The 141st Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard 108th Wing located at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey. The 141st is currently an "embedded classic associate" with the 305th Air Mobility Wing, flying the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus since 2023.
The 141st was first organized as the 141st Aero Squadron on 2 January 1918 at Rockwell Field, California. The squadron deployed to France and fought on the Western Front during World War I as a pursuit squadron as part of the American Expeditionary Forces. The unit was demobilized after the war in 1919.
During the Cold War, the 141st was a fighter squadron, operating aircraft including the North American F-86E Sabre, Republic F-105B Thunderchief and McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II.
History 141st Aero Squadron
The 141st Aero Squadron (Pursuit) was a United States Army Air Service pursuit squadron, and part of the American Expeditionary Force. It was assigned to the 4th Pursuit Group, Second United States Army, AEF near the end of World War I.Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 3, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint)
The squadron saw limited combat, and with Second Army's planned offensive drive on Metz cancelled due to the 1918 Armistice with Germany, the squadron was assigned to the United States Third Army as part of the Occupation of the Rhineland in Germany. It returned to the United States in July 1919.
Organization The squadron was organized at Rockwell Field, San Diego, California, on 8 October 1917. It was organized as an un-designated provisional unit with men drawn from the 14th and 18th Training Squadrons already at the field. The squadron trained with Curtiss JN-4 Jennies at Rockwell Field. It was not until the latter part of December that the mechanics and support enlisted personnel were assigned to the squadron, and was given its formal designation as the 141st on 2 January 1918, when it was ordered to proceed to Garden City, New York, for overseas deployment.Series "E", Volume 17, History of the 141st Aero Squadron. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
The 141st reached Field No. 2, near Garden City on 9 January, where final preparations for the squadron were made for overseas shipment. On 15 January it moved to Pier No. 45, Hoboken, New Jersey, where it boarded the Cunard liner , arriving at Halifax, Nova Scotia, awaiting to form up into a convoy. on the 19th, it began the overseas journey with seven other ships along with the cruiser USS San Diego, arriving at Glasgow, Scotland on 30 January. On the 31st, after a train trip to Winchester, England, the squadron was assigned to the Morn Hill Rest Camp for classification and advanced training in England.
Training in England For the next several months, the squadron went through advanced training to prepare it for combat at the front in France. "A" Flight was assigned to Dover, Kent; "B" Flight at the Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, near London, and "C" Flight to Northolt Airdrome, also near London. On 9 March 1918, the squadron reformed at Northolt, where it proceeded to the , near Dover, Kent where it received final training by the Royal Flying Corps.
The squadron arrived in France on 16 August 1918 and moved to the St. Maixent Aerodrome for equipping. Orders to move were received on 27 August for the Air Service Production Center No. 2 at Romorantin Aerodrome, where it waited for another nineteen days. Finally on 16 September it moved again to the 1st Air Depot at Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome where the 141st received SPAD S.XIII pursuit aircraft. There it was assigned to the 4th Pursuit Group, and moved to Croix de Metz Aerodrome (Toul) for combat duty, arriving on 19 October.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
The 141st flew its first patrol on 23 October and every day thereafter. Its combat commander, Hobey Baker, was a famous hockey and football star at Princeton University before the war. It was said, Hobey preferred Ivy League men in his unit, preferably from Princeton. Indeed, he painted the aircraft in his squadron in Princeton colors: Orange and Black.
The 141st shot down its first enemy aircraft on 28 October, by Captain Baker. A second enemy aircraft was shot down on 6 November by a patrol consisting of Captain Baker and Lieutenants Shelby, Cady, Hamiln and Chappell. The 141st was involved in 13 combats, the only pursuit squadron of the Air Service, Second Army to do so.
After the November 1918 Armistice with Germany, the squadron remained at Gengault Aerodrome. Tragically, its commander, Captain Hobey Baker was killed on 21 December 1918 when he took a SPAD XIII up for one last ride. The SPAD developed engine trouble while taking off and Baker died when the aircraft crashed soon thereafter.
Third Army of Occupation On 19 April 1919, the squadron was assigned to the Third Army Air Service, 5th Pursuit Group. It was moved to Coblenz Airdrome, Germany, to serve as part of the occupation force of the Rhineland. For the next several months the squadron was able to perform test flights on surrendered German aircraft. Flights of the Fokker D.VII, Pfalz D.XII, Halberstadt and Rumpler aircraft were made and evaluations were made.Section E, Volume 26, Supplemental Histories of the 25th-1102d Aero Squadrons, Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C. via http://www.fold3.com
Demobilization On 18 June 1919, orders were received from Third Army for the squadron to report to the 1st Air Depot, Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome to turn in all of its supplies and equipment and was relieved from duty with the AEF. The squadron's SPAD aircraft were delivered to the Air Service American Air Service Acceptance Park No. 1 at Orly Aerodrome to be returned to the French. There practically all of the pilots and observers were detached from the squadron.Series "D", Weekly Statistical Reports of Air Service Activities, October 1918 – May 1919. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Personnel at Colombey were subsequently assigned to the Commanding General, Services of Supply and ordered to report to one of several staging camps in France. There, personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States.Series "O", Volume 22, Weekly Statistical Reports on progress of Air Service Activities, October 1918 – May 1919. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C. Upon return to the US, most squadron personnel were demobilized at Camp Mills, New York on 18 July 1919.
On 8 September 1973, the 141st Aero Squadron was reconstituted and allotted to the National Guard. It was consolidated with the 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron.Department of the Air Force DAF/PRM Letter 830q, 6 January 1988, Subject: Organization Actions Affecting Certain Air National Guard Units.
World War II
The 341st Fighter Squadron was activated at Mitchel Field, New York, on 30 September 1942 as one of the original squadrons of the 348th Fighter Group. It was one of the first Army Air Forces units equipped with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. After an extended period of training in the northeast United States, the squadron deployed to Archer Field (Archerfield Airport), Brisbane, Australia in June 1943. it began long-range missions to strike at Japanese targets in New Guinea. In mid-June the 341st made the 1,200-mile flight from Brisbane to Port Moresby, New Guinea. The unit operated from New Guinea and Noemfoor until November 1944, flying patrol and reconnaissance missions and escorted bombers to targets in New Guinea and New Britain.
In 1944 the 341st began to attack airfields, installations, and shipping in western New Guinea, Ceram, and Halmahera to aid in neutralizing those areas preparatory to the US invasion of the Philippines. When U.S. troops landed on Luzon the squadron in process of conversion from P-47's to North American P-51 Mustangs, began operation from San Marcelino airstrip a few days after the landing at San Marcelino and Subic Bay. From this location the unit engaged in ground support operations, bombing and strafing in close support of ground troops. Remained in the Philippines throughout the campaign, moving to Okinawa in mid July 1945 in preparation for the planned invasion of Japan. Engaged in long-range operations over the Japanese Home Islands until ceasing combat on 14 August 1945.
It became part of the Army of Occupation in Japan, moving to Itami Airfield, Japan in October 1945 as part of Far East Air Forces. It was inactivated at Itami on 10 May 1946.
New Jersey Air National Guard Cold War The wartime 341st Fighter Squadron was redesignated the 141st Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Mercer Airport, Trenton, New Jersey and was extended federal recognition on 26 May 1949. The squadron was equipped with P-47D (later F-47D) Thunderbolts and was assigned to the 108th Fighter Group.
The unit was called to active federal service on 1 March 1951. The squadron was sent to Turner Air Force Base, Georgia where it continued its mission to provide fighter escorts to SAC bombers on training missions. In December 1951 it moved to Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky where it replaced a unit deployed to England. It was released from active duty and returned to New Jersey state control on 10 November 1952.
With its return to state control, the parent 108th Wing was and was redesignated as a Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The 141st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron was re-equipped with the long-range North American F-51H Mustang fighter. Designed for the invasion of Japan, the P-51H was the last variant of the P-51 Mustang of World War II, but was produced too late to see any wartime combat. Not used in the Korean War due to it not being believed as "rugged" as its famous "D" model predecessor, the P-51H was used instead to equip Air National Guard units into the 1950s as an interceptor. In 1955, the Mustangs were retired and the squadron entered the jet age, with the arrival of the North American F-86E Sabre.
The squadron was redesignated the 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron in 1958. It transferred its interceptors and received and Republic F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bombers.
At the height of the Cold War in 1961, the squadron was again federalized as a result of tensions concerning the Berlin Wall. 28 F-84F's of the 141st and officers and airmen from all three squadrons of the 108th Wing were deployed to Chaumont-Semoutiers Air Base, France on 16 October with the last aircraft and personnel arriving on 6 November. The ground units deployed by sealift, with the deployed elements reaching Chaumont by 17 November. In France, the deployed elements were assigned to the Provisional United States Air Forces Europe 7108th Tactical Wing on 20 November due to the reduced strength of the 108th Wing in Europe. The primary mission of the 7108th was to provide close air support to the Seventh Army in Europe under the direction of ground forward air controllers. To accomplish this mission, up to 30 sorties were flown each day. The deployment to France ended in October 1962 and the unit returned to New Jersey state control, leaving the F-84Fs in France.