100th Fighter Squadron
Encyclopedia
Alabama Air National Guard
The Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard...
. Its parent unit is the 187th Fighter Wing
187th Fighter Wing
The United States Air Force's 187th Fighter Wing is a unit located at Dannelly Field, Alabama.-Mission:To provide the state Governor, National Command Authority, and Combatant Commanders with a superbly equipped and trained general purpose F-16C+ Block 30 Aviation Package, associated Expeditionary...
. It was activated in 2007 in Alabama to replace the 160th Fighter Squadron
160th Fighter Squadron
The 160th Fighter Squadron flew the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. It was unit of the Alabama Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 187th Fighter Wing...
so the state could honor the sacrifices of the Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps....
.
World War II
The 100th was one of the Tuskegee AirmenTuskegee Airmen
The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War II. Formally, they were the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corps....
squadrons during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, one of the famous all-black squadrons of the 332nd Fighter Group
332nd Fighter Group
The 332d Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to the 332d Fighter Wing at Lockbourne AFB, Ohio. It was deactivated on 1 July 1949....
, activated on 19 February 1942 at Tuskegee Army Air Field, Alabama, but which remained largely unmanned until it arrived at Selfridge Field
Selfridge Field
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens.-Units and organizations:...
, Michigan in late March 1943. There it received sufficient personnel and the squadron began operational training with P-39 and P-40 aircraft. The 100th completed training in December 1943 and prepared to move overseas.
The squadron sailed in early January 1944 aboard the SS William Few
William Few
William Few, Jr. was an American politician and a farmer, and a businessman and a Founding Father of the United States. William represented the U.S. state of Georgia at the Constitutional Convention....
and arrived in Italy in early February 1944, becoming part of the Twelfth Air Force, Mediterranean Theater of Operations
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army was originally called North African Theater of Operations and is an American term for the conflict that took place between the Allies and Axis Powers in North Africa and Italy during World War II...
(MTO). The 100th flew its first combat mission on 19 February 1944. The squadron engaged in missions such as harbor protection, point-to-point patrol, convoy escort, armed reconnaissance, air rescue and strafing. In May 1944 the 100th was reassigned to the Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
and thereafter the squadron’s primary duty was providing escort for bombers striking enemy oil and industrial targets in central Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. While initially equipped with P-39 and P-47 aircraft, in June 1944 the squadron received P-51 aircraft, which they used for the remainder of the war.
In August 1944 the unit attacked enemy positions on the French coast in preparation for the invasion of southern France. They escorted Fifteenth Air Force bombers in attacks on the assault beaches on 15 August 1944. After this they returned to escorting heavy bombers to targets in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. They also attacked targets such as enemy airdromes, troop concentrations, communications lines, and enemy aircraft when the opportunity arose. The unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its performance during an escort to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
on 23 March 1945. The squadron, along with other squadrons of the 332nd Group, fought off a large enemy force, including jets
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
, allowing the bomber formation to complete its mission. The 100th flew its last mission in Europe on 30 April 1945. On 30 September 1945, the 100th sailed for the United States aboard the Levi Woodbury
USS Levi Woodbury
USS Levi Woodbury may refer to:*USRC Levi Woodbury , was a Revenue Cutter launched on 27 March 1837 and sold on 1 June 1847. She was often referred to as Woodbury in US Navy records....
and arrived at Camp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, NJ, on 17 October 1945. The squadron was inactivated on 19 October 1945.
The squadron trained in P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft between 1947 and 1949 at Lockbourne AFB, Ohio. The squadron was inactivated on 1 July 1949.
Air Refueling
In January 1953 the 100th was reactivated, this time as an air refuelingAerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
squadron. It remained unmanned until after its transfer to Lockbourne AFB
Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base
Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Air National Guard facility of the Ohio Air National Guard. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker...
, OH. The squadron received KB-29P Superfortress tanker aircraft and personnel from the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SRW) in July 1953. The 100th trained under the control of the 91st and provided air refueling for Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC) needs until November 1953.
The 100th Air Refueling Squadron was reactivated on 8 September 1954 at Robins AFB
Robins Air Force Base
Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
, but was not manned until the following month. It received its first KC-97E Stratotanker aircraft (also KC-97F/Gs) on 17 December 1954 and performed its first operational mission on 27 January 1955. The 100th trained and performed air refueling missions under the 19th Bombardment Wing. The squadron periodically deployed aircrews and aircraft to provide air refueling from other bases beginning in September 1955: Goose AB
CFB Goose Bay
Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay , is a Canadian Forces Base located in the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador....
, Labrador in September–October 1955; Ernest Harmon Air Force Base
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United Kingdom....
, Newfoundland in February 1956; and Lajes AB
Lajes Field
Lajes Field or Lajes Air Base , officially designated Air Base No. 4 , is a multi-use air field, home to the Portuguese Air Force Base Aérea Nº4 and Azores Air Zone Command , a United States Air Force detachment , and a regional air passenger terminal located near Lajes...
, Azores in March 1956.
The squadron relocated to Portsmouth AFB (later Pease)
Pease Air National Guard Base
Pease Air National Guard Base is a New Hampshire Air National Guard base located at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. Formerly, the base was open as Pease Air Force Base until it was closed in 1991. Before it was closed, it was under the control of the United States Air Force's Strategic...
, New Hampshire, in August 1956 and was reassigned to the 100th Bombardment Wing. It continued its air refueling mission from its home base as well as deploying to RAF Greenham Common
RAF Greenham Common
RAF Station Greenham Common is a former military airfield in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of Thatcham; about west of London....
, England in January–April 1957 and Thule AB
Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located north of the Arctic Circle and from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland. It is approximately east of the North Magnetic Pole.-Overview:Thule Air Base is the...
, Greenland in December 1957-April 1958. From August 1960 until 1 July 1964 it provided a continuous air refueling commitment from Goose AB, Labrador and from April–June 1964 provided a smaller commitment from Sondrestrom Air Base
Sondrestrom Air Base
Sondrestrom Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in Greenland, located north of the Arctic Circle, from the northeast end of Kangerlussuaq Fjord , after which it was named, approximately west northwest of Ravneklippen, and west of Sisimiut.The base was turned over to the Greenland...
, Greenland.
The 100th began phasing out in October 1965 and performed its last air refueling mission on 8 December 1965. The last KC-97 aircraft left for the Davis-Monthan AFB boneyard on 21 December 1965 and thereafter the squadron was not operational and was inactivated on 25 June 1966.
Operation Allied Force
The squadron was reactivated in 1999 as a provisional KC-135 Stratotanker unit at RAF MildenhallRAF Mildenhall
RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
, England to support NATO operations in the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
as part of Operation Allied Force
Operation Allied Force
The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The strikes lasted from March 24, 1999 to June 10, 1999...
. The 100th EARS relieved the 351st EARS on 9 April, equipped with 34 KC-135s. It was inactivated on 20 June 1999.
Pilot Training
The squadron provided academic and upgrade pilot training and managed the Accelerated Co-pilot Enrichment (ACE) program from 1989 to 1993. It trained in the T-1 Jayhawk, T-6 Texan II and T-38 Talon aircraft conducting flight training at Randolph Air Force BaseRandolph Air Force Base
Randolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east-northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
, from 1999 to 2007.
Lineage
- Constituted 100th Pursuit Squadron on 27 Dec 1941
- Activated on 19 Feb 1942
- Redesignated 100th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
- Inactivated on 19 Oct 1945.
- Activated on 1 Jul 1947
- Inactivated on 1 Jul 1949
- Redesignated 100th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Jan 1953
- Activated on 23 May 1953
- Inactivated on 24 Nov 1953
- Reactivated on 8 Sep 1954
- Inactivated on 25 June 1966
- Redesignated as 100th Flying Training Squadron on 1 Sep 1989
- Activated in the reserve on 1 Sep 1989
- Inactivated on 1 Apr 1993
- Redesignated 100th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and converted to provisional status, 9 Apr 1999
- Activated on 9 Apr 1999
- Inactivated on 20 June 1999
- Reactivated as 100th Flying Training Squadron and converted to regular status on 1 July 1999
- Inactivated on 12 Sep 2007
- Allocated to the Alabama Air National GuardAlabama Air National GuardThe Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard...
on 13 Sep 2007
- Allocated to the Alabama Air National Guard
- Redesignated as 100th Fighter Squadron on 13 Sep 2007
- Activated on 13 Sep 2007 by resesignation of the 160th Fighter Squadron160th Fighter SquadronThe 160th Fighter Squadron flew the F-16C/D Fighting Falcon. It was unit of the Alabama Air National Guard. Its parent unit is the 187th Fighter Wing...
Assignments
- Southeast Air Corps (later Army Air Forces) Training Center, 19 Feb 1942
- Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 4 Jul 1942 - 332d Fighter Group, 13 Oct 1942-19 Oct 1945; 1 Jul 1947-1 Jul 1949
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 23 May-24 November 1953 - Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, 8 Sep 1954-
- Attached to: 19th Bombardment Wing, 2 Feb-16 Aug 1956
- 100th Bombardment Wing, 16 August 1956-25 June 1966
- 82d Flying Training Wing, 1 Jun 1988
- 82d Operations Group82d Operations GroupThe 82d Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 82d Training Wing, being assigned to Williams Air Force Base, Arizona...
, 15 Dec 1991-26 Jun 1992- 100th Expeditionary Operations Group, 9 Apr-20 Jun 1999
- 340th Flying Training Group340th Flying Training GroupThe 340th Flying Training Group is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Tenth Air Force...
, 1 Jul 1999-12 Sep 2007 - 187th Fighter Wing187th Fighter WingThe United States Air Force's 187th Fighter Wing is a unit located at Dannelly Field, Alabama.-Mission:To provide the state Governor, National Command Authority, and Combatant Commanders with a superbly equipped and trained general purpose F-16C+ Block 30 Aviation Package, associated Expeditionary...
, 13 Sep 2007–Present
Bases stationed
- Tuskegee, AlabamaTuskegee, AlabamaTuskegee is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 11,846 and is designated a Micropolitan Statistical Area. Tuskegee has been an important site in various stages of African American history....
(1942–1943) - Selfridge Field, Michigan (1943)
- Oscoda Army Air FieldWurtsmith Air Force BaseWurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in northeastern Iosco County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The former base includes located approximately two miles west of Lake Huron in the Charter Township of Oscoda, bordered by Van Ettan Lake, the Au Sable State...
, Florida (1943) - MontecorvinoSalerno Costa d'Amalfi AirportThe Salerno Costa d'Amalfi Airport, located in the municipality of Pontecagnano Faiano and close to Bellizzi, is an airport in southern Italy, near to Salerno, the Amalfi Coast and the Cilento area. It is commonly known also as Salerno-Pontecagnano Airport.-History:The airport was founded in 1926...
, Italy (1944) - CapodichinoNaples AirportNaples Airport can refer to:*Naples International Airport in Naples, Italy*Naples Municipal Airport in Naples, Florida...
, Italy (1944) - RamitelliFoggia Airfield ComplexThe Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy...
, Italy (1944–1945) - CattolicaCattolica AirfieldCattolica Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, which was located in the vicinity of Cattolica ; about 230 km north-northeast of Rome...
, Italy (1945) - Lucerna, Italy (1945)
- Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New Jersey (1945) - Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio (1947–1949)
- Turner Air Force BaseTurner Air Force BaseTurner Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base whose site is located within the current city limits of Albany, Georgia. Following its closure as a USAF installation in the late 1960s, it was transferred to the U.S. Navy and renamed Naval Air Station Albany...
, Georgia (1953) - Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio (1953)
- Turner Air Force Base, Georgia (1953–1954)
- Robins Air Force BaseRobins Air Force BaseRobins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of and adjacent to the city of Warner Robins, Georgia, SSE of Macon, Georgia, and about SSE of Atlanta, Georgia...
, Georgia (1954–1956) - Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire (1956–1966)
- Williams Air Force BaseWilliams Air Force BaseWilliams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in Mesa, and about southeast of Phoenix, Arizona.It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993...
, Arizona (1989–1993) - RAF MildenhallRAF MildenhallRAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
, England (1999) - Randolph Air Force BaseRandolph Air Force BaseRandolph Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located east-northeast of San Antonio, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 902d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command ....
, Texas (1999–2007) - Montgomery Regional AirportMontgomery Regional AirportMontgomery Regional Airport , also known as Dannelly Field, is a joint civil-military public airport located six miles southwest of the central business district of Montgomery, a city in Montgomery County and the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama...
, Alabama (2007–Present)
Aircraft
- P-39 Airacobra (1943, 1944)
- P-40 Warhawk (1943)
- P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
(1944, 1947–1949) - P-51 MustangP-51 MustangThe North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
(1944–1945) - KB-29 Superfortress (1953)
- KC-97 StratotankerKC-97 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker was a United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.-Design and development:...
(1954–1965)
- KC-135 StratotankerKC-135 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
, (1999) - T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
(1999–2007) - T-1 Jayhawk (1999–2007)
- T-6 Texan IIT-6 Texan IIThe Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engined turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company . Based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 is used by the United States Air Force for basic pilot training and by the United States Navy for Primary and Intermediate Joint Naval Flight Officer and...
(2000–2007) - F-16C/D Fighting Falcon (2007–Present)