14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
| 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron | |
|---|---|
 F-86L 53-692 of the 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, about 1958 landing at Sioux City | |
| Active | 1942–1944; 1947–1949; 1953–1960 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter-Interceptor |
| Insignia | |
| 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron emblem[note 1][1] |  |
| 14th Fighter Squadron World War II emblem | _emblem.png) |
The 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive
Sioux City Municipal Airport
, Iowa, where it was inactivated on 1 April 1960.
The squadron was first activated in 1941 as the 14th Fighter Squadron. It served in the
Army Air Forces training units in the spring of 1944. From 1947 through 1949 the 14th served as a reserve unit. It was activated again in 1953 as an interceptor
unit.
History
World War II
The
Pearl Harbor Attack, The squadron converted to Bell P-39 Airacobras as it prepared to deploy to Panama as part of the defenses of the Panama Canal.[1][2]
On 2 January 1942 the 14th moved to
Upon returning to the United States, the squadron became a
tables of organization were not proving well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[5] On 1 May 1944, the 14th and its sister training unit, the 13th Fighter Squadron[6] were disbanded, and RTU activities at Venice Army Air Field, Florida (the squadron's base since July 1943),[1]
were absorbed by the 337th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Fighter).
Reserve duty
The squadron was reconstituted in June 1947 and reactivated at
375th Troop Carrier Group. The 444th AAF Base Unit (Reserve Training) (later the 2239th Air Force Reserve Training Center) supervised the unit's training. In July 1948, Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.[7] It is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped with operational aircraft.[8] President Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,[9] and the 14th was inactivated and not replaced.[1]
Air Defense Command
The squadron was redesignated the 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and activated by
Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa expanded from one to two interceptor squadrons.[1][10] The squadron was equipped with North American F-86D Sabres equipped with fire-control radar and armed with Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets. In August 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[11] As a result, the squadron was again assigned to the 53d Fighter Group, which replaced the 521st at Sioux City.[2][12]
In 1957, the squadron began replacing its F-86Ds with F-86Ls.air defense service.[1]
Lineage
- Constituted as the 14th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940
- Activated on 15 January 1941
- Redesignated 14th Fighter Squadron (Single Engine) on 15 May 1942
- Disbanded on 1 May 1944
- Reconstituted on 3 June 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 13 July 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949
- Redesignated 14th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 23 March 1953
- Activated on 18 November 1953
- Discontinued on 1 April 1960[1]
Assignments
- 53d Pursuit Group (later 53d Fighter Group), 15 January 1941 – 1 May 1944
- Eleventh Air Force, 13 July 1947
- 375th Troop Carrier Group, 30 September 1947 – 27 June 1949
- 521st Air Defense Group, 18 November 1953
- 53d Fighter Group, 18 August 1955 – 1 April 1960[1]
Stations
- MacDill Field, Florida, 15 January 1941
- Dale Mabry Field, Florida, 8 May – 18 December 1941
- Chame Airfield, Panama, 2 January - 10 November 1942
- Dale Mabry Field Florida, 26 November 1942
- Drew Field, Florida, 6 January 1943
- Page Field, Florida, 5 February 1943
- Venice Army Air Field, Florida, 10 July 1943 – 1 May 1944
- Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Pennsylvania, 13 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
- Sioux City Municipal Airport, Iowa, 18 November 1953 – 1 April 1960[1]
Aircraft
- Seversky P-35, 1941
- Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1941
- Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1941–1943
- North American P-51 Mustang, 1943
- Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1944
- North American F-86D Sabre, 1953–1957
- North American F-86L Sabre, 1957–1960[1]
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ Approved 6 October 1954.
- ^ This Eleventh Air Force was responsible for reserve and Air National Guard training in the 1940s, and is not related to the current Eleventh Air Force.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Maurer, Combat Squadronss, pp. 77–78
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 115-116
- ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 143
- ^ Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi
- ^ Goss, p. 75
- ^ Maurer,Combat Units, p. 73
- ^ "Abstract, Mission Project Closeup, Continental Air Command". Air Force History Index. 27 December 1961. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ^ See Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 78 (no aircraft listed as assigned to the squadron from 1947 to 1949)
- ^ Knaack, p. 25
- ^ Cornet & Johnson, p. 120
- ^ Buss, et al., p. 6
- ^ Cornett & Johnson, p. 82
- ^ Cornett & Johnson, p. 114
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Buss, Lydus H.(ed), Sturm, Thomas A., Volan, Denys, and McMullen, Richard F., History of Continental Air Defense Command and Air Defense Command July to December 1955, Directorate of Historical Services, Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO, (1956)
- Cornett, Lloyd H; Johnson, Mildred W (1980). A Handbook of Aerospace Defense Organization, 1946–1980 (PDF). Peterson AFB, CO: Office of History, Aerospace Defense Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). The Army Air Forces in World War II (PDF). Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. OCLC 704158. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Goss, William A. (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L. (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II (PDF). Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. OCLC 704158. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Goss, William A. (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L. (eds.). The Army Air Forces in World War II (PDF). Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems (PDF). Vol. 2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945-1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-59-5. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. 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. OCLC 72556.
- Further reading
- Hagedorn, Dan (1995). Alae Supra Canalem: Wings Over the Canal. Nashville, TN: Turner Publishing. ISBN 1-56311-153-5.
- "ADCOM's Fighter Interceptor Squadrons". The Interceptor. 21 (1). Aerospace Defense Command: 5–11, 26–31, 40–45, 54–59. January 1979.
External links
Previously: Panama Canal Air Force (1940-1941); Caribbean Air Force (1941-1942) | |||||||||||||||
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