From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
418th Fighter-Day Squadron |
Emblem of the 418th NFS |
| Active |
1943–1947; 1957-1958 |
| Country |
United States |
| Branch |
United States Army Force |
| Engagements |
 
- Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1943–1945)
|
The 418th Fighter-Day Squadron is an inactive
United States Air Force unit.
Its last assignment was with Fifth Air Force, being inactivated at
Kadena Air
Base, Okinawa on February 20, 1947
History
Lineage
- Established as 418th Night Fighter Squadron
April 1, 1943
- Inactivated February 20, 1947
- Redesignated 418th Fighter-Day Squadron on 6
Dec 1957
- Activated on 10 Dec 1957
- Inactivated on 1 Jul 1958
Assignments
- Attached to 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group,
July 17 – September 26, 1943)
- Attached to: First Air Task Force, 22 Nov 1943
- Attached to: 308th Bombardment
Wing, 1 Feb 1944
- Attached to: 310th Bombardment Wing, c. 15 May
1944
- Attached to: Thirteenth Air Force, 10 Nov
1944
- Attached to: 310th Bombardment Wing, 26 Dec
1944-30 Jan 1945
- Attached to: 308th Bombardment
Wing, c. 30 Jul 1945
- Attached to: 310th Bombardment Wing, 22 Oct-10
Nov 1945
- Attached to: V Bomber Command, 10 Nov 1945-20 Mar
1946
- (Upon inactivation, personnel and equipment reassigned to 4th
Fighter Squadron (All Weather)
Stations
- Orlando AAF, Florida, April 1, 1943
- Kissimmee AAF, Florida May 1, 1943
- Gurney
Airfield, Milne Bay,
New Guinea, November
2–22, 1943
- Dobodura
Airfield, New
Guinea, November 22, 1943 – March 28, 1944
- Finschhafen Airfield, New Guinea, March 28 –
May 12, 1944
- Hollandia, Netherlands East Indies, May 12 – September
28, 1944
- Detachment: Wake
Island, June 8 – August 18, 1944
- Start of B-25
Mitchell operations.
- Detachment: Owi
Airfield, Schouten Islands, Netherlands East Indies, September 16 –
October 5, 1944
|
- Detachment: Dulag Airfield, Leyte, Philippines, November 14–30, 1944 (Ground
Echelon)
- Detachment: McGuire Field, Mindoro, Philippines, December December 15 26, 1944
(Ground Echelon)
- McGuire Field, Mindoro, Philippines, December 26, 1944 – July 9,
1945
- Kadena AFld, Okinawa, July 9, 1945 –
October 15, 1945
- Atsugi Afld, Japan, October
15, 1945 – June 15, 1946
- Kadena AFld, June 15, 1946 – February 20,
1947
- Clark
AFB, Luzon, Philippines, 25 Mar-1
Jul 1958.
|
Aircraft
Operations
History
The squadron was activated on April 1, 1943 at the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics,
Orlando AAF, Florida. After several months
of training, the unit was deployed to the Pacific Theater,
moving first to Camp Patrick Henry, near Newport News Virginia where they boarded the USS General John Pope,
sailing through the Panama Canal to Milne Bay, New Guinea.
In New Guinea, the squadron was assigned to Fifth Air Force
and initially stationed at Dobodura airfield in November 1943.
Flying P-70 Havocs and
P-38
Lightnings, the unit conducted night fighter defensive
operations against intruding Japanese aircraft over New Guinea,
moving to several advance airfields on the island throughout 1943
and 1944. In September 1944, the squadron was re-equipped with P-61 Black
Widows and moved to Morotai Island in the Dutch East
Indies where they engaged enemy aircraft. In the East Indies,
additional B-25
Mitchells and P-38s were assigned, using the B-25s for night
intruder operations, P-61s for night fighter operations and the
P-38s for searchlight cooperation operations. In November the
squadron moved to the Philippines, arriving on Leyte on November 14.
The unit was attached frequently to different units throughout
the war, and remained in the Philippines until July 1945 when it
moved to Okinawa. From Kadena Airfield, the unit
attacked a wide range of enemy targets on Hainan Island, Hong Kong, and along the
east China coast. Its first
mission against targets on the Japanese Home Islands took place on
July 28 when it attacked targets on Kyūshū and also in the Shanghai area of enemy controlled China.
After V-J
Day, the 418th NFS moved briefly to Atsugi Airfield, Japan
during October 1945 where it was part of the occupying forces. It
returned to Okinawa on June 15, 1946, conducting training
operations until February 20, 1947 when the unit was inactivated.
Its assigned personnel, aircraft and equipment were transferred to
the 4th Fighter Squadron (All
Weather). Not manned, 1957-1958
References
This article incorporates public
domain material from websites or documents of
the Air Force Historical
Research Agency.
- Northrop P-61 Black Widow--The Complete History and Combat
Record, Garry R. Pape, John M. Campbell and Donna Campbell,
Motorbooks International, 1991.
- Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World
War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
ISBN 0892010975
- USAFHRA Document
01075506
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