72d Tactical Fighter Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 72d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the 56th Operations Group
, based at MacDill Air Force Base
, Florida
. It was inactivated on 19 June 1992.
in late 1941. Suffered tremendous casualties and aircraft losses at Wheeler Field during the Pearl Harbor Attack. Re-equipped and used as Seventh Air Force
training unit; also flew reconnaissance patrols over Hawaii until late 1943.
Deployed to Central Pacific
as part of Thirteenth Air Force
island hopping campaign against Japanese in late 1943. Engaged in combat with until April 1944, returning to Hawaii and being re-equipped and trained with long-range P-51 Mustangs. Re-deployed to Western Pacific, being stationed on Iwo Jima
while battle for the island was still ongoing and engaged in long-range B-29 Superfortress
escort missions over Japan; continuing that mission until the end of hostilities in August 1945. Reassigned to Mariana Islands
, as a Far East Air Force fighter squadron, inactivated 1946.
F-86 jet tactical fighter squadron, 1952 Deployed to France in 1954 as part of NATO; re-equipped with the F-100 Super Sabre
1957. Ordered out of France by host government as part of France's rejection of NATO's nuclear weapons policy. Reassigned to Philippines
in 1958 for air defense of Luzon
. Inactivated 1959 as a result of budget reductions. Equipment reassigned to 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
s. Tail coded "MC", black tail stripe outlined in white. Upgraded to the Block 25 and 30 F-16C/D in March 1990 and became a Replacement Training Unit. Inactivated in 1992 as part of the BRAC
realignment of MacDill AFB.
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 56th Operations Group
56th Operations Group
The 56th Operations Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, and the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing.The group is the direct descendant of the World War II 56th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces...
, based at MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base
MacDill Air Force Base is an active United States Air Force base located approximately south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It was inactivated on 19 June 1992.
World War II
Established as a defensive interceptor squadron for HawaiiHawaii
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 late 1941. Suffered tremendous casualties and aircraft losses at Wheeler Field during the Pearl Harbor Attack. Re-equipped and used as 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....
training unit; also flew reconnaissance patrols over Hawaii until late 1943.
Deployed to Central Pacific
Central Pacific
Central Pacific can refer to:* The Central Pacific Railroad, the western part of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States* The Central Pacific Area, a subdivision of the Pacific Ocean Areas in World War II...
as part of Thirteenth Air Force
Thirteenth Air Force
The Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
island hopping campaign against Japanese in late 1943. Engaged in combat with until April 1944, returning to Hawaii and being re-equipped and trained with long-range P-51 Mustangs. Re-deployed to Western Pacific, being stationed on Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
while battle for the island was still ongoing and engaged in long-range 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 over Japan; continuing that mission until the end of hostilities in August 1945. Reassigned to Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, as a Far East Air Force fighter squadron, inactivated 1946.
Cold War
Reactivated as Tactical Air CommandTactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
F-86 jet tactical fighter squadron, 1952 Deployed to France in 1954 as part of NATO; re-equipped with the F-100 Super Sabre
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
1957. Ordered out of France by host government as part of France's rejection of NATO's nuclear weapons policy. Reassigned to Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1958 for air defense of Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. Inactivated 1959 as a result of budget reductions. Equipment reassigned to 510th Tactical Fighter Squadron.
Pilot training
Reactivated 1 July 1982 at MacDill AFB, Florida as an F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Undergraduate Pilot Training Squadron, replacing the 13th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron when the 58th TFTS transitioned from F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
s. Tail coded "MC", black tail stripe outlined in white. Upgraded to the Block 25 and 30 F-16C/D in March 1990 and became a Replacement Training Unit. Inactivated in 1992 as part of the BRAC
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
realignment of MacDill AFB.
Lineage
- Constituted 72d Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 4 October 1941
- Activated on 5 October 1941
- Re-designated 72d Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
- Inactivated on 10 October 1946
- Redesignated 72d Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 15 November 1952
- Activated on 1 January 1953
- Inactivated on 8 February 1958
- Re-designated 72d Tactical Fighter Squadron on 19 May 1958
- Activated on 1 July 1958
- Inactivated on 9 April 1959
- Re-designated 72d Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, and activated on 1 July 1982
- Re-designated 72d Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991
- Inactivated on 19 June 1992
Assignments
- 15th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group15th Operations GroupThe 15th Operations Group is the flying component of the 15th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Thirteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii....
, 5 October 1941 - 318th Fighter Group318th Fighter GroupThe 318th Fighter Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II.-History:...
, 15 October 1942 - 21st Fighter Group, 15 June 1944-10 October 1946
- 21st Fighter-Bomber Group, 1 January 1953-8 February 1958
- 6200th Air Base Wing, 1 July 1958-9 April 1959.
- 56th Tactical Training Wing, 1 July 1992
- 56th Operations Group56th Operations GroupThe 56th Operations Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, and the flying component of the 56th Fighter Wing.The group is the direct descendant of the World War II 56th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces...
, 1 November 1991-19 June 1992
Stations
- Wheeler Field, Hawaii Territory, 5 October 1941
- Hilo Field, Hawaii Territory, 25 July 1943
- Wheeler Field, Hawaii Territory, 21 October 1943
- Makin Airfield, Gilbert IslandsGilbert IslandsThe Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
, 18 December 1943 - Haleiwa Fighter StripHaleiwa Fighter StripHaleiwa Fighter Strip was a military airfield located on Oahu, Hawaii. It was used as part of the island's defense in World War II.-History:This obscure former military strip became famous during the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor....
, Hawaii Territory, 23 April 1944 - Mokuleia Field, Hawaii Territory, 8 June 1944
- North FieldNorth Field (Iwo Jima)North Field or Iwo Jima Air Base is a World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Bonin Islands, located in the Central Pacific. The Bonin Islands are part of Japan...
, Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, 26 March 1945
- Isley Airfield, SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, 5 December 1945 - Northwest FieldNorthwest Field (Guam)Northwest Field is a former World War II airfield on Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was closed in 1949 and is unused.-History:Northwest Field was constructed in 1944–45 near Ritidian Point on the northwest end of the island of Guam as a base for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortresses to carry...
, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, 17 April-10 October 1946 - George AFB, 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...
, 1 January 1953-26 November 1954 - Châteauroux-Déols Air BaseChâteauroux-Déols Air BaseChâteauroux-Déols Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Indre département of France, located about 3 miles northeast of Châteauroux and about 1 mile northeast of Déols on the east side of the Départemental 920 road in Central France.During the Cold...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 14 December 1954 - Chambley-Bussières Air BaseChambley-Bussieres Air BaseChambley-Bussières Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, about ten miles west of the French city of Metz, and about one mile southwest of Chambley-Bussières, on the south side of the Départemental 901 ...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 9 July 1955-8 February 1958 - Clark AB, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, 1 July 1958-9 April 1959. - MacDill AFB, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 1 July 1982-19 June 1992
Aircraft
- P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1943
- P-39 Aircobra, 1943–1944
- P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
, 1944–1945 - P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
, 1944–1946
- P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic 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...
, 1946 - F-51 Mustang, 1953
- 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...
, 1953–1957 - F-100 Super SabreF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
, 1958–1959 - F-16 Fighting FalconF-16 Fighting FalconThe General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, 1982-1992