513th Electronic Warfare Squadron

rdf:langString 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron

rdf:langString center|60px

rdf:langString 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron

rdf:langString AF OUA

rdf:langString AF PUC

rdf:langString AF OEA

rdf:langString Air Force Outstanding Unit Award

rdf:langString Distinguished Unit Citation

rdf:langString Ploesti, Romania, 513th Bombardment Squadron

rdf:langString North Africa and Sicily, 513th Bombardment Squadron

rdf:langString Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, 513th Bombardment Squadron

rdf:langString Electronic Warfare

rdf:langString The 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The squadron was formed as the 513th Bombardment Squadron in the Middle East in 1942 to reinforce the Royal Air Force in North Africa with personnel and aircraft diverted from delivery to the China Burma India Theater. The squadron moved forward, eventually being stationed in Italy, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, and was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat actions. Following V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it converted to Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, but was inactivated in March 1946. The squadron was redesignated the 513th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated in 1947 as a weather reconnaissance unit. Except for a brief period of inactivation in the winter of 1948–1949, it continued the reconnaissance mission until February 1951, when it was inactivated and its assets transferred to another squadron. The squadron returned to the bombardment mission later that year, and upgraded to jet Boeing B-47 Stratojet bombers in 1954. It continued to fly the Stratojet until they were phased out of the Air Force inventory, and the squadron was inactivated in 1965. It was redesignated the 513th Test Squadron and activated in 1986, serving in that role until inactivating in 1997. It was activated in its most recent role in 2010.