Tyndall Guide/Directory

Tyndall's History | 325th Fighter Wing History

Tyndall's History

Pine and palmetto trees, scrub brush and swamps covered the area known as the East Peninsula. Bulldozers worked around-the-clock to clear the brush and fill in the swamps. This activity marked the beginning of construction of Tyndall AFB in May 1941. The name of Tyndall Field was suggested by Congressman Bob Sikes of the Third Congressional District of Florida, in memory of Lt. Frank B. Tyndall, a World War I Silver Star Recipient and Florida native, who was killed while on active duty in 1930 in a plane crash.

On Dec. 7, 1941, the first contingent of furture gunnery troops arrived at Tyndall Field. Although construction was incomplete, instructors and students began preparing for the first aerial gunnery class. The first class of 40 gunnery students began on Feb. 23, 1942. Of the thousands of students passing through Tyndall’s gates, the most famous was actor Clark Gable, a student here in 1943.

One common thread between those early years and today’s training at Tyndall is foreign student training. Foreign training at Tyndall began in 1943 with French Air Force gunnery students followed in the next year by Chinese Nationalist students. Tyndall has also hosted foreign nation jet pilots to train and learn in the latest techniques of the time. These pilots came from NATO nations of Egypt, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia to name a few.

Today, foreign students attend weapons controller training at Tyndall.

When World War II ended, Tyndall went through a brief demobilization process, as did most Army Air Corps fields. Possibilities looked up as the base fell under the control of the Army Air Force’s Tactical Air Command in 1946. This relationship only lasted three months, as Tyndall then became part of the Air University.

In September 1950, Tyndall became an Air Training Command unit and the designation of USAF Pilot Instructor School. This relationship lasted until September 1957, when Tyndall became part of the Air Defense Command, an association that would continue for more than 22 years.

During this timeframe Tyndall began hosting William Tell in 1958.

As part of an Air Force-wide reorganization Tyndall fell under the command of the Tactical Air Command in October 1979. Over the next few years, modernization, upgrade and reorganization became the key words around Tyndall. Another major (^top of section)

reorganization occurred on July 1, 1981, with the activation of the 325th Fighter Weapons Wing. The wing began its mission at Tyndall with F-101, F-106 and T-33 aircraft, while at the same time phasing out the F-101 and F-106 aircraft and preparing for the arrival of Tyndall’s first F-15 aircraft in 1983.

Over the years, Tyndall gained additional missions as other units were stationed on the base. The Air Force Engineering and Services Center was formed at Tyndall as a part of a re-organization Air Force-wide. In 1991, it was renamed the Air Force Civil Engineering Agency. The 23rd Air Division was renamed the Southeast Air Defense Sector and was also relocated to Tyndall. These two successive units had the responsibility for the air defense of the southeastern United States.

As the base entered its 50th year, Tyndall underwent yet another reorganization in response to the Department of Defense efforts to streamline defense management. Headquarters, 1st Air Force moved from Langley AFB, Va., to Tyndall and the 325th Fighter Wing became Tyndall’s host unit. Transition continued as the base transferred from the Air Combat Command to the Air Education and Training Command in July 1993. This move signaled a heightened emphasis on Tyndall’s training mission and a more streamlined approach to training.

Today, that training continues. The 325th Fighter Wing is responsible for building an “Air Dominance Force.” The wing conducts training for F-15 Eagle and F-22 Raptor pilots, air battle managers, air traffic controllers, F-15-specific intelligence personnel, weapons controllers and crew chiefs specially trained on the F-15 and F-22.

The men and women of Tyndall stand ready to defend the interest of America today and tomorrow, as their forefathers did before them.

325th Fighter Wing History

Another major reorganization occurred on July 1, 1981 with the activation of the 325th Fighter Weapon’s Wing-today’s 325th Fighter Wing. The wing enriched its heritage by adopting the emblem, awards and history of the 325th Fighter Group “Checkertail Clan” of World War II fame.

The 325th Fighter Group was activated Aug. 3, 1942, at Mitchel Field, N.Y., and trained with P-40s. It entered combat with the 12th Air Force in North Africa on April 17, 1943. From its bases in Algeria and Tunisia, the group escorted medium bombers, flew strafing missions and made sweeps over the Mediterranean Sea. The group received its first Distinguished Unit Citation for action over Sardinia on July 30, 1943.

From late September to December 1943, the group retrained in P-47 Thunderbolt fighters and relocated to Italy. It’s mission was to escort the 15th Air Force’s heavy bombers over strategic targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia. Using one of the cleverest tricks of the air war then, the 325th Fighter Group successfully executed a surprise attack on the German airfields near Villaorba, Germany, on January 30, 1944. For this action the group received a second Distinguished Unit Citation.

In May 1944, the group replaced its Thunderbolts with P-51 Mustangs, which it flew until the end of the war. By then, the 325th’s motto, “Locare et Liquidare” (Locate and Liquidate), had earned the respect of both Allies and Germans alike.

Returning to the United States after the war, the 325th was inactivated October 28, 1945. This proved to be a temporary arrangement as the group reactivated on May 21, 1947, as the 325th Fighter Group (All Weather), and was equipped with F-61s. The group later received F-82s in 1947 and F-94s in 1950.

The 325th Fighter Group became a wing on June 9, 1948, when the Air Force activated the 325th Fighter Wing, All Weather, at Hamilton AFB, Calif., with the 325th Fighter Group assigned. The 4th Troop Carrier Squadron, flying C-54s, was also attached to the wing. From May 6, 1950, to June 8, 1951. The wing provided training for elements of a troop carrier wing. On January 20, 1950, the wing was redesignated as the 325th Fighter-All Weather Wing, only to be renamed the 325th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, May 1, 1951, and again, inactivated on Feb. 6, 1952.

As before, this inactivation did not last long because the Air Defense Command decided to create a wing organization at McChord AFB, Washington. The Air Defense Command redesignated and reactivated the 325th Fighter Wing (Air Defense), October 18, 1956. the wing’s tactical units were the 317th, 318th and 498th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons, squadrons which were equipped with F-86 Sabre jets. However, they soon traded their Sabre jets for (^top of section)

delta-winged, all-weather F-102A interceptors. Meanwhile, the wing’s flying units transitioned to the F-106 Delta Dart. From February to July 1968, the wing kept a large detachment at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, to provide air defense capabilities. On July 1, 1968, the Air Force inactivated the wing.

The wing’s recent history began in 1981 at Tyndall AFB, when the Tactical Air Command reactivated it as the 325th Fighter Weapons Wing at Tyndall AFB, and assigned it to the USAF Air Defense Weapons Center. Flying F-106 and T-33 aircraft, the 325th accomplished the operations, test and evaluation and maintenance portions of the weapons center’s mission directly related to combat readiness training for air defense.

On Oct. 15, 1983, the wing was redesignated the 325th Tactical Training Wing, and assumed its air superiority training responsibilities as part of the USAF Defense Weapons Center. On December 7, 1983, the wing’s first F-15 aircraft touched down on Tyndall’s runway. By 1989, the wing had replaced its T-33 aircraft with a fleet of F-15s.

The wing’s structure remained relatively stable until the fall of 1991, when a massive reorganization took place, under the direction and authority of Headquarters, Tactical Air Command and the Air Force Chief of Staff. This reorganization redesignated the wing as the 325th Fighter Wing and activated its predecessor group 325 Fighter Group (Air Defense), with the designation of the 325th Operations Group.

There were four general key highlights of the reorganization. First, the wing reorganized into a four-group structure, which included medical, logistics, support and operations groups, all of which reported directly to the wing. Second, the USAF Air Defense Weapons Center was inactivated. This contributed to the third highlight, the assumption of host unit responsibilities on Tyndall by the 325th Fighter Wing. Shortly thereafter, on June 1, 1992, the Tactical Air Command inactivated. On that day, the wing was assigned to 1st Air Force and the newly created Air Combat Command.

One year later, the 325th Fighter Wing found itself changing major commands again. The wing transferred to the Air Education and Training Command on July 1, 1993. At this time, the wing sought permission from 19th Air Force to realign the air weapons controller training to the wing. On April 1, 1994, the air weapons controller training transferred to the wing. In September 1994, the wing gained four new squadrons, all in the medical community. The Air Force activated the 325th Aerospace Medicine, 325th Medical Support, 325th Dental Squadron and 325th Medical Operations Squadron. In 2000, the 325th AMDS and 325th DS merged to form the 325th Aeromedical-Dental Squadron. On October 25, 2002, the Air Force again added to the 325th Fighter Wing’s roles, activating the 43rd Fighter Squadron, the first operational F-22 squadron in the world. Thus, in September 2003, the first F-22s arrived at Tyndall.