33rd Special Operations Squadron

The 33rd Special Operations Squadron traces its history to the organization of the 33rd Aero Squadron at Camp Kelly, Texas, on 17 May 1917, about a month after the United States' entry into World War I. The squadron consisted of 160 recruits and was first called "2nd Company "G", Kelly Field". Later, the name was changed to "1st Company "F", Kelly Field". On 23 June 1917 the 33rd Aero Squadron was organized from these recruits. The 33rd Aero Squadron was demobilized on 14 April 1919 at Mitchel Field, New York. ==Inter-war years==

The 33rd Pursuit Squadron was reconstituted as a regular Army Air Service unit on 24 March 1923, but remained inactive. By 1929, the squadron was partially organized at Kelly Field as a Regular Army Inactive unit with reserve personnel and its members trained as individual reservists at Kelly Field. On 25 June 1932 its reservists were transferred and it was activated at Langley Field, Virginia. It was equipped with Boeing P-12s, and in 1933 some Curtiss P-6 Hawk pursuit planes and trained primarily on coastal defense patrols. Assigned to the 8th Pursuit Group, the squadron continued to fly pursuit planes, receiving new front-line aircraft for testing and evaluation. These included the Consolidated P-30, Curtiss P-36 Hawk, Curtiss YP-37 and Northrop A-17 Dive Bomber. The squadron was redesignated as the 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) on 6 December 1939; It moved to Mitchel Field, New York in March 1940 after the breakout of World War II in Europe. It was redesignated as an interceptor squadron, and shortly afterwards received early-model Curtiss P-40C Warhawks. Its mission was the air defense of the New York City area. == Second World War ==

The squadron was deployed to Iceland with P-40 Warhawk fighters as part of the Iceland Base Command (IBC) as part of a bilateral agreement with the Icelandic Government to provide air defense of their nation. The squadron departed from New York Harbor on 27 July 1941 on the }, arriving off Iceland on 6 August 1941. The squadron flew its P-40s off the carrier, and landed at Kaldadarnes Airfield, near Reykjavík where it replaced a Royal Air Force squadron which withdrew to the United Kingdom. Additional fighter squadrons were sent to Iceland after the United States entry into World War II, and the 33rd was reassigned to the new 342nd Composite Group in September 1942, and the squadron received additional Bell P-39 Airacobras. Along with the air defense mission, the 33rd also provided escort patrols for Air Transport Command operations flying through Iceland as part of the North Atlantic air ferry route, and antisubmarine patrols. The 342nd was inactivated in March 1944 and the squadron came under the direct control of the 24th Composite Wing. The P-40s and P-39s were replaced with new Republic P-47D Thunderbolts, however, with the Germans in full retreat after D-Day, the 24th was disestablished and the 33rd remained in Iceland as a defensive measure under IBC until the end of the war when it was inactivated. == Tactical Air Command ==

In April 1953, the 33rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron was activated as part of the 37th Fighter-Bomber Group, at Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico under Tactical Air Command (TAC). The 37th FBG was assigned to Clovis to replace the 50th FBG which was deployed to West Germany as part of USAFE. However, the 37th was neither manned or equipped due to personnel and equipment shortages and was inactivated on 25 June 1953. The 33rd was again re-activated at the newly opened Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina by TAC as the 33rd Fighter-Day Squadron as part of the 342nd FDG on 25 July 1956. The 342nd was equipped with a mixed assortment of aircraft, the most modern being five RF-80A Shooting Stars. These aircraft were considered to be at Myrtle Beach on an interim status, as North American Aircraft established a training facility at the base for F-100 Super Sabre orientation. Although on paper a fully functioning wing, the efforts and activities of the 342nd FDW were directed to reach operational capabilities by overcoming the problems and obstacles inherent in the activation of a new fighter wing on a base still largely under construction. The 342nd FDW lasted 117 days until 18 November 1956 when the Air Force inactivated the unit and activated the 354th Fighter-Day Wing to replace it, and the men and aircraft of the 33rd Fighter-Day Squadron were transferred to the newly activated 353rd Fighter Day Squadron. Reactivated a third time by Tactical Air Command on 15 October 1969, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, this time as the 33rd Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron, and assigned to the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. The 33rd assumed the personnel and equipment of provisional 4415th Combat Crew Training Squadron, being equipped with McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft. The mission of the squadron at Shaw was to train newly assigned pilots in the tactical reconnaissance mission. In 1982, as the 363rd converted to a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon tactical fighter wing, the 33rd was inactivated on 1 October 1982 when its reconnaissance training mission ended. Reactivated as part of the 363rd Tactical Fighter Wing in 1985 at Shaw as the wing's third F-16 squadron. Trained in tactical fighter missions designed to destroy enemy forces, 1985–1993. Deployed aircrews and aircraft to the Middle East during the 1991 Gulf War; later participated in Operation Southern Watch over southern Iraq, 1992–1993. Lt Col Gary L. North, commander of 33rd Fighter Squadron, became the first American F-16 pilot to score an aerial victory over Iraq on 27 December 1992. The squadron was inactivated in late 1993 when the 20th Fighter Wing assumed the mission and assets of the 363rd Fighter Wing as part of the Air Force downsizing after the end of the Cold War. == Drone reconnaissance and surveillance ==

From 2009 the mission of the 33rd SOS was to operate the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, primarily over combat areas, to provide surveillance and reconnaissance. During 2012, 39 members of the squadron were deployed, accumulating a total of 3,891 days downrange and facilitating thousands of hours of ISR coverage. Ten additional squadron members were deployed to fill roles such as Remotely Piloted Aircraft liaison officers, ISR battle captains, and group commanders. Their deployed contributions totaled 517 days. ==Lineage==

• Organized as the 33rd Aero Squadron on 12 June 1917 : Demobilized on 14 April 1919 • Reconstituted and redesignated 33rd Pursuit Squadron on 24 March 1923 : Organized as a Regular Army Inactive unit by June 1929 : Activated on 25 June 1932 : Redesignated 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) on 6 December 1939 : Redesignated 33rd Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 12 March 1941 : Redesignated 33rd Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 : Redesignated 33rd Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 3 February 1944 : Inactivated on 22 June 1945 • Redesignated 33rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 3 March 1953 : Activated on 8 April 1953 : Inactivated on 25 June 1953 • Redesignated 33rd Fighter-Day Squadron on 7 May 1956 : Activated on 25 July 1956 : Inactivated on 19 November 1956 • Redesignated 33rd Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron on 18 August 1969 and activated (not organized) : Organized on 15 October 1969 : Inactivated on 1 October 1982 • Redesignated 33rd Tactical Fighter Squadron on 7 September 1984 : Activated on 1 January 1985 : Redesignated 33rd Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991 : Inactivated on 15 November 1993 • Redesignated 33rd Special Operations Squadron on 29 April 2009 : Activated on 29 May 2009 Assignments • Post Headquarters, Kelly Field, 17 May 1917 • Aviation Concentration Center, 15 August 1917 • Air Service Headquarters, AEF, British Isles, 16 September 1917 : Detachment attached to Royal Flying Corps for training, 16 September 1917 – 14 January 1918 • Air Service Headquarters, AEF, 19 September 1917 : Detachments attached to Training Section, AEF, 19 September – 25 December 1917 • Third Aviation Instruction Center, 23 September 1917 • 1st Air Depot, December, 1918 • Services of Supply, c. 6 January – c. 18 March 1919 • Eastern Department, c. 5–14 April 1919 • 17th Pursuit Group, while in Regular Army Inactive status Stations • Camp Kelly (later Kelly field), Texas, 12 June – 11 August 1917 • Etampes, France, 19 September 1917 • Clermont-Ferrand, France, c. 25 September 1917 • Issoudun Aerodrome, France, December 1917 • Bordeaux, France, 6 January – 18 March 1919 • Mitchel Field, New York, 5–14 April 1919 • Langley Field, Virginia, 25 June 1932 • Mitchel Field, New York, 14 November 1940 – 27 July 1941 • Meeks Field, Iceland, 6 August 1941 – 9 June 1945 • Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 20–22 June 1945 • Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, 8 April – 25 June 1953 • Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina, 25 July – 19 November 1956 • Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 1 October 1969 – 1 October 1982, 1 January 1985 – 15 November 1993 • Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, 29 May 2009 – present Aircraft • Nieuport 83, 1918 • Boeing P-12, 1932–1935 • Curtiss P-6 Hawk, 1933–1936, 1937–1940 • Consolidated P-30, 1936–1939 • Curtiss YP-37, 1937–1940 • Northrop A-17, 1937–1940 • Curtiss P-36 Hawk, 1939–1940 • Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1940–1944 • Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1942–1943 • Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1945 • McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II, 1969–1982 • General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 1985–1993 • General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, 2009 – present ==See also==