Came across numbers of following Tow Target Squadrons:
1st
2nd
4th
6th
8th
9th
14th
15th
21st
23rd
Yet in a standard reference of WW II Combat squadrons-only found reference to one TTS {The 14th}
Were the numbers/functions of the other TTS changed?

PFF -
I just got Book History of Santa Rosa AF.
12th Tow Target Sq. Transferred from
Hamilton Field to Santa Rosa AF 1/7/43
Attached to 434th AAFBU
Mike

The Air Corps Station List for 30 Nov 41 shows 14 Tow Target Detachments (no squadrons yet), all unnumbered as follows:
Assigned to 1st Air Support Command:
Tow Target Detachment (3 Flights) - Manchester Army Air Base, N. H. (to be at Otus Field, Mass.)
Tow Target Detachment (Hq & 3 Flights) - Mitchel Field, N. Y.
Tow Target Detachment (Hq & 7 Flights) - Pope Field, N. C.

Assigned to 2nd Air Support Command:
Tow Target Detachment (1 Flight) - Selfridge Field, Mich. (to be at Chicago Airport, Ill.)

Assigned to 3rd Air Support Command:
Tow Target Detachment (Hq & 3 Flights)  Biggs Field, Tex.
Tow Target Detachment (2 Flights) - Ellington Field, Tex.
Tow Target Detachment (Hq & 3 Flights) - Savannah Army Air Base,Ga.

Assigned to 4th Air Support Command:
Tow Target Detachment (2 Flights) - March Field, Cal.
Tow Target Detachment (1 Flight) - McChord Field, Wash.

Assigned to Air Force, Alaskan Defense Command:
Tow Target Detachment (1 Flight) - Elmendorf Field, Alaska

Assigned to Hawaiian Air Force:
Tow Target Detachment (Hq & 3 Flights)  Bellows Field, T. H.

Assigned to Caribbean Air Force:
Tow Target Detachment (Hq & 4 Flights) - France Field, C. Z.
Tow Target Detachment (1 Flight) - Borinquen Field, P. R.

Assigned to Far East Air Force:
Tow Target Detachment (1 Flight) - Clark Field, Philippines

Mark

The AAF Station List for 1 Jul 1943 shows the following TT units:
1st Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt) (I ASC) - Otis Field, Mass.
2nd Tow Target Squadron (plus 3 Flts) (1st AF) - Bradley Field, Conn.
3rd Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt) (I ASC) - Camp Davis AAFld, N. C.
4th Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt & RC Flt) (I ASC) - Camp Stewart AAFld, Ga.
5th Tow Target Squadron (plus 2 Flts) (II ASC) - Camp Hulen, Tex.
6th Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt & RC Flt) (II ASC) - El Paso AAFld, Tex.
7th Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt & RC Flt) (II ASC) - March Field, Cal.
8th Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt) (4th AF) - McChord Field, Wash.
9th Tow Target Squadron (I ASC) - Chicago Municipal Airport, Ill.
10th Tow Target Squadron (I ASC) - Langley Field, Va.
11th Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt) (4th AF) - Ontario AAFld, Calif.
12th Tow Target Squadron (plus 1 Flt) (4th AF) - Santa Rosa AAFld, Calif.
13th Tow Target Squadron (plus 2 Flts) (1st AF) - Langley Field, Va.
14th Tow Target Squadron (plus 3 Flts) (I ASC) - Camp Davis AAFld, N. C.
18th Tow Target Squadron (II ASC) - Ellington Field, Tex.
19th Tow Target Squadron (plus 3 Flts) (2nd AF) - El Paso AAFld, Tex.
20th Tow Target Squadron (plus 3 Flts) (2nd AF) - Wendover Field, Utah
21st Tow Target Squadron (plus 3 Flts) (2nd AF) - Rapid City AAB, S. Dak.
22nd Tow Target Squadron (plus 2 Flts) (2nd AF) - Dalhart AAFld, Tex.

Listed on Overseas Station List 1 May 1944:
15th Tow Target Squadron (11th AF) - Elmendorf Field, Alaska
17th Tow Target Squadron (7th AF) - Wheeler Field, T. H.
23rd Tow Target Squadron (6th AF) - Howard Field, C. Z.

The Table of Distribution (T/D 1-1137, dated 2-3-43) for a Tow Target Squadron called for a Headquarters Section and Flight A.  If more flights were added, they would be Flight B, C, D, etc., except if it was a Radio Controlled Flight, then it would be Flight R.  Many of the above squadrons were redesignations of Detachments listed on 1941 station list.

Mark

Tow Target Squadrons were not combat squadrons.  Therefore, they are not included in Combat Squadrons of the Air Force.  The only reason the 14th Tow Target Squadron is included is that it was previously a combat squadron (the 8th Observation Squadron).

Bernie Shearon
Push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. Pull the stick back, the houses get smaller (unless you keep pulling -- then they get bigger again)

After July 1943 six other Tow Target Squadrons were activated

24 Tow Target Sq - Bradley Fld, CT
25 Tow Target Sq - Millville AAF, NJ
26 Tow Target Sq -  Bradley Fld, CT
27 Tow Target Sq - Camp Stewart AAF, moved to Biggs Fld TX
The 28 and 29 Tow Target Sqs were activated in the ETO, but I do not know if they were activated before the war ended.

From 24 Nov 43 until 31 Mar 44, Fourth AF had a 4 Tow Target Gp(P) at San Francisco CA

Between Nov 1941 and the conversion of Tow Target Detachments into numbered squadrons, Tow Target Detachments were also activated at Pearson Field and probably at Yuma AAF.

Bernie Shearon
Push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. Pull the stick back, the houses get smaller (unless you keep pulling -- then they get bigger again)

Bernie,
Do you have any info on the 16th Tow Target Squadron.  It is missing from my list.

Mark

The 16th Tow Target Sq was activated in 1945 at Deming AAF, NM and moved to Wheeler Fld, HI.  It may have been active earlier, but I have no information on it prior to 1945.

Bernie Shearon
Push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. Pull the stick back, the houses get smaller (unless you keep pulling -- then they get bigger again)