478th Tactical Fighter Squadron

478th Tactical Fighter Squadron
	Emblem of the 478th Tactical Fighter Squadron
Active	1957-1970
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Nickname(s)	"Green Foxes"

Last updated March 05, 2019

The 478th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing and stationed at Homestead AFB, Florida.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

History

Activated in December 1954 at Cannon AFB, New Mexico. Initially equipped with F-86H Sabres. Upgraded in late 1957 to the F-100D Super Sabre. Aircraft initially had green diagonal stripes on tail, later changing to black and white. The squadron received some of the last production batch of the F-100 from North American, the production line closing in December 1957.

Trained for proficiency and operational readiness in the Super Sabre, deploying on Tactical Air Command directed deployments. In 1962, deployed to 6010th Tactical Group at Takhli RTAFB, Thailand, one of the early expeditionary fighter squadrons of the Vietnam War. Squadron began, phasing down for replacement with the General Dynamics F-111A and a move to Nellis AFB in late 1965.

Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 June 1992 and its personnel and equipment absorbed by Air Combat Command (ACC).

Vietnam War 1955–1975 conflict in Vietnam

The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, and in Vietnam as the Resistance War Against America or simply the American War, was an undeclared war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam was supported by the Soviet Union, China, and other communist allies; South Vietnam was supported by the United States, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand and other anti-communist allies. The war is considered a Cold War-era proxy war from some US perspectives. It lasted some 19 years with direct U.S. involvement ending in 1973 following the Paris Peace Accords, and included the Laotian Civil War and the Cambodian Civil War, resulting in all three countries becoming communist states in 1975.

Instead, the squadron was reassigned to Homestead AFB, Florida as a filler organization for the 4531st Tactical Fighter Wing, as the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing had deployed to South Vietnam. Received F-4C Phantom IIs upon assignment, upgrading to F-4Ds in August 1967. Mission at Homestead primarily was to provide air defense of South Florida in wake of Cuban Missile Crisis, operating the Phantom and gaining proficiency in the aircraft. Was upgraded to the F-4E in November 1968.

South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam, was a country that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of the Cold War. It received international recognition in 1949 as the "State of Vietnam", which was a constitutional monarchy (1949–1955). This became the "Republic of Vietnam" in 1955. Its capital was Saigon. South Vietnam was bordered by North Vietnam to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, Thailand across the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest, and the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia across the South China Sea to the east and southeast.

South Florida is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises Florida's southernmost counties, and is the fourth most populous urban agglomeration in the United States. It is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regions, the others being Central Florida and North Florida. It includes the populous Miami metropolitan area, the Everglades, the Florida Keys, and other localities. South Florida is the only part of the continental United States with a tropical climate.

The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis of 1962, the Caribbean Crisis, or the Missile Scare, was a 13-day confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union initiated by American ballistic missile deployment in Italy and Turkey with consequent Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. The confrontation is often considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war.

Provisional wing began rotational TDY deployments to Kunsan AB, South Korea in June 1969, being attached to the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, carrying tail code "ZE", with white outlined blue fin cap, containing white arrows. 478th assigned to Kunsan 21 May 1970, reassigned to 54th TFW at Kunsan when 354th moved to Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina in June 1970. Remained in South Korea until September 1970, returning to Homestead.

31st TFW returned from duty at Tuy Hoa AB, South Vietnam, October 1970. Squadron replaced by 309th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 31 October 1970 and inactivated.

Lineage

Activated as 478th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 13 December 1954

Re-designated: 478th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1 July 1958

Inactivated on 31 October 1970

Assignments

474th Fighter-Bomber Group, 13 December 1954
474th Fighter-Bomber (later Tactical Fighter) Wing, 8 October 1957 – 1 November 1966

Attached to 405th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 23 May-8 June 1962

Not operational, 15 Sep 1965-1 Nov 1966

4531st Tactical Fighter Wing, 1 November 1966

Attached to: 354th Tactical Fighter Wing, 21 May-14 June 1970

Attached to: 54th Tactical Fighter Wing, 15 June-2 September 1970

31st Tactical Fighter Wing, 15–31 October 1970

Stations

Cannon AFB, New Mexico, 13 December 1954
Homestead AFB, Florida, 1 November 1966 – 31 October 1970

Aircraft

F-86H Sabre, 1954-1957
F-100 Super Sabre, 1957-1966
F-4E Phantom II, 1966-1970

Related Research Articles

Kunsan K-8 Air Base is a United States Air Force base located at Gunsan Airport, which is on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is at the town of Gunsan about 150 miles (240 km) south of Seoul. The town can be romanized as both Gunsan and Kunsan. The United States Air Force uses Gunsan to refer to the town, and Kunsan to refer to the base.

The 356th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force fighter squadron. Its last assignment was with the 354th Fighter Wing, being stationed at Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 12 June 1992.

The 353d Combat Training Squadron is a United States Air Force training squadron responsible for Exercise RED FLAG – ALASKA held annually in Alaska.

George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California.

England Air Force Base 1942-1992 United States Air Force base near Alexandria, Louisiana, USA

England Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Louisiana, located 5 miles (8.0 km) Northwest of Alexandria and about 170 miles (270 km) Northwest of New Orleans. Originally known as Alexandria Army Air Base, on 23 June 1955 the facility was renamed England Air Force Base in honor of Lt Col John Brooke England (1923–1954).

The 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force.

The 366th Fighter Wing is a fighter wing of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command stationed at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.

8th Fighter Wing United States Air Force wing

The United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing is the host unit at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea and is assigned to Seventh Air Force. Seventh Air Force falls under Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The Wing's 8th Operations Group is the successor of the 8th Pursuit Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II.

The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

The 474th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. It may be activated or inactivated at any time.

The 307th Fighter Squadron is a McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle unit and is part of Air Force Reserve Command's 414th Fighter Group stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina.

The 308th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where it trains pilots on the Lockheed Martin F-35A.

The 309th Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting advanced fighter training.

The 389th Fighter Squadron is part of the 366th Fighter Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. It operates McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft conducting close air support missions. Its current commander is Lt. Col. David Och.

The 836th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command (TAC) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, where it was inactivated on 1 May 1992. The division had been activated at Davis-Monthan in January 1981 to replace Tactical Training, Davis-Monthan. Its primary mission was training for Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II and BGM-109G Gryphon crews. The 602d Tactical Control Wing moved to Davis-Monthan, and the division's training mission expanded to include Forward Air Controllers flying several aircraft. The BGM-109 mission ended with the signing of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. In 1989, division elements participated in Operation Just Cause. The division was inactivated with the implementation of the Objective Wing reorganization, which established a single wing on each Air Force Base.

The 401st Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe to be activated or inactivated at any time as needed. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.

The 474th Tactical Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where it trained combat-ready aircrews and maintained a rapid-reaction capability to execute fighter attacks against enemy forces and facilities in time of crisis. During its operational lifetime, the 474th was engaged in combat operations during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The 474th TFW was inactivated on 30 September 1989.

The 480th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 52d Operations Group, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It was reactivated on 13 August 2010.

The 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing. stationed at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated on 1 October 1986.

The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Ninth Air Force. It is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where it is also the host unit.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.