History
Activated as a B-26 Marauder medium bombardment squadron in late 1942. Trained under Third Air Force and deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO) in July 1943. Initially being stationed in England and assigned to IX Bomber Command,
Engaged in tactical bombardment of enemy targets in Occupied Europe initially from stations in England, then after D-Day, moved to Advanced Landing Grounds in France and Belgium; advancing eastward as Allied ground forces advanced. Supported Eighth Air Force strategic bombardment missions over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe; striking enemy airfields to obtain maximum interference in Luftwaffe day interceptor attacks on heavy bomber formations returning to England. Also participated in Western Allied Invasion of Germany, March-April 1945, combat ending with German Capitation in May 1945.
Became part of the United States Air Forces in Europe while squadron demobilized personnel in 1945. Squadron reassigned to the United States as a paper unit, inactivated in November 1945.
Activated in 1962 as one of the initial F-4C Phantom II fighter squadrons when the aircraft was made operational by the Air Force. When activated, F-4Cs were not yet in production. In order to get the squadron operational, second-line F-84F Thunderjets were transferred from the Air National Guard. Received Navy F4Hs (later F-4B) for training; receiving F-4Cs in January 1964. Deployed to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War and flew combat missions, primary over North Vietnam until Cam Ranh Air Base was closed in November 1970.
Reactivated as a training squadron in 1992, it specialized in undergraduate navigator training from, 15 December 1992-1 October 1996 and 16 January 2002-28 September 2006.
Reactivated in 2010 for MQ-1 Predator operator flight training.
Read more about this topic: 558th Flying Training Squadron
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—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)