391st Fighter Squadron

391st Fighter Squadron
391st Fighter Squadron Patch
Active	1 June 1943 – 20 August 1946 1 January 1953 – 1 April 1959 30 April 1962 – 28 February 1971 1 July 1971 – 1 July 1990 11 March 1992 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Fighter
Part of	Air Combat Command 12th Air Force 366th Fighter Wing 366th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Mountain Home Air Force Base
Nickname(s)	Bold Tigers
Decorations	DUC AFOUA w/ V Device Belgium Fourragère RVGC w/ Palm

The 391st Fighter Squadron (391 FS) is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support missions.

Mission

Perform close air support, interdiction, strategic attack, suppression of enemy air defense, and defensive counterair missions, employing the full array of U.S. Air Force capabilities including precision-guided munitions, inertially-aided munitions, night vision goggles, fighter data link, and Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN).

History

The 391st flew combat missions in the European Theater of Operations from, 14 March 1944 – 3 May 1945 and in Southeast Asia from, 2 February 1966 – 21 July 1968. It provided air defense in Korea and Japan from, 22 July 1968 – 14 February 1971.

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.

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. This affected the 391st Fighter Squadron with a stand-down grounding from 9 April-30 September 2013.

Operations

• World War II
• Vietnam War
• War in Afghanistan

Lineage

• 391st Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) (1943)
• 391st Fighter Squadron, Single Engine (1943–1952)
• 391st Fighter-Bomber Squadron (1952–1958)
• 391st Tactical Fighter Squadron (1958–1992)
• 391st Fighter Squadron (1992 – present)

Assignments

• 366th Fighter Group (1943–1946)
• 366th Tactical Fighter Wing (1953–1959)
  • Attached: 21st Fighter-Bomber Wing (6 December 1956 – 11 June 1957)
• United States Air Forces in Europe (1962)
• 366th Tactical Fighter Wing (1962–1966)
• 2d Air Division (1966)

• 7th Air Force (1966)
• 12th Tactical Fighter Wing (1966–1968)
• 475th Tactical Fighter Wing (1968–1971)
• 347th Tactical Fighter Wing (1971–1972)
• 366th Fighter Wing (1972–1990, 1992 – present)

Bases stationed

• Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia (1943)
• Bluethenthal, North Carolina (1943)
• RAF Membury, England (1944)
• RAF Thruxton, England (1944)
• Saint-Pierre-du-Mont, France (1944)
• Dreux, France (1944)
• Laon-Couvron Air Base, France (1944)
• Asch, Belgium (1944–1945)
• Münster, Germany (1945)
• Bayreuth, Germany (1945)
• Fritzlar, Germany (1945–1946)
• England Air Force Base, Louisiana (1953–1959)
  • Deployed: Aviano Air Base, Italy (6 December 1956 – 11 June 1957)
• Etain-Rouvres Air Base, France (1962–1963)
• Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico (1963–1966)
• Cam Ranh Air Base, South Vietnam (1966–1968)

F-15E Strike Eagle from the 391st flying over Afghanistan

• Misawa Air Base, Japan (1968–1971)
  • Deployed: Taegu Air Base, South Korea (22 July – 7 October 1968)
  • Deployed: Taegu Air Base, South Korea (7 February – 5 March 1969)
  • Deployed: Taegu Air Base, South Korea (1 May – 2 June 1969)
  • Deployed: Taegu Air Base, South Korea (1–30 August 1969)
  • Deployed: Taegu Air Base, South Korea (1–15 February 1970)
  • Deployed: Taegu Air Base, South Korea (15–29 March 1970)
  • Deployed: Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (26 April – 10 May 1970)
  • Deployed: Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (7–21 June 1970)
  • Deployed: Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (30 August – 12 September 1970)
  • Deployed: Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (4–18 October 1970)
  • Deployed: Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (1–15 November 1970)
  • Deployed: Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (13–19 December 1970)
  • Deployed: Kunsan Air Base, South Korea (1–15 February 1971)
• Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho (1971–1990, 1992 – present)

Aircraft Operated

F-111F, AF Ser. No. 70-2394, of the 391st TFS/347th TFW, 16 Sep 1972.

• P-47 Thunderbolt (1943–1946)
• P-51 Mustang (1953)
• F-86 Sabre (1953–1955)
• F-84 Thunderjet (1954–1958, 1962–1965)
• F-100 Super Sabre (1957–1959)
• F-4 Phantom II (1965–1971)
• F-111F then A model Aardvark (1971–1990)
• F-15E Strike Eagle (1992 – present)

References

Bibliography

• USAF 391st Fighter Squadron History
• 366th Operations Group Fact Sheet