336th Fighter Squadron ROCKETEERS "World Famous Fighting Flying Rocketeers"

Established:  12 September 1942

Assigned to: 4th Fighter Wing

Home Base: Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina

Primary Mission: F-15E operational squadron

Unit History:

Third of three Royal Air Force "Eagle Squadrons," the 336th was activated at Bushy Hall, England on 12 September 1942 and assigned to the United States Army Air Force's 4th Fighter Group. Prior to this time, the Eagle squadrons had served as American volunteer units within the RAF. The 4th Fighter Group was the first USAAF unit to be activated in the European theater of operations in the Second World War. The 4th Fighter Group was based at Debden Airdrome, Essex, England. The 336th initially flew the British-supplied Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb, the same type of aircraft they had flown as the RAF's 133rd squadron.  The squadron's first American-built aircraft, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, arrived in early 1943.

One year later  the squadron exchanged their Thunderbolts for  the North American P-51 Mustang, which the served as the primary aircraft for the reminder of the war.

By V-E day and the end of the war in Europe, the 336 had accumulated 358 kills against the German Luftwaffe.  Of this total, 175 were destroyed in the air while the remaining 183 were destroyed on the ground. The unit moved to Steeple Marden airdrome, England in preparation for their return to the United States with the rest of the 4th Fighter Group. On 10 Nov 1945, the 336th Fighter Squadron was deactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey.

This deactivation was short lived, however, for on 9 Sep 1946, the squadron was reactivated at Selfridge Field, Michigan. This unit has remained on active duty since that time.  In Apr 1947, the Rocketeers were equipped with the Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star aircraft and moved to Andrews AFB, Maryland with the rest of the group.

During 1949 the unit was reequipped with the North American F-86 Sabre aircraft and moved south to Langley AFB, Virginia.

By Nov of 1949, the 336th was enroute to Korea with the rest of the 4th Fighter Group. On 17 Dec 1950, Lt. Col. Bruce Hinton, 336th commander, shot down a Mig-15 in the first ever all supersonic aerial combat. During this conflict, Rocketeer pilots racked up kills on 116,5 enemy aircraft. This helped start the "MiG killer" legend of the 4th Fighter Group.

Following the Korean conflict, the unit remained in the Far East until 8 Dec 1957, when it was reassigned to Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, as a part of the 4th Fighter-Day Wing. The 336th began flying the North American F-100 Super Sabre aircraft at this time.

In mid 1959 the Rocketeers transitioned to the Republic F-105 Thunderchief.

In 1967, the unit began flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II aircraft.  Along with the rest of the Group, the 336th rushed to Korea on 8 Jan 1968 to support operations during the Pueblo incident. The unit returned to Seymour Johnson in June of 1968. In July of 1971 the squadron completed the transitioning to the McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II aircraft.

During April through September of 1972, and again from March to Sep of 1973, the unit was deployed to Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand and conducted Constant Guard operations in support of Linebacker Operations in Southeast Asia. The primary mission of the squadron was to fly chaff dispensing missions preceding air strikes by other Air Force units. On 15 Aug 1975, a 336th F-4E flown by Capt. Fred Sheffler and Mark Massen destroyed a MiG-21 with an AIM-7 Sparrow missile, accomplishing the only air-to-air kill by a 4th TFW aircraft during the action in Southeast Asia.

One month after returning from Southeast Asia, in Oct 1973, the unit participated in the delivery of F-4E aircraft and material to Israel during the Yom Kippur War during Operation Peace Echo.

The 336th was the first operational squadron in the US Air Force to transition into the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle.  On 29 Dec 1988, the Rocketeers received their first Strike Eagle. The final F-4E mission was flown on 30 Mar 1989 and the Rocketeers completed their transition into the Strike Eagle on 1 Oct 1989.

As the first F-15E squadron, the Rocketeers deployed Southwest Asia on 9 Aug 1990, in support of Operation Desert Shield. In Dec 1990, the 336th redeployed to Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia in preparation for Operation Desert Storm. On 16 Jan 1991, the Rocketeers launched 24 aircraft against targets in Iraq to begin Operation Desert Storm and the liberation of Kuwait. The first night was an unqualified success as the fighting Rocketeers put their bombs on target and returned home safe and sound. By the end of Operation Desert Storm, the 336th had flown 1100 combat sorties, logging 3200 hours and dropping 6.9 million tons of ordnance on enemy targets, in a combination of general purpose, cluster and laser guided bombs. Targets included fixed and mobile SCUD launchers, bridges, airfields, Republican Guard and regular army units.

Since the end of the Gulf War, the 336th has continually participated in exercises, such as Maple Flag, Gunsmoke, Combat Hammer, the first night Red Flag, Ocean Venture, Combat Anchor, Quick Force and numerous in-house exercises to continually hone capabilities. In addition, the squadron has made several deployments back to Southwest Asia in support of United Nations operations in the area.

PRIMARY ASSIGNED F-15E AIRCRAFT: