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367th Fighter Squadron

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367th Fighter Squadron
482d Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon[note 1]
Active1943–1945; 2015–present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleFighter
Size150[1]
Part ofAir Combat Command
Garrison/HQHomestead Air Reserve Base
Nickname(s)Vultures[1]
EngagementsEuropean Theater of Operations
DecorationsDistinguished Unit Citation
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Commanders
Current
commander		Lt Col Henry Jefress[1]
Insignia
367th Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 1 March 1944)[2]
World War II Fuselage code[3]CP
Tail codeFM

The 367th Fighter Squadron is a "reverse" associate United States Air Force unit, stationed at Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, where it operates and maintains the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons of the 482d Fighter Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command. Its parent is the 495th Fighter Group at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina.

The squadron was first activated at the beginning of 1943. After training in the United States, it moved to England and entered combat in the European Theater of Operations. The squadron earned the Distinguished Unit Citation and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm during its combat missions. After VE Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated on 7 November 1945. The squadron was reactivated in October 2015.

History

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World War II

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Squadron P-47 at High Halden

The 367th Fighter Squadron was activated on 1 January 1943 at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia as one of the original squadrons of the 358th Fighter Group. The squadron initially began training with the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. Later that year, the unit replaced its Warhawks with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, which it flew for the remainder of the war. The squadron left Richmond in September 1943 for the port of embarkation.[2][4] It sailed for England on the SS Monterey on 8 October.[5]

The 367th arrived in England during October 1943, where it began operations with Eighth Air Force on 20 December 1943, but was transferred to Ninth Air Force in February 1944. The unit engaged primarily in missions escorting bombers attacking targets on the continent of Europe until April 1944. The squadron dive bombed marshalling yards and airfields and attacked enemy communications during April and May from its new station, an advanced landing ground[6] at RAF High Halden, to help prepare for the invasion of Normandy.[4]

The squadron escorted troop carrier formations on D Day and the following day as the formations dropped paratroopers on the Cotentin Peninsula. For the remainder of June, it attacked rail lines, troop concentrations, bridges and transport. The squadron moved to France in July and, from its base at Cretteville, took part in operations that resulted in the Allied breakthrough at St Lo. The squadron continued to fly escort, interdiction and close air support missions during the Allied drive across France and into Germany.[4]

The squadron received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions between 24 December 1944 and 2 January 1945, when it supported Seventh Army, attacking railroads and rolling stock, other vehicles and enemy artillery formations. It also destroyed numerous Luftwaffe fighters while defending against Operation Bodenplatte, an attack concentrating on forward Allied air bases in an attempt by the Luftwaffe to attain air superiority in the area of the Battle of the Bulge. In March, the squadron attacked German forces attempting to withdraw across the Rhine River, destroying motor transport and hampering the withdrawal efforts, earning a second Distinguished Unit Citation. The following month, the squadron attacked enemy airfields near Munich and Ingolstadt, engaging aircraft and supporting the advance of ground forces in the area, earning a third award of the Distinguished Unit Citation. The squadron was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm by the Government of France for its assistance in the liberation of France.[4] The squadron was credited with the destruction of 49.5 enemy aircraft during the war.[7]

The squadron remained in Germany after VE Day until July 1945, when it returned to the United States, where it was inactivated on 7 November 1945.[4]

Associate unit

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The 367th Fighter Squadron was reactivated at Homestead Air Reserve Base during a ceremony on 23 October 2015, replacing Detachment 93 of the 495th Fighter Group. Under the "Total Force Integration" program, the squadron, a regular unit, will operate and maintain the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the 482d Fighter Wing of Air Force Reserve Command as an associate unit.[1]

Lineage

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  • Constituted as the 367th Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) on 20 December 1942
Activated on 1 January 1943
Inactivated on 7 November 1945[8]
  • Redesignated 367th Fighter Squadron
Activated c. 23 October 2015[1]

Assignments

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  • 358th Fighter Group: 1 January 1943 – 7 November 1945[2]
  • 495th Fighter Group: c. 23 October 2015 – present[1]

Stations

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Aircraft

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  • Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1943[2]
  • Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1945[2]
  • General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, 2015–present[1]

Awards and campaigns

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Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Presidential Unit Citation 24 December 1944–2 January 1945 Ardennes, 367th Fighter Squadron[2]
Presidential Unit Citation 19 March 1945–20 March 1945 Europe, 367th Fighter Squadron[2]
Presidential Unit Citation 8 April 1945–25 April 1945 Germany, 367th Fighter Squadron[2]
French Croix de Guerre with Palm 1944–1945 367th Fighter Squadron[2]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
American Theater without inscription 1 January 1943 – 25 September 1943 [2][note 2]
Air Offensive, Europe 20 October 1943 – 5 June 1944 [2]
Normandy 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 [2]
Northern France 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 [2]
Rhineland 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 [2]
Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 [2]
Central Europe 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 [2]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Aircraft is General Dynamics F-16C Block 30H Fighting Falcon serial 87–290 at Homestead Air Reserve Base.
  2. ^ Per Maurer. However, normally one year of service was required for this award unless the service was within the theater, but outside the Continental United States.

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "WW II squadron reactivated". 482d Fighter Wing Public Affairs. 3 November 2015. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 455
  3. ^ Watkins, pp. 28–29
  4. ^ a b c d e Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 240–241
  5. ^ Freeman, p. 252
  6. ^ Rust, p. 69
  7. ^ Newton and Senning, p. 634
  8. ^ Lineage through 1945 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 455
  9. ^ a b c d Station number in Anderson.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Station number in Johnson.
  11. ^ Station names and dates from 1943 through 1945 in Maurer,m Combat Squadrons, p. 455. Maurer does not include station identification numbers used in Europe during World War II.

Bibliography

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

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