The Triple Nickel History

The Triple Nickel began when the 555th Bombardment Squadron, Medium, was constituted on 25 November 1942. U.S. Army Air Force activated the 555th with B-26 medium bombers on 1 December 1942. The squadron received A-26 aircraft in June 1945 and became the 555th Bombardment Squadron, Light. As part of the 386th Bombardment Group, the Triple Nickel saw combat in Europe from bases in England, France, and Belgium. The squadron inactivated on 7 November 1945. The Triple Nickel reactivated on 8 January 1964, as the 555th TFS at MacDill AFB Florida. As the first operational F-4C Phantom II squadron in the USAF, the Triple Nickel deployed TDY to Okinawa, eventually to be permanently assigned there in late 1965. The squadron returned to combat from Udorn Royal Thai Base in February 1966, participating in air-to-ground and air-to-air missions. 555th crews scored their first two victories on 23 April 1966, and became the first "Ace Squadron" in Southeast Asia with six kills one week later. In June 1966, the 555th TFS moved Ubon KTAFB and joined the 8th TFW "Wolfpack". On 24 April 1967, the squadron led the first strike against MiG airfields in North Vietnam. The Nickel launched the first F-4D night bombing attacks against North Vietnam on 29 September and on 9 October 1967 crews struck Route Pack IV with the first commando nail radar bombing raid. While at Ubon, the Nickel downed an additional 14 aircraft including 4 MiG-21s on 2 January 1967. The Nickel was now the only "Quad Ace" Fighter Squadron in Southeast Asia with 20 MiGs to its credit. In 1968, the Nickel returned to Ubon as part of the 432d TRW and participated in the campaign against the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Linebacker campaign against the NVN heartland in 1972. During Linebacker I and II, the Nickel returned to its air superiority role and scored another 20 MiG kills before the cease fire on 28 January 1973. These victories brought the Nickel's total to 39 - 10 MiG 17s, 3 MiG 19s, and 26 MiG 21s, producing the first and second USAF aces. The Nickel returned to the US after 9 years, moving to Luke AFB in 1974 and being redesignated the 555th TFTS, where received the USAF's first operational
F-15 Eagle. The Triple Nickel trained the first Eagle drivers for the USAF, Japanese Air Self Defense Force, Israeli Air Force, and Royal Saudi Air Force. The Nickel, exactly 17 years to the day, on 1 April 1994 transferred to Aviano AB, Italy and was honored again by being given the distinction of flying the greatest jet in the world: the single seat, supersonic, multi role, 9G F-16C Viper!
by Maverick