Lineage. Constituted 512th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 Oct 1942. Activated on 31 Oct 1942. Redesignated: 512th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 3 May 1944; 512th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 23 May 1945. Inactivated on 26 Mar 1946. Redesignated 512th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Weather, on 6 May 1947. Activated on 23 May 1947. Inactivated on 20 Sep 1948. Activated on 13 Feb 1949. Inactivated on 20 Feb 1951. Redesignated 512th Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 25 May 1951. Activated on 1 Jun 1951. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 15 Mar 1965. Redesignated 512th Special Operations Squadron on 25 Mar 1994. Activated 1 Apr 1994.
Assignments. 376th Bombardment Group, 31 Oct 1942; 468th Bombardment Group, 10 Nov 1945-26 Mar 1946. 376th Reconnaissance Group, 23 May 1947; Air Weather Service, 16 Sep 1947; 308th Reconnaissance Group, 14 Oct 1947-20 Sep 1948. 308th Reconnaissance Group, 13 Feb 1949; 2143d Air Weather Wing, 14 Nov 1949-20 Feb 1951. 376th Bombardment Group, 1 Jun 1951 (attached to 376th Bombardment Wing, 1 Jun 1951-15 Jun 1952); 376th Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952-15 Mar 1965. 58th Operations Group, 1 Apr 1994-.
Stations. Lydda, Palestine, 31 Oct 1942; Abu Sueir, Egypt, 9 Nov 1942; Gambut, Libya, 10 Feb 1943; Soluch, Libya, 25 Feb 1943; Bengasi, Libya, 16 Apr 1943; Enfidaville, Tunisia, c. 26 Sep 1943 (detachment operated from Bengasi, Libya, 3-11 Oct 1943); San Pancrazio, Italy, c. 19 Nov 1943-19 Apr 1945; Harvard AAFld, NE, 8 May 1945; Grand Island AAFld, NE, 25 Jun 1945; Tarrant Field, TX, 10 Nov 1945; Roswell AAFld, NM, 9 Jan-26 Mar 1946. Gravelly Point, VA, 23 May 1947-20 Sep 1948. Fairfield-Suisun AFB, CA, 13 Feb 1949-9 Jan 1950; Yokota AB, Japan, 27 Jan 1950; Misawa AB, Japan, 11 Aug 1950-20 Feb 1951. Forbes AFB, KS, 1 Jun 1951; Barksdale AFB, LA, 10 Oct 1951 (deployed at Upper Heyford RAF, England, 8 Jul-16 Oct 1955); Lockbourne AFB, OH, 1 Dec 1957-15 Mar 1965. Kirtland AFB, NM, 1 Apr 1994-.
Aircraft. B-17, 1942; B-24, 1942-1945; B-29, 1945. B/RB/WB-29, 1949-1951; C-47, 1949-1950; C-54, 1950-1951. B-29, 1951-1954; B-47, 1954-1961; E(later, EB)-47, 1961-1965.
Operations. Combat in MTO and ETO, 1 Nov 1942-15 Apr 1943; not fully manned or equipped, 10 Nov 1945-26 Mar 1946. Not manned, 23 May 1947-20 Sep 1948. Weather reconnaissance during the Korean War, c. 1 Jul 1950-Feb 1951. Primarily trained in electronic countermeasures, c. Nov 1952-Mar 1965.
Service Streamers. None.
Campaign Streamers. World War II: Egypt-Libya; Air Offensive, Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley; Air Combat, EAME Theater. Korea: UN Defensive; UN Offensive; CCF Intervention; First UN Counteroffensive.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: North Africa and Sicily, [Nov] 1942-17 Aug 1943; Ploesti, Rumania, 1 Aug 1943; Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, 16 Jun 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award: 27 Jun-27 Dec 1950.
Emblem. On a White disc, a Black skull and cross bones surmounting a Black three-bladed propeller, one blade to base, within border formed by Red counter-clockwise, stylized rotation lines from tips of propeller blades. Approved on 6 Jan 1944 (23718 A.C.).