- 555th Fighter Squadron
Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 555th Fighter Squadron
caption= 555th Fighter Squadron Patch
dates=1 December 1942 -7 November 1945
8 January 1964 -25 March 1994
1 April 1994 - Present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=United States Air Force
type= Fighter
role=
size=
command_structure=United States Air Forces in Europe
3d Air Force
31st Fighter Wing
31st Operations Group
current_commander=
garrison=Aviano Air Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto= Triple Nickel
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles= Linebacker I
Linebacker II
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=The 555th Fighter Squadron (555 FS) is part of the
31st Fighter Wing atAviano Air Base ,Italy . It operatesF-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting an air superiority mission.Mission
History
The squadron's heritage began on
25 November 1942 when the 555th Bombardment Squadron, Medium, was constituted flying theB-26 Marauder . DuringWorld War II , the 555th led offensive actions against Axis forces from bases inEngland ,France , andBelgium . For gallantry in action, the squadron was awarded the first of its four Presidential Unit Citations. [http://www.aviano.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=4353 555 FS Fact Sheet] ] . [cite book
last =Martin
first =Patrick
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings
publisher =Schiffer Military Aviation History
date =1994
location =
pages =
url =
doi =
id =
isbn =0887405134 ] [ cite web |url=http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/usafserials.html|title= USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present] ] The squadron was deactivated shortly after WWII ended. On8 January 1964 , the 555th re-emerged atMacDill Air Force Base ,Florida , operating theF-4 Phantom II . Being the first operational unit in the Air Force to receive the Phantom II, the 555th was deployed and then permanently assigned to thePacific Rim in support of hostilities inSoutheast Asia .In February 1966, the 555th returned to combat. Flying out of
Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base , they scored their first two victories on23 April 1966, and became the first "Ace" Squadron in Southeast Asia with six kills one week later.In June 1966, the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron moved to
Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base and joined the8th Tactical Fighter Wing "Wolfpack." There, the squadron led the first strike againstMiG airfields inNorth Vietnam . The 555 TFS launched the first night bombing attacks against North Vietnam on29 September 1967 . While at Ubon, the 555th downed an additional 14 aircraft, including fourMiG-21 s on2 January 1967. The unit thus became the only "Quad Ace" Fighter Squadron to that point, with 20 MiGs to its credit.In 1968, the Nickel participated in the campaign against the
Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Linebacker campaigns against the North Vietnam heartland in 1972. During Linebacker I andLinebacker II , the 555th returned to its air superiority role and brought its MiG tally to 39 confirmed victories--10MiG-17 s, 3MiG-19 s, and 26 MiG-21s, producing the first and second USAF aces, and earning the motto, "World's Largest Distributor of MiG Parts." From 1966 to 1973, the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron earned three more Presidential Unit Citations, fiveAir Force Outstanding Unit Award s with combat "V" device, theRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm, and the 1973 Hughes achievement award.After nine years of combat operations, the 555th returned to the United States. In 1974, the squadron moved to
Luke Air Force Base ,Arizona , where it transitioned to theF-15 Eagle . On1 April 1994 transferred toAviano Air Base ,Italy , and began flying theF-16 Fighting Falcon .
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