388th Electronic Combat Squadron

388th Electronic Combat Squadron
	Emblem of the 388th Electronic Combat Squadron
Active	1942–1959, 1971-1979, 1981-1982, 2004-2010
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force

EF-111E Raven 68-0023 at Mountain Home AFB

F-111A 67-0039 388th TFS

388th TFS F-100F Super Sabre - 56-3878

Emblem of the 388th Fighter-Bomber Squadron

Emblem of the World War II 388th Bombardment Squadron

The 388th Electronic Combat Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 366th Fighter Wing, based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington as a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU).

History

Established in early 1942 as a light bomb squadron, equipped with A-24 Banshees, although equipped with export model A-31 Vengeance dive bombers for training. Trained under Third Air Force in the southeast United States, also used for antisubmarine patrols over the Atlantic southeast coast and then Gulf of Mexico.

Deployed to Southern California in early 1943 to the Desert Warfare Center, trained in light bombing while supporting Army maneuvers in the Mojave Desert until October.

Re-equipped with North American A-36 Apache dive bombers and deployed to New Guinea as part of Fifth Air Force. In the Southwest Pacific the squadron attacked Japanese strong points and tactical positions and targets of opportunity in support of general Douglas MacArthur's campaign along the north coast of New Guinea; then advancing into the Netherlands East Indies and Philippines as part of the Island Hopping campaign. It was re-equipped with P-40s, and later with A-20 Havocs. Engaged in heavy fighting on Leyte, Mindoro and Luzon in the Philippines during 1944-1945.

The squadron moved to Okinawa in mid-August and after the Atomic Bomb missions had been flown; remained on Okinawa until December until returning to the United States with most personnel demobilizing. It was inactivated as a paper unit on 6 January 1946.

The squadron was reactivated as a B-29 Superfortress unit in the reserves in 1947, but lack of funding and personnel led to rapid inactivation.

Transferred to Tactical Air Command in the mid-1950s and activated first with F-86 Sabres, then F-100 Super Sabres in 1958. Inactivated in 1959 when its parent 312th TFW was inactivated and re-designated as the 27th TFW. Personnel and equipment of the squadron were re-designated as the 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

Reactivated in 1977 as an F-111A training squadron; inactivated 1979. Reactivated in 1981 as an EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft; inactivated 1982. Reactivated in 2004 flying Naval EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. It was inactivated in 2010, being replaced by the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron.

Lineage

Constituted 388th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 28 January 1942

Activated on 15 March 1942

Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 27 July 1942

Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 6 December 1943

Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 July 1945

Inactivated on 18 December 1945

Redesignated: 388th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 14 July 1947

Activated in the reserve on 30 July 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated: 388th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 29 July 1954

Activated on 1 October 1954

Redesignated: 388th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958

Inactivated on 18 February 1959.

Redesignated: 388th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 7 February 1977.

Activated on 1 July 1977.

Inactivated on 30 September 1979.

Redesignated 388th Electronic Combat Squadron on 29 January 1981.

Activated on 1 July 1981.

Inactivated on 15 December 1982.

Activated on 15 December 2004.

Inactivated on 27 September 2010.

Assignments

312th Bombardment Group, 15 March 1942 – 18 December 1945
Tenth Air Force, 30 July 1947
312th Bombardment Group, 13 August 1947 – 27 June 1949
312th Fighter-Bomber Group, October 1954
312th Fighter-Bomber (later Tactical Fighter) Wing, 8 October 1957 – 18 February 1959.

Attached to Air Task Force 13 [Provisional], 4 September-3 December 1958

366th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 July 1977 – 30 September 1979; 1 July 1981 – 15 December 1982
366th Operations Group, 15 December 2004–present

Stations

Bowman Field, Kentucky, 15 March 1942
Will Rogers Airport, Oklahoma, 12 June 1942
Hunter Field, Georgia, 18 August 1942
DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana, 18 February 1943
Rice Army Airfield, California, 13 April 1943
Salinas Army Air Base, California, 13 August – 24 October 1943
Jackson Airfield (7 Mile Drome), Port Moresby, New Guinea, 30 November 1943
Gusap Airfield, New Guinea,3 January 1944
Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 11 June 1944
Hollandia Airfield Complex, Netherlands East Indies, 4 July 1944
Tanauan Airfield, Leyte, Philippines Commonwealth, 19 November 1944
McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines Commonwealth, 27 January 1945

Mangaldan Airfield, Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, c. 11 February 1945
Floridablanca Airfield (Basa Air Base), Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, 20 April 1945
Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, c. 12 August – 13 December 1945
Fort Lawton, Washington, 1–4 January 1946
Ellington Field, Texas, 30 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
Clovis (Later Cannon) AFB, New Mexico, 1 October 1954 – 18 February 1959

Deployed at Chia Yi AB, Formosa, 4 September-3 December 1958

Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, 1 July 1977 – 30 September 1979; 1 July 1981 – 15 December 1982
Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Washington, 15 December 2004

Aircraft

A-31 Vengeance, 1942–1943
A-24 Banshee, 1942–1943
North American A-36, 1943
P-40 Warhawk, 1943–1944
A-20 Havoc, 1944–1945
F-86 Sabre, 1955–1956
F-100 Super Sabre, 1956–1959.
F-111A Aardvark, 1977-1979.
EF-111A Raven, 1981-1982.
EA-6B Prowler, 2004–present

References

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

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.

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