Macdill Afb

88.5% of all households were made up of individuals over 18 and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.75 and the average family size was 3.76.
USAF Emblem Gallery


History
Origins
Though the south end of Interbay Peninsula was used as a military staging area as early as the Spanish-American War, the land at the end of the peninsula was not formally declared a military installation until it was given to the War Department in 1939 by the state and Hillsborough County.
MacDill Field was dedicated on April 16, 1941.

It was named in honor of Colonel Leslie MacDill, one of the U.S. Army's aviation pioneers who had been killed in an aircraft accident in 1938.

The initial host unit was the 28th Air Base Squadron.
The initial assignment of the airfield was to Air Defense Command. First Army, its mission was to plan for and execute the air defense of the continental United States.

MacDill was the headquarters of ADC Third Air Force and its primary mission was to fly antisubmarine patrols. Units supporting this mission were:
29th Bombardment Group
Flew antisubmarine patrol missions over the Caribbean.

Transferred to Barksdale AAF, Louisiana.
By the fall of 1942 these patrols, in conjunction with naval operations, had succeeded in driving off the German U-boat packs that had been taking such a heavy toll of shipping in the western Atlantic Ocean.
Another prewar mission of MacDill was "Project X;' the ferrying of combat aircraft eastward to the Philippines via the South Atlantic and South Africa. These operations began in February 1941 and were performed by the 6th Bomb Squadron and 43d Bomb Squadron flying the Douglas B-18 "Bolo" and Boeing B-17C/D "Flying Fortress" by way of Ascension Island and Africa.
Other prewar units based at MacDill were:
53rd Pursuit Group (Interceptor)
Provided air defense with Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and Seversky P-35s (January - May 1941).

Transferred to Tallahassee AAF, Florida.

76th Observation Group
Flew North American B-25 Mitchells. Performed aerial reconnaissance and air support techniques and aided ground units in their training (February 1942 - May 1943).Transferred to Key AAF, Mississippi.

World War II


Oblique westward oriented photo of MacDill Airfield taken during World War II.

With the American entry into World War II, The antisubmarine mission was turned over to the Navy and for the balance of the war, MacDill trained aircrews for overseas deployments to the various war theaters. The first units trained at the base were Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber groups.

As well as the main training unit, the group flew antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico. Known B-26 units that trained at the base were:
320th Bombardment Group (Medium) (June - August 1942)
336th Bombardment Group (Medium) (July - August 1942)
(Served as OTU at Lake Charles AAF, Louisiana after training at MacDill)
322nd Bombardment Group (Medium) (July - September 1942)
323rd Bombardment Group (Medium) (August - November 1942)
344th Bombardment Group (Medium) (September - December 1942)
386th Bombardment Group (Medium) (December 1942 - February 1943)
387th Bombardment Group (Medium) (December 1942 - April 1943)
391st Bombardment Group (Medium) (January - May 1943)
394th Bombardment Group (Medium) (March - July 1943)
397th Bombardment Group (Medium) (April - October 1943)
477th Bombardment Group (Medium) (June - August 1943)
(Group inactivated 25 August 1943)
B-26 training ceased in October 1943 and the base reverted to a primary B-17 aircrew replacement training training facility.

The OTU which performed the training was the 488th Bombardment Group (Heavy) which was activated in November 1943. The unit flew a mixture of B-17, B-24, B-25, B-29, F-2, F-9, F-10, and A-20 aircraft.

Precursor to similar SAC units, the group began training other SAC combat units in anti-submarine warfare and operational procedures. In 1952, the 307th Bombardment Wing was bestowed the lineage, honors and history of the USAAF World War II 307th Bombardment Group.
On 1 September 1950, the 307th Bomb Group with its three squadrons of B-29s was deployed to Far East Air Force (FEAF) Bomber Command, Provisional at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, engaging in combat operations during the Korean War.

While in Okinawa, the 307th was awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation for its air strikes against enemy forces in Korea. It was also awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation and several campaign streamers.
The 307th BG returned from deployment on 10 February 1951, however elements of the group remained deployed in Okinawa on a permanent basis.

The 307th Bomb Group was permanently reassigned to Kadena Air Base upon the deactivation of the wing at MacDill.
306th Bombardment Wing
On 1 September 1950 the 306th Bombardment Wing was activated at MacDill and became SAC's first operational B-47 jet bomber wing. Upon activation, operational units of the wing were the 367th, 368th and 369th Bombardment Squadrons under the 306th Bombardment Group which was transferred from the 307th BMW.
Deliveries of the new Boeing B-47A Stratojet Stratojet to the USAF began in December 1950.The 306th was intended to act as a training outfit to prepare future B-47 crews. McCoy, the wing commander who flew it from the Boeing Wichita plant to MacDill.

During 1952, the 306th developed combat procedures and techniques for the new bomber and soon emerged as a leader in jet bombardment tactics and strategies.
The first Boeing KC-97E Stratotanker assigned to Strategic Air Command was delivered to the 306th Air Refueling Squadron at MacDill on 14 July 1951. Inflight refueling operations started in May 1952 with KC-97s refueling B-47s on operational training missions leading toward combat ready status.
In 1953, the 306th became the first operational B-47 Wing.

The Wing was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit citation for its role as a pioneer and leader in jet bombardment tactics.
In 1954, SAC designated specific air refueling organizations and the 306th Air Refueling Squadron became ready to support B-47 operations across the command. Operational squadrons of the wing were the 305th, 364th, 365th and 366th Bombardment Squadrons.
Initially training with the Boeing B-29 and B-50 Superfortress, later that year the 305th received its first Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter.

Bomber aircraft would remain at MacDill until the 306th Bombardment Wing's transfer to McCoy AFB, and SAC would continue to maintain a tenant presence at MacDill through the 1980s, utilizing their Alert Facility as a dispersal location for B-52 and KC-135 aircraft. In response to the Missile Crisis, the United States Strike Command was established at MacDill as a crisis response force; it was one of the first unified commands, a command that draws manpower and equipment from all branches of the U.S.

Clark received credit for these kills.
Beginning on 8 February 1969, the 13th Bombardment Squadron, Tactical began Martin B-57G (Tail Code: FK) light bomber aircrew training. 66-0244 of the 61st TFS.



General Dynamics F-16A Block 10B Fighting Falcon, AF Serial No.

Operational squadrons of the wing were:
61st Tactical Fighter Squadron (former 27th TFS, yellow tail stripe)
62d Tactical Fighter Squadron (former 73rd TFS, blue tail stripe)
63d Tactical Fighter Squadron (former 94th TFS, red tail stripe)
13th Tactical Fighter Squadron (white tail stripe, deactivated at MacDill during conversion from F-4D to F-16A/B in 1981 and reactivated at Misawa AB, Japan as an F-16 squadron)
72nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (black tail stripe)
(F-16A/B/C/D Activated 1 July 1981, deactivated 19 June 1992)
The 56th TFW assumed the F-4E aircraft of the reassigned 1st TFW. Following inactivation of Tactical Air Command (TAC), the 56 FW and was reassigned to the newly-established Air Combat Command (ACC) on 1 June 1992.
Post Cold War
By the 1990s, the U.S.MacDill AFB figured prominently in this: the Tampa area saw substantial commercial air traffic at several airports within ten miles of MacDill, creating hazardous conditions for F-16 training, and the noise associated with the high-performance jets was deemed unsuitable for high-density residential areas like those around MacDill. As a result the 1991 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission ordered that all flightline activities cease at MacDill AFB by 1993.
As a result of the BRAC decision, the F-16 training mission and the 56th Fighter Wing were moved without personnel or equipment to Luke Air Force Base, outside of Phoenix, Arizona, and was reassigned to Air Education and Training Command (AETC).

With the arrival of 12 KC-135R tankers and the 91st Air Refueling Squadron from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, the 6th Air Base Wing was renamed the 6th Air Refueling Wing on 1 October 1996.
In January 2001, the 310th Airlift Squadron (310 AS) was activated at the base, flying the CT-43A and EC-135, the latter aircraft providing executive transport and airborne command post capabilities to the commanders of USCENTCOM and USSOCOM at MacDill and the commander of United States Southern Command (USSOUTHOM) in Miami.