517th Strategic Fighter Squadron

The 517th Strategic Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing stationed at Great Falls AFB, Montana. It was inactivated on 1 July 1957.

Lineage

 * Constituted as: 634th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 23 March 1943
 * Activated on 28 March 1943
 * Redesignated as: 517th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 10 August 1943
 * Disbanded on 1 April 1944


 * Reconstituted, and redesignated as: 517th Strategic Fighter Squadron, on 13 November 1953.
 * Activated on 18 December 1953
 * Inactivated on 1 July 1957.

Assignments

 * 407th Bombardment(later Fighter-Bomber) Group, 28 March 1943 – 1 April 1944
 * 407th Strategic Fighter Wing, 18 December 1953 – 1 July 1957

Stations

 * Drew Field, Florida, 28 March 1943
 * Operated from Amchitka AAF Alaska, July– August 1943


 * Lakeland AAF, Florida, 2 October 1943
 * Galveston AAF, Texas, 9 November 1943
 * Bruning AAF, Nebraska, 3 March – 1 April 1944
 * Great Falls AFB, Montana, 18 December 1953 – 1 July 1957.

Aircraft

 * A-24 Dauntless, A-36 Apache, and P-51 Mustang, 1943
 * P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1944
 * F-84 Thunderjet, 1954–1957

Operations history
Combat in Northern Pacific, Aleutians, July– August 1943. Training for combat and later	replacement training 1943-1944. SAC Strategic Fighter Escort, 1954–1957