178th Attack Squadron
178th Attack Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1 February 1947–Present |
Country | United States |
Branch | Air National Guard |
Type | Squadron |
Role | UAV Reconnaissance |
Part of | 119th Operations Group, 119th Wing, ND ARNG |
Base | Fargo Air National Guard Base, North Dakota. |
Nickname(s) | Happy Hooligans |
Insignia | |
178th Reconnaissance Squadron emblem[note 1] | |
392d Fighter Squadron emblem (unofficial) | |
Tail Marking | Red fin stripe, "Happy Hooligans" in white letters |
The 178th Attack Squadron (178 ATKS)
The squadron operates
History
World War II
Training in the United States
The
P-38 transition and combat operations from England
Having trained on single engine aircraft, the squadron's pilots were surprised to find
On 9 May, the squadron flew its first combat mission, a fighter sweep over
On
By mid June
Operations on the European Continent
Starting on 19 July, the 367th Group's forward echelon crossed the
On 22 August the group attacked three
The 392d received a
As Allied forces moved forward across France the squadron began leap-frogging to new bases. In early September they relocated at
In late October, as Ninth Air Force brought its medium bombers to bases in France, the 392d was bumped from its station for the second time by the 387th Bombardment Group, when it moved to Juvincourt Airfield (A-68), north of Reims.[2][19] Juvincourt was a former Luftwaffe base with permanent facilities, in contrast to the advanced landing grounds where the squadron had been based since moving to France.[20] The squadron attacked German strong points to aid the Allied push against the Siegfried Line throughout the fall of 1944.[2]
The German
Transition to the P-47 Thunderbolt
Early in 1945 a desire to standardize the fighter-bombers in Ninth Air Force, the group transitioned into Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. Pilots flew Lightnings on combat missions while training at the same time with the Thunderbolt. Using the Thunderbolt the group was again cited in a Belgium Army Order of the Day, earning the Belgian Fourragere.[7]
The 392d received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for action on 19 March 1945. The 367th Group's target was the headquarters of Field Marshal Kesselring, the German Commander-ln-Chief, West,[note 5] at Ziegenburg near Bad Nauheim, Germany. Aircraft of the leading 394th Fighter Squadron would attack at low level to achieve surprise, carrying a 1,000-pound bomb under each wing. The P-47s of the 392d would be similarly armed, but would dive bomb from a higher altitude. The bombs were equipped with time-delay fuses intended to crack the concrete roofs of the bunker. The 393d Fighter Squadron carried napalm intended to seep into the bunkers and burn what remained. The attack was scheduled for a time that intelligence reports indicated would find senior staff and commanders at lunch, the only time they would not be in the reinforced tunnels underneath the castle that housed the headquarters. The target was located in mountainous terrain well defended by antiaircraft artillery. Moreover, to avoid alerting the Germans to the pending attack, photographic reconnaissance aircraft had avoided the area, so detailed target photography was not available. The day of the attack the castle was concealed by ground haze which caused the 394th Fighter Squadron to stray off course at the last minute, preventing them from executing the attack as planned and reducing the element of surprise.[21] Although senior German officers reached the underground bunkers and survived the attack, the group reduced the military complex to ruins, disrupting communications and the flow of intelligence at a critical time.[7]
The squadron struck tanks, trucks, flak positions, and other objectives in support of the assault across the Rhine late in March and the final allied operations in Germany.[2] It was commended by the commanding generals of XII Corps and the 11th Armored Division for the close air support the unit provided for their commands. On 10 April the squadron moved to Eschborn Airfield on the northwest side of Frankfurt, Germany. The 392d flew its last combat mission, a defensive patrol, one year after entering combat on 8 May.[22] During its combat tour, the squadron was credited with 39.5 air-to-air victories over enemy aircraft, the most of any of the squadrons in the group.[23]
Return to the United States and inactivation
All hostilities ceased
North Dakota Air National Guard
The wartime 392d Fighter Squadron was redesignated as the 178th Fighter Squadron and allotted to the
There was a cartoon during the 1950s called Pappy Easter and his Happy Hooligans and the 178th Fighter Squadron began calling themselves the “Happy Hooligans” and Duane S. Larson, as their commander, became “Pappy”. It became Pappy Larson and his Happy Hooligans and this nickname has been adopted by the entire unit and still exists.[24] In recognition of his contributions to aviation in North Dakota, Larson was among the ten inaugural inductees into the North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame in March 1997.[25]
Korean War activation
On 1 March 1951 the 178th was federalized and brought on active duty due to the
The unit remained a Moody until October when it moved to
Air Defense
The squadron was redesignated the 178th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and reactivated at Fargo the same day. In September 1953 the squadron began to keep two F-51D Mustangs on
On 15 April 1956, the 178th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the
The "Happy Hooligan" pilots upgraded to the
The unit's first overseas deployment occurred in 1983, when six Phantoms and 120 support personnel deployed to
The 178th FS converted from the F-4 Phantom to the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon in mid-1990. The first squadron "Vipers" were mostly older Block 5 and 10 models. although some Block 15 aircraft were delivered to the squadron. The main task for the unit remained air defense, as with many Guard units that were equipped with the F-16. In 1991 the F-16s were modified to be brought up to the Air Defense Fighter variant of the plane . This improved the performance and capability of the squadron in their air defense role.
The Hooligans earned first place at the October 1994 William Tell worldwide weapons meet. William Tell tests pilots and ground crews from the Air Force fighter units in air-to-air combat. This was the Hooligans' third William Tell victory, which it added to wins in 1970 and 1972. It also placed first among F-4 units in William Tell 1986. In 1994 the 119th Group won the Hughes Trophy which recognizes the most outstanding air-to-air unit in the Air Force. The only Air National Guard unit to win the award twice, the Hooligans are also the only F-16 unit ever to win the Hughes Trophy.
A permanent alert detachment of the squadron was established at
Current status
The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that the mission of the North Dakota Air National Guard be realigned. The 119th Fighter Wing's F-16As (15 aircraft) were reaching the end of their operational life and would retire. In Jan 2007, the 119th ended its F-16 mission after almost 60 years of air defense interceptor missions.
Replacing the F-16s in 2007, the squadron began to receive the
Later in 2007, it was announced that C-21 operations would be transferred to the newly activated
Lineage
- Constituted as the 392d Fighter Squadron on 26 May 1943
- Activated on 15 July 1943
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Redesignated 178th Fighter Squadron and allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946[29]
- Activated on 9 December 1946
- Extended federal recognition on 16 January 1947
- Federalized and placed on active duty on 1 April 1951
- Redesignated 178th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 9 April 1951
- Inactivated and released from active duty on 1 January 1953
- Redesignated 178th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, returned to North Dakota state control and activated on 1 January 1953
- Redesignated 178th Fighter Squadron on 23 March 1992
- Redesignated 178th Airlift Squadron on 1 October 2007
- Redesignated 178th Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 March 2008
Assignments
- 367th Fighter Group, 15 July 1943 – 7 November 1945[3]
- 133d Fighter Group, 16 January 1947
- Tenth Air Force, 1 April 1951
- 146th Fighter Group (later 146th Fighter-Bomber Group), c. 9 April 1951[26]
- 133d Fighter-Interceptor Group, 1 January 1953
- 119th Fighter Group(later 119th Fighter-Interceptor Group, 119th Fighter Group), 15 April 1956
- 119th Operations Group, 1 October 1995 – Present
Stations
|
|
Aircraft
|
|
Operations and decorations
- Combat Operations: Combat in ETO, 9 May 1944 – 8 May 1945
- Campaigns: Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe; Air Combat, EAME Theater.
- Decorations: Distinguished Unit Citations: France, 25 August 1944; Germany, 19 March 1945. Cited in the Order of the Day, Belgian Army: 6 Jun-30 Sep 1944; 16 Dec 1944 – 25 Jan 1945. Belgian Fourragere.
References
Notes
- ^ Designation for unit on scroll for previous designation, but emblem is unchanged.
- ^ Nicknamed for its unusual rolling motion in heavy weather. Groh, p. 23.
- ^ Aircraft is Lockheed P-38G-10-LO Lightning, serial 42-12982
- ^ These claims were from an estimated 50 enemy aircraft engaged in the air and on the ground. Chickering, p. 79
- ^ Kesselring assumed command the day of the attack. American intelligence believed Field Marshall von Rundstedt was still in command. Groh, p. 136.
- ^ Aircraft is McDonnell F-4D-26-MC Phantom serial 64-965, taken in 1979. The aircraft is painted in Air Defense Tactical Air Command gray.
- ^ Aircraft is F-16A serial 81-777 piloted by Maj. Michael DePree at Langley AFB. The aircraft was retired to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group on 5 December 2006. Reported as destined for Jordanian Air Force.
Citations
- ^ "119th Wing Factsheet".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 252–254
- ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 481–482
- ^ Groh, p. 12
- ^ a b Chickering, p. 78
- ^ Groh, pp. 23–24
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Chickering, p. 79
- ^ Groh, p. 26
- ^ Groh, p. 31
- ^ Groh, pp. 50–51
- ^ Groh. p. 32
- ^ Groh. pp. 32–37
- ^ Groh, p. 42
- ^ Groh, p. 43
- ^ Groh, p. 46
- ^ Groh, p. 52
- ^ Groh, p. 59
- ^ Groh, p. 72
- ^ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 274
- ^ Groh, pp. 98–99
- ^ Groh, p. 136
- ^ Groh, p. 158
- ^ Newton & Senning, p. 645
- ^ "How the "Happy Hooligans" got their name". 119th Wing. 16 April 2008. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
- ^ Voskul, Vicki (4 March 1997). "Ceremony honors pioneering aviators". Bismarck Tribune. AP. p. 3B.
- ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Units, p. 260
- ^ See Ravenstein, pp. 40–41 (mission of replacement unit)
- ^ See Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 265–266 (activation of 72d Squadron at George)
- ^ a b c Lineage through 1946, including stations and aircraft in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 481–482
- ^ a b Station number in Anderson
- ^ a b c d e f g h Station number in Johnson
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
- Chickering, Edwin S. (1998). "367th Fighter Group". Air Force Fifty. Air Force Association (compiler). Nashville, TN: Turner Publishing. ISBN 978-1563114090.
- 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.
- Groh, Richard (1983). The Dynamite Gang: The 367th Fighter Group in World War II. World War II. Fallbrook, CA: Aero Publishers. LCCN 83007241.
- Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - 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.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
- Rogers, Brian. (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
- Newton, Wesely P. Jr.; Senning, Calvin F. (1963). "USAF Credits for the Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II, USAF Historical Study No. 85" (PDF). Research Studies Institute, USAF Historical Division, Air University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.