514th Flight Test Squadron

In early 1942, the Afrika Corps was threatening British forces in Egypt. In response, two contingents of American heavy bombers were diverted to support them. A flight of Consolidated B-24 Liberators being ferried to India was halted from its travel in June and some Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from the 9th and 436th Bombardment Squadrons were flown to the Middle East from India. On 20 July 1942, these elements were organized into the 1st Provisional Group at RAF Lydda, Palestine.[4]

Wreckage of squadron airplane "Lady be Good" in the Libyan desert

On 31 October 1942, the 1st Group was dissolved and replaced by a formal Army Air Forces unit, the 376th Bombardment Group.[5] The 514th Bombardment Squadron was activated as one of its four component squadrons.[1][6] The squadron was originally equipped with a mix of Liberators and Flying Fortresses, but by the end of the year, the B-17s were transferred to Twelfth Air Force and the squadron became an all B-24 unit.[7]

Moving forward to bases in Egypt and Libya, the squadron attacked shipping in the Mediterranean and harbor installations in Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy to cut enemy supply lines to North Africa. After the fall of Tunisia in May 1943, the squadron focused on attacks on aerodromes, marshalling yards, and other objectives in Sicily and Italy, moving forward to Enfidaville Airfield, Tunisia in late September. Its actions during these attacks on enemy targets from its activation through August 1943 earned the squadron its first Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC).[1][6]

On 1 August 1943, operating from Benina Airport, Libya, the squadron participated in Operation Tidal Wave, the low level attack on oil refineries near Ploesti, with the squadron's parent group leading the attack formation.[8] As it approached its assigned targets, the lead aircraft realized that an order from the group commander, who had misidentified the initial point, put the group off course.[9] The group attempted an attack on the Romana Americana[10] refinery, its assigned objective from a different direction. By this time, enemy air defenses had been alerted and intense flak forced the unit to attack targets of opportunity. The squadron was awarded its second DUC for this operation.[1][6]

The squadron moved to San Pancrazio Airfield, Italy in November 1943, where it became part of Fifteenth Air Force and would remain until April 1945. It primarily flew long range strategic bombardment missions to targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, and the Balkans to bomb factories, marshalling yards, oil refineries, oil storage facilities, airdromes, bridges, harbors, and other objectives. On 16 June 1944, it received a third DUC for an attack on oil industry targets in Bratislava. The squadron also provided air support for Operation Shingle, the landings at Anzio and flew interdiction missions to support the Battle of Monte Cassino between February and March 1944. In the fall of 1944, it assisted the Red Army in its advance through the Balkans, and in early 1945, supported Operation Grapeshot, the spring offensive in Northern Italy. The squadron was withdrawn from combat in April 1945 and left Italy for the United States.[1][6]

The squadron arrived at Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska in May 1945 and began conversion to the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. However the war in the Paciic ended before the squadron was fully trained. After it moved to March Field, California on 1 November, the squadron was not fully manned or equipped. It was inactivated on 7 March 1946,[1] and most of its few resources at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida were absorbed by other elements of the 498th Bombardment Group.

The 514th Reconnaissance Squadron (VLR) Weather taken in May 1949

The squadron was redesignated the 514th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at North Field, Guam, where it assumed the personnel and equipment of the 54th Reconnaissance Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated.[11] The squadron performed weather reconnaissance missions in the Pacific. After the onset of the Korean War these missions included combat support. In September 1950, a squadron crew, flying a WB-29 continued a typhoon reconnaissance mission despite the loss of one engine. The information concerning this typhoon was vital for operations in Japan preparing for the Inchon Landing.[12] In February 1951, the squadron inactivated and transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to the 54th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron.[1][11]

EB-47E Stratojet in 376th Wing markings

The squadron was redesignated the 514th Bombardment Squadron and reactivated at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas in June 1951. The squadron was again equipped with Superfortress bombers and assigned to the 376th Group. It began training in strategic bombardment in August. However, SAC's mobilization for the Korean War highlighted that SAC wing commanders focused too much on running the base organization and did not spend enough time on overseeing actual combat preparations. To allow wing commanders the ability to focus on combat operations, SAC air base group commanders became responsible for managing the base housekeeping functions. Under the plan implemented in February 1951 and finalized in June 1952, the wing commander focused primarily on the combat units and the maintenance necessary to support combat aircraft by having the combat and maintenance squadrons report directly to the wing and eliminating the intermediate group structures.[13] As a result of this "dual deputy" reorganization, the 376th Group was inactivated[6] and the squadron was assigned directly to the 376th Bombardment Wing in June 1952.[1]

The squadron moved to Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana in October. By November 1952, electronic countermeasures (ECM) training began to predominate over bombardment, and by September 1953, ECM had become the unit's primary mission.[1][14] In 1954, the squadron converted to Boeing B-47 Stratojet Stratojet jet medium bombers. It moved again in 1957, this time to Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. After 1958, Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-47 units began to assume an alert posture at their home base.[15]

During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, SAC dispersed its B-47s on 22 October. Most dispersal bases were civilian airfields with Reserve or Air National Guard units. B-47s were configured for execution of the Emergency War Order as soon as possible after dispersal.[16] On 24 October SAC went to DEFCON 2, placing all aircraft on alert.[17] On 15 November 1/6 of the dispersed B-47s were recalled to their home bases. The remaining dispersed B-47s and supporting tankers were recalled on 24 November. On 27 November SAC returned to normal alert posture.[18] The squadron continued to train in electronic warfare techniques until beginning to phase down for inactivation in March 1965 with the retirement of the Stratojet from SAC's inventory.[1][14]

DC-130 launching AQM-34 Firebee drone

The 6514th Test Squadron was activated in May 1970 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where it was assigned to the 6512th Test Group.[1] Its mission was to support flight testing and modifications of the Ryan AQM-34 Firebee reconnaissance drone, being used in the Vietnam War by the 556th Reconnaissance Squadron to gather intelligence over strongly defended areas over North Vietnam. The squadron moved to Hill Air Force Base, Utah in 1973 and became a component of the Air Force Flight Test Center.[19]

At Hill, the squadron continued conducting and supporting the Firebee as well as other remotely piloted vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and cruise missile test missions, and supported various test operations at the Utah Test and Training Range. From the late 1970s, the 6514th operated a Lockheed DC-130H Hercules (later NC-130H) drone launch control airplane along with an HC-130H. It added two C-130B (later, NC-130B) and a DC-130A in the 1980s. The squadron also used a few Sikorsky HH-53C and Sikorsky CH-3E helicopters to retrieve drones and missiles and transport people to and from remote sites on the range. By the mid-1980s, the heavy helicopters gave way to Bell HH-1H Twin Huey helicopters.[19]

A groundcrew member guides an A-10C to the Hill AFB runway

The 6514th was consolidated with the 514th as the 514th Test Squadron in October 1992. It absorbed the 15th Test Squadron mission in 1993 and began depot flight testing C-130, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II and General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. It ended its drone and range mission and realigned under Ogden Air Logistics Center on 30 September 1995.[19]

Currently, the 514th quality-control checks involve performing flight checks, which means flying planes that have usually been stripped to the bone and put back together again. The standard check flight for an F-16 can take up to an hour, while the A-10 and C-130 flights can last for an hour and a half. In addition, the 514th provides delivery of foreign military sales aircraft all over the world, from Thailand to Italy. Many of those aircraft come from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center, or "bone yard," at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, and the 514th sends pilots there to test them once they have been reassembled and put back into flying condition. In 2003, the military reserve force assumed the flight check mission, and the squadron was reassigned to Air Force Reserve Command's 413th Flight Test Group.[20]

• 376th Bombardment Group, 31 October 1942
• 498th Bombardment Group, 10 November 1945 – 7 March 1946
• 43d Weather Wing, 15 October 1947[note 1]
• 43d Weather Wing (later 2143d Air Weather Wing), 1 June 1948 – 20 February 1951
• 376th Bombardment Group, 1 June 1951 (attached to 376th Bombardment Wing)
• 376th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 – 15 March 1965
• 6512th Test Group (later 6510th Test Wing), 15 May 1970
• Air Force Flight Test Center, 1 January 1973
• 6510th Test Wing, 1 March 1978
• 6545th Test Group (later 545th Test Group), 1 January 1979
• Ogden Air Logistics Center, 30 September 1995[21]
• 413th Flight Test Group, 1 October 2003 – present[20]

Explanatory notes

Citations

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

• Cruickshank, Earl (June 1944). "The Ploesti Mission of 1 August 1943, USAF Historical Study No. 103" (PDF). Assistant Chief of Staff Intelligence, Historical Division. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
• Deaile, Melvin G. (2007). The SAC Mentality: The Origins of Organizational Culture in Strategic Air Command 1946–1962. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
• Kipp, Robert; Peake, Lynn; Wolk, Herman. "Strategic Air Command Operations in the Cuban Crisis of 1962, SAC Historical Study No. 90 (Top Secret NOFORN, FRD, redacted and declassified)". Strategic Air Command. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
• Lloyd, Alwyn T. (2000), A Cold War Legacy: A Tribute to Strategic Air Command, 1946–1992, Pictorial Histories Publishing Co.; 1st edition, ISBN 1575100525
• Markus, Rita M.; Halbersen, MSG Nicholas F.; Fuller, John F. (1987). Matthews, James K.; Gustin, Joylyn I. (eds.). Air Weather Service: Our Heritage 1937–1987 (PDF). Scott AFB, IL: Air Weather Service. OCLC 18406969. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Rust, Kenn C. (1967). The 9th Air Force in World War II. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers, Inc. LCCN 67-16454.
• Schake, Col Kurt W. (1998). Strategic Frontier: American Bomber Bases Overseas, 1950–1960 (PDF). Trondheim, Norway: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. ISBN 978-8277650241. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
• Watkins, Robert A. (2009). Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II. Volume IV, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-0-7643-3401-6.
• Rogers, Brian. United States Air Force Unit Designations since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications, 2005. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.