This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. (July 2017)
An accident occurred on July 9th, 1943 at Rome Field, NY. A P-47D Thunderbolt of the 389th Fighter Squadron, 366th Fighter Group, 1st Air Force was involved in a landing accident-Republic P-47D-5-RE Thunderbolt
USAAF Serial 42-8583 (MSN 731)
89th Ferrying Squadron, 2nd Ferrying Group,
New Castle Field, Wilmington, DE;
Accident 9Jul43 landing at Rome Field, NY; 389th FS, 366th FG, 1st AF,
Bluethenthal Field, Wilmington, NC;
Crashed 19Sep43 after engine failure and destroyed by fire 15 miles N of Jacksonville, FL.
Lt. Col. John B. England, who was commander of the 389th Fighter-Bomber Squadron from Alexandria AFB, was killed when his F-86 crashed into the woods near Toul. He was returning from gunnery practice near Tripoli, Libya. The fog was very thick and visibility was near zero. After several attempts to locate the runway his plane suffered fuel starvation. At this moment he sighted a portion of the runway and was in a glide with a high probability of a successful landing. But his glide path took him over the barracks where his men were housed. He calmly stated on the radio that this was not an acceptable risk. He turned and crashed into a wooded area outside the base perimeter. In his honor, Alexandria AFB was renamed England Air Force Base, and retained that name until its closure in 1993.
The squadron flew combat operations in Southeast Asia from 14 March 1966 to 8 October 1971.[1]
Recent operations
The squadron trained F-111 Aardvark aircrews from 30 September 1979 to 26 June 1991. It rotated aircraft and personnel to Southwest Asia throughout the 1990s in support of Operation Southern Watch. It furnished resources for units participating in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Noble Eagle following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. Pilots and aircraft deployed from unit conducted close air support mission after 2005, although the unit itself remained in the United States.[1]
Lineage
Constituted as the 389th Fighter Squadron (Single-Engine) on 24 May 1943
Activated on 1 June 1943
Redesignated 389th Fighter Squadron, Single-Engine on 20 August 1943
Inactivated on 20 August 1946
Redesignated 389th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 15 August 1952
Activated on 1 January 1953
Redesignated 389th Tactical Fighter Squadron 1 July 1958
Inactivated on 1 April 1959
Activated on 30 April 1962 (not organized)
Organized on 8 May 1962
Redesignated 389th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 30 September 1979
Inactivated on 22 July 1991
Redesignated 389th Fighter Squadron on 1 March 1992
United States
United States Air Force
