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===Maryland Air National Guard===
===Maryland Air National Guard===
[[File:104th Fighter Squadron - North American F-51H-10-NA Mustang 44-64505.jpg|thumb|104th Fighter Squadron - North American F-51H-10-NA Mustang 44-64505]]
[[File:104th Fighter Squadron - North American F-51H-10-NA Mustang 44-64505.jpg|thumb|104th Fighter Squadron - North American F-51H-10-NA Mustang 44-64505]]
The wartime 489th Fighter Squadron was reconstituted on 21 June 1945 and re-designated as the 104th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Maryland Air National Guard as the 104th Fighter Squadron, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at [[Harbor Field]], Baltimore, Maryland, and was extended federal recognition on 17 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 104th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 489th Fighter Squadron and all predecessor units. The squadron was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was operationally gained by Continental Air Command.
The wartime 489th Fighter Squadron was reconstituted on 21 June 1945 and re-designated as the 104th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Maryland Air National Guard as the 104th Fighter Squadron, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at [[Harbor Field]], Baltimore, Maryland, and was extended federal recognition on 17 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 104th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 489th Fighter Squadron and all predecessor units. It was initially equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts.

The squadron was one of the first in the Air National Guard and was operationally gained by Continental Air Command. As the ANG command and control echelons were formed, the 104th came under the administrative control of the PA ANG 53d Fighter Wing, although operational control was retained by the Maryland ANG. The mission of the squadron was the air defense of the Baltimore-Washington Area, however it extended to Eastern Maryland and over Delaware Bay as well as the remainder of the state.

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. The Maryland Air National Guard was not federalized, however it's aircraft were replaced by very long distance F-51H Mustangs in 1951 to better carry out it's air defense mission.


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Revision as of 23:57, 18 November 2012

104th Fighter Squadron
104th Fighter Squadron - A-10 Thunderbolt II
Active1921-Present
Country United States
Branch  Air National Guard
TypeSquadron
RoleGround Support
Part ofMaryland Air National Guard
Garrison/HQWarfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland
Tail Code"MD"
Insignia
104th Fighter Squadron emblem

The 104th Fighter Squadron (104 FS) is a unit of the Maryland Air National Guard 175th Wing stationed at Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Maryland. The 104th is equipped with the A-10 Thunderbolt II.

The squadron is a descendant organization of the 104th Squadron (Observation), which was formed on 29 June 1921. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II and is the oldest unit of the Maryland Air National Guard.

Heraldry

Unit Emblem: A caricature of a Baltimore Oriole (black and orange) in a boxing stance, with wings represented as arms wearing boxing gloves, in front of a yellow lightning flash descending diagonally downward on and over a blue irregular curved background (Approved 21 September 1953)

History

Maryland National Guard

A Consolidated O-17 assigned to the Maryland National Guard's 104th Observation Squadron during a mission on 11 September 1931.
Three Douglas O-46A and three North American O-47 aircraft assigned to the Maryland National Guard's 104th Observation Squadron conduct a training sortie on 1 March 1940. Less than a year later, the 104th was mobilized in anticipation of World War II.

In personnel, if not in official lineage, the 104th Fighter Squadron can trace its origins to 1920 when the Flying Club of Baltimore was organized for former World War I Army Air Service reserve officers of that city. This club became part of the Maryland National Guard in 1921 when Maryland formed one the nation's first post-war flying units with the creation of the 1st Observation Squadron in Baltimore which received federal recognition on 29 June 1921

Maryland became the fifth state to have a post-World War I National Guard aviation unit. The 1st Observation Squadron (a state designation) was re-designated the 104th Squadron (Observation) under the federal numbering system. At the time, the number 104 was widely used to designate combat support units in the Maryland National Guard, including the 104th Medical Regiment and the 104th Military Police Battalion.

The 104th became the first post-World War I United States National Guard unit to be equipped with its own aircraft, 13 Curtiss JN-4 Jennies, which it flew until 1923. Initially assigned as division aviation for the 29th Infantry Division, the unit operated out of Baltimore's Logan Field. In addition to Jennies, the 104th flew a variety of other aircraft during the interwar period, almost all of them two-seat biplanes.

Conducted annual summer training at various locations to include Langley Field, VA; Shepard Field, Martinsburg, WV; Middletown Air Depot, PA; and at Detrick Field, Frederick, MD.

World War II

At the outset of World War II the 104th became part of the Anti-submarine Patrol used along the East Coast. Initially operating out of the Fort Dix Army Airfield, squadron was moved to the Atlantic City Municipal Airport, as part of the 59th Observation Group using O-46 and O-47 aircraft fling coastal patrol missions. On 18 October 1942, the 104th was inactivated and its personnel and aircraft transferred to the 517th Bombardment Squadron. The 517th was soon moved to Langley Field, Virginia, where it was re-designated as the 12th Antisubmarine Squadron and equipped with B-18, and later B-24 and B-25 bombers.

By this time most of the original National Guard members had been transferred elsewhere as individual replacements, although a handful of Maryland National Guardsmen were still serving with the unit when it deployed to England and flew B-24 Liberators as part of Eighth Air Force 492d Bombardment Group in 1943, to which the 517th Bomb Squadron was eventually assigned to as the 859th Bombardment Squadron. There is no official lineage however, between the 104th Observation Squadron and the 859th Bombardment Squadron.

Meanwhile, the designation of the 104th Observation Squadron was re-activated and became the 104th Reconnaissance Squadron. This time they were flying P-39 Aircobra and P-40 Warhawk fighters. Manned by Army Regulars, it was transferred to Thomasville Army Airfield, Georgia, as a Replacement Training Unit as part of the 59th Fighter Group, III Fighter Command. It's mission was to train newly-graduated pilots from AAF flight training schools to fly single-engine fighter planes. It was re-designated again as the 489th Reconnaissance Squadron and then later re-designated as the 489th Fighter Squadron before it was inactivated and disbanded in 1 May 1944 as part of an Air Force reorganization of its training program, becoming "Squadron B", Thomasville Replacement Training Unit.

Maryland Air National Guard

104th Fighter Squadron - North American F-51H-10-NA Mustang 44-64505

The wartime 489th Fighter Squadron was reconstituted on 21 June 1945 and re-designated as the 104th Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the Maryland Air National Guard as the 104th Fighter Squadron, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Harbor Field, Baltimore, Maryland, and was extended federal recognition on 17 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 104th Fighter Squadron was bestowed the lineage, history, honors, and colors of the 489th Fighter Squadron and all predecessor units. It was initially equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts.

The squadron was one of the first in the Air National Guard and was operationally gained by Continental Air Command. As the ANG command and control echelons were formed, the 104th came under the administrative control of the PA ANG 53d Fighter Wing, although operational control was retained by the Maryland ANG. The mission of the squadron was the air defense of the Baltimore-Washington Area, however it extended to Eastern Maryland and over Delaware Bay as well as the remainder of the state.

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. The Maryland Air National Guard was not federalized, however it's aircraft were replaced by very long distance F-51H Mustangs in 1951 to better carry out it's air defense mission.

Lineage

104th Observation Squadron emblem, 1920s
  • Constituted in the National Guard in 1921 as the 104th Squadron (Observation) and allotted to the state of Maryland
Organized and Federally recognized on 29 June 1921
Re-designated 104th Observation Squadron on 25 Jan 1923
Ordered into active service on 3 Feb 1941
Re-designated: 104th Observation Squadron (Light) on 13 Jan 1942
Re-designated: 104th Observation Squadron on 4 Jul 1942
Inactivated on 18 Oct 1942
  • Activated on 1 Mar 1943
Re-designated: 104th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter) on 2 Apr 1943
Re-designated: 489th Fighter Squadron on 11 Aug 1943
Disbanded on: 1 May 1944.
  • Reconstituted on 21 Jun 1945
Re-designated: 104th Fighter Squadron and allotted to Maryland ANG on 24 May 1946
Extended federal recognition on 17 Aug 1946
Re-designated: 104th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in Aug 1951
Re-designated: 104th Fighter Bomber-Squadron on 1 Dec 1952
Re-designated: 104th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in Jun 1956
Re-designated: 104th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 10 Nov 1958
Federalized and ordered to active service on: 13 May 1968
Released from active duty and returned to Maryland control, 20 December 1968
Re-designated: 104th Fighter Squadron on 15 Mar 1992
Components designated as: 104th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron when deployed as part of an Air and Space Expeditionary unit after June 1996.

Assignments

Gained by First Air Force, Air Defense Command

Stations

Aircraft

See also

References

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

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=104th_Fighter_Squadron&oldid=523756575"