121st Fighter Squadron: Difference between revisions
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The mission of the 121st Fighter Squadron was the air defense of of the District of Columbia, along with southern Maryland and northern Virginia. Parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts. In some ways, the postwar Air National Guard was almost like a flying country club and a pilot could often show up at the field, check out an aircraft and go flying. However, the unit also had regular military exercises that kept up proficiency and in gunnery and bombing contests they would often score at least as well or better than active-duty USAF units, given the fact that most ANG pilots were World War II combat veterans. |
The mission of the 121st Fighter Squadron was the air defense of of the District of Columbia, along with southern Maryland and northern Virginia. Parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts. In some ways, the postwar Air National Guard was almost like a flying country club and a pilot could often show up at the field, check out an aircraft and go flying. However, the unit also had regular military exercises that kept up proficiency and in gunnery and bombing contests they would often score at least as well or better than active-duty USAF units, given the fact that most ANG pilots were World War II combat veterans. |
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In December 1949 the 121st Fighter Squadron converted from its F-47s to F¬84C Thunderjets as the first Air National Guard squadron to be equipped with jet aircraft. It was not to be a happy relationship. During 1950, the 121st had lost four Thunderjets in accidents, and two more to undetermined other causes. |
In December 1949 the 121st Fighter Squadron converted from its F-47s to F¬84C Thunderjets as the first Air National Guard squadron to be equipped with jet aircraft. It was not to be a happy relationship. During 1950, the 121st had lost four Thunderjets in accidents, and two more to undetermined other causes. |
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====Korean War activation==== |
====Korean War activation==== |
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With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June |
With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized placed on active duty on 1 February 1951. The 113th Fighter Group was assigned to Air Defense Command and was re-designated as a Fighter-Interceptor Group. |
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The 113th FIG was composed of the D.C. ANG 121st and Delaware ANG 142d Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons, both equipped with F-84Cs, along with the Pennsylvania ANG F-51D Mustang equipped 148th Fighter Squadron at Spaatz Field, Reading. |
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On 20 March ADC established the 113th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, with the 113th FIG as its operational component. The wing was moved from Andrews AFB to join with the 142nd FIS at New Castle AFB, Delaware. Its mission was the air defense of Delaware Bay and the Delmarva peninsula. |
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In April 1951, with the 116th Fighter Squadron at Geiger AFB, Washington slated to switch to F-86As, the 113th FIG sent fifteen pilots to Geiger to obtain their F-84Cs for use by the 148th FIS. These aircraft were considered to be "so poor" that they were all flown to the 113th Maintenance Squadron, then at Dover AFB, Delaware for total refurbishment before they would be accepted by the 148th FIS. |
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In September 1951 the 113th FIW converted to F-94B Starfires with partial all-weather capabilities. During the six months the newly constituted 113th FIW was operational with the F-84C, each squadron had lost one example in an operational accident. Its federalization period ending, the 113th FIW was released from active duty and returned to District of Columbia control, 1 November 1952. |
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====Air Defense==== |
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===Lineage=== |
===Lineage=== |
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Revision as of 00:37, 16 November 2012
| 121st Fighter Squadron | |
|---|---|
 General Dynamics F-16D Block 30 Fighting Falcon (s/n 85-1509) from the 121st Fighter Squadron | |
| Active | 1940-Present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Fighter |
| Part of | District of Columbia Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | Joint Base Andrews, Camp Springs, Maryland |
| Nickname(s) | Capital Guardians |
| Tail Code | "DC" Red tailstripe w/stars |
| Insignia | |
| 121st Fighter Squadron emblem |  |
The 121st Fighter Squadron (121 FS) is a unit of the District of Columbia Air National Guard 113th Wing located at Joint Base Andrews, Camp Springs, Maryland. The 121st is equipped with the Block 30 F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.
The squadron is a descendant organization of the 121st Observation Squadron, established on 10 July 1940. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.
Heraldry
The 121st eventually received a fuselage insignia, an iron fist and jet fighter superimposed on a national shield, developed and approved in the early 1960s. It was thought that the unit had no previous insignia, but the designers were incorrect. A Maryland Terrapin originally flew with the DC Air Guard and, many years later, was reinstated in the unit's insignia.
The original design, approved in 1943, and authenticated as correct by the Air Museum, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, is described as follows.
"A caricatured tan and brown turtle proper , riding a "pogo" stick, leaving a trail of hops and impact marks black, all outlined light turquoise blue. Significance: The turtle depicts slow but sure travel, as characterized by the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare" in "Aesop's Fables." The short hops and limited range of liaison airplanes are depicted by the short hops the turtle is making on the pogo stick."
History
Origins
Established by the National Guard Bureau as the 112th Observation Squadron and allocated to the District of Columbia National Guard in July 1940. Not organized until April 1941, formed in Washington D. C. without aircraft assigned.
World War II
Unit was ordered to active duty in April 1941 as part of the build up of the Army Air Corps after the Fall of France. Assigned to Bolling Field, D.C. and equipped with light observation aircraft. Transferred to Third Air Force in September 1941, began flying coastal anti-submarine flights over the South Carolina coastline from airfields in the Columbia area. Moved to First Air Force at Langley Field, Virginia, again engaging in antisubmarine patrols over the Maryland, Virginia and upper North Carolina coasts and the approaches to Chesapeake Bay. Moved to Birmingham, Alabama in October 1942 and inactivated. Squadron personnel being reassigned to other units and aircraft being transferred to other duties.
Reactivated in April 1943 as a liaison and Observation squadron, mission to support Army ground units by flying photo and tactical observation missions, performing battlefield reconnaissance for enemy ground forces, spotting for artillery fire. Was deployed to Twelfth Air Force in Algeria in March 1944, engaging in liaison and courier operations for Headquarters, Army Air Forces, MTO. Equipped with various light observation aircraft, some A-20 Havoc light bombers used for aerial photo-reconnaissance and modified A-24 Banshee dive bombers taken out of combat and modified into RA-24 photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
Reassigned to Fifth Army in Italy in September, engaged in combat reconnaissance and photo-reconnaissance in Italy as part of Italian Campaign. Elements transferred to Seventh Army in Southern France, performing combat reconnaissance as part of the Southern France Campaign. Elements remained attached to the Ninth Air Force and Sixth United States Army Group during the Rhineland Campaign and the Western Allied Invasion of Germany. Remaining elements in Italy as part of Fifth Army advanced north as enemy forces withdrew north of Rome, eventually being stationed near Florence in the spring of 1945.
Returned to the United States at Drew Field, Florida in August 1945. Most personnel were demobilized although unit remained active until being inactivated in Oklahoma in November 1945.
District of Columbia Air National Guard
The wartime 121st Liaison Squadron was re-designated as the 121st Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the District of Columbia Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Andrews Army Airfield, Maryland, and was extended federal recognition on 20 October 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 121st Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 121st Liaison Squadron and all predecessor units. The squadron was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned to the D. C. ANG 113th Fighter Group, operationally gained by Continental Air Command.
The mission of the 121st Fighter Squadron was the air defense of of the District of Columbia, along with southern Maryland and northern Virginia. Parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts. In some ways, the postwar Air National Guard was almost like a flying country club and a pilot could often show up at the field, check out an aircraft and go flying. However, the unit also had regular military exercises that kept up proficiency and in gunnery and bombing contests they would often score at least as well or better than active-duty USAF units, given the fact that most ANG pilots were World War II combat veterans.
In December 1949 the 121st Fighter Squadron converted from its F-47s to F¬84C Thunderjets as the first Air National Guard squadron to be equipped with jet aircraft. It was not to be a happy relationship. During 1950, the 121st had lost four Thunderjets in accidents, and two more to undetermined other causes.
Korean War activation
With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized placed on active duty on 1 February 1951. The 113th Fighter Group was assigned to Air Defense Command and was re-designated as a Fighter-Interceptor Group. The 113th FIG was composed of the D.C. ANG 121st and Delaware ANG 142d Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons, both equipped with F-84Cs, along with the Pennsylvania ANG F-51D Mustang equipped 148th Fighter Squadron at Spaatz Field, Reading.
On 20 March ADC established the 113th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, with the 113th FIG as its operational component. The wing was moved from Andrews AFB to join with the 142nd FIS at New Castle AFB, Delaware. Its mission was the air defense of Delaware Bay and the Delmarva peninsula.
In April 1951, with the 116th Fighter Squadron at Geiger AFB, Washington slated to switch to F-86As, the 113th FIG sent fifteen pilots to Geiger to obtain their F-84Cs for use by the 148th FIS. These aircraft were considered to be "so poor" that they were all flown to the 113th Maintenance Squadron, then at Dover AFB, Delaware for total refurbishment before they would be accepted by the 148th FIS.
In September 1951 the 113th FIW converted to F-94B Starfires with partial all-weather capabilities. During the six months the newly constituted 113th FIW was operational with the F-84C, each squadron had lost one example in an operational accident. Its federalization period ending, the 113th FIW was released from active duty and returned to District of Columbia control, 1 November 1952.
Air Defense
Lineage
- Constituted as 121st Observation Squadron in the National Guard 30 July 1940 and allotted to the District of Columbia
- Organized and Federally recognized on 10 April 1941
- Ordered to active service on 1 September 1941
- Re-designated: 121st Observation Squadron (Light) on 13 January 1942
- Re-designated: 121st Observation Squadron on 4 July 1942
- Inactivated on 18 October 1942
- Re-designated 121st Liaison Squadron on 2 April 1943
- Activated on 30 April 1943
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Re-designated: 121st Fighter Squadron, and allotted to District of Columbia ANG on 24 May 1946
- Extended federal recognition on 26 October 1946
- Re-designated: 121st Fighter Squadron (Jet) in December 1949
- Federalized and ordered to active service on: 1 February 1951
- Re-designated: 121st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 February 1951
- Released from active duty and returned to District of Columbia control, 1 November 1952
- Re-designated: 121st Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 November 1958
- Federalized and ordered to active service on: 26 January 1968
- Released from active duty and returned to District of Columbia control, 18 June 1969
- Re-designated: 121st Fighter Squadron on 15 March 1993
- Components designated as: 121st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron when deployed as part of an Air and Space Expeditionary unit after June 1996.
Assignments
- District of Columbia National Guard, 10 Apr 1941
- 65th Observation Group, 1 Sep 1941-18 October 1942
- 76th Reconnaissance Group, 30 Apr 1943
- I Air Support Command (later I Tactical Air Division), 11 Aug 1943
- Army Air Forces, MTO, Mar 1944
- Attached to United States Fifth Army after 30 Sep 1944
- Two flights assigned to: United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe, 1 Nov 1944
- Two flights assigned to: Ninth Air Force, 29 Nov 1944
- Two flights assigned to: First Tactical Air Force [Prov], 22 Dec 1944-1 Mar 1945
- Further attached to: Sixth United States Army Group, Sep 1944-1 Mar 1945
- Twelfth Air Force, 25 Feb 1945
- Attached to: United States Fifth Army to c. July 1945
- Third Air Force, 25 Aug-7 Nov 1945
- 113th Fighter Group, 24 May 1946
- 113th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 Feb 1951
- 113th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 Nov 1958
- 113th Tactical Fighter Wing, 9 Dec 1974
- 113th Operations Group, 15 Mar 1992-Present
Stations
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District of Columbia National Guard deployments
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Aircraft
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See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- 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.
External links
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