Skip to main content (Press Enter).
Toggle navigation
175th Wing
175th Wing
Search
Search www.175wg.ang.af.mil:
Search
Search www.175wg.ang.af.mil:
Search
Units
Public Affairs
235th Civil Engineer Flight
Contact Us
News
Commentaries
Features
Photos
Art
Video
Resources
Biographies
Fact Sheets
History
Careers
Home
Home
Resources
History
History
The Maryland Air National Guard traces its origins to June 29, 1921. On that date the 104th Observation Squadron was federally recognized in Baltimore. It became the first post-World War I National Guard unit to be equipped with its own aircraft, 13 Curtiss JN-4 Jennies, which it flew until 1923. Initially assigned as division aviation for the 29th Infantry Division, the unit operated out of Baltimore's Logan Field. In addition to Jennies, the 104th flew a variety of other aircraft during the interwar period, almost all of them two-seat biplanes.
Along with the rest of the Maryland National Guard, the 104th was mobilized for federal service on Feb. 3, 1941. During the war, the 104th flew anti-submarine patrols out of Atlantic City, N.J., and was awarded campaign credit for participation in the Anti-Submarine Campaign. In late 1942, the unit was inactivated and its personnel transferred to the 517th Bombardment Squadron, later redesignated the 12th Anti-Submarine Squadron, at Langley Field, Va. In the fall of 1943, the 12th was transferred to California and redesignated the 859th Bombardment Squadron. By this time most of its original National Guard members had been reassigned to other units as individual replacements.
In 1946, the 104th was reactivated as the 104th Fighter Squadron at Harbor Field in Baltimore, equipped with P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft, later replaced by F-51 Mustangs. From 1955 to 1958, the unit was organized as a fighter-interceptor squadron and charged with defending the Baltimore-Washington area against possible Soviet bomber attack. The unit soon converted to F-86 Sabrejets, and in 1957 relocated to the Glenn L. Martin Company Airport, whose longer runway was necessary to support jet operations.
Read more...
ANG: A Short Story
The Air National Guard as we know it today -- a separate reserve component of the United States Air Force -- was a product of the politics of postwar planning and interservice rivalry during World War II. The men who planned and maneuvered for an independent postwar Air Force during World War II didn't place much faith in the reserves, especially the state-dominated National Guard.
Read More....
ANG Heritage
Mexican Border Crisis
Observation Aviation
World War I
World War II
Korean War
The Bay of Pigs
Berlin Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
Dominican Republic
Vietnam War
Just Cause
Persian Gulf Crisis
After The Storm
Featured Links
Mission
How to Report a Sexual Assault
US Air Force Home page
Leadership
FOIA
Medical Info. Link
ACC
9th AF
Air National Guard
MD National Guard
Family Readiness
Base Tour Request
Environmental Commitment Statement
Military OneSource
MyHELP List
Partners in Care Link
Hometown News Release
Request a Fly Over
Eliminate Sexual Harassment & Assault
104th FS A-10 Pilot Opportunities
175th Wing Facebook page
Air Force Portal login
Equal Opportunity
Traditional & Full-time Job Opportunities
Instructions to schedule appointments for ID CARDS and or DEERS updates
Other History Sites
Maryland Military History
United States Army Center of Military History
Air Force History Support Office
National Museum of the United States Air Force
Air Force Historical Research Agency
Society for Military History
Center for Naval History