World War II The
squadron was first activated on 15 January 1942, at
Key Field, Mississippi, as the
81st Pursuit Squadron flying the
P-40 Warhawk. The squadron was assigned to the
50th Fighter Group to replace the
11th Pursuit Squadron, which had been transferred after the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor to reinforce the
air defenses of Alaska. In May 1942 the 50th Group was assigned to the Fighter Command School of the
Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics and the 81st became the
81st Fighter Squadron (Special). Night fighter combat over the skies of England made the
Army Air Forces aware of the need for night air defense training and tactics development. The Air Defense Operational Training Unit had been established on 26 March. Later it was renamed the Fighter Command School. The 81st Fighter Squadron became responsible for
night fighter training, using
Douglas P-70 Havocs. The 81st was assigned the "daunting task" of training sufficient crews to man seventeen night fighter squadrons within twelve months, initially " [w]ith no trained instructor pilots or [radar operator]s, no aircraft, no radar, and no communications equipment" The original night fighter crews were recruited from 27
pilots from the 50th Group who were qualified to fly twin-engine aircraft. They attended transition training school at
Williams Field, Arizona before returning to Florida. In October 1942 the 81st moved to
Orlando Army Air Field Florida. By the end of September, the
Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics Night Fighter Department had been activated and the 81st Fighter Squadron was detached from the 50th Group and placed under the Department for training and operations. The 81st helped test procedures and equipment, seeking better ways to manage the huge efforts required to supply troops and maintain aircraft fighting overseas. In 1943 the 81st moved to
Cross City Army Air Field, Florida, while the 50th Fighter Group remained headquartered at Orlando. Each of the 50th Fighter Group's detached squadrons (including the 81st) returned to Orlando AAF in January 1944. The squadron continued to train and teach at Orlando AAF while preparing to ship out to England. In March 1944, the 81st was re-equipped the
P-47 Thunderbolt and shipped to England with the
9th Air Force. Between April 1944 and the
V-E Day in May 1945, the unit flew hundreds of fighter escort,
close air support, and interdiction missions, taking part in the
D-Day invasion and operating from numerous advanced landing bases in Europe while covering the
US Army's advance. The squadron received two
Distinguished Unit Citations for combat, was credited with 30 aerial victories, and produced the 50th Fighter Group's only
ace,
Major Robert D. Johnston. The A-29s, designed for light air support, were used to support the Afghan training mission at Moody. The final
Afghan Air Force class graduated at Moody AFB on 13 November 2020, with the program having produced more than 30 pilots and 70 maintenance technicians across a span of five years. The entire effort was lost with the collapse of the Afghan state the next year in the
2021 Taliban offensive. From September 2020 to September 2021, the 81st Fighter Squadron hosted training classes for pilots and ground personnel of the
Nigerian Air Force's 407th Air Combat Training Group. The training familiarized the Nigerian airmen with the operation of the A-29 Super Tucano, after the Nigerian government procured 12 A-29s. From January to June 2022, pilots from the 81st Fighter Squadron were loaned out to
Air Combat Command's
23rd Wing and operated two
AT-6E Wolverine aircraft, also on loan to the wing. They took part in a collaboration between the USAF and partner forces from Colombia, Nigeria, Thailand, and Tunisia in order to develop procedures for countering "violent extremist organizations". On 6 December 2022, the squadron was inactivated during a ceremony at Moody Air Force Base. The 81st FS was AETC's only combat mission ready fighter squadron. ==Lineage==