USAF 20th TFW Tactical Fighter Wing Crest Patch F-111E Aardvark RAF Upper Heyford 1980s (3 Inch) – Variant D

USAF 20th TFW Tactical Fighter Wing Victory by Valour Crest Patch RAF Upper Heyford 1985 (3 Inch) – Variant D

USAF F-111E 20th TFW Victory by Valour Crest Patch

Brown lettering for Victory by Valour, the patch is Jacquard BeVo style woven with coated paper backing and a merrowed overlocked edge 80mm three and three eighth inches diameter.

USAF F-111E TFW 20th

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USAF F-111E 20th TFW History

F-84G Thunderjet and F-84F Thunderstreak 1952 to 1957

20th Fighter Bomber Wing moved from the US to RAF Wethersfield England, on 31 May 1952 with F-84G Thunderjet aircraft on a mission of maintaining proficiency for tactical operations with conventional and nuclear weapons in support of NATO operations. Its fighter bomber group set up headquarters 55th and 77th Fighter Bomber Squadrons while due to restricted space 79th Fighter Bomber Squadron located initially to RAF Bentwaters and then to RAF Woodbridge on 1 October 1954.

On 5 June 1952 Tactical Air Command transferred control of the wing USAFE under Third Air Force 49th Air Division. On 15 November 1952 the Wing and Group merged unofficially placing the flying squadrons directly under the Wings operational and administrative control with official realignment taking place on 8 February 1955.

In June 1955 the Wing began to receive F-84F Thunderstreak fighter bomber aircraft with the F-84Gs phased out by June 1955.

F-100 Super Sabre 1957 to 1970

The F-84F remained in the inventory until December 1957 with conversion of the Wing to F-1OO Super Sabre aircraft beginning on 16 June 1957. 20th Fighter Bomber Wing established an operational detachment at Wheelus AB, Libya in February 1958 and in May 1958 was redesignated 20th Tactical Fighter Wing with 55th 77th and 79th Squadrons also relabelled as Tactical Fighter Squadrons. Between May to August 1958 the flying Squadrons deployed on a monthly rotational basis to RAF Alconbury RAF Woodbridge and Nouasseur AB, Morocco during a runway closure at RAF Wethersfield.

Following the establishment of its Blast Off Victor Alert capability the Wing initiated its first mobility plan on 1 January 1959 establishing a year-round weapons training detachment Det 1 at Wheelus AB Libya providing monthly Squadron rotations and survival and ski training began in Norway in February 1959.

20th Tactical Fighter Wing represented USAFE in the William Tell exercise held at Nellis AFB Nevada in October 1960 and in June 1961 hosted the first NATO Tiger Meet sponsored by 79th Tactical Fighter Tiger Squadron at RAF Woodbridge. Command over the Wing changed to Sixteenth Air Force from 1 July 1961 to 1 September 1963. Additional monthly rotations to Cigli AB, Turkey and to Aviano AB Italy were conducted between 1966 and 1970.  The Political closures of US bases in France led to the opening of RAF Greenham Common under the management of 20th TFW to handle personnel overflow in January 1967. The military coup in Libya forced the closure of Wheelus AB in September 1969 and the switching of the Wings weapons training to Torrejon AB Spain in November 1969 and all three flying Squadrons deployed to Zaragoza AB Spain for weapons training from January to March 1970.

F-111E Aardvark and EF-111A Raven 1970 to 1993

On 10 December 1969 20th Tactical Fighter Wing was established its Detachment 1 at RAF Upper Heyford to manage the Wing’s relocation there formally achieved on 1 June 1970.  During September 1970 the Wing began converting to F-111E Aardvark fighter bombers being declared operational on 12 February 1971. The Wing operated from RAF Greenham Common as Operating Location OL A for dispersal exercises between 29 April 1976 and 17 August 1976.

A fourth flying squadron 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron was activated as part of the Wing on 1 July 1983 with the first EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft arriving at RAF Upper Heyford during February 1984 however on 1 June 1985 operational control 42nd ECS moved to the 66th Electronic Combat Wing at Sembach AB, West Germany.

Operation El Dorado Canyon 1986

42nd ECS was detached back to 20th TFW in March 1986 for Operation Eldorado Canyon raid on Libya on 14 April 1986 as airborne reserve for 48th TFW’s F-111F fighter bombers of and to provide electronic warfare capabilities.

Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm 1990 1991

The Wings fighter squadrons deployed to Incirlik AB Turkey for Weapons Training from March to May 1989 and had aircraft there on Weapons Training Deployment in August 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait and Operation Desert Shield began. Further assets were deployed to Inkirlik and incorporated into 7440th Wing Provisional Operation Proven Force and for Desert Storm providing tactical and electronic combat operations from 17 January 1991 to 28 February 1991 with F-111Es flying 456 combat missions and 1327 combat hours and EF-111As flying 252 combat missions and 704 combat hours. The wing also deployed four 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron EF-111A aircraft to Taif AB, Saudi Arabia for the operation flying 219 combat missions and 1155 combat hours.

For the campaign RAF Upper Heyford was designated as the Regional Evacuation Control Center and 20th TFW activated the contingency hospital complex and carried out major facility upgrades at RAF Bicester, RAF Little Rissington and RAF Croughton to provide food transportation and lodging requirements as well as personnel, legal, financial and recreational services to support 5000 augmenting personnel and an anticipated 2000 patients. In the first six months of 1991 transient alert personnel in support of Desert Storm serviced and launched 1408 aircraft the largest number of transient aircraft in the history of RAF Upper Heyford.

On 1 October 1991 the Wing was redesignated 20th Fighter Wing and during October won the 1991 Gunsmoke tactical gunnery competition in the F-111 category. The Wing was relieved of electronic combat mission on 1 July 1992 with the inactivation of 42nd ECS. 79th Fighter Squadron was inactivated on 23 April 1993 with 77th Fighter Squadron following on 9 July 1993 and 20th FW carried out its last operational deployment from Upper Heyford with 55th Fighter Squadron deploying to Incirlik for Dynamic Guard September 1993 prior to 55th Fighter Squadron’s disbandment on 15 October 1993 with the last F-111E aircraft departing RAF Upper Heyford on 7 December 1993 the station was closed on 15 December 1993.

F-16 Fighting Falcon

On 1 January 1994 20th Fighter Wing reestablished at Shaw AFB US with F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft on the renaming of 363rd Fighter Wing.

This USAF F-111E 20th TFW Victory by Valour Crest Patch dates from 1985.

Review the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing History

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