107th Fighter Squadron
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 107th Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
 107th FS Insignia |
|
| Active | |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter |
| Garrison/HQ | Selfridge Air National Guard Base |
| Nickname | "Red Devils" |
| Motto | "Mors Hostibus" |
| Battles/wars | World War II Korean War Operation Desert Storm Operation Northern Watch Operation Southern Watch Operation Iraqi Freedom |
Organized in 1925 as the Michigan National Guard's first flying unit, the 107th Observation Squadron consisted of 20 officers and 90 enlisted men meeting weeking in a Detroit garage. It received Federal recognition in May 1926 as the "Air Section" of the Michigan National Guard's 32nd Division. It's primary mission was artillery spotting and observation of troop movements.
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[edit] Activation
Called to active duty with Douglas O-38 and North American O-47 observation planes on October 15, 1940, the 107th was sent to the airfield at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana for unit training on October 28, 1940. For many years this airfield was simply called the Artillery Range Airport Camp.
On April 11, 1941, Lieutenant Wilmer Esler was killed in the crash of his O-47 when it experienced an engine failure on take off.[1] The War Department announced on June 19, 1941 that the Air Corps field at Camp Beauregard would be named Esler Field in honor of his sacrifice. [2]
In 1941, the 107th was joined by two other National Guard observation units to form the 67th Observation Group. The 67th Group did anti-submarine patrolling off the East Coast of the US from mid-December 1941 to March 1942, when it returned to Louisiana for training in fighter aircraft.
The 67th Group was sent to Membury, England, in August of 1942 and flew Mk V Spitfires and Tiger Moths for a year until equipped with F-6A's. Pre-invasion missions began in December 1943. For successful photo missions of the French invasion coastline without loss of a single aircraft, the 107th was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation on April 7, 1945. The 67th Group advance detachments landed in Normandy 13 days after D-Day. The Belgian Fourragere was awarded for conspicuous action during the Battle of the Bulge.
[edit] Post 9/11
F-16s from the 107th Fighter Squadron deployed to Kirkuk in February 2004 to replace the 354th Fighter Squadron. The 107th became the first F-16 unit to be based in Iraq. It was stationed at Kirkuk Air Base. The unit returned home in early June 2004.
[edit] References
- ^ April 1941 USAAF Accident Reports (HTML). Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research. Retrieved on January 9, 2007.
- ^ Louisiana Maneuver Camps and Bases (HTML). Louisiana: World Renown Involvement in World War II. Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Retrieved on January 9, 2007.
