352nd Special Operations Wing

It is made up of the: ==History==

The group's lineage and honors have to be traced not just through its own history, but through the history of three earlier organizations, the 2nd Air Commando Group (1944–1945); the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing (ICBM-Snark) (1959–1961) and the 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery (later Special Operations) Wing (1969–1992). Cold War 702nd Strategic Missile Wing The 702nd Strategic Missile Wing was organized in January 1959 at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine to be the only SM-62 Snark missile wing in the USAF. along with the wing's support organizations, and all Snarks were assigned directly to the wing. Test operations from the Atlantic Missile Range at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, were resumed by a wing detachment c. December 1959, continuing until the wing was inactivated. On 27 May 1959, the wing received its first operational missile at Presque Isle. However, in November 1959, Strategic Air Command (SAC) recommended cancellation of the Snark program, a recommendation endorsed by Air Research and Development Command. However, this recommendation was rejected by Headquarters. USAF As a result, on 18 March 1960, the first Snark missile went on alert. Thirty are known to have been deployed. Exercises during 1960 indicated that only 20% of the wing's missile met SAC standards of effectiveness. SAC wanted 20% of its Snarks to be launched within 15 minutes, 40% within 75 minutes, and the entire force launched within four hours of notification. The missiles would accompany SAC's bomber force to complicate the problems of Soviet air defense systems. relative to ballistic missiles, and on 25 June 1961 the 702nd was inactivated. In December 2024, the 352nd SOW received a new aircraft with the assignment of the Dornier C-146A Wolfhound to the wing. ==Lineage==

; 2nd Air Commando Group • Established as the 2nd Air Commando Group on 11 April 1944 : Activated on 22 April 1944 : Inactivated on 12 November 1945 : Disestablished on 8 October 1948 • Reestablished and consolidated with the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing as the 352nd Special Operations Wing on 31 July 1985 ; 702nd Strategic Missile Wing • Established as the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing (ICBM-Snark) on 17 June 1958 : Activated on 1 January 1959 : Discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1961 • Consolidated with the 2nd Air Commando Group as the 352nd Special Operations Wing on 31 July 1985 ; 39th Special Operations Wing • Established as the 39th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Wing on 20 October 1969 : Activated on 1 January 1970 : Redesignated 39th Special Operations Wing on 1 March 1988 : Inactivated on 1 December 1992 • Consolidated with the 352nd Special Operations Group as the 352nd Special Operations Group on 17 August 1998 ; 352nd Special Operations Wing • 2nd Air Commando Group and 702nd Strategic Missile Wing consolidated as the 352nd Special Operations Wing on 31 July 1985 • Redesignated 352nd Special Operations Group on 21 September 1992 : Activated on 1 December 1992 • Consolidated with the 39th Special Operations Wing on 17 August 1998 : Redesignated 352nd Special Operations Wing on 23 March 2015 Assignments • III Fighter Command, 22 April 1944 • Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, c. 12 November 1944 • Tenth Air Force, 10 July 1945 • Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, c. 18 August–October 1945 • 45th Air Division, 1 January 1959 – 25 June 1961 • Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service, 1 January 1970 • Twenty-Third Air Force (later, Air Force Special Operations Command), 1 October 1983 – 1 December 1992 • Air Force Special Operations Command, 1 December 1992 – present (attached to 352nd Special Operations Wing, Provisional, 14 January–23 March 2015) Components ; Groups • 352nd Special Operations Maintenance Group, 23 March 2015 – present • 752nd Special Operations Group, 23 March 2015 – present ; Squadrons • 1st Fighter Reconnaissance Squadron (later 1st Fighter Squadron, Commando): 22 April 1944 – 12 November 1945 • 2nd Fighter Reconnaissance Squadron (later 2nd Fighter, Commando): 22 April 1944 – 12 November 1945 • 7th Special Operations Squadron: 1 February 1987– 23 March 2015 • 9th Special Operations Squadron: 1 March 1988 – 18 April 1989 • 21st Special Operations Squadron: 1 May 1988 - 31 October 2007 • 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 July 1978 – 1 February 1987 • 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 July 1978 – 8 January 1981 • 40th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 July 1978 – 31 December 1987 • 41st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 January 1970 – 1 September 1975 • 42nd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 January 1970 – 15 June 1973 • 43rd Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 January 1970 – 1 June 1974 • 44th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 January 1970 – 15 June 1973 • 48th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 15 September 1972 – 1 January 1976; 1 October 1985 – 31 December 1987 • 54th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 January 1970 – 15 July 1974 • 55th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (later 55th Special Operations Squadron): 1 January 1970 – 18 April 1989 • 56th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 1 May 1988 – 1 April 1989 • 67th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron (later 67th Special Operations Squadron): 17 May 1973 – 23 March 2015 • 71st Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron: 8 March 1970 – 1 July 1974 • 127th Liaison Squadron, 1 May 1944 – 27 July 1945 • 155th Liaison Squadron, 1 May 1944 – 27 July 1945 • 156th Liaison Squadron, 1 May 1944 – 27 July 1945 • 317th Troop Carrier Squadron, 1 May 1944 – 12 November 1945 • 321st Special Tactics Squadron: 1 January 1993 – 23 March 2015 • 556th Strategic Missile Squadron: 1 April–16 July 1959 Stations • Drew Field, Florida, 22 April 1944 • Lakeland Army Air Field, Florida, 3 May 1944 • Alachua Army Air Field, Florida, 9 June 1944 • Drew Field, Florida, 17 August 1944 • Lakeland Army Air Field, Florida, 22 August 1944 • Drew Field, Florida, 23–28 October 1944 • Kalaikunda Air Force Station, India, 16 December 1944 • Karachi Airport, India, 5–21 October 1945 • Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 11–12 November 1945 • Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine, 1 January 1959 – 25 June 1961 • Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri, 1 January 1970 • Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 25 June 1971 – May 1989 • Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, 1 June 1989 • RAF Alconbury, England, 1 January 1992 • RAF Mildenhall, England, 17 February 1995 – present Aircraft and missiles World War II • North American P-51 Mustang, 1944, 1945 • Stinson L-5 Sentinel, 1944, 1945 • Noorduyn C-64 Norseman, 1944, 1945 • Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1944–1945 • Waco CG-4, 1944, 1945 • North American F-6 Mustang, 1945 • Stinson L-1 Vigilant, 1945 • Piper L-4 Cub, 1945 • Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1945 Cold War • Northrop SM-62 Snark, 1959–1961 • Sikorsky CH-3, 1970-c.1988 • Sikorsky HH-3 Jolly Green Giant, 1970-c.1988 • Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion, 1970-c.1988 • Sikorsky HH-53C Super Jolly, 1970-c.1988 • Lockheed HC-130, 1970-c.1990 • Kaman HH-43 Huskie, 1970–1973 • Bell UH-1 Huey, 1970–1988 • Bell HH-1 Huey, 1978-c.1988 • Bell TH-1 Huey, 1978-c.1988 • Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk, 1982-c.1988 Post Cold War • MC-130P Combat Shadow, 1987–2014 • Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low, 1989–2007 • MC-130H Combat Talon II, 1994–2015 • Lockheed MC-130J Commando II, 2013–present • Bell Boeing CV-22B Osprey, 2013–present • Dornier C-146A Wolfhound, 2024–present ==References==