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| 456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Three F-106s Castle AFB, about 1966 with the squadron emblem on their tails | |
| Active | 1944–1946; 1954–1955; 1955–1968 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Air Defense |
| Engagements | Pacific Ocean Theater[1] |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[2] |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron emblemapproved 21 March 1945)[1] |  |
The456th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with theAir Defense CommandSan Francisco Air Defense Sector stationed atOxnard Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 18 July 1968.
It was established in late 1944 as a very long rangeRepublic P-47N Thunderbolt fighter squadron. It trained underIII Fighter Command. The 456th was deployed toPacific Theater of Operations, and assigned toXXI Bomber Command as a long-range escort squadron forB-29 Superfortress bombers engaged in the strategic bombardment of Japan, based onIwo Jima. After the Japanese capitulation, it was moved toLuzon where the squadron was demobilized; the P-47Ns were returned to storage depots in the United States. It was inactivated as a paper unit in 1946.
It was reactivated in 1954 underAir Defense Command as anair defense interceptor squadron, and stationed atTruax Field, Wisconsin for the air defense ofthe Great Lakes. It was equipped withNorth American F-86D Sabres. In August 1955 the unit was inactivated, and was reactivated atCastle Air Force Base, California in October 1955 withNorth American F-86D Sabres. In 1957 it began re-equipping with the North American North American F-86L Sabre, an improved version of the F-86D which incorporated theSemi Automatic Ground Environment, or SAGE computer-controlled direction system for intercepts. The service of the F-86L was brief, since by the time the last F-86L conversion was delivered, the type was already being phased out in favor of supersonic interceptors.
The squadron upgraded in June 1958 into supersonicConvair F-102A Delta Daggers. In September 1959 it receivedConvair F-106 Delta Darts.
On 22 October 1962, before PresidentJohn F. Kennedy told Americans that missiles were in place in Cuba, the squadron dispersed one third of its force, equipped with nuclear tipped missiles toFresno Air Terminal at the start of theCuban Missile Crisis.[3][4] These planes returned to Castle after the crisis.
The squadron moved toOxnard Air Force Base, California on 18 July 1968 and was inactivated the same day, transferring its mission, personnel and equipment to the437th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
