325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron

325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron

Two 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Convair F-102s in 1960
Active 1942–1944; 1953-1966
Country  United States
Branch  United States Air Force
Role Fighter Interceptor
Part of Air Defense Command
Insignia
325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron emblem (approved 14 May 1944)[1]

The 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to Air Defense Command at Truax Field, Wisconsin, where it was inactivated on 25 June 1966.

The squadron was first active as a training unit during World War II.

History

World War II

The squadron was activated as the 325th Fighter Squadron, one of the original squadrons of the 327th Fighter Group. [1][2] It performed air defense missions, but became an operational training unit until February 1944, and afterward served as a replacement training unit until being disbanded in April 1944.[1]

Air Defense Command

North American F-86D Sabre 51-6181, at Truax Field in 1955

The squadron was reconstituted as the 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and activated at Travis Air Force Base in April 1953, where it was equipped with the radar equipped and Mighty Mouse rocket armed North American F-86D Sabres. The following February, it moved to Hamilton Air Force Base.[1] From both bases it operated to defend the Pacific Coast.

The squadron moved on paper to Truax Field, Wisconsin on 18 August 1955, where it assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of 456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which moved in turn to Castle Air Force Base, California as part of Project Arrow, an Air Defense Command program which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[3] Two years later, it equipped with the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger.[1] At Truax, it was responsible for the air defense of the upper Midwest until 1966.

On 22 October 1962, before President John F. Kennedy told Americans that missiles were in place in Cuba, the squadron dispersed a portion of its force to Des Moines Airport at the start of the Cuban Missile Crisis.[4] At the beginning of the crisis, the 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron had deployed F-102s to Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. The 325th was the only F-102 squadron whose planes had not been modified to carry the GAR-11 Falcon nuclear missile and its planes were armed with Mighty Mouse rockets,[5] which provided a superior low altitude intercept capability.[6] The 325th replaced the 331st at Homestead to take advantage of this capability. Following the crisis, twenty of the squadron's F-102s were kept at Homestead[7] until Air Defense Command (ADC) decided to replace the F-102s there with F-104s.[8] Although the F-104 had been removed from the ADC inventory in 1960 because of its lack of an all-weather capability, this was not a factor at Homestead because Cuba lacked a bomber force and the F-104 had a superior fighter against fighter capability. The alert responsibility at Homestead was assumed by F-104s of the 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 15 April 1963 and the 325th's planes returned to Truax.[8]

Lineage

Activated on 25 August 1942
Disbanded on 10 April 1944
Activated on 20 April 1953[9]
Inactivated on 25 June 1966

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 400–401. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
  2. ↑ Maurer, Combat Groups, pp. 208-209
  3. ↑ Buss, Sturm, Volan & McMullen, p. 6
  4. ↑ McMullen, Richard F. (1964) "The Fighter Interceptor Force 1962-1964" ADC Historical Study No. 27, Air Defense Command, Ent Air Force Base, CO (Confidential, declassified 22 Mar 2000), pp. 10-12
  5. ↑ McMullen, p. 12
  6. ↑ NORAD/CONAD Participation in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Historical Reference Paper No. 8, Directorate of Command History Continental Air Defense Command, Ent AFB, CO , 1 Feb 63 (Top Secret NOFORN declassified 9 March 1996)
  7. ↑ McMullen, p. 16
  8. 1 2 McMullen, p. 17
  9. 1 2 3 4 Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft through 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 400-401

Bibliography

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

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