450th Fighter Squadron

450th Fighter Squadron
P-47 Thunderbolt as used by the 450th Fighter Squadron for training
Active	1943–1944
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Role	Fighter Training

The 450th Fighter Squadron was established during World War II as a Replacement Training Unit for Republic P-47 Thunderbolt pilots until it was disbanded in a major reorganization of the Army Air Forces in 1944 designed to streamline training organizations.

YouTube Encyclopedic

1/2
Views:
3 942
462

Transcription

History

The squadron was established as the 450th Fighter Squadron and was activated in November 1943 at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia.^[1] as one of the four original squadrons of the 87th Fighter Group.^[2] The squadron began operations with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts in January 1944 as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU). RTUs were oversized units which trained aircrews prior to their deployment to combat theaters and assignment to an operational group.^[3] In January 1944, group headquarters and the squadron moved to Camp Springs Army Air Field, Maryland,^[1]^[2] and two of the group's other squadrons transferred to Millville Army Air Field, New Jersey.^[4]

However, the Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.^[5] while the groups and squadrons acting as RTUs were disbanded or inactivated.^[6] This resulted in the squadron being disbanded in the spring of 1944^[1] and being replaced by the 112th AAF Base Unit (Fighter), which assumed its mission, personnel, and equipment.^[7]

Lineage

Constituted as the 450th Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) on 24 September 1943

Activated on 1 November 1943

Disbanded on 10 April 1944^[1]

Assignments

87th Fighter Group: 1 November 1943 – 10 April 1944^[1]

Stations

Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, 1 November 1943
Camp Springs Army Air Field, Maryland, 21 January 1944 – 10 April 1944^[1]

Aircraft

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1943–1944)^[1]

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 556–557. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
^ ^a ^b Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 153–154. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
^ Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). "Introduction". The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. p. xxxvi. LCCN 48-3657.
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 643–644
^ Craven & Cate, The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2: The AAF p. 75
^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 7
^ See Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 8. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.

Bibliography

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

Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 48-3657.
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. pp. 642–643. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
Mueller, Robert (1989). Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-53-6.

United States Air Force

Leadership

Structure

Commands	Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations
Direct Reporting Units	District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy
Major commands	ACC AETC AFGSC AFMC AFRC AFSOC AMC PACAF USAFE–AFAFRICA
Numbered Air Forces	First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Expeditionary Fifteenth Sixteenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-Second
Wings ANG Groups ANG Squadrons ANG Security Forces Civilian auxiliary: Civil Air Patrol

Personnel and
training

Uniforms and
equipment

History and
traditions

Category

USAAF First Air Force in World War II

Airfields

First Air Force Group Training Stations
First Air Force Replacement Training Stations
First Air Force Tactical Airfields
Freeman Army Airfield
Godman Army Airfield
Selfridge Field

Units

Commands

Wings

Groups

Bombardment	2d Bombardment 13th Bombardment 22d Bombardment 34th Bombardment 43d Bombardment 45th Bombardment 301st Bombardment 302d Bombardment 400th Bombardment 402d Bombardment 455th Bombardment 459th Bombardment 460th Bombardment 471st Bombardment
Combat Cargo	1st Combat Cargo 2d Combat Cargo 4th Combat Cargo
Fighter	8th Fighter 31st Fighter 33d Fighter 52d Fighter 56th Fighter 57th Fighter 58th Fighter 59th Fighter 79th Fighter 80th Fighter 83d Fighter 87th Fighter 324th Fighter 325th Fighter 326th Fighter 327th Fighter 332d Fighter 348th Fighter 352d Fighter 353d Fighter 355th Fighter 356th Fighter 358th Fighter 359th Fighter 361st Fighter 362d Fighter 365th Fighter 366th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 402d Fighter 413th Fighter 476th Fighter
Reconnaissance	26th Reconnaissance 73d Reconnaissance
Troop Carrier	10th Troop Carrier 60th Troop Carrier 61st Troop Carrier 62d Troop Carrier 63d Troop Carrier 89th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 317th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 375th Troop Carrier 403d Troop Carrier 433d Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier
Other	1st Search Attack 477th Composite
Incidents	Freeman Field Mutiny

United States Army Air Forces

This page was last edited on 25 January 2022, at 19:30

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia