44th Fighter Squadron

44th Fighter Squadron
Four squadron F-15 Eagles in formation off the coast of Japan
Active	1941-present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Fighter
Part of	Pacific Air Forces
Garrison/HQ	Kadena Air Base
Nickname(s)	Vampires
Engagements	Southwest Pacific Theater Vietnam War Global War on Terrorism
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Combat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm^[1]
Commanders
Notable commanders	Carrol Chandler
Insignia
44th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 18 February 1942)^[1]

The 44th Fighter Squadron is part of the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan.^[2] The 44th Pursuit Squadron was activated on 1 January 1941 and assigned to the 18th Pursuit Group.^[2]

Mission

The 44 FS operates the F-15 Eagle aircraft conducting air superiority missions.^[2]

History

World War II

The 44th Flew patrols over the Pacific from Hawaii from 7 December 1941–October 1942. It went on to fly combat missions in the South and Southwest Pacific from 21 December 1942 – 15 August 1945.^[1]

Vietnam War

It again flew combat missions in Southeast Asia from 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April – 22 June 1965, 19 –29 October 1965, and 25 April 1967 – 6 October 1970.^[1]

The squadron was unmanned from 31 December 1966 – 24 April 1967 and November 1970–15 May 1971. It has flown air defense over Okinawa and Japan since 1971.^[1]

The 44th Fighter Squadron was named as the winner of the Raytheon Trophy for 2012.

2013 Sequestration

Air Combat Command officials announced a stand down and reallocation of flying hours for the rest of the fiscal year 2013 due to mandatory budget cuts. The across-the board spending cuts, called sequestration, took effect 1 March when Congress failed to agree on a deficit-reduction plan.^[3]

Squadrons either stood down on a rotating basis or kept combat ready or at a reduced readiness level called "basic mission capable" for part or all of the remaining months in fiscal 2013.^[3] This affected the 44th Fighter Squadron with a reduction of its flying hours, placing it into a basic mission capable status from 5 April-30 September 2013.^[3]

Lineage

Constituted as the 44th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 22 November 1940

Activated on 1 January 1941

Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942

Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine on 26 January 1944

Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 6 May 1946

Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 23 December 1949

Redesignated 44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950

Redesignated 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958

Redesignated 44th Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991^[1]

Assignments

18th Pursuit Group (later 18 Fighter Group), 1 January 1941
318th Fighter Group, 20 October 1942
South Pacific Area, 1 December 1942
Thirteenth Air Force, 4 January 1943
18 Fighter Group (later 18 Fighter-Bomber Group), 30 March 1943

Attached to 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing 25 July – 30 November 1950, 6200th Air Base Wing until 30 January 1953, Thirteenth Air Force until 10 November 1954

Attached to Thirteenth Air Force 11 December 1954 – 4 January 1955, 6200th Air Base Wing unitl January 1955, Air Task Group Fifth, Provisional until 16 February 1955, 6200th Air Base Wing until 14 July 1955

Attached to Air Task Force 13, Provisional 3–30 September 1955

Attached to 314th Air Division 15–18 April 1956

Attached to 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing after 1 February 1957

18th Fighter-Bomber Wing (later 18 Tactical Fighter Wing), 1 October 1957

Attached to 2d Air Division 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April–23 June 1965, and 19–29 October 1965

388th Tactical Fighter Wing, 25 April 1967 (attached to 355th Tactical Fighter Wing after 10 October 1969)
355th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 October 1969
Thirteenth Air Force, 10 December 1970
18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 March 1971

Attached to 3d Tactical Fighter Wing, 2 April – 2 June 1972 and 28 July – 8 September 1972

Attached to 327th Air Division, 6 November 1972 – 5 August 1973, 26 August – 16 September 1973, 7–28 October 1973, 18 November – 9 December 1973, 30 December 1973 – 20 January 1974, 10 February – 2 March 1974, 23 March – 13 April 1974, 4–25 May 1974, 15 June – 6 July 1974, 27 July – 16 August 1974, 5 September – 17 October 1974, 30 November 1974 – 9 January 1975, and 20 February – 10 April 1975

18th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 May 1978
18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 11 February 1981
18th Operations Group, 1 October 1991–present^[1]

Stations

Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 1 January 1941
Bellows Field, Hawaii, 7 November 1941
Wheeler Field, Hawaii, 12 December 1941
Kaneohe Field, Hawaii, 27 December 1941
Wheeler Field], Hawaii, 25 January 1942
Bellows Field, Hawaii, 23 June – 23 October 1942
Efate Airfield, New Hebrides 7 November 1942

Air echelon operated from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 20 December 1942 – 20 March 1944

Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 25 October 1943

Air echelon operated from Mono Airfield, Stirling Island, Solomon Islands, 20 March – 25 April 1944

Air echelon operated from Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 11 May – 16 July 1944

Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 17 July 1944
Cape Opmarai Airfield, Netherlands East Indies, 23 August 1944

Air echelon operated from Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 7 November 1944 – 16 January 1945

Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 13 January 1945
McGuire Field, San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines, 26 February 1945

Air echelon operated from Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 26 April – 13 May 1945

San Roque Airfield (Moret Field), Mindanao, Philippines, 4 May–November 1945
Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, 10 November 1945

Floridablanca Airfield, Luzon, Philippines, 17 July 1946
Clark Field (later Clark Air Force Base), Luzon, Philippines, 3 October 1947

Deployed to Yontan Auxiliary Air Base, Okinawa 11 November – 11 December 1954, Taoyuan Air Base Formosa, 27 January – 17 February 1955)

Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, 15 July 1955^[2]^[1]

Deployed to Tao Yuan Air Base, Formosa, 3–30 September 1955

Deployed to Pyongtaek Air Base, South Korea, 15–18 April 1956

Deployed to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 18 December 1964 – 25 February 1965, 21 April – 22 June 1965, 10–29 October 1965 28 January 1966–8 April 1966

Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base]], Thailand, 25 April 1967

Deployed to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, 1–27 February 1969

Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base]], Thailand, 10 October 1969 – 15 March 1971
Kadena Air Base, Okinawa (later Japan)]], 15 March 1971–present

Deployed to Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, 2 April – 2 June 1972 and 28 July – 8 September 1972

Deployed to: Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taiwan, 6 November 1972 – 5 August 1973, 26 August – 16 September 1973, 7–28 October 1973, 18 November – 9 December 1973, 30 December 1973 – 20 January 1974, 10 February – 2 March 1974, 23 March – 13 April 1974, 4–25 May 1974, 15 June – 6 July 1974, 27 July – 16 August 1974, 5 September – 17 October 1974, 30 November 1974 – 9 January 1975, and 20 February – 10 April 1975^[1]

Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, May 1998

Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, March 2000

Deployed to Incirlik AB, Turkey, June 2001

Deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, September 2002, Operation Southern Watch

Deployed to: SW Asia , October 2011 - April 2012

Deployed to: Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage, July 2012 - January 2013

Aircraft

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (1940–1942, 1943)
Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1943–1946)
North American P-51 Mustang (1946–1947, 1948–1950)
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1946–1948)
Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star (1946–1947, 1949–1954)

North American F-86 Sabre (1954–1957)
North American F-100 Super Sabre (1957–1964)
Republic F-105 Thunderchief (1963–1970)
McDonnell F-4 Phantom II (1971–1980)
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle (1979–present)^[1]

References

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dollman, TSG Davis (16 October 2016). "Factsheet 44 Fighter Squadron (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
1 2 3 4 "Library: History: 18th Wing History". 18th Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
1 2 3 Everstein, Brian; Weisgerber, Marcus (8 April 2013). "Reduced flying hours forces grounding of 17 USAF combat air squadrons". Military Times. Retrieved 4 October 2016.

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9. Retrieved 17 December 2016.

External links

"Library: Fact Sheet, 18th Operations Group". 18th Wing Public Affairs. 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2016.

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