The 65th Aggressor squadron.
Constituted as 65 Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 15 Jan 1941. Redesignated as 65 Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942. Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945. Activated on 15 Aug 1946. Redesignated as 65 Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 Jan 1950. Inactivated on 8 Jan 1958. Redesignated as 65 Fighter Weapons Squadron on 22 Aug 1969. Activated on 15 Oct 1969. Redesignated as: 65 Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron on 30 Dec 1981; 65 Aggressor Squadron on 1 Apr 1983. Inactivated on 7 Apr 1989.
Activated on 15 Sep 2005.
Assignments.
57 Pursuit (later, 57 Fighter) Group, 15 Jan 1941-7 Nov 1945. 57 Fighter (later, 57 Fighter-Interceptor) Group, 15 Aug 1946; 10 Air Division, 13 Apr 1953; 328 Fighter Group, 1 Nov 1957-8 Jan 1958. 57 Fighter Weapons (later, 57 Tactical Training; 57 Fighter Weapons) Wing, 15 Oct 1969-7 Apr 1989. 57 Adversary Tactics Group, 15 Sep 2005-.
Aircraft.
P-40, 1941-1943; P-47, 1943-1945. AT-6, 1946; C-45, 1946-1947; P-51, 1946-1948; F-80, 1948-1951; C-47, 1948; T-6, 1948; B-26, 1949; T-33, 1949-1956; F-94, 1951-1954; F-89, 1953-1957. F-100, 1969; A-7, 1972-1975; F-5, 1975-1989. F-15, 2005-.
Operations.
A pre-World War II squadron, the 65 Fighter Squadron (FS) entered combat early in the war when, on 12 Aug 1942, some of its pilots flew P-40s with the RAF against German positions in Egypt. From October 1942, the squadron pilots conducted reconnaissance, fighter sweeps, staffing, and dive-bombing missions against the retreating enemy troops across North Africa, as well as escorting fighter-bombers and medium bombers.
By April 1943, it was attacking targets in Sicily in support of Allied Forces. It earned a DUC for its support of the British Eighth Army in harsh conditions and against great odds in North Africa and Sicily. The squadron earned a second DUC for aerial combat against enemy aircraft over the Gulf of Tunis on 18 April 1943.
In Jun-Jul 1943, it attacked enemy targets on Pantelleria and Lampedusa Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. In Italy, from Sep 1943, it escorted medium bombers, staffed and bombed enemy targets in support of ground forces, and conducted armed and weather reconnaissance as far as Yugoslavia. It also transitioned late in the year to P-47s. The squadron hit German shipping in harbors, railroad marshalling yards, bridges, and other transportation targets, earning a third DUC for devastating attacks against such targets in the Florence-Arezzo area on 14 April 1944. The 65 FS flew its last combat mission on 2 May 1945.
In Aug 1946, the squadron began training new P-51 pilots at Ladd Field, Alaska. Later, it was equipped with F-80Bs in Mar-April 1948, F-80Cs in Oct-Dec 1948, F-94Bs in the summer of 1951, and F-89Cs in Sep 1953. With these aircraft, the squadron provided fighter aircraft defense in support of the Alaska Area until late in the 1950s.
In October 1969, the 65 Fighter Weapons Squadron took over the F-100F aircraft, personnel, and facilities of the 4536 Fighter Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB, only to become non-operational early in 1970.
Reequipped in July 1972 with A-7Ds, from May 1973-Jun 1975, the squadron conducted fighter weapons training. Then in Oct 1975, having transitioned to F-5Es, it took on a dissimilar aircraft combat tactics training role until its inactivation in 1989. Trained aircrews for combat by replicating tactics used by enemy forces during combat situations,
2005-
Decorations.
Distinguished Unit Citations: North Africa and Sicily, 24 Oct 1942-17 Aug 1943; Tunis and Cape Bon Area, 18 Apr 1943; Italy, 14 Apr 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jun 1984-31 May 1986; 1 Jan 1987-31 Dec 1988; [15 Sep 2005]-31 May 2006. French Croix de Guerre with Palm: Oct 1942-May 1945.
