12th Fighter Squadron

The 12th Fighter Squadron (12 FS) was part of the 3d Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska until its decommission in September 2006. The squadron operated the F-15 Eagle aircraft conducting air superiority missions.

Mission
Mobilizes, deploys, and employs the F-15C air superiority fighter in global expeditionary support of all war-fighting commands.

History
The 12th flew patrols over the Pacific from Christmas Island between February and October 1942. It participated in combat operations in South and Southwest Pacific from, 19 November 1942 – 14 August 1945.

It also flew combat missions in Korea from, 1 August 1950 – 8 January 1953 and 25 February – 27 July 1953 and in Vietnam from, 1 February – 15 March 1965 and 15 June – 25 August 1965.

The squadron stood alert in South Korea from, 23 January – 13 June 1968, after seizure of the U.S.S. Pueblo by North Korea. It supported air defense alert capability in Southeast Asia from, 1968–1972.

The squadron was unmanned and unequipped from May 1972 – November 1975. It remanned and reequipped with F-4 Phantom IIaircraft in late November 1975. Through 1980, it flew offensive and defensive exercises in support of its wing, the 313th Air Division, and Pacific Air Forces. It converted to F-15 Eagle aircraft in 1980. In 1981, the 12th earned the Hughes Trophy in recognition as the outstanding fighter squadron in the USAF. On 5 November 1999, the squadron stood down at Kadena Air Base, Japan, and moved without personnel or equipment to Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska where it joined the 3d Wing on 28 April 2000. Since 2000, performed offensive and defensive counter-air missions with current air-to-air weaponry, including night vision goggles (NVG), to achieve air superiority in support of taskings from 3 Wing.

The squadron was decommissioned in September 2006, due to BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) program released in 2005, and it was eventually replaced by F-22A squadrons.

Lineage

 * Constituted 12th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940
 * Activated on 15 January 1941
 * Redesignated: 12th Fighter Squadron on 15 May 1942
 * Redesignated: 12th Fighter Squadron, Two Engine, on 26 January 1944
 * Redesignated: 12th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine, on 6 May 1946
 * Redesignated: 12th Fighter Squadron, Jet, on 23 December 1949
 * Redesignated: 12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 20 January 1950
 * Redesignated: 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958
 * Redesignated: 12th Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991
 * Inactivated in October 2007

Assignments

 * 50th Pursuit (later, 50 Fighter) Group, 15 January 1941
 * Attached to VII Interceptor [later, VII Fighter] Command, 10 February – 17 August 1942


 * 15th Fighter Group, 18 August 1942
 * US Army Forces in South Pacific, 1 December 1942
 * XIII Fighter Command, 13 January 1943
 * 18 Fighter (later, 18th Fighter-Bomber) Group, 30 March 1943
 * Attached to: Air Task Group 5, Provisional, 27 January – 19 February 1955
 * Attached to: Air Task Force 13, Provisional, c. 3 September – 30 November 1955
 * Attached to: 49th Fighter-Bomber Group, 7 August 1956 – 14 March 1957
 * Attached to: 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 15 March – 15 August 1957
 * Attached to: Thirteenth Air Force, 16 August – 1 September 1957


 * Thirteenth Air Force, 2 September 1957
 * 18 Fighter-Bomber (later, 18th Tactical Fighter) Wing, 25 March 1958
 * Attached to: 2d Air Division, 1 February – 15 March 1965 and 15 June – 25 August 1965
 * Attached to: 314th Air Division, 23–29 January 1968


 * 18th Tactical Fighter Group, 1 May 1978
 * 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, 11 February 1981
 * 18th Operations Group, 1 October 1991
 * 3d Operations Group, 28 April 2000 – October 2007

Bases stationed

 * Selfridge Field, Michigan (1941)
 * Key Field, Mississippi (1941–1942)
 * Cassidy Airfield, Christmas Island, Line Islands (1942)
 * Palmyra Atoll Airfield, Line Islands (1942)
 * Efate Airfield, New Hebrides (1942–1943)
 * Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands (1943–1944)
 * Operated From: Mono Airfield, Stirling Island, Solomon Islands (19 February – August 1944)


 * Sansapor Airfield, Netherlands East Indies (1944–1945)
 * Lingayen Airfield, Luzon, Philippines (1945)
 * McGuire Field, Occidental Mindoro, Philippines (1945)
 * San Roque Airfield (Moret Field), Mindanao, Philippines] (1945)
 * Tacloban Airfield, Leyte, Mindanao, Philippines] (1945–1946)
 * Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines] (1946)
 * Floridablanca Airfield (Basa Air Base), Luzon, Philippines, (1946–1947)
 * Clark Air Base, Luzon, Philippines (1947–1950)
 * Taegu Air Base (K-2), South Korea (1950)
 * Ashiya Air Base, Japan (1950)


 * Pusan East (K-9) Air Base, South Korea (1950)
 * Pyongyang-East Air Base (K-24), North Korea (1950)
 * Suwon Air Base (K-13), South Korea (1950)
 * Chinhae Air Base (K-10), South Korea (1950–1952)
 * Hoengseong Air Base (K-46), South Korea (1952–1953)
 * Osan Air Base (K-55), South Korea (1953–1954)
 * Kadena Air Base, Okinawa (1954–1957)
 * Deployed to: Tainan Air Base, Formosa (27 January – 19 February 1955, c. 3 September – 30 November 1955)


 * Clark Air Base, Luzon (1957–1958)
 * Kadena Air Base, Okinawa (1958–2000
 * Deployed to: Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam (1–19 February 1965)
 * Deployed to: Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (8 February – 15 March 1965, 15 June – 25 August 1965)
 * Deployed to: Osan Air Base, South Korea (23 January – 13 June 1968)


 * Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska (2000–2007)

Aircraft Operated

 * P-35 (1941)
 * P-36 Hawk (1941)
 * BT-13 Valiant (1941)
 * P-40 Warhawk (1941–1942)
 * P-39 Airacobra (1942–1943, 1944)
 * P-400 (1942–1944)
 * P-38 Lightning (1943–1946)
 * P-47 Thunderbolt (1944, 1946, 1947–1948)


 * P-51 Mustang (1946–1947, 1948–1950, 1950–1953)
 * P-80 Shooting Star (1946, 1949–1950)
 * F-86 Sabre (1953–1956)
 * F-84 Thunderjet (1956–1957)
 * F-100 Super Sabre (1957–1958, 1958–1963)
 * F-105 Thunderchief (1962–1972)
 * F-4 Phantom II (1975–1980)
 * F-15 Eagle (since 1980)

Operations

 * World War II
 * Korean War
 * Vietnam War
 * Operation Southern Watch
 * Operation Northern Watch