The 47th Fighter Squadron became active in 1940 and was designated the 47th Pursuit Squadron, one of three squadrons in the 15th Pursuit Group. The 15th Fighter Group was in turn part of the 20th Air Force based on Iwo Jima. They were the only single engine fighter group flying VLR (Very Long Range) missions off Iwo Jima, and escorted B-29s to Japan.
The 47th Pursuit Squadron participated in numerous campaigns from 1940 to 1945, flying aircraft that included P-10, P-26, P-36, P-47, and P-51. The squadron was credited with shooting down eight Japanese aircraft on 7 December 1941, and was inactivated on 15 October 1946.
The 47th was re-designated the 47th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in 1952. Many changes, moves, and reactivations have occured in the ensuing decades.