The
squadron was first activated as the
630th Bombardment Squadron at
Key Field, Mississippi on 1 March 1943. It was one of the four original squadrons of the
406th Bombardment Group and was initially equipped with a variety of attack, pursuit, and trainer aircraft. Although its mission did not substantially change, the squadron became the
514th Fighter-Bomber Squadron in August. It moved to
Congaree Army Air Field, South Carolina and equipped with
Republic P-47 Thunderbolts before the end of the year. The 514th trained with its "Jugs" until March 1944, when it departed the United States for the
European Theater of Operations. The squadron arrived at
RAF Ashford in England in early April and flew its first combat mission the following month, preparing for
Operation Overlord, the
Allied invasion of Normandy. It attacked
military airfields, bridges and
marshalling yards in France. On
D-Day, the squadron flew patrols in the vicinity of the invasion beaches and
armed reconnaissance and
dive bombing missions.
Air defense in Europe The squadron returned to its Fighter-Bomber designation and was activated in July 1952 at
RAF Manston, England, where it replaced the
167th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, a
West Virginia Air National Guard unit that had been
mobilized for the
Korean War. The 514th assumed the mission, personnel and
Republic F-84 Thunderjets of the 167th, which was returned to state control. In late 1953, the squadron converted to
North American F-86D Sabres. In 1954, the squadron was designated the
514th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. When the
406th Fighter-Interceptor Wing reorganized in May 1956, the 406th Fighter-Interceptor Group was inactivated and the squadron assigned directly to wing headquarters. In February 1958, the 406th Wing began phasing down its operations as it prepared for inactivation. In connection with this drawdown, the squadron moved to
Ramstein-Landstuhl Air Base when the 406th inactivated on 15 May 1958 and was reassigned to the
86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The squadron was inactivated on 8 January 1961, one of the last two F-86D squadrons in
United States Air Forces in Europe. ==Lineage==