The 531st Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive

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 ...

unit, last assigned to the

3rd Tactical Fighter Wing The 3rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Eleventh Air Force. It is stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The Wing is the largest and principal unit within 11th Air Forc ...

at Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam. The squadron was inactivated on 31 July 1970.

History

World War II

Activated in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

in 1941 as the 58th Bombardment Squadron (Light), a Bombardment/Reconnaissance squadron, being equipped with a mixture of

B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company f ...

s, second-line P-26s, and A-20 Havocs. Was part of the air defense forces of Hawaii, many aircraft being destroyed during the

Pearl Harbor Attack 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, ...

Hickam Field Hickam may refer to: ;Surname *Homer Hickam (born 1943), American author, Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer ** October Sky: The Homer Hickam Story, 1999 American biographical film * Horace Meek Hickam (1885–1934), pioneer airpower advoc ...

. Re-equipped with

A-24 Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/d ...

dive bombers in 1942, remained in Hawaii as an air defense squadron until 1943. Re-designated as a fighter-bomber squadron in mid-1943, deploying to the Central Pacific in 1944 as part of the 21st Fighter Group. Returned to Hawaii and re-equipped with long-range

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 tw ...

s and returned to combat operations in the Central Pacific, operating from Iwo Jima beginning in early 1945 until the end of the war in August. Remained as part of

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...

in the Marianas until inactivated in October 1946.

Cold War

531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron - North American F-86F-35-NA Sabre - 52-5193

Reactivated in 1953 at

George AFB George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air Co ...

, California as an

F-86 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 ...

Fighter-Bomber Squadron. Spent about a year under Tactical Air Command training, deploying to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1954 as part of the

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

buildup 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 ...

during the early years of the Cold War. Operated from several bases in France during the 1950s, inactivated in 1958 as part of a USAFE reorganization. Became part of

PACAF Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (f ...

in 1958, operated F-100 Super Sabres from

Misawa AB is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), List of United States Air Force installations, the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, Misawa, Aomori Prefecture, Aomori, in the northern p ...

, Japan as an air defense squadron.

Viet Nam War

Deployed to South Vietnam, 1965 and carried out combat operations until inactivated in 1970.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 58th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 22 November 1940 : Activated on 1 January 1941 : Redesignated 58th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 19 October 1942 : Redesignated 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 14 August 1943 : Redesignated 531st Fighter Squadron on 18 February 1944 : Inactivated on 10 October 1946 * Redesignated 531st Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 15 November 1952 : Activated on 1 January 1953 : Inactivated on 8 February 1958 * Redesignated 531st Tactical Fighter Squadron on 19 May 1958 : Activated on 1 July 1958Lineage information through May 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 638–639 : Inactivated on 31 June 1970

Assignments

Hawaiian Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...

(later

Seventh Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...

), 1 January 1941 * 21st Fighter Group, 15 June 1944 – 10 October 1946 * 21st Fighter-Bomber Group, 1 January 1953 – 8 February 1958 *

21st Tactical Fighter Wing The 21st Space Wing (21 SW) was the United States Space Force's ground–based missile warning and space control wing. The 21st Space Wing was assigned to Space Operations Command and headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. The 21 ...

, 1 Ju1y 1958 *

39th Air Division The 39th Air Division (39th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Fifth Air Force at Misawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated on 15 January 1968. History "Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the 3 ...

, 18 June 1960 *

, 16 December 1965 – 31 July 1970

Stations

, Hawaii, 1 January 1941 * Bellows Field, Hawaii, 18 March 1941 * Hickam Field, Hawaii, 29 April 1941 * Bellows Field, Hawaii, 11 December 1941 *

Wheeler Field Wheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii. It is a National His ...

, Hawaii, 19 December 1941 – 18 June 1943 *

Canton Island Canton Island (also known as Kanton or Abariringa), previously known as Mary Island, Mary Balcout's Island or Swallow Island, is the largest, northernmost, and , the sole inhabited island of the Phoenix Islands, in the Republic of Kiribati. It i ...

Phoenix Islands The Phoenix Islands, or Rawaki, are a group of eight atolls and two submerged coral reefs that lie east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands in the central Pacific Ocean, north of Samoa. They are part of the Republic of Kiri ...

, 24 June 1943 * Makin Island, Gilbert Islands, 18 December 1943 * Bellows Field, Hawaii, 1 March 1944 * Kualoa Field, Hawaii, 21 April 1944 *

Mokuleia Field 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 Nort ...

, Hawaii, 8 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 ...

, 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, ...

, 15 July 1945 *

Isely Field Saipan International Airport , also known as Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport, is a public airport located on Saipan Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The airport is owned by Commonwealth Port ...

, Saipan, 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 ...

, 17 April – 10 October 1946 *

George Air Force Base George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air C ...

, California, 1 January 1953 * Toul-Rosieres Air Base, France, 28 November 1954 * Chambley-Bussières Air Base, France, March 1955 * Misawa Air Force Base, Japan, 1 July 1958 (deployed to Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, 1 February – 13 July 1965) * Bien Hoa Air Base, South Vietnam, 16 December 1965 – 31 July 1970

Aircraft

Boeing P-26 Peashooter The Boeing P-26 "Peashooter" was the first American production all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter squadron service with the United States Army Air Corps. Designed and built by Boeing, the prototype first flew in ...

, 1941 *

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company ...

, 1941 *

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was o ...

, 1941–1942 *

Douglas A-24 Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive ...

, 1942–1944 * Lockheed P-38 Lightning, 1944–1946 *

North American F-86 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 ...

, 1953–1958 *

North American F-100 Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...

, 1958–1970

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book, last=Watkins, first=Robert A., title=Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force In World War II, volume=VI, China-Burma-India & The Western Pacific, year=2017, publisher=Shiffer Publishing, Ltd., location=Atglen,PA, isbn=978-0-7643-5273-7 Fighter squadrons of the United States Air Force