76th Fighter Squadron

76th Fighter Squadron
	Emblem of the 76th Fighter Squadron
Active	17 December 1941-
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Fighter
Engagements	World War II; Iraqi War

The 76th Fighter Squadron (76 FS) is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to the 476th Fighter Group and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.

During World War II, the 76th Fighter Squadron was one of the three original squadrons (74th, 75th, 76th) of the 23d Fighter Group.

History[]

World War II[]

The history of the 76th dates to the earliest days of World War II. During the summer of 1941, Claire Lee Chennault formed a small group of American pilots into three fighter squadrons, the American Volunteer Group, of the Chinese Air Force.^[1] The unit immediately garnered international attention for their combat successes while defending China and Burma, and they became known as the "Flying Tigers."^[1] Some members of the AVG joined or rejoined the United States Air Force after the AVG was disbanded.^[2]^[3]^[4]

The 76th squadron remained in combat in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater from 18 July 1942 to 11 August 1945, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for missions in China in June 1944.^[5]

Cold War[]

After World War II, the squadron performed air defense intercept operations in Guam, 1946–1949, in Panama, 1949, and at various bases in the eastern United States, 1955-1963.^[5] In 1960, "in order to position its diminishing interceptor force as nearly astride enemy approaches as possible", Air Defense Command received approval to move the squadron from McCoy AFB in Florida to Westover AFB in Massachusetts. It disposed of its Northrop F-89 Scorpions by the end of 1960. Between February and April 1961, the squadron had re-equipped with Convair F-102 Delta Daggers.^[6] The squadron trained in and conducted close air support operations, 1972-1992.^[5] A portion of the squadron deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1990 and took part in operations against Iraq in early 1991.^[5]

Space Operations era[]

Lessons from Desert Storm on space power convinced Air Force leaders to reactivate 76th Fighter Squadron as the 76th Space Operations Squadron in December 1995. The 76th Space Operations Squadron (76 SOPS) was activated at the National Test Facility at Falcon AFB, Colorado as a component of the 14th Air Force on 1 December 1995.^[7]

The mission of the 76th SOPS was to assist air component commanders in understanding and applying space systems in support of air operations. The unit's aim was to ensure that command and control, communications, weather, navigation, and other space assets were used to most effectively multiply US and allied combat forces capabilities against an adversary.^[5]

The 76th deployed Air Force Space Support Teams to bring "space expertise" to expeditionary air forces and air operations centers around the world. Over their tenure, the 76th Space Operations Squadron deployed to make significant contributions during JOINT ENDEAVOR, DENY FLIGHT, DESERT FOX, DESERT THUNDER, and ALLIED FORCE.^[5] It was inactivated in 2008^[5] and its place taken by a newly constituted unit with the same designation^[8] in preparation for

Reborn Fighter Squadron[]

In 2009, the squadron was redesignated 76th Fighter Squadron and moved to Moody AFB, Georgia, while

Lineage[]

Constituted as 76th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 17 December 1941

Redesignated 76th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942

Activated on 4 July 1942

Redesignated 76th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 28 February 1944

Inactivated on 5 January 1946

Activated on 10 October 1946

Redesignated 76th Fighter Squadron, Jet on 3 May 1949

Inactivated on 24 September 1949

Redesignated 76th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 20 June 1955

Activated on 18 August 1955

Discontinued and inactivated, on 1 July 1963

Redesignated 76th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 18 May 1972

Activated on 1 October 1972

Redesignated 76th Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1991

Inactivated on 29 May 1992

Redesignated 76th Space Operations Squadron on 21 November 1995

Activated on 1 December 1995

Inactivated on 21 January 2001

Redesignated 76th Space Control Squadron and activated, on 22 January 2001

Inactivated on 22 January 2008

Redesignated 76th Fighter Squadron on 6 January 2009

Activated on 1 February 2009.

Assignments[]

23d Fighter Group, 4 July 1942 – 5 January 1946
23d Fighter Group, 10 October 1946 – 24 September 1949
23d Fighter Group, 18 August 1955
35th Air Division, 9 November 1957
32d Air Division, 15 November 1958
Boston Air Defense Sector, 1 February 1961 – 1 July 1963
23d Tactical Fighter (later, 23 Fighter) Wing, 1 October 1972 – 29 May 1992
Fourteenth Air Force, 1 December 1995
614th Space Operations Group, 28 August 1998
21st Operations Group, 31 March 2000 – 21 January 2001
21st Operations Group, 22 January 2001 – 22 January 2008
476th Fighter Group, 1 February 2009–present

Stations[]

Wujiaba Airport, Kunming, China, 4 July 1941
Kweilin, China, 25 July 1942
Kunming, China, 18 August 1942
Lingling, China, 13 May 1943
Hengyang, China, 11 August 1943

Detachment operated from Suichwan, China, 3 October – 7 December 1943

Kweilin, China, 21 November 1943
Suichwan, China, 26 December 1943
Lingling, China, 1 June 1944
Liuchow, China, July 1944
Luliang, China, c. 12 September 1944
Liuchow, China, 24 August 1945
Hangchow, China, 15 October – 4 December 1945

Fort Lewis, Washington, 3–5 January 1946
Northwest Field (Guam), 10 October 1946 – 3 April 1949
Howard AFB, Panama Canal Zone, 25 April – 24 September 1949
Presque Isle AFB, Maine, 18 August 1955
Pinecastle (later, McCoy) AFB, Florida, 8 November 1957
Westover AFB, Massachusetts, 1 February 1961 – 1 July 1963
England AFB, Louisiana, 1 October 1972 – 29 May 1992

Deployed aircraft and personnel to King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia, August 1990-April 1991

Falcon (later, Schriever) AFB, Colorado, 1 December 1995
Peterson AFB, Colorado, 1 December 1999 – 21 January 2001; 22 January 2001 – 22 January 2008
Moody AFB, Georgia, 1 February 2009–present

Aircraft[]

P-40 Warhawk, 1942–1944
P-51 Mustang, 1944–1945
P-47 Thunderbolt, 1946–1949
RF-80 Shooting Star, 1949
F-89D Scorpion, 1955–1957

F-89H Scorpion, 1957–1959
F-89J Scorpion, 1959–1961
F-102 Delta Dagger, 1961–1963
A-7D Corsair II, 1972–1981
A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1981–1992, 2009–present

References[]

Notes[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Rossi, J.R. (1998). "History: The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force". AVG. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/tiger1.htm.
↑ Rossi, J.R.. "Older biography". The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/bio-older.htm.
↑ Rossi, J.R.. "Adair biography". The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/bio-adair.htm.
↑ Rossi, J.R.. "Bailey biography". The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/bio-Bailey.htm.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 ^5.6 Robertson, Patsy, AFHRA Factsheet, 76th Fighter Squadron (10/23/2009) (retrieved April 16, 2013)
↑ McMullen, Richard F. (1964) The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964, ADC Historical Study No. 27 pp. 2-3 (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000)
↑ Space Tactics Bulletin, Vol 3, Issue 1, Winter 1995
↑ Haulman, Daniel L., AFHRA Factsheet, 76th Space Control Squadron 7/10/2009 (retrieved April 17, 2013)

Bibliography[]

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

McMullen, Richard F. (1964) The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964, ADC Historical Study No. 27 (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000)
Rossi, J.R.. "AVG American Volunteer Group - Flying Tigers". http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/.

See Also

Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980. Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/handbookofadcorg.pdf.
Maurer, Maurer, ed (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/combat_sq_of_the_af_wwii.pdf.
USAF Aerospace Defense Command publication, The Interceptor', January 1979 (Volume 21, Number 1).

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 76th Fighter Squadron and the edit history here.

[tiger1-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Rossi, J.R. (1998). "History: The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force". AVG. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/tiger1.htm.

[2] Rossi, J.R.. "Older biography". The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/bio-older.htm.

[3] Rossi, J.R.. "Adair biography". The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/bio-adair.htm.

[4] Rossi, J.R.. "Bailey biography". The Flying Tigers - American Volunteer Group - Chinese Air Force. http://www.flyingtigersavg.22web.org/bio-Bailey.htm.

[76FSfacts-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 ^5.6 Robertson, Patsy, AFHRA Factsheet, 76th Fighter Squadron (10/23/2009) (retrieved April 16, 2013)

[6] McMullen, Richard F. (1964) The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964, ADC Historical Study No. 27 pp. 2-3 (Confidential, declassified 22 March 2000)

[7] Space Tactics Bulletin, Vol 3, Issue 1, Winter 1995

[8] Haulman, Daniel L., AFHRA Factsheet, 76th Space Control Squadron 7/10/2009 (retrieved April 17, 2013)

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