301st Fighter Wing

Three-aircraft formation of Republic P-47N Thunderbolts

The 301st Fighter Wing was organized in the United States under First Air Force, initially at Seymour-Johnson Field, North Carolina in October 1944, then moved to Mitchel Field on Long Island in November. On Long Island, the wing coordinated the delivery of the very long range Republic P-47N Thunderbolt from its manufacturing plant at Farmingdale, with aircraft being flown to North Carolina where two of the newly assigned groups of the 301st (413th and 414th) were training.

The war in the Pacific required fighter ranges even greater than did operations over Germany, and the mission of the 301st Fighter Wing was to provide bomber escort for Twentieth Air Force B-29 Superfortress bombers during their strategic bombing missions over Japan in 1945.

Soon after Saipan and Guam were taken with B-29 units being assigned there, the 318th Group formed on the Ryukyu Islands, consisting of six fighter groups, the 15th and 21st (being transferred from Seventh Air Force) and the 413th, 414th, 506th and 507th, all being deployed from the United States. Being the first wing to be equipped with the P-47N, the groups operated as a long-range escort for B-29 Superfortress bombers attacking the Japanese mainland all the way from Saipan to Japan and on many other long, overwater flights.

In July 1945 the 301st was reassigned to the Eighth Air Force with the same mission for Eighth Air Force in the planned invasion of Japan. The atomic bombings of Japan led to the Japanese surrender before Eighth Air Force saw action in the Pacific theater.

The wing was reassigned to Far East Air Forces when Eighth Air Force was returned to the United States in 1946. Its four wartime fighter groups returned to the United States early in 1946, being replaced by the 51st Fighter Group as its operational unit. It served as part of the Army of Occupation on Okinawa. The wing performed air defense role over the Ryukyu Islands. After 18 August 1948, the wing had no units assigned and existed as a paper unit until inactivated on 20 January 1949.

Wing Republic F-105[note 2]

Wing McDonnell F-4E[note 3]

The 301st was reactivated in July 1972 as the 301st Tactical Fighter Wing at Carswell AFB, Texas in the United States Air Force Reserve. Upon reactivation the wing was assigned the Republic F-105 "Thunderchief", with the Carswell-based 457th Fighter Squadron using specially modified version of the F-105D called the "Thunderstick II". The 301st Fighter Wing led the way for Air Force Reserve fighter units in deploying to overseas bases for NATO exercises when it deployed to Norvenich Air Base, Germany, in August 1977 and Gioia del Colle Air Base, Italy, in May 1979.

In 1981, the wing converted to the McDonnell-Douglas F-4D Phantom II. Subsequent overseas deployments by the 301st Fighter Wing included Cigli Air Base, Turkey, in October 1982. A deployment to Sivrihisar Air Base, Turkey, in May 1985 was an AFRES first when they operated under bare base conditions. The unit also deployed to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, Roosevelt Roads Naval Air Station in Puerto Rico, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, and Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska. In 1987 the unit began swapping to the newer F-4E Phantom II. During Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, many wing people were recalled to active duty and served at various locations throughout the United States, Germany, England, and Southwest Asia.

In April 1991, the wing converted to the F-16C/D, "Fighting Falcon".

In December 1993, the wing deployed six F-16s, (along with six from the 944th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona), and approximately 350 wing people to Aviano Air Base, Italy, in support of United Nations Operation Deny Flight mission. Due to the wing converting from the F-4 to the F-16 fighter aircraft during Desert Shield/Storm, this voluntary deployment to Aviano AB was the first non-exercise operational aviation deployment since flying fighters out of Carswell in 1972. Due to achieving the highest rating possible from the May 1994 Operational Readiness Inspection and supporting the Deny Flight mission, the 301st Fighter Wing was awarded as an Air Force outstanding unit for the period May 1992 to May 1994.

In May and June 1997, the wing deployed to Karup Air Base, Denmark. The wing joined forces with three U.S. Air Force units and foreign air forces in two separate exercises while in Denmark. The first was the command and control Exercise Central Enterprise. The second exercise was called BALTOPS (Baltic Operations).

In May 1998, the wing deployed with six Air Force Reserve aircraft to fly Operation Southern Watch sorties from Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, Kuwait.

Elements of the 301st Fighter Wing deployed in October 2001 to the Middle East as part of a regularly scheduled aerospace expeditionary force rotation to enforce the no-fly zone over southern Iraq. While there, the reservists also began flying combat missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF) over Afghanistan. Throughout the 90-day deployment, the reservists flew between nine and 15 hours a day.

In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to realign Hill AFB. It would distribute nine of the 419th Fighter Wing F-16s to the 301st Fighter Wing. In 2007 the wing gained another eight aircraft from the 192d Fighter Wing of the Virginia Air National Guard bringing its total to 32 airplanes.

• First Air Force ( Attached to I Fighter Command, 15 October 1944)
• Twentieth Air Force, 21 May 1945 (Attached to Army Air Forces, Pacific Ocean Area, 21 May 1945, Seventh Air Force, 1 Jun – 14 August 1945)
• Eighth Air Force, 15 August 1945
• 1st Air Division, 7 June 1946
• Thirteenth Air Force, 1 December 1948 – 20 January 1949
• Central Air Force Reserve Region, 1 July 1972
• Tenth Air Force, 8 October 1976 – present[2]

Groups

Squadrons

• 305th Fighter Control Squadron: 1 December 1945 – 17 August 1948
• 418th Night Fighter Squadron: 20 March 1946 – 20 February 1947
• 457th Fighter Squadron: 25 March 1973 – 1 August 1992
• 465th Fighter Squadron: 25 March 1973 – 17 October 1975
• 466th Fighter Squadron: 25 March 1973 – 17 October 1975
• 548th Night Fighter Squadron: attached 8 June – 14 July 1945[2]

• Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, 15 October 1944
• Mitchel Field, New York, 1 November 1944 – 30 May 1945
• Ie Shima Airfield, Okinawa, 31 July 1945
• Kadena Airfield, Okinawa, 29 November 1945
• Naha Airfield, Okinawa, 14 August 1947 – 20 January 1949
• Carswell Air Force Base (later Carswell Air Reserve Base, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth), 1 July 1972 – present[2]

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

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• Martin, Patrick (1994). Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Schiffer Military Aviation History. ISBN 0-88740-513-4.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.