AIR FORCE 307TH FIGHTER SQUADRON PATCH (SSI)

Originally designated as the 307th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) and activated on 30 January 1942, the 307th Fighter Squadron was deployed into the European Theater of Operations in June after having first flown some ant-submarine patrols off the coast of the United States. After receiving British Spitfires and training with English pilots, the squadron finally saw combat in August, when it attacked enemy ground forces in occupied France. It went on to provide support for a number of operations, including the landings in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and Southern France; by this time, the squadron was equipped with P-51 Mustangs and could roam freely over France in the face of greatly diminished German airpower. In December 1944 it claimed the first shootdown of a German jet fighter by a P-51, and by war’s end it had earned two Distinguished Unit Citations.

During the Korean War, the squadron was assigned to long-range escort duty of bombers such as the B-29, B-50, and B-36. After a brief inactivation, the unit was assigned to F-100 Super Sabers and turned into an fighter-bomber squadron, eventually deploying to Vietnam in the mid-1960s and taking part in Operation Linebacker II. Other deployments include Operation Desert Shield / Operation Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch.

The insignia used on the 307th Fighter Squadron patch was approved on 16 October 1944.