| 178th Attack Squadron | |
|---|---|
 178th Attack Squadron MQ-9 Reaper | |
| Active | 1 February 1947–Present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | UAV Reconnaissance |
| Part of | 119th Operations Group,119th Wing, ND ANG |
| Base | Fargo Air National Guard Base, North Dakota. |
| Nickname | Happy Hooligans |
| Insignia | |
| 178th Reconnaissance Squadron emblem[note 1] |  |
| 392d Fighter Squadron emblem (unofficial) |  |
| Tail Marking | Red fin stripe, "Happy Hooligans" in white letters |
The178th Attack Squadron (178 ATKS)[1] is a unit of theNorth Dakota Air National Guard119th Wing located atFargo Air National Guard Base, North Dakota. The 178th is equipped with theMQ-9 Reaper.
The squadron operatesGeneral Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, a medium-altitude, long-endurance, remotely piloted aircraft. The MQ-9's primary mission is interdiction and conducting armed reconnaissance against critical, perishable targets. When the MQ-9 is not actively pursuing its primary mission, it acts as aJoint Forces Air Component Commander-owned theater asset for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition in support of the Joint Forces commander.
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Thesquadron was first organized as the392d Fighter Squadron atHamilton Field, California on 15 July 1943, as one of the original squadrons of the367th Fighter Group.[2][3] Several members of its initialcadre were formerFlying Tigers with prior combat experience. It was not until late August, however, that the group received its firstBell P-39 Airacobra.[4] After building up its strength, the squadron moved in October toSanta Rosa Army Air Field, California.[2] In December group headquarters moved toOakland Municipal Airport, while the 392d was atSacramento Municipal Airport. The squadron moved temporarilyTonopah Army Air Field, Nevada, where they performeddive bombing andgunnery training. Training accidents with the Bell P-39 Airacobra cost several pilots their lives. In January 1944, as it prepared for overseas movement, the 392d was beefed up with personnel from the328th and368th Fighter Groups.[5] The squadron staged throughCamp Shanks, and sailed for England aboard theSS Duchess of Bedford.[6] The "Drunken Duchess"[note 2] docked atGreenock, Scotland on 3 April and the group was transported by train to its airfield atRAF Stoney Cross, England.[5]
Having trained on single engine aircraft, the squadron's pilots were surprised to findLockheed P-38 Lightnings sitting on Stoney Cross's dispersal pads.[7] Only members of the advance party had any experience flying the Lightning. These pilots had flown combat sorties with the55th Fighter Group.[8] The change from single engine to twin engine aircraft required considerable retraining for both pilots and ground crew.[7] Although some pilots entered combat with as little as eight hours of flying time on the P-38, in late April the squadron was reinforced by pilots who had trained on the Lightning in the States and were more experienced on the type.[9] However, the lack of instrument training in the P-38 took its toll on the 392d as weather, not enemy action, caused the loss of pilots and airplanes.[10]
On 9 May, the squadron flew its first combat mission, a fighter sweep overAlençon.[11] For the remainer of the month, the unit flew fighter sweeps, bomber escort anddive bombing, missions and suffered its first combat losses.[12]
OnD-Day and the next three days the squadron flew missions maintaining air cover over shipping carrying invasion troops.[7] These missions continued for the next three days. The 392d and other P-38 units stationed in England were selected for these missions with the expectation that the distinctive silhouette of the Lightning would prevent potential friendly fire incidents by anti-aircraft gunners mistaking them for enemy fighters.[13] Shortly after the Normandy invasion, on 12 June, the 367th Group was selected to test the ability of the P-38 to carry a 2,000 lb bomb under each wing. The selected target was arailroad yard, and results were mixed.[14]
By mid JuneGerman ground forces had withdrawn to defend a perimeter aroundCherbourg Harbour, a major port whose capture had become more important to the allies with the destruction ofMulberry A, one of the artificial harbors constructed near the Normandy beachhead. An attack byVII Corps on 22 June was to be preceded by low level bombing and strafing attack byIX Fighter Command. Briefed by intelligence to expect a "milk run" The 394th flew at low altitude through what turned out to be a heavily defended area. Seven group pilots were killed in action. Nearly all surviving aircraft received battle damage and the entire 367th Group was out of action for several days.[7][15]
Ninth Air Force moved its medium bomber forces to bases closer to the Continent in July, so they would be able to strike targets near the expanding front in France. The387th Bombardment Group was moved to Stoney Cross, forcing the 392d to vacate their station and move the short distance toRAF Ibsley.[16] From Ibsley the group struck railroads, marshaling yards, and trains to prevent enemy reinforcements from reaching the front duringthe Allied breakthrough at Saint Lo in July 1944.[2]
Starting on 19 July, the 367th Group's forward echelon crossed theEnglish Channel to take up stations inNormandy.[17] Group headquarters sharedBeuzeville Airfield with the371st Fighter Group, while the 392d Squadron was atCarentan Airfield,[3] advanced landing grounds made frompierced steel planking. After the breakout of ground forces in theSaint-Lô area, the squadron concentrated on close air support ofGeneral Patton'sThird Army. In late August, the squadron attackedGerman Seventh Army convoys which, to prevent being surrounded, were withdrawing eastward from theFalaise pocket. Five convoys and 100Tiger Tanks were destroyed on one day.[7]
On 22 August the group attacked threeLuftwaffe airfields nearLaon. The squadron dive bombed and destroyed two hangars on one airfield but were jumped by twelveFocke-Wulf Fw 190s as they completed their attack. EighteenMesserschmitt Bf 109s and Fw 190s engaged the393d Fighter Squadron as it reformed from its dive bomb run. After bombing its target, the394th Fighter Squadron turned to reinforce the 392d. The squadrons of the 367th Group claimed fourteen enemy aircraft in total against a loss of one Lightning.[7]
The 392d received aDistinguished Unit Citation when it returned to the Laon area three days later. That day, the 367th Group attackedLuftwaffe airfields atClastres,Péronne andRosières-en-Haye through an intenseflak barrage. The group then engaged more than thirty Focke-Wulf 190 fighters that had just taken off. Group claims were 25 enemy aircraft destroyed, one probably destroyed and 17 damaged against the loss of 6 group aircraft.[note 4] Then, despite a low fuel supply, the unitstrafed a train and convoy after leaving the scene of battle. In the afternoon the squadron conducted a long range fighter sweep of more than 800 miles to airfields in theDijon-Bordeaux area.[2][7][18]
As Allied forces moved forward across France the squadron began leap-frogging to new bases. In early September they relocated atPeray Airfield, but moved again a week later toClastres Airfield.[3] From Clastres The 392d supportedOperation Market-Garden by escorting troop carrier aircraft and attacking flak positions. For its attacks that fall, the squadron was cited in the Order of the Day by the Belgium Army.[7]
In late October, as Ninth Air Force brought its medium bombers to bases in France, the 392d was bumped from its station for the second time by the 387th Bombardment Group, when it moved toJuvincourt Airfield (A-68), north ofReims.[2][19] Juvincourt was a former Luftwaffe base with permanent facilities, in contrast to the advanced landing grounds where the squadron had been based since moving to France.[20] The squadron attacked German strong points to aid the Allied push against theSiegfried Line throughout the fall of 1944.[2]
The GermanArdennes Offensive occurred as the holidays approached. A planned move to a field in Belgium was canceled. During the Battle of the Bulge, the 392d, after escorting C-47s on a resupply drop to encircled troops at Bastogne, conducted an armed reconnaissance of theTrier area.[7]
Early in 1945 a desire to standardize the fighter-bombers in Ninth Air Force, the group transitioned intoRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts. Pilots flew Lightnings on combat missions while training at the same time with the Thunderbolt. Using the Thunderbolt the group was again cited in a Belgium Army Order of the Day, earning theBelgian Fourragere.[7]
The 392d received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for action on 19 March 1945. The 367th Group's target was the headquarters ofField Marshal Kesselring, the German Commander-ln-Chief, West,[note 5] at Ziegenburg nearBad Nauheim, Germany. Aircraft of the leading 394th Fighter Squadron would attack at low level to achieve surprise, carrying a 1,000-pound bomb under each wing. The P-47s of the 392d would be similarly armed, but woulddive bomb from a higher altitude. The bombs were equipped with time-delay fuses intended to crack the concrete roofs of the bunker. The 393d Fighter Squadron carriednapalm intended to seep into the bunkers and burn what remained. The attack was scheduled for a time that intelligence reports indicated would find senior staff and commanders at lunch, the only time they would not be in the reinforced tunnels underneath the castle that housed the headquarters. The target was located in mountainous terrain well defended by antiaircraft artillery. Moreover, to avoid alerting the Germans to the pending attack, photographic reconnaissance aircraft had avoided the area, so detailed target photography was not available. The day of the attack the castle was concealed by ground haze which caused the 394th Fighter Squadron to stray off course at the last minute, preventing them from executing the attack as planned and reducing the element of surprise.[21] Although senior German officers reached the underground bunkers and survived the attack, the group reduced the military complex to ruins, disrupting communications and the flow of intelligence at a critical time.[7]
The squadron struck tanks, trucks, flak positions, and other objectives in support of the assault across theRhine late in March and the final allied operations in Germany.[2] It was commended by the commanding generals ofXII Corps and the11th Armored Division for the close air support the unit provided for their commands. On 10 April the squadron moved toEschborn Airfield on the northwest side ofFrankfurt, Germany. The 392d flew its last combat mission, a defensive patrol, one year after entering combat on 8 May.[22] During its combat tour, the squadron was credited with 39.5 air-to-air victories over enemy aircraft, the most of any of the squadrons in the group.[23]
All hostilities ceasedthe following day, exactly one year after the squadron became operational. On 4 June, the 367th Group led a flyby forGeneral Weyland.[7] On 1 July it was announced the 392d was to redeploy to thePacific Theater of Operations after it was re-equipped with and trained with long range P-47Ns in preparation forOperation Downfall, the invasion of Japan.[2] The squadron moved to Camp Detroit in France then to a staging area nearMarseille. Here it boarded two ships, theUSS General C. G. Morton, and theUSNS John Ericsson (T-AO-194). When Japan surrendered, theMorton was diverted toNewport News, Virginia while theEriccson sailed forStaten Island, New York.[7] Following leave for everyone, the few personnel that remained in the squadron after transfers and discharges reassembled atSeymour Johnson Field, North Carolina on 2 November, and the 394th was inactivated there on 7 November 1945.[2][7]
The wartime 392d Fighter Squadron was redesignated as the178th Fighter Squadron and allotted to theNational Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized atHector Field nearFargo, North Dakota and was extended federal recognition on 16 January 1947. The squadron was equipped withNorth American P-51D Mustangs trained inair defense.
There was a cartoon during the 1950s calledPappy Easter and his Happy Hooligans and the 178th Fighter Squadron began calling themselves the “Happy Hooligans” andDuane S. Larson, as their commander, became “Pappy”. It became Pappy Larson and his Happy Hooligans and this nickname has been adopted by the entire unit and still exists.[24] In recognition of his contributions to aviation in North Dakota, Larson was among the ten inaugural inductees into the North Dakota Aviation Hall of Fame in March 1997.[25]
On 1 March 1951 the 178th was federalized and brought on active duty due to theKorean War. It moved toMoody Air Force Base, Georgia, where it became part ofStrategic Air Command (SAC), and was assigned to the federalized146th Fighter-Bomber Group.[26] The 146th Group was composed of the 178th, the186th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and the190th Fighter-Bomber Squadron.[26]
The unit remained a Moody until October when it moved toGeorge Air Force Base, California, where it became part ofTactical Air Command (TAC) in November.[26] It trained with its Mustangs as a tactical unit and augmented the air defenses of the United States.[27] The 178th Fighter-Bomber Squadron was released from active duty and returned on paper to North Dakota state control on 1 January 1953. Its personnel and equipment at George were transferred to the72d Fighter-Bomber Squadron, which was simultaneously activated.[28]
The squadron was redesignated the178th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and reactivated at Fargo the same day. In September 1953 the squadron began to keep two F-51D Mustangs onalert status 14 hours a day. The squadron continued to maintain this alert in various forms for over 50 years until it lost its fighter mission in the summer of 2007. On 1 November 1954, the 192d began the transition from the piston-engine, propeller driven F-51D to its first jet aircraft, theLockheed F-94A Starfire interceptor. The Starfire was armed with 20 millimeter cannon and was equipped withradar.
On 15 April 1956, the 178th was authorized to expand to a group level, and the119th Fighter Group (Air Defense) was established to command the squadron and its associated support units. The 178th became the new group's flying squadron. Other units assigned into the group were the 119th Material Squadron, 119th Air Base Squadron and the 119th USAF Dispensary.
The "Happy Hooligan" pilots upgraded to theNorthrop F-89 Scorpion in 1958. Its first Scorpions were F-89Ds, armed withMighty Mouse rockets, but a year later the squadron began to receive the F-89J, which could carry the nuclear armedMB-1 Genie (later AIR-2). The Scorpion was also equipped withdata link for interception control through theSemi-Automatic Ground Environment system. The 178th was one of the last units to fly the F-89, only replacing then in 1966 when it received the supersonicConvair F-102A Delta Dagger interceptor, armed withAIM-4 Falcons. It replaced its "Deuces" in 1969 withMcDonnell F-101B Voodoo interceptors. In 1977, it began to flyMcDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs, and two years later, its mobilization gaining command changed to TAC, when ADC was inactivated and replaced byAir Defense Tactical Air Command.
The unit's first overseas deployment occurred in 1983, when six Phantoms and 120 support personnel deployed toNaval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland. Eight SovietTupolev Tu-95 Bear bombers were intercepted by Hooligan pilots during the deployment. In 1986, the 119th Fighter Group became the first Guard unit to assume the USAF Zulu alert mission atRamstein Air Base, West Germany in Operation Creek Klaxon. The 119th and other air defense units rotated to Ramstein and stood continuous alert for one year, to provide air sovereignty in Western Europe for theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization. DuringOperation Desert Storm in 1991, 107 Happy Hooligans were mobilized and deployed to support operations at numerous locations within the United States.
The 178th FS converted from the F-4 Phantom to theGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon in mid-1990. The first squadron "Vipers" were mostly older Block 5 and 10 models. although some Block 15 aircraft were delivered to the squadron. The main task for the unit remained air defense, as with many Guard units that were equipped with the F-16. In 1991 the F-16s were modified to be brought up to the Air Defense Fighter variant of the plane . This improved the performance and capability of the squadron in their air defense role.
The Hooligans earned first place at the October 1994William Tell worldwide weapons meet. William Tell tests pilots and ground crews from the Air Force fighter units in air-to-air combat. This was the Hooligans' third William Tell victory, which it added to wins in 1970 and 1972. It also placed first among F-4 units in William Tell 1986. In 1994 the 119th Group won the Hughes Trophy which recognizes the most outstanding air-to-air unit in the Air Force. The only Air National Guard unit to win the award twice, the Hooligans are also the only F-16 unit ever to win the Hughes Trophy.
A permanent alert detachment of the squadron was established atKingsley Field, Oregon, beginning 1 October 1989. The detachment, staffed by 18 members, was relocated toMarch Air Force Base, California, on 31 July 1994 when theOregon Air National Guard took over air defense at Kingsley. An announcement was made in March 1999 that the squadron would convert from an air defense mission to a general purpose mission with 15 F-16A/B aircraft while activating an alert detachment atLangley Air Force Base, Virginia on 1 March 1999. The March and Langley detachments remained in operation as long as the squadron operated the "Viper."
The2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended that the mission of theNorth Dakota Air National Guard be realigned. The 119th Fighter Wing's F-16As (15 aircraft) were reaching the end of their operational life and would retire. In Jan 2007, the 119th ended its F-16 mission after almost 60 years of air defense interceptor missions.
Replacing the F-16s in 2007, the squadron began to receive theC-21A Learjet and was redesignated the178th Airlift Squadron. The C-21 has room for eight passengers and 42 ft3 (1.26 m3) of cargo. In addition to its normal role, the aircraft is capable of transporting litters during medical evacuations.
Later in 2007, it was announced that C-21 operations would be transferred to the newly activated177th Airlift Squadron, and the 179th would convert to operating theMQ-1 Predator and be redesignated the178th Reconnaissance Squadron. In 2008 it received its first Predator.
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