The 388th Electronic Warfare Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, where it is assigned to the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing.

The squadron was first activated in 1942 as the 388th Bombardment Squadron It trained and engaged in maneuvers until 1943, when it deployed to the Southwest Pacific Theater. It engaged in combat as a light bomber unit until the summer of 1945, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. It returned to the United States for inactivation in 1946. It was active in the reerves from 1947 to 1949, but was not fully manned or equipped as a combat unit.

The squadron was activated again in 1954 as the 388th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. It trained for conventional and nuclear operations and rotated to bases in France. In 1959, it was inactivated and transferred its resources to another unit.

The squadron was again activated in February 1977 as the 388th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron. Until it was inactivated in September 1979, it trained aircrews with the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. It was activated again in July 1982 as the 388th Electronic Combat Suadron to train crews on the electronic warfare version of the F-111, but was replaced by another unit in 1982. It was activated to conduct joint electronic warfare training with the United States Navy in December 2004 and was again replaced by another unit in 2010. It was activated in its current fole in 2024.

Mission The 388th focuses on spectrum weapons and tactics, intelligence, test management and education and training. It evaluates and assesses adversary capabilities and identifies vulnerabilities. Focusing on improving the Air Force’s electronic warfare capability, the 388th aids warfighters to integrate electronic warfare into operations to increase lethality and survivability of platforms and systems.

History World War II Organization and training in the United States

The squadron was first activated at Bowman Field, Kentucky as the 388th Bombardment Squadron. It was one of the four original squadrons of the 312th Bombardment Group.Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 187-88Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 473-75, 477 It was equipped with Vultee V-72 Vengeances, which had been ordered for the Royal Air Force, but had been pressed into service for units of the Army Air Forces.Donald, p. 250 The squadron also received Douglas A-24 Banshees, and from July 1942, it trained as a dive bomber unit. In 1943, the squadron began to operate North American A-36 Apaches. In addition to training, from December 1942 to January 1943, the squadron flew antisubmarine warfare missions from Hunter Field, Georgia.

The squadron moved to Rice Army Air Field, California in April 1943, where it supported Army maneuvers with the Desert Training Center. In August, it moved to Salinas Army Air Base, California and prepared for overseas movement, departing for the Southwest Pacific Theater in late October 1943.

Combat in the Southwest Pacific

The squadron arrived in New Guinea at the end of November 1943. It equipped with Curtiss P-40 Warhawks and flew patrol and escort missions until February 1944, when it began to equip with Douglas A-20 Havocs. From bases in New Guinea, it attacked airfields, bridges, artillery batterys, troop concentrations and warehouses in the northern and western parts of New Guinea. It supported amphibious landings in New Guinea and Palau.

In November 1944, the squadron advanced to Tanauan Airfield on Leyte in the Philippines. It provided air support for ground troops and attacked airfields and transportation facilities. From 25 March to 4 April 1945, it conducted a series eight strikes against butenol plants on Formosa (Taiwan), for which it received a Distinguished Unit Citation.

The squadron moved to Yontan Airfield, Okinawa three days before V-J Day. It remained on Okinawa until December when it returned to the United States, where it was inactivated upon its arrival at the Port of Embarkation on 6 January 1946.

Reserve operations The squadron was activated at Ellington Field, Texas in July 1947 as a unit of the reserve. It was briefly assigned directly to Tenth Air Force before returning to the control of the 312th Group. Its training was supervised by the 175th AAF Base Unit (later the 2591st Air Force Reserve Training Center) of Air Defense Command (ADC).See In 1948 Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.

As the post war Air Force took shape, the National Guard was considered the first line of reserve. Reserve units got what was left over after National Guard units received facilities, equipment and aircraft.Cantwell, p. 35 Aircraft were allotted to reserve units as a means of maintaining flying proficiency, not combat readiness.Cantwell, p. 37 Aircraft assigned to the reserves were overwhelmingly trainers, with a few fighters, and no heavy bombers were ever assigned.Cantwell, p. 38, 40-41 The allotment of units to the reserves was made only for planning purposes and mobilization plans called for personnel assigned to the units to be called to active duty during mobilization as individuals, not as units.Cantwell, pp. 45-46

President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force.Knaack, p. 25 The Air Force reorganized its operational reserve forces into 25 wings located at 23 reserve training centers, a reduction of 18 training centers.Cantwell, p. 73 Since the Air Force did not have the resources to support medium or heavy bomber reserve units,Cantwell, pp. 74-75 the squadron was inactivated in June 1949.

Cold War fighter operations

The squadron was redesignated the 388th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated at Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico in October 1954. The 312th Group initially received Republic F-84 Thunderjets,, but in 1955, the squadron equipped with North American F-86 Sabres. It trained for fighter bomber operations with conventional weapons until September, when it began training for operations with nuclear weapons.Ravenstein, pp. 159-60 The squadron replaced its Sabres with North American F-100 Super Sabres in 1956. From April 1956 to October 1957, the squadron and the other squadrons of the 312th Fighter-Bomber Wing rotated to bases in France.

In October 1957, the 312th Group was inactivated, as the 312th Fighter-Bomber Wing reorganized under the dual deputy system, and the squadron was assigned directly to the 312th Wing. It was inactivated on 18 February 1959, when the 312th Wing was inactivated and replaced by the 27th Tactical Fighter Wing.Ravenstein, pp. 49-52 The mission, personnel and equipment of the squadron were transferred to the 524th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which moved to Cannon Air Force Base without personnel or equipment the same day.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 628-29

The squadron was redesignated the 388th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and activated at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho as part of the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing in July 1977. The squadron trained aircrews on the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark until it was inactivated in September 1979.

Electronic warfare The squadron was redesignated the 388th Electronic Combat Squadron and again activated at Mountain Home in July 1981. It was equipped with the EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft and again assumed a training mission. The squadron inactivated in December 1982, when it transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron, which was simultaneously activated.

When the Navy and Air Force combined their electronic warfare training, the squadron was activated at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Washington in December 2004. It flew Navy Grumman EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. The squadron was inactivated in 2010, being replaced by the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron, which moved on paper from Mountain Home to assume the 388th's assets.

The squadron was redesignated the 388th Electronic Warfare Squadron and activated in May 2024 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Lineage Constituted as the 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, Light c. 28 March 1944 Redesignated 388th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 19 July 1945 Inactivated on 4 January 1946 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 Redesignated 388th Electronic Warfare Squadron Activated 2 May 2024

Assignments 312th Bombardment Group, 15 March 1942 – 4 January 1946 Tenth Air Force, 30 July 1947 312th Bombardment Group, 13 August 1947 – 27 June 1949 312th Fighter-Bomber Group, 1 October 1954 312th Fighter-Bomber Wing (later 312th 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 366th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 July 1981 – 15 December 1982 366th Operations Group, 15 December 2004 – 27 September 2010 850th Spectrum Warfare Group, 2 May 2024 – present

Stations

Bowman Field], Kentucky, 15 March 1942 Will Rogers Airport, Oklahoma, 12 June 1942 Hunter Field, Georgia, 18 August 1942 DeRidder Army Air Base, 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, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines, 27 January 1945

Mangaldan Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, c. 11 February 1945 Floridablanca Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 20 April 1945 Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, c. 12 August – 13 December 1945 Fort Lawton, Washington, 1–4 January 1946 Ellington Field (later Ellington Air Force Base), Texas, 30 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 Clovis Air Force Base (later Cannon Air Force Base), New Mexico, 1 October 1954 – 18 February 1959 (deployed to Chiayi Air Base, Formosa, 4 September-3 December 1958) Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, 1 July 1977 – 30 September 1979 Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, 1 July 1981 – 15 December 1982 Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, Washington, 15 December 2004 – 27 September 2010 Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 2 May 2024 – present

Aircraft

Vultee A-31 Vengeance, 1942–1943 Douglas A-24 Banshee, 1942–1943 North American A-36 Apache, 1943 Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1943–1944 Douglas A-20 Havoc, 1944–1945 North American F-86 Sabre, 1955–1956 North American F-100 Super Sabre, 1956–1959. General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark, 1977–1979. General Dynamics EF-111A Raven, 1981–1982. Grumman EA-6B Prowler, 2004–2010

Awards and campaigns