The 46th Fighter Training Squadron is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...

unit. Its last assignment was with the 917th Operations Group at

Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...

, Louisiana. where it was inactivated on 1 October 1993. The squadron was first activated in 1940, as the United States expanded its military forces prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, as the 46th Pursuit Squadron. The squadron formed part of the

air defense Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

s of the Hawaiian Islands, and suffered heavy losses in the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

. It served in Hawaii and the Pacific for the remainder of the wark, earning a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

for long-range fighter missions over Japan in 1945. It was inactivated on

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

in 1946. The squadron was reactivated as the 46th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in 1952 and served in the air defense role before inactivating again in 1958. It was activated again in 1962 as the 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron and became one of the first McDonnell F-4 Phantom II fighter units, flying the Phantom until 1971, and deploying elements to Southeast Asia. It was activated again in the reserves in 1973, and served as a reserve fighter unit until inactivated.

History

The 46th, who was initially assigned to the 15th Fighter/Pursuit Group, its history goes back to World War II, when the 15th Pursuit Group was largely destroyed during the 7 December 1941 Japanese

at Hickam Field.

World War II

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron was assigned to the

VII Fighter Command The VII Fighter Command was a command and control organization of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces. The Headquarters were based at several locations with forward command moving with the campaigns ...

. Re-equipped initially with Bell P-39 Airacobras and Curtiss P-40 Warhawks, ts primary mission was the air defense of the Hawaiian Islands. In 1943, the squadron deployed to the

Central Pacific Area Pacific Ocean Areas was a major Allied military command in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands during the Pacific War, and one of three United States commands in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. Admi ...

, engaging in combat from Makin Island in December 1943. Returned to Hawaii and was again re-equipped with very long-range

Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive twi ...

s and

North American P-51D 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 ...

s. In early March 1945 deployed to

Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...

, being attached to the Twentieth Air Force. From Iwo Jima, the squadron performed escort missions with

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...

bombers bombing the Japanese Home Islands. After the Japanese Surrender in September 1945, the squadron moved to Guam, where it operated until inactivating in October 1946.

United States Air Force

46th FIS Lockheed F-94C-1-LO Starfire 51-13600

The squadron was redesignated the 46th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and reactivated in November 1952 at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware and assigned to the

4710th Defense Wing The 4710th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued unit of the United States Air Force. It was last stationed at O'Hare International Airport, Illinois, where it was assigned to the 37th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC), and where it was dis ...

Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...

(ADC). The squadron assumed the mission, personnel, and Lockheed F-94 Starfire interceptors of the

148th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 148th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Arizona Air National Guard 162d Fighter Wing located at Tucson Air National Guard Base, Arizona. The 148th is equipped with the Block 20 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon. The squadron was first organized in E ...

, which had been called to active service in the expansion of the

for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

which was returned to the control of the

Pennsylvania Air National Guard The Pennsylvania Air National Guard (PA ANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America. It is, along with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, an element of the Pennsylvania National Guard. As commonwe ...

. the squadron's mission was the air defense of southeastern Pennsylvania, south New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland. In 1956, as ADC prepared for the implementation of the

Semi-Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of mainframe computer, large computers and associated computer network, networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image ...

system, the 4710th wing moved to Illinois and the squadron was briefly assigned to the

4709th Air Defense Wing The 4709th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 26th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, where it was discontinued in 1956. It was ...

before being transferred to what would become the automated

New York Air Defense Sector The Eastern Air Defense Sector (EADS) is a United States Air Force unit of Air Combat Command (ACC), permanently assigned to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). A joint, bi-national military organization, EADS is composed of US ...

. The unit was inactivated in 1958.

Tactical fighter operations

Was reactivated in 1962 at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, equipped with swept-wing Republic F-84F Thunderstreak tactical fighters. Received new

McDonnell F-4C 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 originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowe ...

s in 1964, one of the first squadrons in the Air Force to fly the new fighter. Conducted tactical fighter combat crew training for the

12th Tactical Fighter Wing The 12th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Education and Training Command's Nineteenth Air Force. It is headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. The wing is the parent organization for the 479th Flyin ...

. The squadron participated in a variety of exercises, operations and readiness tests of Tactical Air Command, becoming a replacement training unit for F-4 aircrews prior to their deployment to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

beginning in 1965. During the 1968 Pueblo Crisis, the squadron deployed fighters to Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, backfilling fighters deployed to South Korea by the

4th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 4th Fighter Squadron, "Fighting Fuujins" is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft, which replaced the unit's General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons in Augus ...

. Transferred to the incoming

1st Tactical Fighter Wing The 1st Fighter Wing (1 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, VA. where it is a tenant unit, being supported by the 633d Air Base Wing. Its 1s ...

in 1970 when the wing was moved from ADC to TAC. Inactivated in 1971, personnel and aircraft being transferred to the 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron when the former 15th Wing units were inactivated.

Air Force reserve

Reactivated in the

Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...

in 1975 at Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, receiving Cessna A-37B Dragonfly counter-insurgency aircraft returned from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. Provided combat crew training in close air support tactics for USAF and friendly foreign nations until inactivated in 1978, transferring the A-37s to the 706th Tactical Fighter Squadron. Equipped with

Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republ ...

ground attack aircraft in 1983 at

, Louisiana, mission was to be an A-10 Replacement Training Unit for Air Force Reserve pilots. Operated the A-10 at Barksdale until inactivated in 1993 as part of the post-

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

drawdown, aircraft transferred to Davis–Monthan AFB, Arizona where A-10 training was consolidating with the active-duty

355th Wing The 355th Wing (355 WG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Fifteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, where it operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II. The wing's missi ...

Lineage

* Constituted as the 46th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) on 22 November 1940 : Activated on 1 December 1940 : Redesignated 46th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor)' on 12 February 1942 : Redesignated 46th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942 : Inactivated on 10 October 1946 * Redesignated 46th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 11 September 1952 : Activated on 1 November 1952 : Inactivated on 1 July 1958 * Redesignated 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron and activated, on 17 April 1962 (not organized) : Organized on 1 July 1962 : Inactivated on 1 July 1971Lineage, including assignments, aircraft and stations, through May 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 204. * Activated on 1 July 1975 : Inactivated on 1 July 1978 * Redesignated 46th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron and activated on 30 September 1983 : Redesignated 46th Fighter Training Squadron on 1 February 1992 : Inactivated on 1 October 1993

Assignments

15th Pursuit Group 15 (fifteen) is the natural number following 14 and preceding 16. Mathematics 15 is: * A composite number, and the sixth semiprime; its proper divisors being , and . * A deficient number, a smooth number, a lucky number, a pernicious num ...

(later 15th Fighter Group), 1 December 1940 *

21st Fighter Group 021 is: * in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro) * in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai. * in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta and su ...

, 15 June 1944 – 10 October 1946 * 4710th Defense Wing (later 4710th Air Defense Wing), 1 November 1952 * 4709th Air Defense Wing, 1 March 1956 * 4621st Air Defense Wing (later New York Air Defense Sector), 1 October 1956 *

4728th Air Defense Group The 4728th Air Defense Group is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the New York Air Defense Sector at Dover Air Force Base. The group was formed to provide a single command and support organization ...

, 8 February 1957 – 1 July 1958 *

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

, 17 April 1962 (not organized) * 15th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 July 1962 * 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 October 1970 – 1 July 1971 * 434th Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 July 1975 – 1 July 1978 *

917th Tactical Fighter Group The 917th Wing is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last assigned to the Tenth Air Force, stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was inactivated on 8 January 2011. History Need for reserve troop carrier grou ...

, 30 September 1983 * 917th Operations Group, 1 August 1992 - 1 October 1993

Stations

* Wheeler Field,

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, Hawaii, 1 December 1940Wheeler Field, Schofield Barracks, Oahu, Locations Of The United States Army Air Force 7 December 1941
/ref> * Hickam Field, Hawaii, 6 February 1942 *

Mokuleia Army Airfield Dillingham Airfield is a public and military use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) west of the central business district of Mokulēia, in Honolulu County. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective May 31, 2012. on the No ...

, Hawaii, 22 May 1942 *

Hilo Army Airfield Hilo International Airport , formerly General Lyman Field, is an international airport located in Hilo, Hawaii, Hilo, Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii. Owned and operated by the Hawaii, Hawaii state Department of Transportati ...

, Hawaii, 16 December 1942 – 19 March 1943 * Canton Airfield, Phoenix Islands, 27 March 1943 * Makin Island, 18 December 1943 * Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 17 February 1944 * Mokuleia Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 13 October 1944 *

Central Field (Iwo Jima) Central Field or Iwo Jima Air Base is a former World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Bonin Islands, located in the Central Pacific. The Bonin Islands are part of Japan. Today, the base is the only airfield on the island, operated by the Ja ...

, 26 March 1945 *

South Field (Iwo Jima) South Field was a World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, located in the Central Pacific. The Volcano Islands are part of Japan. The airfield was located on the southern corner of Iwo Jima located on the Motoyama plateau, to ...

, 15 July 1945 * Isely Airfield,

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, Mariana Islands, 5 December 1945 *

Northwest Field (Guam) Northwest Field (historically Northwest Guam Air Force Base) is a military airfield in Guam. Built in 1945 during World War II, the airfield was used as a bomber base during and after the war until it was closed in 1949. Units deployed to the ...

, Mariana Islands, 17 April – 10 October 1946 * Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, November 1952 – 1 July 1958 * MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, 1 July 1962 – 1 July 1971 * Deployed to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand-, 11 May – 22 August 1965; 1–10 November 1965 * Grissom Air Force Base, Indiana, 1 July 1975 – 1 July 1978 * Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 30 September 1983 – 1 October 1993

Aircraft

* Grumman OA-9, 1940 *

A-12 Shrike The Curtiss A-12 Shrike was the United States Army Air Corps' second monoplane ground-attack aircraft, and its main attack aircraft through most of the 1930s. It was based on the A-8, but had a radial engine instead of the A-8's inline, water ...

, 1940 *

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 ...

, 1940–1941 * Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1941–1944 * Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1943 * Lockheed P-38 Lightning, 1944–1945 * North American P-51 Mustang, 1944–1946 *

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 * Lockheed F-94B Starfire, 1952–1953 * Lockheed F-94C Starfire, 1953–1958 * Republic F-84 Thunderflash, 1962–1964 * McDonnell F-4C Phantom II, 1964–1971 * Cessna A-37B Dragonfly, 1975-1978 * Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, 1983-1993

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * ; Further reading * Rogers, Brian (2005). ''United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978.'', Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. .

External links

15th Fighter Group

(Military History) * {{cite book, last1=Arakaki, first1=Leatrice R., last2=Kuborn, first2=John R., date = 1991 , title=7 December 1941: The Air Force Story, archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090805232541/http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061205-065.pdf , archive-date=5 August 2009, page =48, chapter =Chapter III, Assignment Paradise: Fighter Command, url=http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-061205-065.pdf 046 0046