123rd Fighter Squadron

123d Fighter Squadron
Emblem of the 123d Fighter Squadron
Active	1940-Present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Oregon
Branch	Air National Guard
Type	Squadron
Role	Fighter (Air Defense)
Part of	Oregon Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon
Nickname(s)	Redhawks
Tail Code	Oregon

The 123d Fighter Squadron (123d FS) is a unit of the Oregon Air National Guard 142d Fighter Wing located at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon. The 123d is equipped with the F-15C Eagle.

The squadron is a descendant organization of the 123d Observation Squadron formed on 30 July 1940. It was activated on 18 April 1941. The squadron is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.

Allocated to the Oregon National Guard in 1940, activated on 18 April 1941 at Portland Municipal Airport. The newly formed unit began operations with two officers, 108 enlisted men and two aircraft, a North American BC-1A (like the AT-6) and a Douglas O-46A. The squadron flew observation missions primarily along the Pacific Coast and occasionally made mail flights.

Ordered to active service in September 1941 as part of the pre-World War II buildup of the United States Army Air Corps and assigned to the 70th Observation Group, Fourth Air Force. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, flew anti-submarine patrols along the Pacific Coast from airfields in Oregon and Washington, later becoming part of the air defense forces of Southern California. This included one of the first missions flown from a U.S. base on 7 December 1941. Flew anti-submarine patrols until mid-1943 when the mission was turned over to the United States Navy.

Reassigned to Third Air Force, sent first to Texas then to Oklahoma being trained for combat reconnaissance and aerial photography to support Army ground forces. Was deployed to Fourteenth Air Force in China as part of the China Burma India Theater, engaged in unarmed observation flights over Japanese-held territory supporting Chinese Nationalist forces. Flew B-25 Mitchells, A-20 Havocs and DB-7 Boston Havocs originally built for the RAF. Flew from rough and remote airfields in China throughout the rest of the War, later flying unarmed high-speed long-range P-38 Lightnings and F-5 Reconnaissance Lightnings. The squadron received credit for participation in seven campaigns in World War II. Not all 123d personnel served with the 35th PRS, as some were diverted to other units as early as 1942 and served elsewhere in the Pacific and in Europe.