page_title: 122d Fighter Squadron
section_title: Louisiana Air National Guard
hierarchical_section_title: 122d Fighter Squadron / History / Louisiana Air National Guard
caption_attribution_description: English: 122d Fighter Squadron - McDonnell Douglas F-15A-18-MC Eagle 77-0711 Aircraft retired to AMARC as FH0149 Jan 29, 2007. Still on AMARC inventory Jan 15, 2008.
context_page_description: The 122d Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Louisiana Air National Guard 159th Fighter Wing located at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana. The 122d is equipped with the F-15C/D Eagle.
  The squadron is a descendant organization of the 122d Observation Squadron, established on 30 July 1940. It is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.
context_section_description: The wartime 885th Bombardment Squadron was re-designated as the 122nd Bombardment Squadron and was allotted to the Louisiana Air National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, Louisiana and was extended federal recognition on 5 December 1946 by the National Guard Bureau. The 122nd Bombardment Squadron was bestowed the history, honors, and colors of the 885th Bombardment Squadron and all predecessor units.
  The squadron was equipped with B-26 Invader light bombers and was allocated to the Tenth Air Force, Continental Air Command.  The squadron was equipped with 25 aircraft, mostly Douglas B-26C Invaders, but a few "B" models as well, most of the aircraft assigned were newly manufactured at the Douglas plant in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the end of World War II and were never assigned to any wartime units.
  During the postwar years, the Air National Guard was almost like a flying country club and a pilot could often show up at the field, check out an aircraft and go flying. However, these units also had regular military exercises that kept up proficiency and in gunnery and bombing contests they would often score better than full-time USAF units.  The pilots practiced formation bombing with the B-26s as well as low-level intrusion and strafing. Parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts.
caption: McDonnell Douglas F-15A-18-MC Eagle 77-071
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