388th Electronic Combat Squadron

388th Electronic Combat Squadron

Emblem of the 388th Electronic Combat Squadron
Active 1942–1959, 1971-1979, 1981-1982, 2004-2010
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
EF-111E Raven 68-0023 at Mountain Home AFB
F-111A 67-0039 388th TFS
388th TFS F-100F Super Sabre - 56-3878
Emblem of the 388th Fighter-Bomber Squadron
Emblem of the World War II 388th Bombardment Squadron

The 388th Electronic Combat Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 366th Fighter Wing, based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington as a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU).

History

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

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

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

The squadron moved to Okinawa in mid-August and after the Atomic Bomb missions had been flown; remained on Okinawa until December until returning to the United States with most personnel demobilizing. It was inactivated as a paper unit on January 6, 1946.

The squadron was reactivated as a B-29 Superfortress unit in the reserves in 1947, but lack of funding and personnel led to rapid inactivation.

Transferred to Tactical Air Command in the mid-1950s and activated first with F-68 Sabres, then F-100 Super Sabres in 1958. Inactivated in 1959 when its parent 312th TFW was inactivated and re-designated as the 27th TFW. Personnel and equipment of the squadron were re-designated as the 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

Reactivated in 1977 as an F-111A training squadron; inactivated 1979. Reactivated in 1981 as an EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft; inactivated 1982. Reactivated in 2004 flying Naval EA-6B prowler electronic warfare aircraft. It inactivated in 2010, replaced by the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron.

Lineage

Activated on March 15, 1942
Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on July 27, 1942
Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on December 6, 1943
Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on July 19, 1945
Inactivated on December 18, 1945
Activated in the reserve on July 30, 1947
Inactivated on June 27, 1949
Activated on October 1, 1954
Redesignated: 388th Tactical Fighter Squadron on July 1, 1958
Inactivated on February 18, 1959.
Activated on 1 July 1977.
Inactivated on 30 September 1979.
Activated on 1 July 1981.
Inactivated on 15 December 1982.
Activated on 15 December 2004.
Inactivated on 27 September 2010.

Assignments

Attached to Air Task Force 13 [Provisional], 4 September-3 December 1958

Stations

Deployed at Chia Yi AB, Formosa, 4 September-3 December 1958

Aircraft

References

     This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

    This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 2/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.