The 53rd Fighter Squadron (53 FS) is an active unit of the

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 ...

, stationed at

Joint Base Andrews Joint Base Andrews (JBA) is a United States military facility located in Prince George's County, Maryland. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force (USAF) 316th Wing, Air Force District of Washington (AFDW). The bas ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. Assigned to the 495th Fighter Group, the squadron was last activated on 10 December 2021, as an associate unit to the

113th Wing The 113th Wing, known as the "Capital Guardians", is a unit of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. If activated to federal service, the fighter portion of the Wing is gained by the United Stat ...

's 121st Fighter Squadron. It was previously assigned to the 52nd Operations Group and stationed at

Spangdahlem Air Base Spangdahlem Air Base (International Air Transport Association airport code, IATA: SPM, International Civil Aviation Organization airport code, ICAO: ETAD, former code EDAD) is a NATO air base with the United States Air Force as a tenant constru ...

, Germany, from where it operated the McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle until its inactivation on 31 March 1999.

History

World War II

Caribbean Defense

Activated on 1 January 1941 as one of the three squadrons assigned to the 32nd Pursuit Group as part of the United States buildup of forces after the eruption of World War II. This unit was organized for the most part, from Puerto Rico-based units, as were many of the aircraft. It was equipped with a mixture of

Curtiss 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 ...

s, along with Curtiss P-36A Hawk, Northrop A-17s and at least one Vultee YA-19. After being formed at

Albrook Field Albrook Air Force Station is a former United States Air Force facility in Panama. It was closed on 30 September 1997 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties which specified that United States military facilities in the former Panama Canal Zon ...

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 was moved to Rio Hato Army Air Base, Panama. The unit moved to La Chorrera Field on 7 January 1942 after briefly being assigned to France Field on 30 December 1941. Along with other Pursuit Squadrons, the 53rd was redesignated as the 53rd Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942. During late 1942, three Douglas P-70 Havoc night fighters were briefly assigned to the 53rd as, during this period, it was still considered a strong possibility that a night attack on the Panama Canal might he attempted, and the night fighter defenses of the area were nil. The P-70's departed in mid-January 1943. Like a number of other Sixth Air Force fighter units, the 53rd effectively assumed the duties and designation of the

30th Fighter Squadron 030 may refer to: * Motorola 68030 * BR-030 * Geographical telephone calling prefixes ** Greater Accra area code, Ghana ** Utrecht, Netherlands ** Berlin, Germany ** Bar Municipality and Ulcinj Municipality of Montenegro ** Province of Brescia, It ...

on 3 January 1943. The 30th was at La Chorrera and the 53rd at France Field at the time this "switch" took place. By April–May 1943, the unit was operating with an assortment of aircraft as a result of its "switch" with the 30th, which by then included Bell P-39D Airacobras and P-40s. The unit moved to the United States effective 1 June 1943, ending its duty with Sixth Air Force.

European Theater of Operations

Transferred to

III Fighter Command The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946. History Background GHQ Air Force (GHQ, AF) had been established with two major comba ...

in June 1943, began training for deployment to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

as a

Republic 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 ...

fighter-bomber squadron. Deployed to England in April 1944 as part of

IX Fighter Command The IX Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Erlangen, Germany, where it was inactivated on 16 November 1945. IX Fighter Command was the primary tactical fight ...

. Initial missions included strafing and dive-bombing armored vehicles, trains, bridges, buildings, factories, troop concentrations, gun emplacements, airfields, and other targets in preparation for the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...

. The squadron also flew some escort missions with

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

and

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

strategic bombers. On

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

the squadron patrolled the air over the landing zones and by flying close-support and interdiction missions. Moved to its Advanced Landing Ground at Brucheville Airfield, France (A-16) in July, then eastward as ground forces advanced on the continent. Operations supported the breakthrough at

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.U.S. Third Army toward Germany in August and September as part of the 303rd Fighter Wing of XIX Tactical Air Command. In October, the squadron moved into Belgium to support

U.S. Ninth Army The Ninth Army was a field army of the United States Army, most recently garrisoned at Caserma Ederle, Vicenza, Italy. It was the United States Army Service Component Command of United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM). Activated jus ...

. Participated in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

during December 1944 and January 1945 by flying armed reconnaissance and close-support missions. Aided

U.S. First Army First Army is the largest OC/T organization in the U.S. Army, comprising two divisions, ten brigades, and more than 7,500 Soldiers. Its mission is to partner with the U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve to enable leaders and deli ...

's push across the Roer River in February 1945. Supported operations at the Remagen bridgehead and during the airborne assault across the Rhine in March. By

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

, the squadron was based at

Kassel-Rothwestern Airfield Kassel-Rothwesten Airfield is a former military airfield located in Rothwesten, a part of Fuldatal in Germany about north-northeast of Kassel (Hessen); approximately southwest of Berlin. Then known as ''Fliegerhorst Kassel'', the facility w ...

, Germany (R-12), where it remained until February 1946 as part of the

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

Army of Occupation. In February, the unit was transferred, without personnel or equipment to

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English language, English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German ...

, Washington, D.C where it was inactivated as a paper unit.

Cold War (1946–1993)

53d Fighter-Day Squadron - North American F-86F-25-NH Sabre - 51-13467

Reactivated in October 1946 under Caribbean Air Command in the Canal Zone, returning to its prewar mission of the defense of the Panama Canal. The squadron conducted air defense training missions for the next two years initially with P-47's. The squadron upgraded to jet aircraft in December 1947 with the arrival of the Lockheed

Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star is the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, two p ...

. As a result of the

Berlin Blockade The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, roa ...

and other

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

tensions in Europe, the squadron was deployed to Germany and was reassigned to United States Air Forces in Europe during August 1948, becoming part of the third F-80 jet group assigned to USAFE. At

Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base ( German: "Fliegerhorst Fürstenfeldbruck" or "Flugplatz Fürstenfeldbruck") is a former German Air Force airfield near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany. Fürstenfeldbruck became famous fir ...

tactical operations included air defense, tactical exercises, maneuvers, and photographic reconnaissance. Upgraded to new Republic F-84E Thunderjets in 1950. 53d Tactical Fighter Squadron - McDonnell F-4E-41-MC Phantom - 68-0526

53d Tactical Fighter Squadron - McDonnell F-4E-41-MC Phantom - 68-0526

Remained at Fürstenfeldbruck until 1952 when it moved to the new Bitburg Air Base, west of the Rhine River near the French border in the Eifel mountains. The air battle over Merklín voit two F-84Es intercepted by two Czechoslovakian

MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful jet fighters to incorporate s ...

s which shot down one on March 10, 1953. In August 1953, the North American F-86F Sabre was introduced to the squadron, replacing the F-84s. In 1956, the squadron received the

North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the first United ...

, marking the first time a wing in USAFE flew supersonic jets. On 15 May 1958, the squadron was redesignated as a tactical fighter squadron because its missions had now grown to include delivery of tactical nuclear weapons. In May 1961, received the

Republic F-105 Thunderchief The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War. It ...

and continued to carry on its Cold War mission of tactical nuclear weapons delivery. Twice in the early 1960s when Cold War tensions were elevated due to the 1961 Berlin Wall crisis and 1962

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 ...

the squadron rose to a high level of alert. Was upgraded to the

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bower ...

in 1966.

The squadron was upgraded to the McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle in April 1976. In 1980, more advanced F-15Cs and F-15Ds would replace the original F-15As. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the squadron conducted routine training missions however the outbreak of the 1990–91

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- ...

put the F-15s of Bitburg into the heart of the conflict. The squadron's pilots and aircraft engaged in combat operations during

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. Not a single F-15 aircraft was lost in combat during the war. In June 1991, the deployed squadron returned to Bitburg. Bitburg Air Base was part of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure (or BRAC) process that saw the drawdown of many military facilities in a series of post-Cold War force reductions. In July 1993, HQ USAFE announced the closure of Bitburg Air Base and the pending inactivation of the 36th Fighter Wing.

Spangdahlem (1994–1999)

53d Fighter Squadron - SP - McDonnell Douglas F-15C-24-MC Eagle - 79-0025

The 53rd Fighter Squadron was relieved from assignment to the 36th Operations Group on 1 February 1994. It was in non-operations status until it was assigned to the 52nd Operations Group (52 FW) at

on 25 February 1994. At Spangdahlem the squadron supported no-fly zone operations over Bosnia and northern Iraq and other combat operations. It was during the squadron's support of the no-fly zone in northern Iraq that two of its fighters were involved in the

1994 Black Hawk shootdown incident The 1994 Black Hawk shootdown incident, sometimes referred to as the Black Hawk Incident, was a friendly fire incident over northern History of Iraq under Ba'athist rule, Iraq that occurred on 14 April 1994 during Operation Provide Comfort (O ...

. The squadron was inactivated in March 1999 as a result of an Air Force-wide reorganization to enlarge F-15 squadrons from 18 to 24 aircraft. Six of the squadron's Eagles were reassigned to the 493d Fighter Squadron at

RAF Lakenheath Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall, Suffolk, Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The insta ...

, and the rest returned to the United States.

Modern Era (2021–present)

On 10 December 2021, the 53 FS was activated at

, as an associate unit of the

's 121st Fighter Squadron. On April 13–14, 2024, 121st/53rd FS F-16Cs assisted in the defense of Israel, against an onslaught of drones and surface to air missiles launched from Iran. The 121st's/53rd's F-16Cs, operating alongside F-15Es from the 335th FS and 494th FS, were credited with over +70 kills of Iranian drones during combat air patrols.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 53rd Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) on 22 November 1940 : Activated on 1 January 1941 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) on 15 May 1942 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter Squadron on 28 September 1942 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 20 August 1943 : Inactivated on 31 March 1946 * Activated on 15 October 1946 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter Squadron, Jet Propelled on 27 October 1947 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter Squadron, Jet on 17 June 1948 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter-Day Squadron on 9 August 1954 : Redesignated 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron on 8 July 1958 : Redesignated 53rd Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991 : Inactivated on 31 March 1999 * Activated on 10 December 2021

Assignments

* 32nd Pursuit Group (later 32nd Fighter Group), 1 January 1941 * 36th Fighter Group, 23 June 1943 – 31 March 1946 * 36th Fighter Group (later 36th Fighter-Bomber Group, 36th Fighter-Day Group), 15 October 1946 (attached to 36th Fighter-Day Wing after 1 October 1956) * 36th Fighter-Day Wing (later 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, 36th Fighter Wing), 8 December 1957 (attached to Tactical Fighter Wing, Provisional, 4, 20 December 1990, Tactical Fighter Wing, Provisional, 4404, 20 March–1 July 1991) * 36th Operations Group, 31 March 1992 * 52nd Operations Group, 25 February 1994 – 31 March 1999 * 495th Fighter Group, 10 December 2021 – present

Stations

* Rio Hato Air Base, Panama, 1 January 1941 * Albrook Field, Panama Canal Zone, 1 January 1941 * Rio Hato Air Base, Panama, c. 21 August 1941 * France Field, Canal Zone, c. 12 December 1941 * La Chorrera Army Airfield, Panama, 7 January–8 June 1943 * Charleston Army Air Field, South Carolina, 23 June 1943 *

Biggs Field Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. History Biggs Field/Biggs Army Airfield (1916–47) On 15 June 1919, following an attack b ...

, Texas, c. 15 September 1943 * Ainsworth Army Air Field, Nebraska, 23 Nov 1943 – 11 March 1944 * RAF Kingsnorth (AAF-418), England, 5 April 1944 * Brucheville Airfield (A-16), France, c. 7 July 1944 * Le Mans Airfield (A-35), France, c. 29 August 1944 * Athis Airfield (A-76), France, c. 23 September 1944 * Juvincourt Airfield (A-68), France, 5 October 1944 * Le Culot Airfield (A-89), Belgium, c. 23 October 1944 * Aachen Airfield (Y-46), Germany, 28 March 1945 * Niedermendig Airfield (Y-62), Germany, 8 April 1945 * Kassel-Rothwestern Airfield (R-12), Germany, 20 April 1945 – 15 February 1946 * Bolling Field, District of Columbia, 15 February – 31 March 1946 * France Field, Panama Canal Zone, 15 October 1946 * Howard Field (later Howard Air Force Base), Panama Canal Zone, 1 December 1947 – 21 July 1948 * Furstenfeldbruck Air Base, Germany, c. 13 August 1948 * Bitburg Air Base, Germany, 22 July 1952 * Landstuhl Air Base (later

Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force installation located in Rhineland-Palatinate, southwestern Germany. It serves as the headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and NATO Alli ...

), Germany, 17 December 1956 * Bitburg Air Base, Germany, 3 October 1961 (deployed at Al Kharj Air Base, Saudi Arabia, 20 December 1990 – 1 July 1991) * Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, 25 February 1994 – 31 March 1999 *

, District of Columbia, 10 December 2021 – present

Aircraft

Aircraft operated include: * P-26 Peashooter (1941) *

Curtiss P-36 Hawk The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...

(1941–1942) *

(1942–1943) *

(1943–1946; 1946–1947) *

(1947–1950) * Republic F-84E Thunderjet (1950–1953) * North American F-86F Sabre (1953–1956) *

North American F-100C Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet engine, jet fighter aircraft designed and produced by the aircraft manufacturer North American Aviation. The first of the Century Series of American jet fighters, it was the fir ...

(1956–1961) * Republic F-105D/F Thunderchief (1961–1966) *

McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American Tandem#Aviation, tandem two-seat, twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic aircraft, supersonic jet interceptor aircraft, interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by ...

(1966–1973) * McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II (1973–1977) * McDonnell Douglas F-15A/B Eagle (1977–1980) * McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagle (1980–1994; 1994–1999) * Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon (2021–present)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book, last=Ravenstein, first=Charles A., title=Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977, url=https://archive.org/details/airforcecombatwi0000rave, access-date=17 December 2016, year=1984, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-912799-12-9, url-access=registration 053 053