512th Squadron

Unit History
Lineage: Constituted as the 512th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 Oct 1942 and activated on 31 Oct 1942. It was re-designated as the 512th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 3 May 1944 and then again as the 512th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 May 1945. Although it was inactivated on 26 Mar 1946, the unit was revived as the 512th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Weather on 23 May 1947. Two further inactivation and activations occurred until 25 Mar 1994 when the unit became the 512th Special Operations Squadron gaining its present name on 6 Oct 2000.

Assignments:
31 Oct 1942 376th Bombardment Group
10 Nov 1945 to 26 Mar 1946 468th Bombardment Group
23 May 1947 376th Reconnaissance Group
16 Sep 1947 Air Weather Service
14 Oct 1947 to 20 Sep 1948 and 13 Feb 1949 308th Reconnaissance Group
14 Nov 1949 to 20 Feb 1951 2143d Air Weather Wing
1 Jun 1951 376th Bombardment Group
16 Jun 1952 to 15 Mar 1965 376th Bombardment Wing
1 Apr 1994 to Present 58th Operations Group

Stations:
31 Oct 1942 Lydda, Palestine
9 Nov 1942 Abu Sueir, Egypt
10 Feb 1943 Gambut, Libya
25 Feb 1943 Soluch, Libya
16 Apr 1943 Bengasi, Libya
26 Sep 1943 Enfidaville, Tunisia
19 Nov 1943 to 19 Apr 1945 San Pancrazio, Italy
8 May 1945 Harvard Army Air Field, NE
25 Jun 1945 Grand Island Army Air Field, NE
10 Nov 1945 Tarrant Field, TX
9 Jan 1946 to 26 Mar 1946 Roswell Army Air Field, NM
23 May 1947 to 20 Sep 1948 Gravelly Point, VA
13 Feb 1949 to 9 Jan 1950 Fairfield-Suisun AFB, CA
27 Jan 1950 Yokota AB, Japan
11 Aug 1950 to 20 Feb 1951 Misawa AB, Japan
1 Dec 1957 to 15 Mar 1965 Lockbourne AFB, OH
1 Apr 1994 to Present Kirtland AFB, NM

Aircraft Flown:
1942 B-17 Flying Fortress
1942 to 1945 B-24 Liberator
1945 B-29 Superfortress
1949 to 1950 C-47 Skytrain
1949 to 1951 B/RB/WB-29 Superfortress
1950 to 1951 C-54 Skymaster
1951 to 1954 B-29 Superfortress
1954 to 1961 B-47 Stratojet
1961 to 1965 EB-47 Stratojet
1994 to Present UH-1N Huey
HH-60G Pave Hawk

Operations:
1 Nov 1942 to 15 Apr 1943 Combat missions in the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operation
1 Jul 1950 to Feb 1951 Weather Reconnaissance
Nov 1952 to Mar 1965 Electronic Countermeasures training
Current Special Operations contingencies, exercises, and humanitarian rescue helicopter training

Unit Awards
Service Streamers:
None

Campaign Streamers:
World War II: Egypt-Libya; Air Offensive, Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern/Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley; Air Combat, EAME Theater
Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive
Decorations:
Distinguished Unit Citation
1942 to 17 Aug 1943 - North Africa and Sicily
1 Aug 1943 - Ploesti, Romania
16 Jun 1944 - Bratislava, Czechoslovakia

- USAF Fact Sheet