Crandall, Grover A.

Mr. Grover “Randy” Crandall, Jr., age 87, passed away Friday, January 17, 2020. He was born August 8, 1932 in Mount Carmel, Illinois to Grover Crandall, Sr. and Audrey Hawkins Crandall. Randy served from 1957-1959 with the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing and from 1970-1973 with the 107th Tactical Fighter Squadron.

“On 15 April 1957 the detached 49 Fighter-Bomber Group became a paper unit, and the wing assumed the fighter-bomber mission the group had been performing, continuing it to 15 September 1957, when the wing prepared to move to Europe. Worldwide DOD Budget restrictions during FY 1958 affected PACAF as well as USAFE and the 49th FBW based in Japan had to be retired.

The 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing was reassigned to Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France where it absorbed the assets of the former host unit, the 388th FBW. As the 388th was originally formed in December 1942, and the 49th was formed in November 1940, the older wing’s heritage was preserved by transferring its lineage to Etain. The transfer was a strict designation change with no personnel, equipment or aircraft being transferred. All 388th FBW wing units, personnel, equipment and aircraft were redesignated to the 49th FBW and the mission of the 49th FBW was exactly the same as the 388th’s. The fighter squadrons were redesignated the 7th, 8th and 9th Fighter-bomber Squadrons.

The stay of the 49th in France was short, as in 1957, the French Government decreed that all nuclear weapons and delivery aircraft had to be removed from French soil by July 1958. As a result, the F-100s of the 49th TFW had to be removed from France.

On 25 August 1959, the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Spangdahlem AB from the Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France, and assumed host unit duties.”(1)

Source (1) Wikipedia

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