66th Weapons Squadron

66th Weapons Squadron
Emblem of the 66th Weapons Squadron
Active	1940–Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	A-10 Weapons Squadron

Emblem of the 66th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron

The United States Air Force's 66th Weapons Squadron (66 WPS) is a United States Air Force Weapons School A-10 Thunderbolt II instructional flying unit, at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

World War II=

Formed as a P-40 Warhawk pursuit squadron in January 1941 as part of the Army Air Corps Northeast Defense Sector (later I Fighter Command) at Mitchel Field, New York. Trained in New England and provided air defense of the northeast after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Was reassigned to the U.S. Army Middle East Force in Egypt, July 1942, becoming part of IX Fighter Command. Took part in the British Western Desert Campaign, engaged in combat during the Battle of El Alamein and, as part of Ninth Air Force, supported the Commonwealth Eighth Army's drive across Egypt and Libya, escorting bombers and flying strafing and dive-bombing missions against airfields, communications, and troop concentrations until Axis defeat in Tunisia in May 1943. The unit participated in the reduction of Pantelleria (May–June 1943) and the conquest of Sicily (July–August 1943).

The squadron supported the British Eighth Army's landing at Termoli and subsequent operations in Italy, being reassigned to Twelfth Air Force in August 1943. It flew dive-bombing, strafing, patrol, and escort missions.

In 1944, converted to P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft and flew interdiction operations in Italy. The moved to Corsica on 30 March 1944 to operate as a separate task force. It flew interdiction missions against railroads, communication targets, and motor vehicles behind enemy lines, providing a minimum of 48 fighter-bomber sorties per day.

Participated in the French campaign against Elba in June 1944 and in the invasion of Southern France in August. It engaged in interdiction and support operations in northern Italy from September 1944 to May 1945.

The 65th flew its last combat mission on 2 May 1945. Remained in northern Italy after the end of the European War, demobilizing throughout the summer of 1945. It was reassigned to the United States in August 1945 without personnel or equipment and was inactivated at the end of August.

Cold War

Air Defense of Alaska 1947-1957. Assigned to Oxnard AFB, California, 1957 but never equipped or manned.

Lineage

• Constituted 66th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940

Activated on 15 Jan 1941

Re-designated: 66th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (Twin Engine) on 31 Jan 1942

Re-designated: 66th Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) on 15 May 1942

Re-designated: 66th Fighter Squadron on 1 Jun 1942

Re-designated: 66th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 21 Aug 1944

Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945

• Activated on 15 Aug 1946

Re-designated: 66th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 20 Jul 1948;

Re-designated: 66th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 Jan 1950

Inactivated on 8 Jan 1958

• Re-designated 66th Fighter Weapons Squadron on 22 Aug 1969

Activated on 15 Oct 1969

Inactivated on 30 Dec 1981

• Re-designated 66th Weapons Squadron on 24 Jan 2003

Activated on 3 Feb 2003.

Assignments

• 57th Pursuit (later, 57th Fighter) Group, 15 Jan 1951-7 Nov 1945
• 57th Fighter (later, 57th Fighter-Interceptor) Group, 15 Aug 1946
• 10th Air Division, 13 Apr 1953
• 414th Fighter Group, 1 Dec 1957-8 Jan 1958
• 57th Fighter Weapons (later, 57th Tactical Training; 57th Fighter Weapons) Wing, 15 Oct 1969-30 Dec 1981
• USAF Weapons School, 3 Feb 2003-Present

Stations

• Mitchel Field, NY, 15 Jan 1941
• Bradley Field, CT, 18 Aug 1941
• Farmingdale Army Airfield, NY, 14 Dec 1941
• Quonset Point NAS, RI, 27 Feb 1942
• Hillsgrove Army Airfield, RI, 8 Jun-5 Jul 1942
• RAF Beit Daras 31°44′12″N 034°41′54″E, British Palestine, 19 Aug 1942
• Egypt, 16 Sep 1942
• RAF Gambut, Libya, 13 Nov 1942
• El Gazala Airfield, Libya, 15 Nov 1942
• Belandah Airfield, Libya, 11 Dec 1942
• Hamraiet Airfield, Libya, 12 Jan 1943
• Darragh Airfield, Libya, 18 Jan 1943
• Zuara Airfield, Libya, 24 Feb 1943
• Nefatia Airfield, Tunisia, 5 Mar 1943
• Ben Gardane Airfield, Tunisia, 7 Mar 1943
• Soltane Airfield, Tunisia, 20 Mar 1943
• Medenine Airfield, Tunisia, 4 Apr 1943
• Chekira Airfield, Tunisia, 11 Apr 1943
• El Djem Airfield, Tunisia, 14 Apr 1943
• El Hani Airfield, Tunisia, 21 Apr 1943

• [Bou Grara Airfield]], Tunisia, 20 May 1943
• Takali Airfield, Malta, 27 Jun 1943
• Pachino Airfield, Sicily, 19 Jul 1943
• Scordia Airfield, Sicily 30 Jul 1943
• Gioia del Colles, Italy, c. 25 Sep 1943
• Foggia Airfield, Italy, c. 1 Oct 1943
• Amendola Airfield, Italy, 27 Oct 1943
• Cercola Airfield, Italy, c. 1 Mar 1944
• Alto Airfield, Corsica, 28 Mar 1944
• Ombrone Airfield, Italy, 11 Sep 1944
• Grosseto Airfield, Italy, 25 Sep 1944
• Villafranca di Verona Airfield, Italy, 29 Apr 1945
• Grosseto Airfield, Italy, 8 May 1945
• Bagnoli Airfield, Italy, 15 Jul-5 Aug 1945
• Drew Field, FL, 23 Aug-7 Nov 1945
• Shemya Army Airfield, Aleutian Islands, 15 Aug 1946
• Elmendorf Field (later, AFB), Alaska Territory, c. 30 May 1947-1 Dec 1957
• Oxnard AFB, CA, 1 Dec 1957-8 Jan 1958
• Nellis AFB, NV, 15 Oct 1969-30 Dec 1981; 3 Feb 2003-Present

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Aircraft

• P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1944
• P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1945
• P-38 Lightning, 1946
• P-51 Mustang, 1946–1948
• F-80 Shooting Star, 1948–1951

• F-94 Starfire, 1951–1953
• F-89 Scorpion, 1953-1957
• F-105 Thunderchief, 1969-1975
• F-4C Phantom II, c. 1971-1975
• A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1977-1981, 2003-Present

References

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

• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5