page_title: 160th Fighter Squadron
section_title: Korean War activation
hierarchical_section_title: 160th Fighter Squadron / History / Korean War activation
caption_attribution_description: RF-80A Serial 45-8391 of the 160th Tactical Recon Squadron, Toul Air Base France, 1952
context_page_description: The 160th Fighter Squadron is an inactive unit of the Alabama Air National Guard. It was last assigned to the 187th Fighter Wing, stationed at Montgomery Air National Guard Base, Alabama. It was inactivated on 13 September 2007, with personnel and equipment being transferred to the 100th Fighter Squadron.
context_section_description: The squadron and its parent 117th Fighter Group were federalized due to the Korean War on 10 October 1950.  On 1 November the Mustangs were transferred to other units and the 160th was re-equipped with RF-80A Shooting Star photo-reconnaissance jets and transferred to Lawson AFB, Georgia.   At Lawson, the wartime group was formed as the 160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, the 157th TRS (South Carolina ANG) (RF-80) and 112th TRS (Ohio ANG) (RB-26).  The 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was assigned to Ninth Air Force, Tactical Air Command.
  After over a year at Lawson AFB for transition training, and also because the Groups planned base, Toul-Rosières Air Base, France was under construction, finally in January 1952 the group deployed to the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).   However at the time of the 117th's arrival, Toul AB consisted of a sea of mud, and the new jet runway was breaking up and could not support safe flying. The commander of the 117th deemed it uninhabitable and its flying squadrons of the wing were dispersed to West Germany. The 112th TRS was transferred to Wiesbaden AB, the 157th TRS deployed to Fürstenfeldbruck AB, and the 160th deployed to Neubiberg AB. The non-flying Headquarters and Support organizations were assigned to Toul.
  The mission of the 117 TRG was to provide tactical, visual, photographic and electronic reconnaissance by both day and night, as was required by the military forces within the European command. The RF-80's were responsible for the daylight operations; the RB-26s for night photography.  In June 1952, the 117th was involved in Exercise 'June Primer'. This exercise took place in an area bordered by a line drawn from Cherbourg to Geneva in the east and in the west by the Swiss, Austrian and Russian occupation zone borders.
  The two RF-80 squadrons of the 117th had to complete a number of varying missions, including vertical photography of prospective paratroop air drop zones, oblique photos of the Rhine and Danube river bridges, vertical photography of the airfields of Jever, Fassburg, Celle, Sundorf and Gütersloh and various visual missions on behalf of the seventh army, including artillery adjustment for the 816th field artillery. The 157 TRS had had wire recorders fitted to five of its RF-80's prior to June Primer and these greatly facilitated the latter missions.
  By July 1952 the facilities at Wiesbaden AB were becoming very crowded, and it was felt that the B-26's could fly from the primitive conditions at Toul. The 112 TRS returned to Toul, however the jet-engined RF-80's remained in West Germany until a new runway was constructed.
  On 9 July 1952 the activated Air National Guard 117 TRG was released from active duty. All of the aircraft and support equipment remained at Toul. The 117 TRG was inactivated and its mission was taken over by the newly activated 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing.
caption: Lockheed RF-80C-11-LO Shooting Star Serial 45-8391 in the foreground, along with other RF-80s of the 160th Tactical Recon Squadron, 1952. (Photo taken at Neubiberg AB, West Germany)
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