The 378th Fighter Squadron is an active duty fighter squadron in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

whose mission is to fly, maintain and support F-15C, F-16, and F-35 aircraft. It is assigned to the

495th Fighter Group The 495th Fighter Group is an active duty fighter group in the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Fifteenth Air Force of Air Combat Command and stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, with additional units at multiple active ...

, Headquarters Fifteenth Air Force, of Air Combat Command stationed at Dane County Regional Airport- Truax Field,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. While headquartered out of the 115th Fighter Wing, the unit has five additional operating locations, which are geographically separated across six Air National Guard Fighters Wings. It was last activated on 8 November 2015.

History

Established on 1 March 1943 at

Westover Field Westover may refer to: People * Al Westover (born 1954), American professional basketball player in Australia * Arthur Westover (1864–1935), Canadian sport shooter and 1908 Olympian * Charles Westover (1934–1990), better known as Del Shannon, ...

, Massachusetts as the 362d Fighter Group, equipped with

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-bom ...

s. Deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), and assigned to Ninth Air Force in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Engaged in combat operations until May 1945. Reassigned back to the United States in August–September 1945, and assigned to First Air Force at

Seymour Johnson Field Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an airplane crash near Norbeck, Maryland, ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, being programmed for deployment to

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

to take part in the planned Invasion of Japan. As a result of the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the sudden end of the Pacific War, the deployment plans were canceled, however the unit was retained as part of the

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...

under

Continental Air Forces Continental Air Forces (CAF) was a United States Army Air Forces major command, active 1944–1946. It was tasked with combat training of bomber and fighter personnel, and for Continental United States (CONUS) air defense after the Aircraft Wa ...

and reassigned to

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 ...

, Texas, being equipped with P-51 Mustangs. Inactivated on 1 August due to postwar budget restrictions.

Active Associate Unit

In 2008, Air Force leadership recognized that the changing force structure demanded creative ways to generate experienced fighter pilots. The solution was to capitalize on the experience and assets of the Guard and Reserve. This Total Force Integration initiative became Active Association, whereby Regular Air Force personnel work side-by-side with host Air Reserve and Air National Guard Component units in a mutually beneficial relationship. Total Force Integration is a vital enterprise aimed at maximizing the combined contributions of the Active and Reserve components, while ensuring "right-sizing" of component mix. The 378th Fighter Squadron will continue to lead the Air Force's pilot absorption efforts and the partnerships will allow active-duty and Air National Guard fighter units to share resources, reduce duplications of effort, and ultimately, increase the Air Force's overall air defense capabilities in order to enhance the ability to provide dominant combat airpower for America.

Lineage

* Constituted 378th Fighter Squadron on 11 February 1943 : Activated on 1 March 1943 : Inactivated on 1 August 1946 : Activated on 8 November 2015

Assignments

* 362d Fighter Group, 1 March 1943 – 1 August 1946 *

, 8 November 2015

Stations

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, 1 March 1943 * Bradley Field,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, 22 June 1943 * Groton Field,

, 2 August 1943 *

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...

, New York, 19 October – 12 November 1943 * RAF Wormingford (AAF-159), England, 30 November 1943 *

RAF Headcorn Royal Air Force Headcorn or more commonly known as RAF Headcorn is a former Royal Air Force Advanced Landing Ground located northeast of Headcorn, Kent, England. Opened in 1943, Headcorn was a prototype for the temporary Advanced Landing Groun ...

(AAF-412), England, 13 April 1944 *

Lignerolles Airfield Lignerolles Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield near the commune of Lignerolles in the Normandy region of northern France. Located to the south and east of Lignerolles, the United States Army Air Force established a tempora ...

(A-12), France, 2 July 1944 * Rennes/St-Jacques Airfield (A-27), France, 10 August 1944 * Prosnes Airfield (A-79), France, 19 September 1944 * Verdun Airfield (A-82), France, 5 November 1944 * Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Airfield (Y-73), Germany, 8 April 1945 * Furth/Industriehafen Airfield (R-30), Germany, 30 April 1945 * Illesheim Airfield (R-10), Germany, 3 May 1945 * AAF Station Straubing, Germany, 12 May–August 1945 *

, 5 September 1945 *

, Texas, 3 December 1945 – 1 August 1946. * Truax Field, Wisconsin, 8 November 2015 - Present

Integrated Units

* 112th Fighter Squadron (F-16 Fighting Falcon) ** 180th Fighter Wing located at Toledo Air National Guard Base, Toledo, Oregon * 123rd Fighter Squadron (F-15C Eagle) ** 142nd Fighter Wing located at Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Oregon * 175th Fighter Squadron (F-16 Fighting Falcon) ** 114th Fighter Wing located at Joe Foss Field Air National Guard Station, Sioux Falls, South Dakota * 176th Fighter Squadron (F-35 Lightning II) ** 115th Fighter Wing located at Truax Field Air National Guard Base, Madison, Wisconsin * 179th Fighter Squadron (F-16 Fighting Falcon) ** 148th Fighter Wing located at Duluth Air National Guard Base, Duluth, Minnesota * 194th Fighter Squadron (F-15C Eagle) ** 144th Fighter Wing located at Fresno Air National Guard Base, Fresno, California * 115th Medical Group * 115th Maintenance Group * 115th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron * 115th Maintenance Squadron * 115th Operations Support Squadron * 115th Logistics Readiness Squadron

Aircraft

P-47D Thunderbolt The P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II fighter aircraft built by Republic Aviation from 1941 to 1945. Early designs XP-47 (AP-10) In response to a USAAC requirement for a new fighter aircraft, Republic Aviation engineer Alexander Kartveli ...

, 1943–1945 *

P-51H Mustang Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA ...

, 1945–1946 * F-15 Eagle, 2015-Present * F-16 Fighting Falcon, 2015-Present * F-35 Lightning II, 2022-Present

References

* {{cite book, editor=Maurer, Maurer, title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, origyear=1969, url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf , edition= reprint, year=1982, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-405-12194-6, oclc=72556, lccn=70605402 Fighter squadrons of the United States Army Air Forces