The first predecessor of the 24th Tactical Air Support Squadron was the 24th Bombardment Squadron (Light) which was activated in late 1939 as a test unit for light bombardment aircraft at Maxwell Field, Alabama. The squadron was disbanded in the spring of 1942 in a reorganization of United States Army Air Forces operational testing units in the spring of 1942.
The second predecessor of the squadron was activated in the fall of 1942 as the 24th Photographic Mapping Squadron. After training in the United States under Second Air Force, the squadron deployed to the China Burma India Theater, where it performed combat mapping. mostly with North American B-25 Mitchells and Consolidated B-24 Liberators equipped with vertical and oblique Mapping cameras until moving to Clark Field in the Philippines, where it was inactivated in 1946. In Asia, the squadron deployed detachments to a number of locations, although the headquarters remained in Guskhara Airfield, India.
The squadron was activated again in the reserves in 1947 as the 24th Reconnaissance Squadron, but apparently was not equipped before inactivating when Continental Air Command reorganized under the Wing Base Organization plan in 1949. The squadron was activated in the regular Air Force in 1951 as the 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron at Lake Charles AFB, Louisiana and equipped with Boeing RB-29s. When its parent 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing converted to a bombardment mission in 1942, the squadron became the 24th Bombardment Squadron, but was inactivated in 1953.
The 24th Helicopter Squadron was activated in 1956 at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee. After several months of training the squadron moved to Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, where it served until 1960. The transfer was made on an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. The unit's mission was to maintain helicopter logistics airlift capability, to perform air land supply operations, scheduled and special airlift operations, and conduct training. Detachment 2 of the squadron was attached to the 41st Air Division to provide logistial support to the division's remote radar sites. In 1958 and 1959 the squadron returned to Burma when it participated in Operation South Bound, which provided assistance to the Burmese Air Force in combatting local insurrectionists.
The squadron was redesignated the 24th Special Operations Squadron and activated in Panama in 1969. In 1985, the squadron was consolidated with its two predecessor units. The consolidated squadron became the 24th Tactical Air Support Squadron in 1987, and was inactivated in the spring of 1991.
24th Bombardment Squadron (Light)
Constituted as the 24th Attack-Bombardment Squadron on 1 August 1939
Redesignated
24th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 28 September 1939
Activated on 1 December 1939
Disbanded on 1 May 1942
Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with 24th Bombardment Squadron, Medium and 24th Composite Squadron as 24th Composite Squadron
24th Bombardment Squadron, Medium
Constituted as 24th Photographic Mapping Squadron on 14 July 1942
Activated on 2 September 1942
Redesignated as
24th Photographic Squadron (Heavy) on 6 February 1943
Redesignated as
24th Combat Mapping Squadron on 11 August 1943
Inactivated on 15 June 1946
Redesignated 24th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range (Photographic – RCM) on 13 May 1947 and allotted to the reserve
Activated on 12 July 1947
Inactivated on 27 June 1949
Redesignated 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium (Photographic)
Activated on 10 October 1951
Redesignated
24th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 16 June 1952
Redesignated
24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium and inactivated on 16 January 1953
Redesignated
24th Bombardment Squadron, Medium (remained inactive)
Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with 24th Bombardment Squadron, (Light) and 24th Composite Squadron as 24th Composite Squadron
24th Tactical Air Support Squadron
Constituted as the 24th Helicopter Squadron on 24 February 1956
Activated on 9 July 1956
Inactivated on 8 March 1960
Redesignated 24th Special Operations Squadron in 1969
Activated on 18 March 1969
Redesignated
24th Composite Squadron on 15 November 1973
Inactivated on 1 July 1975
Activated on 1 January 1976
Consolidated with 24th Bombardment Squadron, Medium and 24th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 19 September 1985
Redesignated
24th Tactical Air Support Squadron on 1 January 1987
Inactivated on 31 March 1991
23d Composite Group (later Air Corps Proving Ground Detachment, Air Forces Proving Ground Group): 1 December 1939 – 1 May 1942
5th Photographic Group (later 5th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group, 5th Photographic Reconnaissance Group), 2 September 1942
Third Air Force, 9 October 1943
III Reconnaissance Command, 12 October 1943
Army Air Force, India-Burma Sector, 26 December 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group (Provisional), 26 December 1943 to 17 January 1944, Tenth Air Force to 7 March 1944)
Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944
8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group (later 8th Reconnaissance Group), 25 April 1944
Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, 20 September 1945
Thirteenth Air Force, 28 January 1946
313th Bombardment Wing, 1 April 1946 − 15 June 1946
68th Reconnaissance Group, 12 July 1947 − 27 June 1949
68th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, 10 October 1951
68th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 − 16 January 1953
Eighteenth Air Force: 9 July 1956
315th Air Division: October 1956 − 8 March 1960
24th Special Operations Wing (later 24th Special Operations Group), 18 March 1969 − 1 July 1975
24th Composite Group (later 24th Composite Wing), 1 January 1976
USAF Southern Air Division, 1 January 1987
24th Composite Wing, 1 January 1989
Air Forces Panama, 1 February 1991 − 31 March 1991
Hsinching Airfield, China, 17 March 1944 – 9 April 1944, 27 April 1944 − c. 1 July 1944, October–November 1944
Jorhat Airfield, India, 9 April 1944 – 22 April 1944
Liuchow Airfield, China, 10 July 1944 – 22 September 1944
Chanyi Airfield, China, 22 September 1944 – 17 February 1945
Pengshan Airfield, China, November 1944
Tulihal and Cox’s Bazar, India, February 1945 − c. April 1945
