World War II 's P-51B "Shangri La" On 23 September 1942 the
4th Fighter Group moved to its initial airfield at
RAF Debden; however, the 336th moved to a satellite field at
RAF Great Sampford. They conducted operations from there until rejoining the group at Debden on 30 October 1942. Fighter aircraft escorted first bombing raid over Berlin, March 1944. On 21 June 1944, escorted bombers in the first shuttle bombing mission from England to Russia. Received
Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for destroying enemy aircraft and attacking air bases in France, 5 March – 24 April 1944.
Cold War In 1946 trained in jet aircraft; participated in air shows around the US; began night flying in late 1947. 's F-86 1953 showing the "Rocketeers' logo Combat in Korea, December 1950 – July 1953. Received second and third DUCs for combat in Korean War, 22 April – 8 July 1951 and 9 July – 27 November 1951. Deployed to Florida in October 1962 during Cuban missile crisis. From January–June 1968, deployed to Korea; tasked with operations associated with
USS Pueblo incident. Combat in Southeast Asia, April–September 1972 and March 1973. During the 1980s, trained in combat readiness in order to maintain worldwide commitment and air-to-air mission capability. Deployed to Europe under dual-based mission concept in support of NATO objectives, 1978–1985. Participated in initial attack on Iraq, 17 January 1991. During 1990–1994, shared quarterly rotation duties to Southwest Asia with
334th and
335th Fighter Squadrons.
Modern Era Since 1991, trained as combat ready fighter squadron prepared for rapid worldwide deployment of fighter aircraft to accomplish air-to-ground, air-to-air, strategic attack and deep interdiction missions. launches in the background Deployed to combat areas in Middle East as part of Global War on Terrorism, 2001–present. On 18 July 2009, F-15E serial 90-231 from the 336th Fighter Squadron crashed in eastern Afghanistan, killing the two-man crew, Captain Mark R. McDowell and Captain Thomas J. Gramith. The US military reported that the jet was not downed by enemy action. Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan. Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called "basic mission capable" for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013. In October 2021,
the Rocketeers deployed to
Larissa Air Base, Greece, to participate in Exercise Castle Forge. While deployed to EUCOM in 2021–2022, the Rocketeers became the first American unit ever to execute the NATO Enhanced Air Policing Mission in
Romania and
Estonia. Tasked with defending
NATO's eastern flank during
Russia's Invasion of Ukraine, the 336th FS provided continual armed over watch while simultaneously supporting non-combatant evacuations across the Ukrainian-Polish border. In 2023, the Rocketeers were again called upon, this time to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region. During their deployment to
Kadena AB, Japan, the 336th FS flew 913 sorties, 22 higher headquarter taskings, eight Joint and Coalition missions, integrated with partner nations during Operations Iron Riptide, Southern Beach, and participated in Cope India 2023 at the direction of the
White House. In addition, the Rocketeers sat 882 hours of Distant Sea Operations alert, intercepting Russian and People’s Republic of China bomber patrols, as well as PRC Naval Fighters operating from a forward deployed Naval Carrier Strike Group. ==The Cog==