46th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last assignment was with the Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
1st Tactical Fighter Wing
1st Fighter Wing
The 1st Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Ninth Air Force. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Va...
stationed at MacDill AFB, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. It was first activated on December 1, 1940 prior to 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...
. It was inactivated then reactivated between 1946 and 1962 until the final inactivation on July 1, 1971.
History
The 46th, who was initially assigned to the 15th Fighter/Pursuit Group, its history goes back to World War II, when the 15th Pursuit Group was largely destroyed during the December 7th, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
at Hickam Field. Japan's new premier, General Tojo Hideki, taking office in mid-October of 1941, secretly set November 29, 1941 as the last day on which Japan would accept a settlement without war. This decision set in motion a "Day In Infamy
Infamy Speech
The Presidential Address to Congress of December 8, 1941 was delivered at 12:30 p.m. that day to a Joint Session of Congress by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, one day after the Empire of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii...
" for which the 46th would be impacted by the attack on December 7th, 1941. The 46th was active 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...
, Korean
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, and Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
wars.
Lineage
- Constituted 46th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) on November 22, 1940
- Activated on December 1, 1940
- Redesignated: 46th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on February 12, 1942
- Redesignated: 46th Fighter Squadron on May 15, 1942
- Inactivated on October 10, 1946
- Redesignated: 46th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on September 11, 1952
- Activated on November 1, 1952
- Inactivated on July 1, 1958
- Redesignated 46th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and activated, on April 17, 1962
- Organized on July 1, 1962
- Inactivated on July 1, 1971
Assignments
- 15th Pursuit (later Fighter) Group15th Operations GroupThe 15th Operations Group is the flying component of the 15th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Thirteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii....
, December 1, 1940 - 21st Fighter Group, June 15, 1944 – October 10, 1946
- 4710th Defense (later Air Defense) Wing4710th Air Defense WingThe 4710th Air Defense Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 37th Air Division, being stationed at New Castle Airport, Delaware...
, November 1, 1952 - 4709th Air Defense Wing, March 1, 1956
- 4621st Air Defense Wing (later New York Air Defense Sector), October 1, 1956
- 4728th Air Defense Group4728th Air Defense GroupThe 4728th Air Defense Group is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the New York Air Defense Sector, being stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware...
, February 8, 1957 – July 1, 1958 - Tactical Air CommandTactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, April 17, 1962 - 15th Tactical Fighter Wing15th Airlift WingThe 15th Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. It is the airlift arm of Pacific Air Forces and United States Pacific Command and reports directly to the commander, Pacific Air Forces.-Mission:...
, July 1, 1962 - 1st Tactical Fighter Wing1st Fighter WingThe 1st Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Ninth Air Force. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Va...
, October 1, 1970 – July 1, 1971
Stations
- Wheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii...
, Schofield Barracks, OahuOahuOahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Hawaii Territory, December 1, 1940 - Hickam Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, February 6, 1942
- Mokuleia Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, May 22, 1942
- Hilo Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, December 16, 1942 – March 19, 1943
- Canton Airfield, Phoenix IslandsPhoenix IslandsThe Phoenix Islands are a group of eight atolls and two submerged coral reefs, lying in the central Pacific Ocean east of the Gilbert Islands and west of the Line Islands. They are a part of the Republic of Kiribati. During the late 1930s they became the site of the last attempted colonial...
, March 27, 1943 - Makin IslandMakin Island raidThe Makin Island Raid was an attack by the United States Marine Corps on Japanese military forces on Makin Island in the Pacific Ocean...
, December 18, 1943 - Wheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army AirfieldWheeler Army Airfield , also known as Wheeler Field and formerly as Wheeler Air Force Base, is a United States Army post located in the City & County of Honolulu and in the Wahiawa District of the Island of O'ahu, Hawaii...
, Hawaii Territory, February 17, 1944 - Mokuleia Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, October 13, 1944
- Central FieldCentral Field (Iwo Jima)Central Field was a World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, located in the Central Pacific. The Volcano Islands are part of Japan. The airfield was located on the southern corner of Iwo Jima located on the Motoyama plateau, to the north of Mount Suribachi.It was abandoned after...
, Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, March 26, 1945 - Isley Airfield, SaipanSaipanSaipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, December 5, 1945 - Northwest FieldNorthwest Field (Guam)Northwest Field is a former World War II airfield on Guam in the Mariana Islands. It was closed in 1949 and is unused.-History:Northwest Field was constructed in 1944–45 near Ritidian Point on the northwest end of the island of Guam as a base for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortresses to carry...
, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Mariana IslandsMariana IslandsThe Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, April 17 – October 10, 1946 - Dover AFB, DelawareDelawareDelaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, November 1952 – July 1, 1958 - MacDill AFB, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, July 1, 1962 – July 1, 1971 - Deployed to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force BaseUdorn Royal Thai Air Force BaseUdorn Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force base, the home of 2nd Air Division/23rd Wing Air Combat Command.The 231 Squadron "Hunter" is assigned to Udorn, equipped with the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet-A.-History:...
, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, May 11 – August 22, 1965; November 1–10, 1965
Aircraft
- Grumman OA-9Grumman GooseThe Grumman G-21 Goose amphibious aircraft was designed as an eight-seat "commuter" plane for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman’s first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service...
, 1940 - A-12 ShrikeA-12 Shrike|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng, eds. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1....
, 1940 - P-36 Hawk, 1940–1941
- P-39 Airacobra, 1941–1944
- Curtiss P-40Curtiss P-40The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
, 1941–1943 - P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
, 1944–1945 - 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...
, 1944–1946 - 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...
, 1946 - F-94B Starfire, 1952–1953
- F-94C Starfire, 1953–1958
- F-84 Thunderflash, 1962–1964
- F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
, 1964–1971
Operations History
- Patrols over the Pacific, December 7, 1941 – March 1943
- Canton Island, March 27, 1943, Commander: Kenneth R. Powell
- Combat in Central PacificCentral PacificCentral Pacific can refer to:* The Central Pacific Railroad, the western part of the Transcontinental Railroad in the United States* The Central Pacific Area, a subdivision of the Pacific Ocean Areas in World War II...
, December 18, 1943 – February 7, 1944
- Combat in Central Pacific
- Makin IslandMakin IslandMakin Island may refer to:* Butaritari, an atoll in Kiribati* Makin * USS Makin Island...
, December 18, 1943- Western Pacific, March 28, 1944 – August 14, 1945
- Eastern Mandates, GO 48 WD 45, January 31, 1944 - June 14, 1944
- Ground Combat Iwo JimaIwo JimaIwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, GO 48 WD 45, March, 26, 1945 - Antisubmarine Air Offensive Japan GO 81 WD 45
- Air Defense of Northeastern United States, 1952–1958
- Conducted tactical fighter combat crew training, 1962–1963
- Reorganized as a mission-capable unit at the time of the Cuban Missile CrisisCuban Missile CrisisThe Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
of 1962, returning afterwards to a training mission - Deployed to Southeast AsiaSoutheast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
in 1965 - Functioned as a replacement training unit for F-4 aircrews, 1965–1970
- Deployed F-4s at Seymour Johnson AFB, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, during the Pueblo CrisisUSS Pueblo (AGER-2)USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
in 1968 - Assets reassigned to 71st Tactical Fighter Squadron71st Fighter SquadronThe 71st Fighter Squadron was a squadron of the United States Air Force, currently part of the 1st Operations Group of the 1st Fighter Wing, and stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. The squadron is equipped with the F-15C Eagle, the last squadron of the 1st Fighter Wing to fly the...
- Inactivated on July 1, 1971
Commander History
- 1LT Lewis M. Sanders, 1941-1942, was commissioned in 1936. On December 6th, 1941, Lieutenant Sanders sent their aircraft to the eastern end of the field at Wheeler Field. The following day, during the attack, smoke from the burning planes and hangars drifted over their P-36s and hid them from the view of the attacking Japanese planes. Commander Sanders commanded the unit till the end of 1942 and was transferred to the 318th Fighter Group318th Fighter GroupThe 318th Fighter Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II.-History:...
as its commander. He participated in Saipan, Tinian, Guam, and Okinawan invasions. - Kenneth R. Powell, 1943
Awards
- Citations: Distinguished Unit Citation was issued in Japan on April 7th, 1945.
- Service Streamers: None
- Emblem: Blue disc a black sabre-tooth tiger passant in front of a horizontal bank of white clouds. (Approved 11 Mar 1942.)