| Unit Name: | 598th Range Squadron |
| Dates: | 1943–1945; 2015–present |
| Role: | Range management |
| Command Structure: | Air Combat Command |
| Garrison: | Avon Park Air Force Range |
| Motto: | la|Si Vis Pacem Para Bellumn|If You Desire Peace, Prepare for War |
| Battles: | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations: | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Identification Symbol Label: | 598th Range Squadron emblem |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | 598th Bombardment Squadron emblem[1] |
| Identification Symbol 3: | Yellow diagonal stripe |
| Identification Symbol 3 Label: | World War II group tail marking[2] |
| Identification Symbol 4: | U2 |
| Identification Symbol 4 Label: | World War II squadron fuselage code |
The 598th Range Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23d Fighter Group and is stationed at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida where it replaced Detachment 1, 23d Fighter Group on 22 September 2015. The squadron also operates the Deployed Unit Complex at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
It was first activated at MacDill Field, Florida in April 1943 as the 598th Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it transferred to the European Theater of Operations, where it was a component of IX Bomber Command. The squadron served in combat from April 1944 until the end of World War II, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for an attack on Ediger-Eller, Germany, in December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. Following V-E Day the squadron remained in France until December 1945, when it returned the United States and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer.
The 598th Range Squadron is responsible for operating the range and a deployed unit complex located at MacDill Air Force Base, FL. The squadron provides extensive, diverse and convenient training airspace and ranges with capabilities for military air and ground training.[3] The Avon Park Air Ground Training Complex is the largest training range east of the Mississippi River and includes an 8000foot long operational runway.[4]
The squadron was established at MacDill Field, Florida in April 1943 as one of the original squadrons of the 397th Bombardment Group, a B-26 Marauder medium bomber group.[1] [5] It drew its initial cadre from the 21st Bombardment Group.[6] The squadron trained under Third Air Force at stations in the southeastern United States. After completing its training by participating in the Tennessee Maneuvers, the squadron departed Hunter Field, Georgia for the European Theater of Operations on 13 March 1944.[1] [6]
The squadron was temporarily stationed at RAF Gosfield upon its arrival in England in early April 1944. On the 15th of the month, its parent group displaced the 363d Fighter Group at RAF Rivenhall and flew its first combat mission five days later.[5] [7] In preparation for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, the squadron participated in Operation Crossbow, attacking V-1 flying bomb launch pads. It also struck bridges, coastal defenses, marshalling yards and airfields in northern France. On D-Day the squadron attacked strong points and bombed fuel dumps and other objectives to support ground forces throughout the Normandy Campaign.[5]
In July 1944, the squadron participated in Operation Cobra, attacking German forces near Saint Lo, France, during the Allied breakout there. In August, the squadron moved from England to Gorges Airfield, an Advanced Landing Ground in France. From there it attacked naval targets at Saint Malo and Brest. Once on the Continent, the squadron made frequent moves forward as the Allied forces advanced during the Northern France Campaign. By September the squadron began flying missions into Germany, attacking depots and defended areas.[5]
During the Battle of the Bulge, the squadron struck enemy lines of communications. On 23 December 1944 the unit severed a railway bridge at Ediger-Eller, Germany, despite heavy flak and fighter opposition from the Luftwaffe. For this action it was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. The squadron continued to fly missions to support the Allied drive into Germany until 20 April 1945, exactly one year after its first combat mission, having completed 239 combat missions.[5] [8]
After V-E Day the squadron returned to its former base at Peronne Airfield, France, and remained there until December, when it returned to the United States. Upon arrival at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey in late December 1945, the squadron was inactivated.[5]
The squadron was redesignated 598th Range Squadron and activated at the MacDill Air Force Base auxiliary field at Avon Park Air Force Range, Florida on 22 September 2015.[9] It replaced Detachment 1, 23d Fighter Group, which had been managing the range and the Deployed Unit Complex at MacDill previously. The 598th Squadron operates both the Avon Park Air Force Range in Polk County and Highlands County, Florida and the Deployed Unit Complex.[3]
The squadron is part of the 23d Fighter Group, part of the 23d Wing, located at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.[3]
Activated on 20 April 1943
Inactivated on 31 December 1945
Activated on 22 September 2015[9]
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Offensive, Europe | 5 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 598th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 598th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 598th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 598th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 598th Bombardment Squadron | ||
| Central Europe | 5 April 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 598th Bombardment Squadron |