131st Fighter Squadron

131st Fighter Squadron
131st Fighter Squadron - McDonnell Douglas F-15C-21-MC Eagle 78-0476
Active	1942-Present
Country	United States
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Squadron
Role	Fighter
Part of	Massachusetts Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts
Nickname(s)	Barnestormers
Tail Code	"MA" Red tail stripe
Insignia
131st Fighter Squadron emblem

The 131st Fighter Squadron (131 FS) is a unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing located at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Massachusetts. The 131st is equipped with the F-15C/D Eagle.

History

Lineage

• Constituted 333d Fighter Squadron on 18 Aug 1942

Activated on 23 Aug 1942

Inactivated on 12 Jan 1946

• Re-designated 131st Fighter Squadron, and allotted to Massachusetts ANG, on 24 May 1946

Extended federal recognition on 24 Feb 1947

Re-designated: 131st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in Nov 1951

Re-designated: 131st Tactical Fighter Squadron 10 Nov 1958

Re-designated: 131st Fighter Squadron, 1 June 1992-present.

Assignments

• 18th Fighter Group, 23 Aug 1942
• 318th Fighter Group, 11 Jan 1943-12 Jan 1946
• 102d Fighter Group, 24 February 1947
• 102d Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 August 1952
• 102d Tactical Fighter Group, 10 November 1958
• 104th Tactical Fighter Group, 15 Oct 1962
• 104th Fighter Group, 15 Mar 1992
• 104th Operations Group, Oct 1995-present

Stations

• Bellows Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 23 August 1942
• Canton Army Airfield, Phoenix Islands, 11 September 1942
• Hilo Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 6 April 1943
• Bellows Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 28 July 1943
• East Field, Saipan, Mariana Islands, 6 July 1944
• Ie Shima Airfield, Ryukyu Islands, 30 April 1945

• Naha Airfield, Okinawa, November–December 1945
• Fort Lewis, Washington, 11–12 January 1946.
• Barnes Municipal Airport, Massachusetts, 14 May 1946–present

Deployed to: Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base, France, 1 October 1961 – 20 August 1962

Aircraft

• P-39 Aircobra, 1942–1944
• P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1945
• P-38 Lightning, 1944–1945
• P/F-47D Thunderbolt, 1947–1951
• F-51D Mustang, 1951–1954
• F-94A Starfire, 1954–1957

• F-86H Sabre, 1957–1965
• F-84F Thunderstreak, 1965–1971
• F-100D Super Sabre, 1971–1979
• A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1979–2007
• F-15C Eagle, 2007–present

References

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

• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5
• 104th Fighter Wing history