This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (September 2024) |
The 354th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force. It was last stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, where it was part of the 355th Fighter Wing, Arizona. It operated A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions.
| 354th Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
 | |
 An A-10 Thunderbolt from the 354th Fighter Squadron[a] | |
| Active | 1942–1946; 1952–1958; 1962–1982; 1991–2024 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Close Air Support Air Interdiction Forward Air Control Airborne, and Combat Search and rescue |
| Nickname(s) | Bulldogs |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations Vietnam War |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Insignia | |
| 354th Fighter Squadron emblem[b][1] |  |
| Original 354th Fighter Squadron emblem [c][2] |  |
| World War II fuselage code[3] | WR |
| Tail code post 1970 | DM |
The squadron conducted close air support, air Interdiction, forward air control – airborne, and combat search and rescue for theater commanders worldwide.[4]
History
editWorld War II
editThe 354th flew combat missions in the European Theater of Operations from 14 September 1943 to 25 April 1945.
Vietnam War
editThe squadron flew combat missions in Southeast Asia from 13 March to 12 June 1965, 28 November 1965 – 7 October 1970, and c. 14 January–3 July 1973.[1]
Training
editIt conducted combat crew training from, 1971–1982 and forward air control training since 1991.[1] In February 2015, the squadron was deployed to Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Twelve A-10s and approximately 300 airmen were deployed. The unit will train alongside NATO allies and deploy to locations in Eastern European NATO nations to further enhance interoperability.[5] The A-10s were the first of several theater security package deployments to Europe, U.S. Air Force officials said, adding that rotations generally will last six months, depending on mission and United States European Command requirements.[6]
In mid-October 2023, the A-10 aircraft of the 354th Fighter Squadron were deployed to the US Central Command to enhance air operations throughout the Middle East in response to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[7]
Lineage
edit- Constituted as the 354th Fighter Squadron and activated on 12 November 1942
- Redesignated 354th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 21 August 1944
- Inactivated on 20 November 1946
- Redesignated 354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 11 September 1952
- Activated on 1 November 1952
- Inactivated on 8 January 1958
- Redesignated 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron and activated on 13 April 1962 (not organized)
- Organized on 25 April 1962
- Redesignated 354th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron on 1 April 1979
- Inactivated on 30 April 1982
- Redesignated 354th Fighter Squadron and activated on 1 November 1991.[1]
- Inactivated c. 20 September 2024[8]
Assignments
edit- 355th Fighter Group: 12 November 1942 – 20 November 1946
- 27th Air Division: 1 November 1952
- 533d Air Defense Group: 16 February 1953
- 355th Fighter Group: 18 August 1955 – 8 January 1958
- Tactical Air Command: 13 April 1962 (not organized)
- 831st Air Division: 25 April 1962
- 355th Tactical Fighter Wing: 8 July 1962
- Thirteenth Air Force: 10 December 1970
- 4453d Combat Crew Training Wing: 1 April 1971
- 355th Tactical Fighter Wing (later 355th Tactical Training Wing): 1 July 1971 – 30 April 1982
- 602d Air Control Wing: 1 November 1991
- 355th Operations Group: 1 May 1992 – c. 20 September 2024[1]
Stations
edit- Orlando Army Air Base, Florida, 12 November 1942
- Zephyr Hills Army Air Field, Florida< 30 January 1943
- Norfolk Municipal Airport, Virginia, 18 February 1943
- Philadelphia Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania, 4 March 1943
- Millville Army Air Field, New Jersey, 5 May - 16 June 1943
- RAF Steeple Morden, England, 6 July 1943
- Gablingen, Germany, 17 July 1945
- Schweinfurt, Germany, 15 April 1946
- Mitchel Field, New York, 1 August – 20 November 1946
- Long Beach Municipal Airport, California, 1 November 1952
- Oxnard Air Force Base, California, 16 December 1952 (operated From: Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, 8 May – 10 June 1955
- McGhee Tyson Airport, Tennessee, 18 August 1955 – 8 January 1958
- George Air Force Base, California, 25 April 1962 (operated from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska 24 January – 14 February 1964, Incirlik Air Base, Turkey 5 May – 18 September 1964)
- McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, 15 October 1964 – 27 November 1965 (deployed to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, then Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (6 March – 18 June 1965)
- Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 28 November 1965
- Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 15 April 1970 – 30 April 1982 (deployed to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand 14 January – 4 July 1973)
- Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 1 November 1991
- McChord Air Force Base, Washington, 5 January 1993
- Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 1 October 1994 – c. 20 September 2024[1][9]
Aircraft
edit- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1943–1944)
- North American P-51 Mustang (1944–1946, 1952–1953)
- Lockheed F-94C Starfire (1953–1955)
- North American F-86D Sabre (1955–1957)
- Republic F-105 Thunderchief (1962–1970)
- LTV A-7D Corsair II (1971–1979)
- Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II (1979–1982, 1991-2024)[1]
Awards and campaigns
edit| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 5 April 1944 | 354th Fighter Squadron, Germany[2] | |
| Presidential Unit Citation | 5 May 1965-17 June 1965 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Southeast Asia[1] | |
| Presidential Unit Citation | 1 January 1966-10 October 1966 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Southeast Asia[1] | |
| Presidential Unit Citation | 11–12 August 1967 and 24–28 October 1967 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Southeast Asia[1] | |
| Presidential Unit Citation | 12 April 1968-30 April 1969 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Southeast Asia[1] | |
| Presidential Unit Citation | 10 October 1972-30 April 1973 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Southeast Asia[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 12 October 1966-11 April 1967 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 12 April 1967-11 April 1968 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 July 1969-15 October 1970 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device | 1 June 1999-31 August 1999 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1956-30 June 1957 | 354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 Jul 1971-11 Jan 1973 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 October 1976-31 May 1978 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | [1 November 1991]-30 April 1992 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 1995-31 May 1997 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 1998-31 May 2000 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 2002–31 May 2004 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 2004–31 May 2006 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 June 2007–31 May 2009 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm | 1 April 1966-28 January 1973 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Offensive, Europe | 6 July 1943 – 5 June 1944 | 354th Fighter Squadron<[2] | |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 354th Fighter Squadron[2] | |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 354th Fighter Squadron[2] | |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 354th Fighter Squadron[2] | |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 354th Fighter Squadron[2] | |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 354th Fighter Squadron[2] | |
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 6 July 1943 – 11 May 1945 | 354th Fighter Squadron[2] | |
| Vietnam Defensive | 6 March 1965 – 30 January 1966 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Air | 31 January 1966 – 28 June 1966 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Air Offensive | 29 June 1966 – 8 March 1967 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II | 9 March 1967 – 31 March 1968 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Air/Ground | 22 January 1968 – 7 July 1968 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III | 1 April 1968 – 31 October 1968 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV | 1 November 1968 – 22 February 1969 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Tet 1969/Counteroffensive | 23 February 1969 – 8 June 1969 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Summer-Fall 1969 | 9 June 1969 – 31 October 1969 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Winter-Spring 1970 | 3 November 1969 – 30 April 1970 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Sanctuary Counteroffensive | 1 May 1970 – 15 April 1970 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Southwest Monsoon | [d] | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Vietnam Ceasefire Campaign | 14 January 1973 – 28 January 1973 | 354th Tactical Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| Southwest Asia Cease-Fire | 12 April 1991 – 30 November 1995 | 354th Fighter Squadron[1] | |
| World War II Army of Occupation (Germany) | 9 May 1945 – 1 August 1946 | 354th Fighter Squadron |
References
editNotes
edit- Explanatory notes
- ^ Taken during a strafing run at Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range near Wellton, AZ, 5 May 2014
- ^ Approved 16 August 1994.
- ^ Approved 19 November 1943. Description: On an arc segment of a circle, arc to base medium blue, border red, piped white, a caricatured English bull dog yellow, outlined black, wearing gray collar with white spokes about the neck, standing in front of a silhouette of the Statue of Liberty gray; bull dog casting black shadow toward base.)
- ^ The squadron received credit for participating in this campaign, which began on 1 July 1970, although it had departed the theater on 15 April 1970.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Robertson, Patsy (2 December 2011). "Factsheet 354 Fighter Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Maurer, Combat Squadrons, 439–440
- ^ Freeman, images between p. 282 and p. 283
- ^ "Factsheet 355th Operations Group". 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
- ^ Kitterman, A1C Luke (18 February 2015). "Theater security package begins rotation in Europe". 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 20 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Aircraft Deploy to Europe to Boost Interoperability With Allies". DoD News. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- ^ "F-15E Strike Eagles bolster U.S. defense posture in the Middle East". www.afcent.af.mil. 14 October 2023.
- ^ "Last operational Thunderbolt mission for Bulldogs". 7 July 2024.
- ^ "Two historic A-10 squadrons inactivate at DM". 16 September 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
Bibliography
edit This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- Freeman, Roger A. (1970). The Mighty Eighth: Units, Men and Machines (A History of the US 8th Army Air Force). London, England, UK: Macdonald and Company. ISBN 978-0-87938-638-2.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
- "ADCOM's Fighter Interceptor Squadrons". The Interceptor. 21 (1). Aerospace Defense Command: 5–11, 26–31, 40–45, 54–59. January 1979.
- 355th Operations Group Fact Sheet
External links
edit- White, Matt (September 2024). "End of an era for legendary Air Force A-10 squadron". Task & Purpose. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- No byline (2024). "The Hall of Valor Project: Awards Royce Priest". Sightline Media Group. Retrieved 18 September 2024. (Distinguished Service Cross)
- No byline (2024). "Stories of Sacrifice: Merlyn Hans Dethlefsen". Sightline Media Group. Retrieved 18 September 2024. (Medal of Honor)