The
19th Special Operations Squadron, located at Hurlburt
Field, Fla., is the Air Force Special Operations
Command's largest formal school house. The 19th
SOS teaches initial qualification and upgrade
courses to provide qualified AC-130H, AC-130U,
and MC-130E aircrew members for Air Force Special
Operations. The 19th SOS also provides recurring
aircrew refresher training for all 16th Special
Operations Wing and associate units, and manages,
maintains, and operates 16th SOW mission rehearsal
assets.
The 19th SOS has a long military
history, originating as the 19th Bombardment Squadron,
(Medium) Dec. 22, 1939, and activated Feb. 3,
1940, at Langley Field, Va. Aircrews trained in
obsolete B-18s until the squadron received its
first B-26s in early 1941. Immediately following
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the 19th
BS moved to Muroc Field, Calif., to fly antisubmarine
patrols off the West Coast until sent overseas
in late January 1941. A month later, the ground
echelon arrived by ship in Australia, but the
aircrews flew antisubmarine patrols from Hawaii
for several weeks before proceeding in late March
to rejoin the rest of the squadron. On April 5,
1942, aircrews flew their first combat missions
from Garbutt Field, Townsfield, Australia, against
Rabaul, New Britain. In addition to frequent raids
against Rabaul, the 19th BS flew against enemy
shipping, facilities and troop concentrations
in New Guinea and provided close air support for
Allied troops fighting there, until withdrawn
from combat in January 1943. With refurbished
B-26s, the 19th BS moved to New Guinea and returned
to combat in mid-July 1943.
In January 1944, the squadron
became a heavy bombardment unit (19th Bombardment
Squadron, Heavy), equipped with B-24s. The 19th
returned to combat status March 10, 1944, with
a raid against Manus Island. Most operations were
against targets in the Bismarck Archipelago until
the 19th BS moved to Owi Island in late July.
The squadron flew its first mission to the Philippines
Islands September 1, 1944, hitting Japanese installations
at Davao, Mindanao. The B-24s blasted enemy facilities
in the Celebes and on Mindanao, with an occasional
raid against the oil refineries at Balikpapan,
Borneo. Raids continued until the squadron moved
in early December 1944 to Anguar, Palau Islands.
From this station, the B-24s bombed targets throughout
the Philippines. The 19th moved in January 1945
to Samar Island, Philippines, before finally relocating
in March to Clark Field. Meantime, in mid-February
the 19th raided Formosa for the first time, and
on March 21, flew its first mission into China.
In June 1945, for a week, the B-24s flew from
Puerta Princesa, Palawan Island, to hit targets
on Borneo in support of Australian forces landing
there. The 19th flew its last bombing mission
of the war July 18, 1945, to Formosa. The squadron
moved in August to Okinawa and flew reconnaissance
missions over Japan. The 19th BS ceased operations
in October 1945.
Remanned in June 1946, and equipped
with B-29s in December 1946, the 19th BS (Heavy)
became the 19th BS (Very Heavy) April 30, 1946.
The 19th flew training missions in the Far East
until being moved to Smoky Hill Air Force Base,
Kan., in May 1946. Deploying to England in November
1946, the 19th BS flew training missions to Accra,
West Africa, Aden, and Yemen, Arabia, returning
in February 1947 to Smoky Hill AFB, only to move
in May to March Air Force Base, Calif. The 19th
deployed from November 1949 to February 1950 to
England where the squadron flew training sorties
to Germany and to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The squadron
then deployed in July 1950 to Kadena Air Base,
Okinawa, and flew its first combat mission over
Korea July 13, hitting marshaling yards at Wonsan,
North Korea. Bombing missions over both North
and South Korea followed, with targets, including
bridges, industrial facilities and railroads.
The squadron flew its last combat mission October
19, and departed for the U.S. Oct. 30, 1950.
Back at March AFB, the 19th
trained B-29 crews to be sent to the Far East
Air Forces for combat duty in Korea. In February
1953, the 19th received the B-47 jet bomber to
replace the B-29. The 19th BS made its last deployment
to England between December 1953 and March 1954,
flying training missions to Sidi Slimane and French
Morocco. Later the 19th deployed from April-June
1957 to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and from
there, flew missions to Japan and Korea. In November
1957, the 19th BS received a forward alert obligation,
initially sending five B-47s to Eielson Air Force
Base, Alaska, for six months of cold weather training,
then rotating a single aircraft with aircrew for
two to four weeks at a time. The alert aircraft
were sent in November 1958 to Elmendorf Air Force
Base, Alaska, and then in January 1959 to Andersen
AFB, Guam. The 19th BS ceased operational flying
in February 1963, ferried its B-47s to other units
and inactivated March 15, 1963. Consolidated with
the 19th Tactical Airlift Squadron (constituted
19th Air Commando Squadron, Troop Carrier, and
activated, Sept. 14, 1964), the 19th Air Commando
Squadron was organized October 8, 1964, at Tan
Son Nhut Airfield, just outside of Saigon, South
Vietnam. The 19th received the C-123B aircraft
and personnel in 1964 but did not become operational
as a unit until March 1965. Combat missions included
cargo drops, flare missions at night in support
of hamlets and outposts under attack, transporting
troops and supplies to combat areas and air evacuation
of wounded and refugees from battle areas. Cargo
included munitions, vehicles, spare parts, fuel
and various foods. Missions were flown in support
of the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S.
Marines and South Vietnamese forces. A Royal Thai
Air Force contingent was attached to the squadron
from mid-1966 until inactivation. Redesignated
as the 19th Air Commando Squadron, Tactical Airlift,
Aug. 1, 1967, several C-123Bs were converted to
C-123Ks by the addition of two jet engines, to
provide the aircraft with greater power.
Again the 19th was redesignated
as the 19th Special Operations Squadron August
1, 1968 and again as the 19th Tactical Airlift
Squadron Jan. 1, 1970. During that time, from,
whenever Tan Son Nhut Air Base came under rocket
and mortar attacks, the 19th would operate temporarily
for up to two weeks at a time from Phan Rang Air
Base. The 19th also flew increased missions during
the Tet Offensive of 1968 and shared in a Navy
Presidential Unit Citation for support to U.S.
Marines defending Kha Sanh from January to March
1968. In June to August 1970, the 19th flew airlift,
airdrop, and evacuation missions in support of
Allied forces fighting in Cambodia. On April 19,
1971, the 19th SOS began to transfer the C-123s
to South Vietnam and the squadron flew its last
combat mission April 30. The 19th ceased all operations
in early May and inactivated June 10, 1971. On
September 19, 1985, the unit was redesignated
and combined with the 19th Tactical Intelligence
Squadron.
The 19th SOS was reactivated
May 24, 1996, at Hurlburt Field with the 16th
OSS Central Training Flight becoming the core
of the new unit. The mission is to conduct all
formal aircrew training for the AC-130H, AC-130U
and MC-130E aircraft. This training includes the
initial mission qualification, requalification,
aircraft commander upgrade, instructor upgrade
and refresher training. The 19th SOS will use
advanced aircrew training devices (simulators)
as well as training coded aircraft (two AC-130Us,
one AC-130H, and one C-130E) for flight and ground
training. The Special Operations Forces Aircrew
Training System contractor provides the 19th SOS
administrative support to training operations,
courseware development and maintenance, classroom
and flightline instruction and operations and
maintenance of training and mission rehearsal
devices. The 19th SOS will continue its distinguished
lineage by providing the 16th SOW with a single
organization responsible for mission rehearsal
and all formal aircrew training for the 4th, 8th
and 16th SOSs well into the future, maintaining
that proud Air Commando tradition of "Any
Time, Any Place."
(Current as of September 1998)
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