After World War II, the “366th” designation
remained inactive until January 1, 1953, when the Air Force activated
the 366th Fighter-Bomber Wing
at Alexandria AFB, Louisiana. At first, the new wing operated
the F-51 Mustang
, the same aircraft that had served so well in World War II as the “P-51.”
Soon, however, the wing entered the jet age, converting to the F-86
Sabre
before the end of 1953.
In September 1954, the wing began deploying squadrons
of Sabres
to Europe, operating for six-month stretches in France and Italy.
As it did so, the wing also began converting to the F-84F
Thunderstreak.
In 1957, the wing also added the F-100
Super Sabre to its inventory while continuing
to operate the F-84.
On 1 July 1958, as part of an Air Force-wide renaming of units, Air Force
redesignated the 366th as the 366
th Tactical Fighter Wing.Shortly thereafter,
however, a general draw-down in U.S. forces prompted the wing’s second
inactivation, which occurred April 1, 1959.
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