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...
, 1957–1971[
* ]McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
, 1971–1983
* 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 ...
, 1983–1991
Awards and Campaigns
See also
* List of United States Air Force fighter squadrons
This is a list of United States Air Force fighter squadrons. It covers units considered to be part of the Combat Air Force (CAF) such as fighter squadrons and serves as a break out of the comprehensive List of United States Air Force squadrons. ...
* General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators
The United States Air Force (USAF), four of its NATO partners, and Pakistan, a major non-NATO US ally, are the primary operators of General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. With the evolution of sales under Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contracts, ...
* List of F-4 Phantom II operators
F-4 Phantom II non-U.S. operators are the non-U.S. nations with air forces that operate or used to operate the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The Phantom II entered service with the U.S. military in 1960 and served until 1996. During this tim ...
* List of F-100 units of the United States Air Force
This is a List of F-100 Units of the United States Air Force by wing, squadron, location, tailcode, features, variant, and service dates. During the 1960s, squadrons were transferred regularly to different wings and bases temporarily, and someti ...
* List of F-86 Sabre units
* List of B-29 Superfortress operators
This is a list of B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information
Delivery ...
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References
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{{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II
Fighter squadrons of the United States Air Force
Military units and formations of the United States in the Cold War