54th Fighter Squadron

54th Fighter Squadron
54th Fighter Squadron Patch
Active	15 January 1941 – 21 March 1946 1 December 1952 – 25 December 1960 8 May 1947 -
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Fighter
Nickname(s)	Alaska's First Guardians
Decorations	AFOUA

54th TFS F-15C Eagle 81-0020

54th FIS (Air Defense Command)

Northrop F-89J-50-NO Scorpion 53-2453 stationed at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. Loading inert Genie nuclear missile at Tyndall AFB, Florida, 1957

The 54th Fighter Squadron (54 FS) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 3d Operations Group, being stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. It was inactivated on 28 April 2000.

History

Activated on 15 Jan 1941 at Hamilton Field, California as a P-40 Warhawk pursuit group as part of the defense buildup of the United States prior to World War II.

Deployed to Alaska in mid-1942 and engaged the Japanese during the Aleutian Campaign during World War II. Engaged in combat in the Aleutians, 1942-1943 with long-range P-38 Lightnings. Remained in Alaska after the removal of Japanese forces, flying long range escorts for B-24 Liberator bombing attacks of northern Japanese Kurile Islands, inactivated in 1946. Reactivated by redesignation of North Dakota Air National Guard 175th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in 1952 which was reverted to state control. Assigned to Air Defense Command. Mission was to provide air defense for upper Midwest. Assumed ANG F-51D Mustangs, upgraded to F-84D Thunderjet jet aircraft being returned from combat in Korea in July 1953. Upgraded to F-84Gs in December 1953; upgraded to F-86D Sabre in April 1954; upgraded to F-89J Scorpion interceptors in 1957. Inactivated on 25 Dec 1960.

Reactivated as an F-15 Eagle air superiority squadron in Alaska in 1987, it provided air defense until being inactivated in 2000.

Lineage

• Constituted 54th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940

Activated on 15 Jan 1941

Redesignated: 54th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (Twin Engine) on 31 Jan 1942

Redesignated: 54th Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) on 15 May 1942

Redesignated: 54th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine, on 20 Aug 1943

Inactivated on 21 Mar 1946

• Redesignated 54th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 10 Oct 1952

Activated on 1 Dec 1952 as redesignation of 175th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (ND ANG)

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Dec 1960

• Redesignated 54th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 13 Jan 1987

Activated on 8 May 1987

Redesignated 54th Fighter Squadron on 26 Sep 1991

Inactivated on 28 Apr 2000

Assignments

• 55th Pursuit (later, 55th Fighter) Group, 15 Jan 1941

Attached to XI Fighter Command, 31 May – 11 Sep 1941

• 343d Fighter Group, 11 Sep 1942 – 21 Mar 1946
• 31st Air Division, 1 Dec 1952
• 29th Air Division, 16 Feb 1953 – 25 Dec 1960
• 21st Tactical Fighter Wing, 8 May 1987
• 21st Operations Group, 26 Sep 1991
• 3d Operations Group, 19 Dec 1991 – 28 Apr 2000

Stations

• Hamilton Field, California, 15 Jan 1941
• Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, 22 May 1941
• Paine Field, Washington, 22 Jan – 25 May 1942
• Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory, 31 May-c. 24 Aug 1942

Detachment at Fort Randall Army Airfield, Alaska Territory, c. 6 Jun-c. 31 Jul 1942

Detachment at Fort Glenn Army Airfield, Alaska Territory, c. 6 Jun-c. 19 Sep 1942

• Adak Army Airfield, Alaska Territory,c. 31 Aug 1942
• Amchitka Army Airfield, Alaska Territory,12 Mar 1943
• Shemya Army Airfield, Alaska Territory,c. 18 Oct 1943
• Alexai Point Army Airfield, Attu, Alaska Territory, c. 20 Nov 1943 – 8 Mar 1946
• Fort Lawton, Washington, 20-21 Mar 1946
• Rapid City (later, Ellsworth) AFB, South Dakota, 1 Dec 1952 – 25 Dec 1960
• Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, 8 May 1987 – 28 Apr 2000

Aircraft

• Seversky P-35, 1941–1942
• P-40 Warhawk, 1941–1942
• P-43 Lancer, 1941–1942
• F-5 Mustang, 1943
• P-38 Lightning, 1942–1946

• F-51D Mustang, 1952–1953
• F-84G Thunderjet, 1953–1954
• F-86D Sabre Interceptor, 1954–1957
• F-89J Scorpion, 1957–1960
• F-15 Eagle, 1987–2000

References

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

• A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization 1946 - 1980, by Lloyd H. Cornett and Mildred W. Johnson, Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado
• Maurer, Maurer. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force: World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1982.
• USAF Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor, January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).
• USAFHRA 54th Fighter Squadron Factsheet