468th Strategic Fighter Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 468th Strategic Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing, based at Turner AFB, Georgia
. It was inactivated on 11 May 1956.
as one of the last P-47 Thunderbolt
Fighter Squadrons, programmed for deployment to Western Pacific theater with long-range P-47N for B-29 Superfortress
escort missions. Arrived in Hawaii
in early 1945, assigned to Seventh Air Force
. Lack of a serious fighter defense over Japan
at high altitudes and reprogramming of B-29 raids over Japan to night low-level fast attacks led to reassignment as a replacement training unit based in Hawaii; also performed air defense of the islands until inactivation in November 1945.
Reactivated as Strategic Air Command
fighter-escort squadron for B-50 Superfortress
and B-36 Peacemaker bombers. Performed fighter-escort training throughout the 1950s, inactivated in 1956 with the phaseout of the escort mission and retirement of the B-36.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last assignment was with the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing, based at Turner AFB, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It was inactivated on 11 May 1956.
History
Formed in late 1944 under Second Air ForceSecond 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....
as one of the last P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
Fighter Squadrons, programmed for deployment to Western Pacific theater with long-range P-47N for B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
escort missions. Arrived in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
in early 1945, assigned to Seventh Air Force
Seventh Air Force
The Seventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea....
. Lack of a serious fighter defense over Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
at high altitudes and reprogramming of B-29 raids over Japan to night low-level fast attacks led to reassignment as a replacement training unit based in Hawaii; also performed air defense of the islands until inactivation in November 1945.
Reactivated as Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
fighter-escort squadron for B-50 Superfortress
B-50 Superfortress
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber was a post-World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber designed by Boeing for...
and B-36 Peacemaker bombers. Performed fighter-escort training throughout the 1950s, inactivated in 1956 with the phaseout of the escort mission and retirement of the B-36.
Lineage
- Constituted 468th Fighter Squadron on 5 October 1944
- Activated on 12 October 1944.
- Inactivated on 25 November 1945
- Redesignated 468th Fighter-Escort Squadron on 19 June 1952.
- Activated on 1 July 1952
- Redesignated 468th Strategic Fighter Squadron on 20 January 1953
- Inactivated on 11 May 1956
Assignments
- 508th Fighter Group, 12 October 1944-25 November 1945
- 508th Fighter-Escort (later Strategic Fighter) Wing, 1 July 1952-11 May 1956 (not operational, 1 July-September 1952)
Stations
- Peterson FieldPeterson FieldPeterson Field is a public-use airport located three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Plains, a city in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. It is privately owned by G. Thomas Peterson.- Facilities and aircraft :...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 12 October 1944 - Pocatello Army Airfield, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, 25 October 1944 - Bruning Army AirfieldBruning Army AirfieldBruning Army Airfield was a flight training installation of the United States Army Air Forces used during World War II and located in northeast Thayer County, Nebraska, at coordinates 40°20'25" North, 97°25'42" West, approximately six miles east of Bruning....
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 15 November-18 December 1944 - Kahuku Army AirfieldKahuku Army AirfieldKahuku Army Airfield is a former wartime airfield in Hawaii. It was located in the northern part of the Island of Oahu.-World War II:Possibly developed as an emergency field dating to the 1930s, but it was not until the United States entered World War II that the airfield was developed...
, Hawaii Territory, 6 January 1945
- Mokuleia Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 25 February 1945
- Bellows Field, Hawaii Territory, 16 September-25 November 1945
- Turner AFB, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, 1 July 1952-11 May 1956