World War II Activated on 15 November 1942 at
Hamilton Field, California, initially equipped with
P-39 Airacobras and assigned to
IV Fighter Command for training. Moved to several bases in California and Nevada then to
Portland Army Air Base, Oregon in June 1943 and re-equipped with new
North American P-51B Mustangs. Transitioned to the Mustang throughout the summer of 1943 the deployed to the
European Theater of Operations, being assigned to
IX Fighter Command in England. In late 1943, the strategic bombardment campaign over
Occupied Europe and
Nazi Germany being conducted by
VIII Bomber Command was taking heavy losses in aircraft and flight crews as the
VIII Fighter Command's
Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and
Republic P-47 Thunderbolts lacked the range to escort the heavy
B-17 Flying Fortress and
B-24 Liberator bombers deep into Germany to attack industrial and military targets. The P-51 had the range to perform the escort duties and the unit's operational control was transferred to Headquarters,
Eighth Air Force to perform escort missions. From its base at
RAF Boxted, the unit flew long-range strategic escort missions with VIII Bomber Command groups, escorting the heavy bombers to targets such as Frankfurt, Leipzig, Augsburg, and Schweinfurt, engaging
Luftwaffe day interceptors frequently, with the P-51s outperforming the German
Bf 109 and
Fw 190 interceptors, causing heavy losses to the Luftwaffe. Remained under operational control of Eighth Air Force until April 1944, when sufficient numbers of P-51D Mustangs and arrived from the United States and were assigned to VIII Fighter Command units for escort duty. Was relieved from escort duty and reassigned to
RAF Lashenden on the southern coast of England. Mission was redefined to provide tactical air support for the forthcoming invasion of France, to support the Third, and later Ninth United States Armies. Flew fighter sweeps over
Normandy and along the
English Channel coast of France and the Low Countries, April–June 1944, then engaged in heavy tactical bombing of enemy military targets as well as roads, railroads and bridges in the Normandy area to support ground forces in the immediate aftermath of
D-Day. Moved to
Advanced Landing Grounds in France beginning at the end of June 1944, moving eastwards to combat airfields and liberated French airports supporting Allied Ground forces as the advanced across Northern France. Later, in 1944, the squadron became involved in dive-bombing and strafing missions, striking railroad yards, bridges, troop concentrations, and airfields. As winter set in the squadron temporarily re-equipped with the P-47 Thunderbolt. Participated in attacks on German forces in Belgium in the aftermath of the
Battle of the Bulge, then moved eastward as part of the
Western Allied invasion of Germany. The squadron flew its last mission of the war on 7 May 1945 from the captured Luftwaffe airfield at
Ansbach (R-45). Remained in Occupied Germany as part of the
United States Air Forces in Europe XII Tactical Air Command occupying force after the German Capitulation, being stationed at
AAF Station Herzogenaurach. Was inactivated on 31 March 1946. The last remaining soldier of this squadron, Robert E. Kuhnert, died October 4, 2022, at the age of 102.
Cold War Reactivated by Tactical Air Command, United States Air Force on 19 November 1956, being assigned to the reactivated
354th Fighter-Day Group at the new
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina. Equipped with
North American F-100 Super Sabre fighters, the squadron participated in exercises, operations, tests, and firepower demonstrations conducted by the
Tactical Air Command within the US and abroad. The unit frequently deployed to
Aviano Air Base, Italy and
Wheelus Air Base, Libya. Was deployed to Europe during the
1958 Lebanon crisis and was moved to
McCoy Air Force Base, Florida in 1962 during the
Cuban Missile Crisis.
Vietnam War from Phu Cat AB, South Vietnam On 3 February 1968, the 355th Tactical Fighter Squadron was deployed to support the
37th Tactical Fighter Wing at
Phù Cát Air Base,
South Vietnam for five months' Temporary Duty (TDY). At the end of the TDY on 5 July, the 355 TFS was permanently assigned to the 37th, with activated New Jersey and
District of Columbia Air National Guard personnel from the
113th Tactical Fighter Wing at Myrtle Beach replacing them and manning the unit. On 15 May 1969, with the reassignment of the
612th and
174th Tactical Fighter Squadrons, it was decided to convert the 37th to a
McDonnell F-4 Phantom II wing. The F-100 equipped 355th, along with the
416th Tactical Fighter Squadron were reassigned to the
31st Tactical Fighter Wing at
Tuy Hoa Air Base, replacing the Air National Guard
136th and
188th Tactical Fighter Squadrons which were returning to New York and New Mexico, respectively. At Tuy Hoa, the tail code of the 355th F-100s was changed to "SP", and deployed Air National Guard personnel from New York and New Mexico and regular Air Force personnel manned the 355th until its inactivation on 30 September 1970. During its time in Vietnam, the 355th flew more than 17,000 combat sorties flying close air support, interdiction, search and rescue, and helicopter support missions. The squadron was awarded the
Presidential Unit Citation. the
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the
Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm for its service. On 1 November 1970, the 355 TFS was reactivated at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina as part of the
354th Tactical Fighter Wing. Upon its return, the unit transitioned to the new
LTV A-7D Corsair II aircraft before redeploying to Southeast Asia in the fall of 1972 as the first A-7 unit to fight there. In 10 weeks of combat before the end of that conflict, the squadron participated in the
Operation Linebacker II campaign, generated more than 4,000 sorties, and was credited with 22 rescues of downed airmen. The unit returned to Myrtle Beach in April 1974.
A-10 Thunderbolt II (1978–2007) Post-Vietnam era In February 1978, the 355th TFS transitioned to the new
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, a
close air support aircraft, becoming the second operational squadron in the nation's first A-10 wing. Duty called again in August 1990 when the unit deployed to King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia in support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. There, the squadron's pilots inflicted heavy damage to Iraqi armor and artillery emplacements, helped cut off enemy supply lines, and conducted search and rescue missions. The squadron contributed greatly to the 4,200 artillery, tank and other vehicle kills credited to A-10s during the war.
Modern era Inactivated at Myrtle Beach on 31 March 1992, the 355 FS was reactivated on 20 August 1993, replacing the inactivating 11th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Eleison AFB, Alaska. The unit's primary missions included air strike control, close air support, interdiction, joint air attack team, escort, and combat search and rescue. With a dual role A/OA-10 Warthog squadron commitment and night vision goggles, the squadron had the ability to deploy forward air controllers with attack aircraft for a complete day and night employment capability. 355th FS deployed to Aviano Air Base, Italy from January 1996 to March 1997, supporting Operation Joint Guard. No ordnance was employed, but pilots flew sorties and sat alert with combat loaded aircraft. In October 1998, the 355 FS deployed to support
Operation Southern Watch. Only two months later, the Warthogs saw their second tour of combat duty over Iraq while participating in the 16–19 December 1998,
Operation Desert Fox strike missions. In 2.5 months, the 355 FS flew 597 combat and combat support sorties leading up to, then conducting, National Command Authority directed strikes on Iraqi military facilities and suspected weapons of mass destruction storage areas. They achieved 100 percent target hit rate. of the 355th Fighter Squadron sits on the tarmac at Eielson before a mission, 2004 The 355FS was the first air combat unit to deploy to the Middle East after the Towers Fell on 11SEP2001. The unit deployed to
Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base,
Kuwait, in support of Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, and even Operation Enduring Freedom from November 2001 – March 2002 with Air Expeditionary Force 10 (AEF). The aircraft flew from Eielson AFB, Alaska all the way to Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait making brief (crew rest only stops) at Westover, Massachusetts (not Barnes), then Lajes in the Aczores, then Trapani Sicily, then Kuwait, arriving 05DEC2001. The A-10s utilized Air to Air Refueling (AAR or Aerial Refueling) in between ground stops, thus proving once again that the USAF Tanker force is one of the reasons that the US military truly has global reach (YCKAWTG). In Kuwait, the 355th FS joined the 338th AEG (Air Expeditionary Group) The Panthers/Red Tag/Tail Bastards. The 355th FS also provided Battalion Air Liaison Officers (BALOs) to 6 dedicated Army Combat Units as a regular part of their combat mission. BALOs are considered Forward Air Controllers or FACs (specifically GFAC or Ground FAC) whether or not they also hold an Airborne FAC qualification. Typically these BALOs also hold JTAC-qualified certifications. These BALOs continuously support Army and other combat units (air, ground, sea, and space) during exercises while currently serving as combat-ready and combat-qualified A-10 pilots. They provided advice on the use of all aerial assets (fixed-wing, rotary, drone, etc.) as well as all munitions that fly through their battlespace (this includes Rockets, Artillery, mortars, etc.). Although not often called to actual battle, the 355th did provide Battalion Air Liaison Officers (BALOs) to multiple Army Units, to include one Airborne Unit the 1-501st Airborne. In particular, the Chief BALO/A-10 FAC, Captain A. Rodell Severson (while serving as an operational A-10 pilot with the 355th), actually deployed to combat with the 1-501, becoming a Tactical Air Control Party Commander (TACP), commanding two consecutive special operations teams from 25 October 2003 through 4 May 2004 for Joint Task Force 1-501 earning a Bronze Star through approximately 155 ground combat missions: 17 sustained rocket attacks, 7 troops in contact, and 5 direct fire fights:
501st Infantry Regiment (United States). The 355 FS also exercised at
Hurlburt Field,
Florida, to train with Special Forces units, October 2003. In Spring 2004 the unit deployed to
Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit redeployed there again early 2006. During both deployments the unit was responsible to provide close air support to Army ground forces and convoys in Afghanistan.
Base realignment and closure On 13 May 2005, The
Department of Defense proposed a major realignment of the base as part of the
Base Realignment and Closure program. The A-10 aircraft were to be distributed to the
917th Wing at
Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana (three aircraft); to a new active-duty unit at
Moody Air Force Base, Georgia (12 aircraft); and to backup inventory (three aircraft). Lt. Col. Quentin "Q-Tip" Rideout, 355th Fighter Squadron Commander, flew the last operational A-10 sortie at Eielson AFB on 31 July 2007. The last three A-10A aircraft departed Eielson AFB on 15 August 2007.
Fort Worth (2015–2019) In 2010, Detachment 457, a geographically separated unit of the
20th Operations Group at
Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, stood up at
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas. The unit oversaw the integration of over 130 active-duty
General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots and maintenance personnel into the
Air Force Reserve Command's
301st Fighter Wing under the Total Force Initiative. On 8 March 2013, the
495th Fighter Group was stood up at Shaw as a dedicated unit overseeing ten active associate fighter units, including Detachment 457. On 5 October 2015, Detachment 457 discontinued and was replaced by the
355th Fighter Squadron, which reactivated the same day. It was under the administrative command of the 495th Fighter Group and flying and maintaining
General Dynamics F-16C/D Fighting Falcons assigned to the 301st's
457th Fighter Squadron at Fort Worth.
Current Operations (2020–present) On 18 December 2020, the 355 Fighter Squadron was activated and assigned to the 354 Operations Group. The 355th FS became the second
Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II equipped unit in Alaska after the
356th Fighter Squadron. ==Lineage==