The 21st Special Operations Squadron is a unit within the 353rd Special Operations Wing, United States Air Force based at Yokota Air Base, Japan. The unit has been activated and inactivated a number of times in its history. Prior to October 2007 it was with the 352nd Special Operations Group, United States Air Force, United States European Command, and based at Royal Air Force base RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, England.
It can trace its roots back to the 21st Pursuit Squadron, which was activated on 1 February 1940 at Moffett Field, California. It took part in the combat in the Philippine Islands, from 8 December 1941. Being inactivated on 2 April 1946, later being activated as the 21st Helicopter Squadron, and inactivated again. Then activated for the Vietnam War on 30 June 1967, assigned to Tactical Air Command, later being redesignated the 21st Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968. The squadron took part in both Operation Frequent Wind, and the Mayaguez incident. In addition to its combat duties, the unit has taken part in a number of humanitarian aid operations.
Mission The 21st Special Operations Squadron, which fell under the 352nd Special Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall, UK, was inactivated on 31 October 2007Air Force Organization Status Change Report, Research Division, Air Force Historical Research Agency, October 2007 with the inactivation ceremony taking place at RAF Mildenhall, UK on 9 October temporarily ending the Air Force Special Operations vertical lift mission in Europe.
The inactivation of the Dust Devils was the first step in preparation for the arrival of the CV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft.
The 21st Special Operations Squadron's mission consisted of day or night, all-weather, low-level penetration of denied territory to provide infiltration, exfiltration, resupply, or fire support for elite air, ground, and naval forces. The unique capabilities of the MH-53J permitted the squadron to operate from unprepared landing zones.
History The 21st Special Operations Squadron traces its lineage to the 21st Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) which was constituted on 22 December 1939. Activated on 1 February 1940 at Moffett Field, California, it was assigned to the 35th Pursuit Group until 15 January 1942 (but attached to the 24th Pursuit Group, c.20 November 1941 – 2 April 1946). The squadron saw combat in the Philippine Islands, from 8 December 1941–c. 1 May 1942 and a ground echelon fought as infantry in Bataan, from 18 January–c. 8 April 1942. It was not operational from the fall of the Philippines until its inactivation on 2 April 1946. Aircraft flown by the squadron during that period were probably the P-36, (1940–1941) and the P-40 (1941–1942).
It was consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 21st Helicopter Squadron, which was activated on 9 July 1956 at Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, flying the Piasecki H-21 and assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force (but attached to the 63rd Troop Carrier Wing, 9 July 1956 – 30 June 1957; 314th Troop Carrier Wing, 30 June 1957). It was reassigned to Ninth Air Force, on 1 September until 15 October 1957 (remained attached to 314th Troop Carrier Wing through c.8 October 1957). It inactivated on 5 October 1957.
It reactivated on 30 June 1967, assigned to Tactical Air Command, and was organized on 15 July 1967 at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina under the 507th Tactical Control Group. Operating the CH-3 (until 1971), it was reassigned to the 56th Air Commando Wing (later, 56th Special Operations Wing), on 27 November 1967. It was redesignated as the 21st Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968.
In 1970, the squadron began operating the Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion. In September 1970, the 21st Special Operations Squadron flew eleven CH-3E helicopters and one new CH-53 helicopter, which arrived at Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base on 8 August. The squadron referred to the large CH-53 as "BUFF", for "big, ugly, fat fellow", and this designation should not be confused with a similar nickname given to B-52 bombers.
Vietnam War
The squadron saw combat in Southeast Asia, from November 1967 – August 1973, aircraft losses were as follows:
23 May 1968, Dusty 51, CH-3 BuNo 66-13295 was lost to unknown causes while flying a sensor delivery mission north of Khe Sanh, Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, the crash site could not be reached due to heavy enemy activity. All five crewmen and a combat photographer were KIA, their remains were recovered on 2 November 1968 by Marines from Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion 4th Marines. This was the first combat loss for the 21st SOS 13 August 1970, Skycap 36 CH-3E BuNo 63-09681 was flying between Nakhon Phanom and Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base when it was hit by a 12.7mm round which blew up the hydraulic accumulators and knocked out both engines causing the aircraft to crash. Four of the crewmen were killed. 24 October 1970, Knife 33 CH-3E BuNo 66-13287 was in a flight of two extracting indigenous personnel from a hill top LZ in Laos. Knife 33 picked up 11 personnel and as it lifted off, it turned and fell into trees 200 meters from the LZ. A short time later, the other helicopter picked up 8 indigenous personnel and the surviving crewmembers. The pilot and flight engineer were both killed. 1 March 1971, Knife 34 CH-53 BuNo 68-10931 crashed on landing at Lima Site 20 in Laos, hit ground, spun right, rolled down hill, flipped and burst into flames. The pilot and copilot were both killed. 24 January 1975, CH-53 BuNo 70-1628 crashed near Ban Nakhon, Thailand. The four-man crew were all killed.
On 29 and 30 April 1975, eight of the Squadron's CH-53s participated in Operation Frequent Wind, operating from .Tilford, p. 143 13 May 1975, Knife 13 CH-53 BuNo 68-10933 departed from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base with a crew of five and eighteen USAF Security Police on board to assist in the recovery operation of the SS Mayaguez. The helicopter disappeared from the airfield's departure radar west of the airfield. All on board were killed. 15 May 1975, 7 of the squadron's CH-53s supported the rescue of the SS Mayaguez, with 3 destroyed in the assault on Koh Tang Island. Knife 23 BuNo 68-10927 crash-landed on Koh Tang, all 5 crew were later rescued. Knife 31 BuNo 68-10925 was hit by 2 RPGs, exploded and crashed in the sea 50m offshore, 10 marines, 2 navy corpsmen and the copilot Second Lieutenant Richard Vandegeer were killed in the crash, but their remains were not recovered until 1995. Knife 21 was hit and ditched a mile offshore, the flight engineer Staff Sergeant Elwood E. Rumbaugh was killed, remains not recovered
The 21st was reassigned to Thirteenth Air Force, on 30 June 1975 (though attached to the 656th Special Operations Wing) before inactivating on 22 September 1975 at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand.
Reactivation in Europe
The squadron was reactivated on 1 May 1988 at RAF Woodbridge, England. The 67th ARRS which flew both the HC-130 "Hercules" and HH-53 "Super Jolly Green Giant" was split into two units, becoming the 67th Special Operations Squadron for the 130 fixed-wing aircraft and the 21st Special Operations Squadron for the rotary wing. Flying the MH-53J Pave Low III, it was assigned to the 39th Special Operations Wing (though attached to the Joint Special Operations Task force at Batman Air Base, Turkey, from 13 January–18 March 1991 and from 6 April–10 June 1991 at Diyarbakır Air Base, Turkey). The 21st provided support to coalition forces during Southwest Asia conflict, from January to March 1991 and later.
The 21st relocated to RAF Alconbury, England, and was reassigned to the 352nd Special Operations Group, on 1 December 1992 (though attached to Joint Special Operations Task Force from 2 March–12 July 1993, deploying during that period to Brindisi Air Base, Italy and Incirlik Air Base, Turkey).
Joint Task Force Provide Comfort deployed to Incirlik Air Base at Adana, Turkey, on 6 April 1991. The initial Provide Comfort deployment was a scaled-down package made up of the lead elements of the USAF 39th Special Operations Wing. This unit was first labeled "Express Care." Its ground organization included command, administration, ordnance, maintenance, supply, and support personnel. The ground component of Joint Task Force Express Care was the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. The Army's Special Forces were experienced, highly skilled, unconventional warriors specially trained to work and live with indigenous populations in remote areas. About 200 Special Forces soldiers were assigned to support Provide Comfort. General Jay Garner tasked Colonel James L. Jones to move the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit into northern Iraq on 20 April to secure the town of Zakho. In preparation, a flight of two MH-53J Pave Low helicopters from 21 SOS made a reconnaissance of the area. They brought back photographs and video imagery of the operations area and potential camp sites.
A squadron MH-53 Pave Low was escorted by two Hungarian Mil MI-24 Hind gunships over Lake Balaton on their way to Szentkirályszabadja airfield Veszprém, Hungary, for participation in the Hungarian/US Bilateral Rescue Exercise Combined Rescue 95. The Stokes Litter on the Pave Low is designed for rapid extraction of injured without landing.
In 1998, an Air Force MH-53 Pave Low from the 21st Special Operations Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, England, flew out of San Vito, Italy in support of the Bosnian peacekeeping mission.
An MH-53J Pave Low helicopter from the 352nd Special Operations Group's 21st Special Operations Squadron, landed aboard the operating in the Mediterranean Sea on 4 February 1999. The helicopter, call sign SKAT 08, got an emergency call to evacuate a seaman with appendicitis for transport to the hospital in Lecce, Italy. The patient was transferred and the helicopter returned to Brindisi Air Station, Italy, without incident.
The 21st Special Operations Squadron participated in a combat search and rescue mission for the pilot of a downed F-117A stealth fighter during the air campaign against Serbia and the forces of Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milošević. A radio transmission from a refueling tanker stating it had received no response from his F-117A customer. Then followed reports the stealth fighter was missing or shot down. Soon after, the MC-130P Combat Shadow crew took off en route to Bosnia-Herzegovina for a rendezvous with three rescue helicopters. Two were MH-53 Pave Lows, one from the 21st SOS and the other from the 20th SOS at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The third helicopter was an MH-60 Pave Hawk from the now inactivated 55th SOS at Hurlburt Field. The plan called for the rescue helicopters to refuel immediately before crossing the Serbian border to allow them to operate with full fuel tanks. After more than 90 minutes of orbiting close to the border, the call came from the helicopter crews for the desperately needed fuel that would enable them to continue the rescue mission. The refueling took place at the unusually low altitude of 700 feet within three miles of the Serbian border. President Clinton called the 352nd SOG commander to give personal thanks.