786th Air Expeditionary Squadron

World War II

Established in mid-1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb group; trained under Second Air Force in Idaho. Completed training in early 1944; deploying to European Theater of Operations (ETO) assigned to VIII Bomber Command in England.

Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment operations over Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany, March 1944-May 1945 attacking enemy military and industrial targets as part of the United States' air offensive against Nazi Germany. Most personnel demobilized in Europe after the German capitulation in May 1945; a small cadre returned to the United States, being programmed for conversion to being a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomb squadron and deployment to the Central Pacific to engage in strategic bombardment over Japan.

Training ended after Japanese capitulation in August 1945, unit inactivated in October; its training aircraft being assigned to other squadrons or sent to storage.

Fighter operations

As the United States Air Force expanded its McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fleet in April 1965, it activated the 33d Tactical Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base Florida. Although it was planned that the squadrons of the 33d Wing would be Convair F-102 Delta Dagger squadrons that were inactivating in the Pacific, these squadrons were still winding down their operations, so the 33d was initially formed with the 786th, 787th, 788th and 789th Tactical Fighter Squadrons. The 33d embarked on a program of tactical training with the Phantom. In June 1965, the squadron was inactivated and its planes and personnel were transferred to the 4th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which moved on paper to Eglin from Misawa Air Base, Japan.

Expeditionary unit

In April 2006, the squadron was converted to provisional status and redesignated the 786th Air Expeditionary Squadron. It was activated in May at Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, with a detachment at Baumholder, Germany. It was activated again in September in Nigeria.

The squadron provided airlift into Darfur for the 55th Battalion of the Rwandan Army for United Nations efforts there in 2007.

Its most recent activations have been for operations in Spain and Iceland.

Lineage

Constituted as the 786th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943

Activated on 1 August 1943Redesignated 786th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 10 August 1944Redesignated 786th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945Inactivated on 17 October 1945

Redesignated 787th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 9 February 1965 and activated (not organized)

Organized on 1 April 1965Inactivated on 20 June 1965

Converted to provisional status and redesignated 786th Air Expeditionary Squadron on 24 April 2006

Assignments

466th Bombardment Group, 1 August 1943 – 17 October 1945

33d Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 April–20 June 1965

Attached to Air Command, Europe, 1 May 2006–2006

458th Air Expeditionary Group, 3–20 September 2006

Attached to Third Air Force, 2 April–31 Oct 2007

458th Air Expeditionary Group, 5 May–5 June 2009

Attached to Third Air Force, 1 May 2012 – unknown

Stations

Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 1 August 1943

Kearns Army Air Base, Utah 31 August 1943

Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 27 November 1943 - 10 February 1944

RAF Attlebridge (AAF-120), England 8 March 1944 - c. 6 July 1945

Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 15 July 1945 - 25 July 1945

Pueblo Army Air Base, Colorado, 25 July 1945 - 15 August 1945

Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 15 August-17 October 1945

Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 1 April–20 June 1965

Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1 May 2006–2006

Kaduna, Nigeria, 3–20 September 2006

Kigali International Airport, Rwanda, 29 April–31 October 2007

Moron Air Base, Spain, 5 May–5 June 2009

Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland, 1 May 2012 – unknown

Aircraft

Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945

Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945