123d Fighter Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 123d Fighter Squadron is an active unit of the Oregon Air National Guard
which flies the F-15 Eagle
. Its parent unit is the 142d Fighter Wing
.
The 142d Fighter Wing
has 15 PAI and 3 BAI/AR F-15A and F-15B Eagles. Two of its aircraft sit alert in support of NORAD 24 hours a day. The squadron converted to the F-15
aircraft in 1989/90, with most of those planes coming from the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
at McChord AFB, which was being disbanded.
National Guard organization, the squadron was called to active service in late 1941 and initially flew antisubmarine patrols along the Pacific Northwest coastline as part of Second Air Force
. Redesignated and re-equipped as a combat aerial reconnaissance unit, then deployed overseas to Fourteenth Air Force
in China
.
In China, the squadron deployed detached flights of unarmed aircraft (mostly specially equipped P-38s and P-51s), which flew combat aerial reconnaissance missions over Japanese-held territory from numerous forward airstrips. After the war, the squadron returned to Air National Guard
service.
In August 2010, two F-15 Eagles from this wing were dispatched in response to an airspace violation while the President visited Seattle, Washington. The jets produced two sonic booms over the Seattle skyline, the civilian Cessna 182 left restricted airspace before the jets arrived.
Oregon Air National Guard
The Oregon Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is, along with the Oregon Army National Guard, an element of the Oregon National Guard...
which flies the F-15 Eagle
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
. Its parent unit is the 142d Fighter Wing
142d Fighter Wing
The United States Air Force's 142d Fighter Wing is a unit located in Oregon.-Mission:To serve the nation, State, and community by providing mission-ready units, personnel and equipment for:* Air defense of the Pacific Northwest....
.
The 142d Fighter Wing
142d Fighter Wing
The United States Air Force's 142d Fighter Wing is a unit located in Oregon.-Mission:To serve the nation, State, and community by providing mission-ready units, personnel and equipment for:* Air defense of the Pacific Northwest....
has 15 PAI and 3 BAI/AR F-15A and F-15B Eagles. Two of its aircraft sit alert in support of NORAD 24 hours a day. The squadron converted to the F-15
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
aircraft in 1989/90, with most of those planes coming from the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
The 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 25th Air Division based at McChord AFB, Washington. The squadron was inactivated on December 7, 1989.-World War II:...
at McChord AFB, which was being disbanded.
History
A pre-World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
National Guard organization, the squadron was called to active service in late 1941 and initially flew antisubmarine patrols along the Pacific Northwest coastline as part of Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
. Redesignated and re-equipped as a combat aerial reconnaissance unit, then deployed overseas to Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In China, the squadron deployed detached flights of unarmed aircraft (mostly specially equipped P-38s and P-51s), which flew combat aerial reconnaissance missions over Japanese-held territory from numerous forward airstrips. After the war, the squadron returned to Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
service.
In August 2010, two F-15 Eagles from this wing were dispatched in response to an airspace violation while the President visited Seattle, Washington. The jets produced two sonic booms over the Seattle skyline, the civilian Cessna 182 left restricted airspace before the jets arrived.
Lineage
- Designated 123d Observation Squadron, and allotted to Oregon National Guard, on 30 July 1940
- Activated on 18 April 1941
- Ordered to active service on 15 September 1941
- Redesignated: 123d Observation Squadron (Light) on 13 January 1942
- Redesignated: 123d Observation Squadron on 4 July 1942
- Redesignated: 123d Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment) on 2 April 1943
- Redesignated: 35th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 August 1943
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Redesignated 123d Fighter Squadron, Single Engine and allotted to Oregon Air National Guard 24 May 1946
- Received federal recognition and activated 26 June 1946
- Federalized and placed on active duty, 10 February 1951
- Re-designated: 123d Fighter Squadron (Single Engine), 10 February 1951
- Released from active duty and returned to Oregon state control, 1 November 1952
- Inactivated 1 November 1952
- Activated 1 December 1952
- Redesignated 123d Fighter Squadron 31 March 1992.
Assignments
- Oregon National Guard, 18 April 1941
- 70th Observation (later Reconnaissance) Group, 15 September 1941
- 77th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 11 August 1943
- Attached to 70th Tactical Reconnaissance Group to 31 October 1943
- III Reconnaissance (later Tactical Air) CommandIII Tactical Air CommandThe III Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Barksdale Field, Louisiana...
, 30 November 1943 - AAF, India-Burma Sector, 5 May 1944
- Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, c. September 1944 - Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 1 August 1945 - Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, 25 August-7 November 1945 - Oregon Air National GuardOregon Air National GuardThe Oregon Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is, along with the Oregon Army National Guard, an element of the Oregon National Guard...
, 24 May 1946
- III Reconnaissance (later Tactical Air) Command
- 142d Fighter Group (ADC), 26 June 1946
- 142d Fighter Group (ConAC), 1 December 1948
- 142d Fighter Group (ADC), 1 January 1951
- Federalized and placed on active duty under Air Defense Command, 10 February 1951
- 325th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, 10 February 1951
- 4704th Air Defense Wing4704th Air Defense WingThe 4704th Defense Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 25th Air Division, being stationed at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 8 October 1954-History:...
, 1 February 1952 - Released from active duty and returned to Oregon state control, 1 November 1952
- 142d Fighter-Interceptor Group (ADC), 1 November 1952
- 142d Fighter-Interceptor Group (TAC), 1 October 1979
- 142d Fighter Group (ACC), 1992
- 142d Fighter Wing142d Fighter WingThe United States Air Force's 142d Fighter Wing is a unit located in Oregon.-Mission:To serve the nation, State, and community by providing mission-ready units, personnel and equipment for:* Air defense of the Pacific Northwest....
(ACC), 1995-Present
Stations
- Portland AirportPortland International AirportPortland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 18 April 1941 - Gray Army AirfieldGray Army AirfieldGray Army Airfield , also known as Gray AAF, is a military airport located at Fort Lewis near Tacoma, Washington, USA. It is located within Fort Lewis.It should not confused with Robert Gray Army Airfield at Fort Hood in Texas.-Overview:...
, Washington, 25 September 1941
- Detachment operated from Bowerman Field, Washington, 15 March-c. August 1942
- Ontario Army Airfield, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 16 March 1943 - Roberts FieldRoberts FieldRoberts Field , also known as Redmond Municipal Airport, is a public airport in the city of Redmond, Oregon, United States. Consisting of two runways, the airport is the primary commercial airport serving Central Oregon, offering commercial flights on regional airlines and a low-cost carrier to...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 20 August 1943 - Gainesville Army Airfield, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 10 November 1943 - Will Rogers Field, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 5 February-10 April 1944 - Guskhara AirfieldGuskhara AirfieldGuskhara Airfield is a former wartime United States Army Air Forces airfield in India used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945. It is now abandoned.-History:...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, 13 June 1944 - Kunming Airport, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 1 September 1944
- Ontario Army Airfield, California
- Flight at Nanning Airfield, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 16 September-6 October 1944 - Flight at Yunnani Airfield, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 16 September 1944-10 February 1945
- Chanyi Airfield, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 17 September 1944
- Flight at Chihkiang Airfield, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 19 October 1944-c. 1 September 1945 - Flight at Suichwan AirfieldSuichwan AirfieldSuichwan Airfield is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield in China, located approximately 2 miles southwest-west of Yutianzhen in the People’s Republic of China.-History:...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 19 NOV 1944-22 January 1945 - Flight at Chengkung AirfieldChengkung AirfieldChengkung Airfield is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield in China, located approximately 20 miles south-southeast of Kunming in the People’s Republic of China.-History:...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 10 February-13 May 1945 - Flight at Laohwangping AirfieldLaohwangping AirfieldLaohwangping Airfield is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, located approximately 1 mile west of Jiuzhou Zhen in the People’s Republic of China.-History:...
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 27 February-c. 1 September 1945 - Flight at Kunming Airport, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 14 May-31 July 1945 - Flight at Nanning Airfield, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 31 July-c. 1 September 1945- Luliang Airfield, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, 18–24 September 1945 - Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 5–7 November 1945 - Portland International AirportPortland International AirportPortland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 23 June 1946-1 November 1952; 1 December 1952–present
- Luliang Airfield, China
Aircraft operated
- F-15A/B/C/D EagleF-15 EagleThe McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
(1989–present) - C-130A Hercules (???-???)
- C-131 SamaritanC-131 SamaritanThe Convair C-131 Samaritan was an American military transport produced from 1954 to 1956. It is the military version of the Convair CV-240.-Design and development:...
(???-???) - F-4C Phantom II (???-1989)
- F-101 VoodooF-101 VoodooThe McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a supersonic military jet fighter which served the United States Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force...
(???-???) - F-102 Delta DaggerF-102 Delta DaggerThe Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets...
(???-???) - F-89 ScorpionF-89 ScorpionThe Northrop F-89 Scorpion was an early American jet-powered fighter designed from the outset as an all-weather interceptor. Though its straight wings limited its performance, it was among the first USAF jet fighters with guided missiles, and notably the first combat aircraft armed with air-to-air...
(???-???)
- F-94 StarfireF-94 StarfireThe Lockheed F-94 Starfire was the United States Air Force's first operational jet-powered all-weather interceptor aircraft. It was a development by Lockheed of the twin-seat T-33 Shooting Star trainer aircraft.-Design and development:...
(???-???) - F-86 SabreF-86 SabreThe North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
(???-???) - B-25J Mitchell(???-???)
- F-51 Mustang (???-???)
- F-5 Lightning (???-???)
- Stinson O-49 (1941-???)
- North American BC-1A (???-???)
- North American O-47North American O-47|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. ISBN 0-7607-3432-1.* Fahey, James C. U.S. Army Aircraft 1908-1946. New York: Ships and Aircraft, 1946....
(???-???)