Country United States | Role Electronic Warfare | |
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Active 1943-1945; 1947-1949; 1969-1973 Branch United States Air Force Engagements Mediterranean Theater of Operations European Theater of Operations Decorations Distinguished Unit Citation | ||
The 39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 52d Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated in January 1973.
Contents
The squadron was first activated in 1943 at Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico as the 739th Bombardment Squadron. The 739th was last active in the Air Force Reserve at Spokane Air Force Base, Washington, where it was inactivated in June 1949.
World War II
The squadron was first activated in June 1943 at Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico as the 739th Bombardment Squadron, one of the original four squadrons of the 454th Bombardment Group. The 454th was a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment group. The unit trained under Second Air Force. It deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, and was stationed in southern Italy at San Giovanni Airfield under Fifteenth Air Force.
The squadron engaged in long range strategic bombardment of enemy military, industrial and transportation targets. Operations included attacks against such objectives as marshalling yards, aircraft factories, railroad bridges, and airdromes in Italy, Austria, and Rumania. It helped to prepare the way for and supported Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France during July and August 1944. At the same time, it expanded its previous operations to include attacks on oil refineries and storage facilities, locomotive works, and viaducts in France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the Balkans.
The 739th returned to the United States after the surrender of Germany in May 1945. It began to be re-equipped as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment squadron. The squadron began training under Second Air Force in August 1945, however it was inactivated in October after the surrender of Japan.
Air Force Reserve
The 739th Bombardment Squadron was reactivated as a reserve unit under Air Defense Command (ADC) at McChord Field, Washington in April 1947 as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress unit, where its training was supervised by the 406th AAF Base Unit (later the 2345th Air Force Reserve Training Center) However, the squadron does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped while a reserve unit. In 1948 Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC. President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force. Continental Air Command also reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system in June 1949. The squadron was inactivated and its personnel and equipment were transferred to elements of the 302d Troop Carrier Wing, which was activated simultaneously.
Cold War
The 39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron was activated in April 1969 at Spangdahlem Air Base Germany in an effort to restore an electronic warfare capability to United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE). It was planned to equip the squadron with Douglas EB-66 Destroyers, but all of USAFE's EB-66s had deployed to Southeast Asia to provide jamming support for the Viet Nam War. As a result, the squadron was initially equipped with the less capable Martin EB-57 Canberra. Shortly after activation, it became possible to equip the unit with sixteen EB-66s. The squadron continued its mission at Spangdahlem until inactivating in 1973 as the EB-66 was withdrawn from the Air Force inventory.
The 739th Bombardment Squadron and the 39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron were consolidated into a single unit in September 1985.
Lineage
739th Bombardment Squadron
39th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron