| 561st Fighter-Day Squadron | |
|---|---|
 12th Wing F-84F Thunderstreak[a] | |
| Active | 1940–1946; 1947–1948; 1951–1958 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations China Burma India Theater[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 561st Fighter-Day Squadron emblem[b][1] |  |
The 561st Fighter-Day Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 12th Fighter-Day Wing at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 8 January 1958.
The squadron was first organized in January 1941 as the 83d Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it moved to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it engaged in combat operations until 1944, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation. It then moved to the China Burma India Theater, continuing in combat until V-J Day. It returned to the United States and was inactivated at Fort Lawton, Washington on 22 January 1946. It was briefly activated in 1947, but budget considerations resulted in reductions of Air Force strength in Fiscal Year 1949, and the squadron did not equip or man.
In 1950, the squadron became the 561st Fighter-Escort Squadron, under this designation, and as the 561st Strategic Fighter Squadron, the squadron operated under Strategic Air Command (SAC) until July 1957, when SAC transferred its fighter units to Tactical Air Command. It deployed to England and Japan while under SAC control. Plans to upgrade its equipment were dropped, and the squadron inactivated in January 1958.
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