75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
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The 75th Fighter Squadron (75 FS) is a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
unit. It is assigned to the
23d Fighter Group The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United S ...
,
Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...
and stationed at
Moody Air Force Base Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia. Geography The base is mostly in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with a portion in Lanier County. Georgia State Route 125 runs through the west ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
. The squadron is equipped with the Fairchild Republic A-10C Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the 75th Fighter Squadron was one of the three original squadrons ( 74th, 75th, 76th) of the
23rd Fighter Group The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United ...
. On 17 December 1941, the
American Volunteer Group The American Volunteer Groups were Military volunteer, volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Kuomintang, Nationalist government of China against Empire of Japan, Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only ...
(AVG) 2nd Fighter Squadron was redesignated as the 23rd Pursuit Group 75th Pursuit Squadron and subsequently the 75th Fighter Squadron.


History


World War II

The 75th Fighter Squadron's first assignment as an active unit was in the
China-Burma-India theatre China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was ...
. Some members of the famous
American Volunteer Group The American Volunteer Groups were Military volunteer, volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Kuomintang, Nationalist government of China against Empire of Japan, Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only ...
known as the "
Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...
" joined the 75th Fighter Squadron after the AVG was disbanded. This group of men, under the leadership of General
Claire Lee Chennault Claire Lee Chennault (September 6, 1893 – July 27, 1958) was an American military aviator best known for his leadership of the "Flying Tigers" and the Chinese Nationalist Air Force in World War II. Chennault was a fierce advocate of "pursui ...
, engaged in aerial combat against the
Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...
very soon after 7 December 1941. On the same day as its activation, the 75th scored its first major victory during a night interception flight against Japanese bombers. This was the first night interception ever attempted over the
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
theatre and gave the Japanese quite a shock. The intercepting pilots were credited with the destruction of two enemy bombers and two probables. During the early days of its history, the 75th's mission was to attack and destroy the enemy by strafing airfields, troops, and supply depots, while maintaining air superiority so that the Japanese could not locate and bomb targets in China. Operating from numerous airfields within China, the 75th Fighter Squadron compiled an impressive record during World War II and received the Presidential Unit Citation. After World War II, the squadron returned to the United States and was stationed at
Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to: * Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado ** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States ** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...
,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
. There the squadron was inactivated on 5 January 1946.


Air Defense Command

Following a period of activations and inactivations, during which the squadron was assigned to such bases as
Northwest Field Northwest Field (NWF; historically Northwest Guam Air Force Base) is a military airfield on the West Pacific island of Guam. Originally built during World War II, Northwest Field was closed as an airfield in 1949 but has been used for other mi ...
,
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
, and
Howard Air Force Base Howard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Panama. It discontinued military operations on 1 November 1999 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which specified that US military facilities in the former P ...
,
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
, the squadron returned to active duty on 12 January 1951 as the 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron stationed at
Presque Isle Air Force Base Presque Isle Air Force Base was a military installation of the United States Air Force located near Presque Isle, Maine, Presque Isle, Maine. In the late 1950s and early 1960s it became a base for Strategic Air Command. The original airport was ...
, Maine. During this period, the 75th served under the
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...
and flew the F-86 Sabre day interceptors with a mission to maintain a high degree of operational proficiency so that it might repel any possible enemy air attack. In December 1951, Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom was assigned to the 75th Fighter-Intercept Squadron. The squadron upgraded to the
F-86D Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog") is an American transonic jet interceptor. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor deriva ...
interceptor in 1953 at Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, where the squadron remained for three years before moving to
Dow Air Force Base Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base located on the grounds of Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army ju ...
, Maine. Upon return to Maine in 1959 the squadron converted to the
McDonnell F-101B Voodoo The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter designed and produced by the American McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. Development of the F-101 began in the late 1940s as a long-range bomber escort (then known as a penetration fighter) ...
supersonic interceptor and the F-101F operational and conversion trainer. The two-seat trainer version was equipped with dual controls, but carried the same armament as the F-101B and were fully combat-capable. On 22 October 1962, before President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...
told Americans that missiles were in place in Cuba, the squadron dispersed one third of its force, equipped with nuclear tipped missiles to Niagara Falls International Airport at the start of the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...
. These planes returned to Dow after the crisis. The squadron remained at Dow Air Force Base until 1968 when it was transferred to
Wurtsmith Air Force Base Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan. Near Lake Huron, it operated for seventy years, from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. On January 18, 1994, Wurtsmith was listed as a Superfun ...
, Michigan. The squadron inactivated there on 30 November 1969 as part of the drawdown of ADC interceptor bases, the aircraft being passed along to the
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...
.


Tactical Air Command

On 18 May 1972, the squadron was redesignated the 75th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and on 1 July 1972 was activated at England Air Force Base, Louisiana. There the squadron began flying the
A-7D Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design wa ...
ground attack aircraft. It took part in a variety of operational exercises both in the United States and overseas, including tactical bombing competitions against the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
at
RAF Lossiemouth Royal Air Force Lossiemouth or more commonly RAF Lossiemouth is a military airfield located on the western edge of the town of Lossiemouth in Moray, north-east Scotland. Lossiemouth is one of the largest and busiest fast-jet stations in the ...
, Scotland, during October 1977 and July 1978. It flew the A-7D until 1981 when conversion to the
A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twinjet, twin-turbofan, straight wing, straight-wing, Subsonic aircraft, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Aircraft, Fairchild Republic ...
was completed. It became an A-10A training unit and remained at England AFB supporting the deployments of the 74th and 76th TFS including Operation DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM. On 2 December 1991, the 75th Fighter Squadron was inactivated as part of the conversion to the Objective Wing and drawdown of the Air Force after the end of the Cold War.


Modern era

On 3 April 1992, the squadron was again activated, as the 75th Fighter Squadron located at
Pope Air Force Base Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012. Forme ...
, North Carolina. Received A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft transferred from the
353d Tactical Fighter Squadron The 353rd Combat Training Squadron is a United States Air Force training squadron responsible for Exercise Red Flag – Alaska, RED FLAG – ALASKA held annually in Alaska. Overview All the activities on Alaska's three weapons training ran ...
at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina prior to the 353d's inactivation and the base's closure in January 1993. The first operational deployment of a composite wing happened in October 1994, when Iraqi troops began massing near the Kuwaiti Border. Within 72 hours, the 75th Fighter Squadron redeployed to
Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base is a Kuwait Air Force base that is home to 3 Kuwait Air Force F/A-18 C/D squadrons: 9 Squadron, 25 Squadron, and 61 Squadron. The base also has an area designated for operations by the U.S. Air Force and its allies. H ...
, Kuwait, becoming the first U.S. fixed-wing aircraft to be stationed in that country since the end of the 1991
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
. The squadron moved to
Moody AFB Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia. Geography The base is mostly in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with a portion in Lanier County. Georgia State Route 125 runs through the west ...
, Georgia in 2007 due to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) panel recommendations. At the same time the unit received their newly upgraded A-10C fighters, which allow for greater employment guided munitions. On 19 December 2007, the last three of the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft left for Moody AFB and assumed its current mission.


2013 Sequestration

Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan. Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called "basic mission capable" for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013. This affected the 75th Fighter Squadron with a reduction of its flying hours, placing it into a basic mission capable status from 5 April-30 July 2013.


War on Terror

The 75th Fighter Squadron has deployed several times in the battle against global terrorism. On 25 January 2019, the squadron returned from a six-month deployment in support of
Operation Spartan Shield Operation Spartan Shield (OSS) is a USCENTCOM (United States Central Command) operation in the Middle East. OSS is commanded by United States Army Central and includes units from all service branches. Task Force Spartan is the U.S. Army component ...
and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. First to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia for a series of exercises with friendly Middle Eastern air forces, then onto Kandahar Airfield in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
to fly close-air support missions in support of U.S. and Afghan forces.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 75th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 17 December 1941 : Redesignated 75th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 * Activated on 4 July 1942 : Redesignated 75th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 28 February 1944 * Inactivated on 5 January 1946 * Activated on 10 October 1946 : Redesignated 75th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 3 May 1949 * Inactivated on 24 September 1949 : Redesignated 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 19 December 1950 * Activated on 12 January 1951 * Discontinued and inactivated, on 30 June 1968 * Activated on 30 September 1968 * Inactivated on 30 November 1969 : Redesignated 75th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 18 May 1972 * Activated on 1 July 1972 : Redesignated 75th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991 : Inactivated on 2 December 1991 * Activated on 1 April 1992Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft in Robertson, AFHRA Factsheet


Assignments

*
23d Fighter Group The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. The 23rd Fighter Group was established in World War II as the 23rd Pursuit Group of the United S ...
, 4 July 1942 – 5 January 1946 * 23d Fighter Group, 10 October 1946 – 24 September 1949 : Attached to 46th Fighter Wing, December 1947-16 Aug 1948 * 23d Fighter-Interceptor Group, 12 January 1951 * 4711th Defense Wing, 6 February 1952 * 4709th Defense Wing, 14 October 1952 *
519th Air Defense Group The 519th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4709th Air Defense Wing, stationed at Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated in 1955. The group (milita ...
, 16 February 1953 * 23d Fighter Group, 18 August 1955 * Bangor Air Defense Sector, 1 July 1959 * 36th Air Division, 1 April 1966 – 30 June 1968 *
34th Air Division The 34th Air Division (34th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Custer Air Force Station, Michigan. It was inactivated on 31 December 1969. History Assigned to Air Def ...
, 30 September 1968 – 30 November 1969 * 23d Tactical Fighter (later, 23d Fighter) Wing, 1 July 1972 – 2 December 1991 * 23d Fighter Wing, 1 April 1992 * 23d Operations (later, 23 Fighter) Group, 1 June 1992 – present


Stations

* Hengyang Airport, China, 4 July 1942 * Chanyi Airfield, China, 17 August 1942 * Yunani Airfield, China, 20 January 1943 * Lingling Airport, China, 31 March 1943 *
Kunming Airport Kunming Changshui International Airport is an international airport serving Kunming, the capital of Southwestern China’s Yunnan province. The airport is located northeast of the city center in a graded mountainous area about above sea le ...
, China, 26 April 1943 * Kweilin Airfield, China, 11 October 1943 * Hengyang Airport, China, c. November 1943 * Luliang Airfield, China, 10 June 1944 * Kweilin Airfield, China, 25 June 1944 * Luliang Airfield, China, 12 September 1944 * Luichow Airfield, China, August 1945 * Hangchow Airfield, China, 10 October 1945 – 10 December 1945 *
Fort Lewis Fort Lewis may refer to: * Fort Lewis (Colorado), a former United States Army post (1878–1891) in the U.S. State of Colorado ** Fort Lewis College, a college in the Durango, Colorado, United States ** Fort Lewis Skyhawks, athletic teams of Fort L ...
, Washington, 3 January 1946 – 5 January 1946 * North Guam Air Force Base, Guam, 10 October 1946 – 3 April 1949 *
Howard Air Force Base Howard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Panama. It discontinued military operations on 1 November 1999 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which specified that US military facilities in the former P ...
,
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone (), also known as just the Canal Zone, was a International zone#Concessions, concession of the United States located in the Isthmus of Panama that existed from 1903 to 1979. It consisted of the Panama Canal and an area gene ...
, 25 April 1949 – 24 September 1949 *
Presque Isle Air Force Base Presque Isle Air Force Base was a military installation of the United States Air Force located near Presque Isle, Maine, Presque Isle, Maine. In the late 1950s and early 1960s it became a base for Strategic Air Command. The original airport was ...
, Maine, 12 January 1951 * Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, 16 October 1952 * Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine, 18 August 1955 *
Dow Air Force Base Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base located on the grounds of Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army ju ...
, Maine, 25 June 1959 – 30 June 1968 *
Wurtsmith Air Force Base Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan. Near Lake Huron, it operated for seventy years, from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. On January 18, 1994, Wurtsmith was listed as a Superfun ...
, Michigan, 30 September 1968 – 30 November 1969 * England Air Force Base, Louisiana, 1 July 1972 – 2 December 1991 *
Pope Air Force Base Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012. Forme ...
, North Carolina, 1 April 1992 *
Moody Air Force Base Moody Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation near Valdosta, Georgia. Geography The base is mostly in northeastern Lowndes County, Georgia, with a portion in Lanier County. Georgia State Route 125 runs through the west ...
, Georgia, 30 July 2007 – present


Aircraft

*
P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...
(1942–1944) *
P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...
(1944–1945) *
P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
(1946–1949) * RF-80 Shooting Star (1949) * F-86E Sabre (1951) *
F-86A Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
(1951-1953) * F-86D Sabre Interceptor (1953–1955) *
F-89D Scorpion The Northrop F-89 Scorpion is an all-weather, twin-engined interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Northrop Corporation. It was the first jet-powered aircraft to be designed for the interceptor role f ...
(1955–1959) *
F-101B Voodoo The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is a supersonic jet fighter designed and produced by the American McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. Development of the F-101 began in the late 1940s as a long-range bomber escort (then known as a penetration figh ...
(1958–1968, 1968–1969) *
A-7D Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design wa ...
(1972–1981) *
A-10 Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 , also infamously known under the nickname , is a single-seat, twinjet, twin-turbofan, straight wing, straight-wing, Subsonic aircraft, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Aircraft, Fairchild Republic ...
(1980–1991, 1992–present) * Lockheed Martin F-35A Lighting II, 2029–


References

; Notes


Bibliography

* * * McMullen, Richard F. (1964) ''The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964'', ADC Historical Study No. 27 (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000) * * ''NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis'', Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO , 1 Feb 63 (Top Secret NOFORN declassified 9 March 1996) * {{Navboxes , list = {{Tactical Air Command {{Aerospace Defense Command {{USAAF 14th Air Force World War II


External links


23d Fighter Group Fact Sheet
075 Military units and formations in Georgia (U.S. state) 075