468th Strategic Fighter Squadron

History

Formed in late 1944 under Second Air Force as one of the last P-47 Thunderbolt Fighter Squadrons, programmed for deployment to Western Pacific theater with long-range P-47N for B-29 Superfortress escort missions. Arrived in Hawaii in early 1945, assigned to Seventh Air Force. Lack of a serious fighter defense over Japan at high altitudes and reprogramming of B-29 raids over Japan to night low-level fast attacks led to reassignment as a replacement training unit based in Hawaii; also performed air defense of the islands until inactivation in November 1945.

Reactivated as Strategic Air Command fighter-escort squadron for B-50 Superfortress and B-36 Peacemaker bombers. Performed fighter-escort training throughout the 1950s, inactivated in 1956 with the phaseout of the escort mission and retirement of the B-36.

Lineage

• Constituted 468th Fighter Squadron on 5 October 1944 : Activated on 12 October 1944. : Inactivated on 25 November 1945
• Redesignated 468th Fighter-Escort Squadron on 19 June 1952. : Activated on 1 July 1952 : Redesignated 468th Strategic Fighter Squadron on 20 January 1953 : Inactivated on 11 May 1956

Assignments

• 508th Fighter Group, 12 October 1944 – 25 November 1945
• 508th Fighter-Escort (later Strategic Fighter) Wing, 1 July 1952 – 11 May 1956 (not operational, 1 July–September 1952)

Stations

• Peterson Field, Colorado, 12 October 1944
• Pocatello Army Airfield, Idaho, 25 October 1944
• Bruning Army Airfield, Nebraska, 15 November-18 December 1944
• Kahuku Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 6 January 1945
• Mokuleia Army Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 25 February 1945
• Bellows Field, Hawaii Territory, 16 September-25 November 1945
• Turner AFB, Georgia, 1 July 1952 – 11 May 1956

Aircraft

• P-47 Thunderbolt, 1944–1945
• F-84 Thunderjet, 1952–1956

References