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492nd Fighter Squadron
492nd Fighter Squadron F-15E Strike Eagles on deployment in Romania, 2008
Active15 Jan 1941 – 7 Nov 1945
10 July 1952 − present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleFighter
Part ofUnited States Air Forces in Europe
Garrison/HQRAF Lakenheath
Nickname(s)Bolars,[1] Madhatters[2]
ColorsBlue
EquipmentF-15E Strike Eagle
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Lt. Gen. Steven L. Kwast
Lt. Gen. Jay B. Silveria
Maj. Gen. David Iverson
Brig. Gen. Christopher M. Short
Insignia
492nd Fighter Squadron emblem (approved 11 February 2005)[3]
Squadron codeLN (July 1972 – present)

The 492nd Fighter Squadron (492nd FS), nicknamed "the Madhatters", is part of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England, where they operate the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle.

Mission

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The 492nd Fighter Squadron is a combat-ready McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle squadron that can execute strategic attack, interdiction, and counter air missions in support of United States Air Forces in Europe, United States European Command, and NATO operations. It can use all of the USAF's air-superiority and surface-attack munitions. The squadron can deploy to any theater of operations in the world.[4]

History

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World War II

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The unit was activated on 15 January 1941 as the 55th Bombardment Squadron (Light), a Southeastern Air District Army Air Corps training squadron, assigned to the 48th Bombardment Group. Flying Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers out of Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia, the squadron briefly flew antisubmarine patrols, from March to April 1942, before resuming aircrew training.[5]

A Republic P-47D Thunderbolt in 492nd Fighter Squadron markings.

As the Replacement Training Unit (RTU) scheme came into effect, the unit switched to the Vultee A-35 dive bomber. However, in August 1943 the unit was redesignated as the 492nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron, moving to William Northern Army Air Field, Tennessee, and switching to Bell P-39 Airacobra and Curtiss P-40 Warhawks.

In January 1944. the unit became an operational fighter squadron flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts; two months later, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO), assigned to IX Fighter Command at RAF Ibsley, England.[5]

The squadron flew its first combat mission on 20 April 1944, an uneventful fighter sweep of the occupied French coast. On 30 May 1944, the "bomber" designation was dropped, and the unit became the 492nd Fighter Squadron.

The 492nd took part in the Normandy invasion that began on 6 June 1944, dropping bombs on bridges and gun positions, attacking rail lines and trains, and providing visual reconnaissance reports. On 18 June 1944, the 492nd and the 493rd Fighter Squadron made the crossing to France to Deux Jumeaux Airfield, an Advanced Landing Ground (ALG). From there, they supported Allied forces moving east across northern France, primarily the United States First Army. As the Allied armies continued their advance across France and into Germany, the squadron occupied a succession of ALGs; on Victory in Europe Day, they were stationed at Illesheim Airfield, occupied Germany.[5]

Following the German surrender, the unit returned to the United States, and on 7 November 1945 the squadron was inactivated as part of the massive postwar drawdown.[5]

Cold War

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The unit was reactivated on 10 July 1952 as the 492nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron (492nd FBS), a NATO squadron assigned to Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, France, and equipped initially with Republic F-84G Thunderjets. In 1953, the squadron began to switch to North American F-86F Sabres; the last of the Thunderjets left in 1954.[3]

In late 1956, the squadron upgraded to the North American F-100D Super Sabre. It was redesignated the 492nd Tactical Fighter Squadron (492nd TFS) on 8 July 1958. However due to French concerns about atomic storage and custody issues within NATO, a decision was made resulting in the removal of USAF atomic-capable units from French soil. On 15 January 1960, the entire 48th TFW moved to RAF Lakenheath, UK.[5]

Between 1960 and 1972, the squadron's F-100 fleet trained with USAFE and NATO to react to aggression from the Soviet Union. They underwent a series of NATO tactical evaluations. The squadron conducted several deployments to Turkey, Italy, Spain, and across the United Kingdom. The 492nd also frequently deployed for training at Wheelus Air Base, Libya, until 1969, when Muammar Gaddafi, who had recently taken power, asked the United States to leave the country.[6][7]

On 1 October 1971, the 492nd TFS stood down from its NATO obligations, allowing it to convert to the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II.[5] The first Phantom arrived on 7 January 1972 from the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Bentwaters. The conversion to the F-4D took several years, with Phantoms arriving from units that had completed their deployments in Vietnam.[5] The F-4s initially carried the tail code of "LK", but switched ot "LN" in July and August 1972.

General Dynamics F-111F 71-0886 of the 492nd TFS, 1990 (ribbon on tail is for taking part in the Operation El Dorado Canyon raid on Libya during April 1986).

The Phantom's service with squadron was short. Operation Ready Switch transferred the F-4Ds to the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing at Nellis AFB, Nevada. The 474th sent their General Dynamics F-111As to the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, and the 366th sent their F-111Fs to Lakenheath in early 1977. Unlike the switch to F-4s transition, the F-111 change took place quickly and without any significant problems. Almost immediately after changing aircraft, the squadron began a series of monthly exercises and deployments that took the Liberty Wing to Italy, Iran, Greece, and Pakistan.

On night of 14/15 April 1986, the 492nd TFS and the est of the 48th TFW participated in Operation El Dorado Canyon, the air raid on Tripoli, Libya, as a response to the West Berlin discotheque bombing. The 492nd deployed with their F-111Fs to Taif Air Base, Saudi Arabia, as part of Operation Desert Shield on 2 September 1990, in response to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. From Taif Air Base, the unit launched strikes on Iraq as part of Operation Desert Storm between January and February 1991.[8]

Modern era

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McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle 97-0221 of the 492nd EFS taking off from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, 2007.

Redesignated as the 492nd Fighter Squadron (492nd FS) on 1 October 1991, the Bolars switched aircraft again, exchanging the F-111Fs for the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle in early February 1992. This continued to add to the previous 50 years of flying the air-to-ground mission with one of the most capable multi-role/air-to-ground jets in the current Air Force inventory.

Between 23 March and 10 April 2008, the squadron was assigned to the 404th Air Expeditionary Group of the 323d Air Expeditionary Wing and deployed F-15 fighters to the Câmpia Turzii Air Base, Romania in support of Operation Noble Endeavor. The squadron flew on air policing missions with the Romanian Air Force for the 2008 Bucharest summit. During the three-day summit, the 492nd flew three air patrols over Bucharest in addition to the alerts, and further protected President George W. Bush during his trip to Croatia.[9]

The squadron participated in Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya in March 2011, along with numerous deployments to Southwest Asia supporting Air Expeditionary units as part of the ongoing Global War on Terrorism as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF).[3]

The Bolars participated in a short deployment to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey in November 2015 in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). Accompanied by 493d Fighter Squadron, the F-15s were sent to enforce the sovereign air space of Turkey.

The Bolars deployed once again in support of OIR in April 2017 for six months as the 492nd Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (EFS), relieving the 389th EFS. On 8 June, 97-0219 shot down a pro-Syrian Regime Shahed 129 UAV after it had fired upon friendly forces. Another Shahed 129 was shot down on 20 June by 98-0135 after it began advancing on coalition forces. The 492nd EFS were replaced by the Seymour Johnson AFB based 336th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron in October 2017.[2] Over the course of the deployment, the 492nd flew over 2,000 missions, delivered over 4,000 precision munitions across 11,000 combat flying hours and achieved two air-to-air kills against enemy aircraft.[10] Because of the squadron's extreme combat effectiveness and achievement of total air dominance in the AO, they were awarded the Raytheon Trophy, a first for any Strike Eagle squadron and multi-role aircraft.[2]

In May 2019, the 492nd provided dissimilar air combat training for the General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcons of the 93rd Fighter Squadron, who had deployed from Homestead Air Reserve Base, Florida, to RAF Lakenheath.[11]

Between July and August 2019, the Bolars deployed to the U.S. with 14 F-15Es, initially to participate in Red Flag 19–3 at Nellis AFB, before spending two weeks at Mountain Home AFB alongside the 366th Fighter Wing for Weapon System Evaluation Program (WSEP) exercises 'Combat Hammer' and 'Combat Archer'.[12]

The Madhatters / Bolars nickname

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An F-15E of the squadron in D-Day anniversary markings featuring the Madhatters emblem

While stationed at Chaumont Air Base, France, the Madhatters were seen wearing berets. When they moved to England, the squadron adopted the bowler hat, a traditional English hat with a rounded crown. The tradition of wearing the bowler hat has continued to present day despite the lack of official uniform regulations authorizing such wear. Due to the limit of five characters for a flight callsign, the squadron uses "Bolar" instead of bowler when conducting local flying.

The 48th Fighter Wing official website (www.lakenheath.af.mil) has used the 'Madhatters' nickname in articles dated 2006, 2010, and occasionally since. However, in more recent years (e.g. articles dated 2017, 2020, and 2022), the use of 'Bolars' now appears more common.[13][14]

The practice of adopting headgear of the various geographic regions the 492nd Fighter Squadron is sent to continues. In Turkey, each deployed Madhatter wears a blue fez hat.

Lineage

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  • Constituted as the 55th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 20 November 1940
Activated on 15 January 1941
Redesignated 55th Bombardment Squadron (Dive) on 28 August 1942
Redesignated 492nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 10 August 1943
Redesignated 492nd Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 30 May 1944
Inactivated on 7 November 1945
  • Redesignated 492nd Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 25 June 1952
Activated on 10 July 1952
Redesignated 492nd Tactical Fighter Squadron on 8 July 1958
Redesignated 492nd Fighter Squadron on 1 October 1991[3]

Assignments

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  • 48th Bombardment Group (later 48th Fighter-Bomber Group, 48th Fighter Group), 15 January 1941 – 7 November 1945
  • 48th Fighter-Bomber Group, 10 July 1952
  • 48th Fighter-Bomber Wing (later 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, 48 Fighter Wing), 8 December 1957 (attached to 48th Fighter Wing [Provisional] 2 September 1990 – 15 March 1991, 7440th Composite Wing, September–December 1991)
  • 48th Operations Group, 31 March 1992 – present[3]

Stations

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Aircraft

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Aircraft operated by the 492nd Fighter Squadron
  • Republic F-84G-2-RE Thunderjet 51-9674 of the 492nd FBS, alongside a 492nd FBS F-84G in an experimental camouflage motif, 1954.
    Republic F-84G-2-RE Thunderjet 51-9674 of the 492nd FBS, alongside a 492nd FBS F-84G in an experimental camouflage motif, 1954.
  • 492nd TFS Wing Commander's North American F-86F-25-NH Sabre 52-5355, 1956.
    492nd TFS Wing Commander's North American F-86F-25-NH Sabre 52-5355, 1956.
  • North American F-100D-90-NA Super Sabre 56-3213 of the 492nd TFS in Southeast Asia camouflage motif (Note the squadron colors being removed, being replaced by the "LR" tailcode).
    North American F-100D-90-NA Super Sabre 56-3213 of the 492nd TFS in Southeast Asia camouflage motif (Note the squadron colors being removed, being replaced by the "LR" tailcode).
  • McDonnell Douglas F-4D-27-MC Phantom II 65-0615 of the 492nd TFS, 1976.
    McDonnell Douglas F-4D-27-MC Phantom II 65-0615 of the 492nd TFS, 1976.

Operations

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References

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Notes
Citations
  1. ^ "492nd FS returns from deployment". DVIDS. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Hunter, Jamie (April 2019). "Madhatters". Combat Aircraft. Key Publishing Ltd. pp. 47–70.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Robertson, Patsy (11 October 2016). "Factsheet 492 Fighter Squadron (USAFE)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Lakenheath Library: Factsheet 48th Operations Group". 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "The History, Heritage and Heraldry of the 48th Fighter Wing" (PDF). RAF Lakenheath. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  6. ^ "1965 North African News Beat: Wheelus Diary". RAF Lakenheath. 2 May 2013. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  7. ^ "Wheelus Air Base". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  8. ^ "1990s". RAF Lakenheath. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  9. ^ Randall Haskin (23 July 2008). "Bolar Spring Break 2008". lakenheath.af.mil.
  10. ^ Burks, Eric (16 October 2017). "492nd FS returns from deployment". RAF Lakenheath. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  11. ^ "Total Force: Reserve Fighting Falcons train with Lakenheath Strike Eagles". U.S. AIR FORCES IN EUROPE & AIR FORCES AFRICA. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  12. ^ Hunter, Jamie (November 2019). "Bombing with the 'Bolars'". Combat Aircraft. Key Publishing Ltd. pp. 50–59.
  13. ^ "search = '492nd' + 'Bolars'". Bing search. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Welcome Home, Bolars (October 26th, 2020)". Royal Air Force Lakenheath (lakenheath.af.mil). Retrieved 17 September 2024.

Bibliography

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

See also

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