723d Tactical Fighter Squadron

The squadron was first activated as the 723d Bombardment Squadron at Gowen Field, Idaho on 1 May 1943 as one of the four original squadrons of the 450th Bombardment Group. It soon moved to Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, where it was manned, drawing its cadre from the 302d Bombardment Group.See 720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, pp. 2, 5 and began to train with Consolidated B-24 Liberators. A cadre of the squadron was sent to the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics in June, where it received advanced heavy bomber tactical training.720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, p. 167 In November 1943, the 723d began moving overseas.Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 324-325 The ground echelon proceeded to the port of embarkation at Camp Patrick Henry, sailing on the SS Bemjamin R. Milam,The squadron ground echelon history refers to this ship as the Benjamin "S." Milam.

{{cite web |url= http://www.450thbg.com/real/history/723/723history.shtml |title=History, 723d Bombardment Squadron Ground Echelon|date=10 February 1944|publisher=450th Bomb Group Memorial Association|access-date=29 March 2019}} while the aircrews staged at Herington Army Air Field, Kansas, and ferried their planes to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations via the South Atlantic Ferry Route.720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, pp. 168-169

File:450bg-2.jpg

The squadron arrived at its combat station, Manduria Airfield, Italy, in early January 1944 and began engaging in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, primarily striking targets in Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and the Balkans. The squadron's first mission was flown against Mostar Airfield, Yugoslavia on 8 January.720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, p. 171{{cite web|url=http://www.450thbg.com/real/history/723/january44.shtml|last1=Gillan|first1=2Lt Gale H.|title=History, 723d Bombardment Squadron, January 1944|date=10 February 1944|publisher=450th Bomb Group Memorial Association|access-date=29 March 2019}} Targets included aircraft factories and assembly plants, oil refineries, marshalling yards, airfields and storage areas. Shortly after arriving in theater, the squadron participated in Big Week, the Eighth Air Force's concentrated attacks on the German aircraft industry, striking aircraft factories at Regensburg, Germany and Steyr, Austria. It was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for its attack on the Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg on 25 February, despite bad weather, heavy flak in the target area and enroute attacks by enemy interceptor aircraft. The 450th Group led the 47th Bombardment Wing on the attack.720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, p. 121 The 723d earned a second DUC for an attack on rail yards near Ploesti on 5 April, when it fought its way through "relentless" attacks by enemy aircraft to reach the target. The rail yards were a vital link in the transportation of petroleum products from the Ploesti refineries to the eastern front.720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, p. 126 The 450th Group again led the 47th Wing on this mission.720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, pp. 126-127

During the spring of 1944, the squadron flew missions for Operation Strangle, the effort to choke off supplies for Axis military in Italy through air interdiction.720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945, p. 58 The squadron also supported Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in September 1944 by attacking troop concentrations, lines of communications and enemy coastal defenses. In addition, it conducted missions to support the Red Army advance through the Balkans and Allied advances in Italy.

The squadron returned to the United States in May 1945, assembling at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota at the end of the month. The 450th Group was converted to a Boeing B-29 Superfortress unit, and the squadron was inactivated in June because very heavy bomber units in the Army Air Forces were formed with only three squadrons, not the four squadrons of heavy bomber groups.

The squadron was redesignated the 723d Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated at Foster Air Force Base, Texas in July 1954 under Tactical Air Command. The squadron initially flew North American F-86 Sabre fighters, but soon converted to the North American F-100 Super Sabre. In March 1955, the squadron was renamed the 723d Fighter-Day Squadron to reflect the F-100's air superiority capabilities. In July, the squadron's parent 450th Fighter-Day Wing became the first wing to equip with the improved F-100C model of the "Hun."Knaack, p. 119 In November 1957, the 450th Wing converted to the dual deputy organization.Ravenstein, pp. 245-246 The 450th Fighter-Day Group was inactivated, and the squadron was assigned directly to the wing, reporting to a deputy commander for operations. Starting in July 1958, the squadron began to phase down in anticipation of its inactivation and the closure of Foster. It was inactivated on 18 December 1958.

• Constituted as the 723d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 April 1943

: Activated on 1 May 1943

: Redesignated 723d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 1944

: Inactivated on 11 June 1945

• Redesignated 723d Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 31 March 1954

: Activated on 1 July 1954

: Redesignated: 723d Fighter-Day Squadron on 8 March 1955

: Redesignated: 723d Tactical Fighter Squadron on 1 July 1958

: Inactivated on 18 December 1958

• 450th Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943 – 11 June 1945
• 450th Fighter-Bomber Group (later 450th Fighter-Day Group), 1 July 1954
• 450th Fighter-Day Wing (later 450th Tactical Fighter Wing), 11 December 1957 – 18 December 1958

• Gowen Field, Idaho, 1 May 1943
• Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, 21 May 1943
• Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, c. 8 July – 26 November 1943
• Manduria Airfield, Italy, c. 3 January 1944 – 16 May 1945
• Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, c. 31 May 1945 – 11 June 1945
• Foster Air Force Base, Texas 1 July 1954 – 18 December 1958

• Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945
• North American F-86 Sabre, 1954–1955
• North American F-100 Super Sabre, 1955–1958

{{unit awards table

|award_image1=AF PUC

|award_name1=Distinguished Unit Citation

|award_date1=25 February 1944

|award_notes1=Regensburg, Germany 723d Bombardment Squadron

|award_image2=AF PUC

|award_name2=Distinguished Unit Citation

|award_date2=5 April 1944

|award_notes2=Ploesti, Rumania 723d Bombardment Squadron

}}

• List of F-100 units of the United States Air Force
• List of F-86 Sabre units
• B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces

; Explanatory notes

{{reflist|group=note}}

; Citations

{{reflist|40em}}

{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}

• {{cite book|last=Knaack|first=Marcelle Size|title=Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems|url=https://archive.org/details/postworldwariifi0000knaa|access-date=17 December 2016|volume=1, Post-World War II Fighters 1945-1973|year=1978|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=978-0-912799-19-3|url-access=registration|ref=none}}
• {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Air Force Combat Units of World War II|orig-year= 1961|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180735/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf|url-status= dead|archive-date= 20 December 2016|access-date= 17 December 2016|edition=reprint|year=1983|publisher= Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-02-1|lccn=61060979|ref=none}}
• {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|orig-year=1969|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180455/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 20 December 2016 |edition= reprint|access-date= 17 December 2016|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402|ref=none}}
• {{cite book|last=Mueller|first=Robert|title=Air Force Bases, Vol. I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982|url= https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330255/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-026.pdf |access-date=17 December 2016|year=1989|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-53-6|ref=none}}
• {{cite book|last=Ravenstein|first=Charles A.|title=Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977|url=https://archive.org/details/airforcecombatwi0000rave|access-date=17 December 2016|year=1984|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-12-9|url-access=registration|ref=none}}
• {{cite book|last=Watkins|first=Robert A.|title=Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II|volume=IV, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations|year=2009|publisher=Shiffer Publishing, Ltd.|location=Atglen, PA|isbn=978-0-7643-3401-6|ref=none}}
• {{cite web |url= http://www.450thbg.com/real/history/720/720.pdf |title=15th Army Air Force, 450th Bombardment Group, 720th Bomb Squadron 1943-1945|date=August 1994|publisher=450th Bomb Group Memorial Association|access-date=24 March 2019|ref=none}} (includes historical data for entire 450th Group)

{{United States Air Force}}

{{Tactical Air Command}}

{{USAAF 15th Air Force World War II}}

{{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II}}

Category:Fighter squadrons of the United States Air Force