563rd Flying Training Squadron
A T-43 Bobcat from Randolph AFB
Active	1942–1945; 1947–1949; 1953–1957; 1962–1972; 1975–1989; 1993–1996; 1999–2010
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Flying Training
Part of	Air Education and Training Command
Engagements	European Theater of Operations Vietnam War[1]
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1]
Insignia
563rd Flying Training Squadron emblem[1]
563rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron emblem (approved 4 February 1955)[2]
563rd Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 7 July 1944)[3]

The 563rd Flying Training Squadron (also 563d Flying Training Squadron) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was part of the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, where it operated the Boeing T-43 Bobcat conducting navigator training until inactivating on 19 November 2010.

The squadron was originally activated during World War II as the 563d Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The squadron was twice awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for its combat actions. Following V-E Day, it returned to the United States and was inactivated. The squadron was briefly active in the reserve in the late 1940s, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped.

The squadron was redesignated the 563d Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated in 1953. It moved to Europe, but was inactivated in 1957, when it was replaced by another unit. It was activated again as the 563d Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1962. It conducted frequent deployments, but focused on training pilots for operations in Southeast Asia. Elements of the squadron participated in combat there, although the squadron remained in the United States. From 1973, it conducted Wild Weasel training. It deployed elements for Desert Storm before inactivating in 1992.

History

World War II

Initial training and deployment

The 563d was first activated as the 563d Bombardment Squadron at Gowen Field, Idaho, one of the four original squadrons of the 388th Bombardment Group, in December 1942.^[1][4] The cadre that formed at Gowen moved to Wendover Field, Utah in February 1943, where the unit was fully manned and squadron training with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers began. Training continued until June 1943, when it deployed to England. The air echelon ferried its B-17s to England via the northern ferry route, while the ground echelon departed for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, the port of embarkation, sailing in the RMS Queen Elizabeth on 1 July.^[5]

Combat in Europe

The squadron assembled at RAF Knettishall, its combat station, and flew its first combat mission on 17 July, when it attacked an aircraft factory in Amsterdam. The squadron primarily engaged in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, attacking industrial sites, oil refineries and storage facilities, communications centers and naval targets on the European Continent.^[4]

The squadron was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for attacking an aircraft factory at Regensburg, Germany, on 17 August 1943, withstanding heavy resistance to reach the target. It was awarded a second DUC for three separate missions: an earlier attack on a tire and rubber factory in Hanover, Germany on 26 July 1943 and two missions in 1944, one against synthetic oil refineries near Brüx, Germany^{[note 2]} on 12 May and at Ruhland, Germany on 21 June. This last attack was on a shuttle bombing mission from England to Germany to Poltava, USSR,^{[note 3]} to Foggia, Italy, and back to England.^[4] Other strategic targets included aircraft factories at Brunswick, Kassel, and Reims; airfields at Paris, Berlin and in Bordeaux; naval installations at Emden, Kiel and La Pallice, chemical works in Ludwigshafen; ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt and rail marshalling yards in Bielefeld, Brussels, and Osnabruck.^[4]

The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic campaign to perform air support and interdiction missions. It attacked military installations in France in early 1944 to help prepare the way for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, and on D Day hit coastal defenses, artillery batteries and transportation targets. It attacked troop concentrations and supply depots. In July 1944, it supported Operation Cobra at Saint Lo and the following month attacked targets in Caen. It struck military installations and airfields near Arnhem during Operation Market Garden, the unsuccessful attempt to secure a bridgehead across the Rhine in the Netherlands. It attacked transportation targets to support the final drive through Germany in early 1945.^[4]

Return and inactivation

The squadron flew its last combat mission in April 1945. After V-E Day, the squadron flew missions to the Netherlands to drop food in flooded areas. It then began redeploying to the United States. Its aircraft left Knettishall between 9 June and 5 July 1945. The ground echelon sailed again on the Queen Elizabeth on 5 August. The squadron inactivated at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota on 28 August 1945.^[1][4][5][6]

Air Force reserve

The squadron was activated in the reserves at Orchard Place Airport, Illinois on 12 June 1947 and assigned to the 338th Bombardment Group. The squadron trained under the supervision of Air Defense Command (ADC)'s 141st AAF Base Unit (Reserve Training) (later the 2471st Air Force Reserve Flying Training Center), although it does not appear that it was fully manned or equipped.^[1][7] Although nominally a bombardment unit, the squadron was equipped with North American AT-6 Texan and Beechcraft AT-11 Kansan trainers.^[1]

In July 1948 Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.^[8] In 1949, the 563nd began to fly a few Curtiss C-46 Commando and Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop carriers and Douglas B-26 Invader light bombers, but it was inactivated in June when ConAC reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system. President Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget also required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,^[9] At O'Hare, the 338th Group and its squadrons were inactivated, and most of its personnel transferred to the 437th Troop Carrier Wing.^[7][10]

Fighter operations in Europe

The squadron was redesignated the 563d Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated at Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico in November 1953.^[1] The squadron was equipped with North American F-86F Sabres, with a capability of carrying nuclear weapons.^[11] A year after activation, in November 1954, the squadron was transferred to United States Air Forces Europe and departed, along with other elements of the 388th Fighter-Bomber Wing, for Étain-Rouvres Air Base, France. However, construction at Etain was not far enough advanced to permit it to accept fighter aircraft, and only the wing headquarters settled in to the base.^[12][13] Instead, the squadron ferried their Sabres to Bitburg Air Base, Germany, arriving the following month.^[1][14]

Little flying was done in the squadron's first winter in Europe due to weather. It deployed to Wheelus Air Base, Libya in April 1955, where it was able to train in gunnery and bombing for the first time since arriving in Europe. The squadron rejoined the wing at its permanent base in France in July 1955, the first of the wing's squadrons to arrive. Starting in November 1955, it began deployments to Detachment 1 of the 388th Wing at Hahn Air Base, Germany to stand nuclear alert. The detachment moved to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany in February 1956.^[15]

The unit flew support for the Suez Canal and Hungarian crises. It converted to North American F-100 Super Sabre aircraft on 2 April 1957 and was inactivated shortly after on 10 December 1957.^[6] In August 1956, the squadron began training to convert to the North American F-100 Super Sabre. The conversion was completed by May 1957.^[16] However, the squadron flew the "Hun" for less than a year. On 10 December 1957, the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing moved from Japan on paper to replace the 388th Wing, The 563d was inactivated and its mission, personnel and aircraft transferred to the 9th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.^[1][17][18]

F-105 fighter operations

The squadron was reactivated 1 May 1962, as the 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, again flying the F-100 Super Sabre and then the Republic F-105 Thunderchief by the end of 1963. In April 1965, the unit was sent into combat in Southeast Asia. The 563rd deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, and flew 1508 combat sorties over North Vietnam and Laos. On 27 July 1965, the unit participated in the first destruction of a surface-to-air missile site in North Vietnam. In addition, there were several attacks as part of the first increment of Operation Rolling Thunder, and other Operation Iron Hand missions, and several dangerous attempts to destroy the Thanh Hoa and Paul Doumer bridges. The 563rd lost 10 of its original 18 F-105Ds. Two pilots were killed by enemy action and three became Prisoners of War in that five-month tour. The 563rd was awarded two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat "V" Device for this tour, and was the most experienced squadron in the U.S. Air Force. (The 563rd never received its Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm citation though because its mission was classified.) In 1966, the squadron became a replacement training unit back at McConnell. The unit trained ten classes of pilots for the F-105D between 1966 and 1970 and later transitioned to the F-105 "Thunderstick II" until its inactivation, 31 July 1972.^[6]

On 31 July 1975, the 563rd was reactivated for the fifth time at George Air Force Base, California. The unit initially flew "Thunderstick II"'s but added McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs in September 1975. In October 1978, the 563rd received new aircraft from Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to become the first operational squadron to fly the advanced F-4G Wild Weasel. The unit served with this electronic warfare aircraft in many exercises until it was inactivated in October 1989.^[6]

Flying training

On 14 May 1993, the 563rd was redesigned as a flying training squadron and reactivated at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. The squadron was assigned to the 12th Flying Training Wing under Air Education and Training Command. In conjunction with the 562nd Flying Training Squadron, it operated the Boeing T-43 Bobcat aircraft conducting electronic warfare officer and combat systems officer training in electronic attack, threat reaction, and electronic surveillance. The 563rd also operates the state of the art T-25 Simulator.^[6]

Lineage

• Constituted as the 563rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 December 1942

Activated on 24 December 1942

Redesignated 563rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943

Inactivated on 28 August 1945

• Redesignated 563rd Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 May 1947

Activated in the reserve on 12 June 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

• Redesignated 563rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 5 November 1953

Activated on 23 November 1953

Inactivated on 10 December 1957

• Redesignated 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron and activated on 1 May 1962 (not organized)

Organized on 1 October 1962

Inactivated on 31 July 1972

• Redesignated 563rd Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 15 July 1975

Activated on 31 July 1975

Redesignated 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1977

Inactivated on 5 October 1989

• Redesignated 563rd Flying Training Squadron on 14 December 1992

Activated on 14 May 1993

Inactivated on 3 June 1996

• Activated on 30 April 1999^[19]

Inactivated on 19 November 2010^[20]

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

Citations

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL yes: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
• Freeman, Roger A. (1970). The Mighty Eighth: Units, Men and Machines (A History of the US 8th Army Air Force). London, England, UK: Macdonald and Company. ISBN 978-0-87938-638-2.
• Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems (PDF). Vol. Vol. 2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945-1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-59-5. Retrieved 17 December 2016. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• 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.
• McAuliffe, Lt Col Jerome J. (2005). U.S. Air Force in France 1950-1967. San Diego, CA: Milspec Press. ISBN 978-0-9770371-1-7.
• 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.
• Watkins, Robert (2008). Battle Colors: Insignia and Markings of the Eighth Air Force In World War II. Vol. Vol I (VIII) Bomber Command. Atglen, PA: Shiffer Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0-7643-1987-6. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Anonymous. A Brief History of Randolph Air Force Base and the 12th Flying Training Wing (PDF). Randolph AFB, TX: 12th Flying Training Wing Office of History. Retrieved 19 October 2018.

External links

• 563rd Flying Training Squadron Fact Sheet