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 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. Re-equipped with P-40s; then later A-20 Havocs. Engaged in heavy fighting on Lete; 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 January 6, 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-68 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 inactivated in 2010, replaced by the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron.

Lineage

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

Activated on March 15, 1942

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

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

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

Inactivated on December 18, 1945

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

Activated in the reserve on July 30, 1947

Inactivated on June 27, 1949

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

Activated on October 1, 1954

Redesignated: 388th Tactical Fighter Squadron on July 1, 1958

Inactivated on February 18, 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, March 15, 1942 – December 18, 1945
• Tenth Air Force, July 30, 1947
• 312th Bombardment Group, August 13, 1947 – June 27, 1949
• 312th Fighter-Bomber Group, October 1954
• 312th Fighter-Bomber (later Tactical Fighter) Wing, October 8, 1957 – February 18, 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, March 15, 1942 Will Rogers Airport, Oklahoma, June 12, 1942 Hunter Field, Georgia, August 18, 1942 DeRidder Army Airbase, Louisiana, February 18, 1943 Rice Army Airfield, California, April 13, 1943 Salinas Army Air Base, California, August 13 – October 24, 1943 Jackson Airfield (7 Mile Drome), Port Moresby, New Guinea, November 30, 1943 Gusap Airfield, New Guinea,January 3, 1944 Nadzab Airfield Complex, New Guinea, June 11, 1944 Hollandia Airfield Complex, Netherlands East Indies, July 4, 1944 Tanauan Airfield, Leyte, Philippines Commonwealth, November 19, 1944 McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines Commonwealth, January 27, 1945

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