118th Operations Group

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118th Operations Group
Headquarters, Tennessee Air National Guard emblem.svg
118th AW MQ-9 Hangar.jpg
Group members and MQ-9 Reaper on the ramp
Active1942–1945, 1947–1953, 1953–1961; 1961–1975, 1993–present
CountryFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
AllegianceFlag of Tennessee.svg Tennessee
Branch US-AirNationalGuard-2007Emblem.svg   Air National Guard
Role Aerial reconnaissance
Part of Tennessee Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ Joint Base Berry Field
NicknamesThe Blue Diamonds, The Martlesam Playboys (World War II) [1]
Engagements European Theater of Operations
Decorations Distinguished Unit Citation
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom [2]
Insignia
118th Operations Group emblem [a] 118th Wing emblem.png
118th Tactical Reconnaissance Group emblem [b] [2] 118 Tactical Reconnaissance Gp emblem.jpg

The 118th Operations Group is an active unit of the Tennessee Air National Guard, stationed at Joint Base Berry Field, where it operates General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles.

Contents

The group was first activated during World War II as the 356th Fighter Group. After training in the United States, it deployed to England in the summer of 1943 as an element of VIII Fighter Command. It engaged in combat operations until the spring of 1945, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions during Operation Market Garden. After V-E Day, it returned to the United States for inactivation.

In May 1946, the group was allotted to the National Guard as the 118th Fighter Group, organizing at Berry Field the following year. In 1951, it converted to an aerial reconnaissance unit as the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and was called to active duty for the Korean War. It trained reconnaissance units until returning to the Air National Guard (ANG) in 1953. The group continued with the reconnaissance mission until 1961, when it became the 118th Air Transport Group, an airlift unit. In 1975, it was inactivated when the ANG discontinued its operational groups located on the same bases as their parent wings. When the Air Force reorganized under the Objective Wing Model, the group was again activated as the 118th Operations Group in 1993.

History

World War II

Organization and training in the United States

The group was first activated at Westover Field, Massachusetts in December 1942 and assigned the 359th, 360th, and 361st Fighter Squadrons. [2] [3] The group soon equipped with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts and trained with them, while also performing service in the air defense of the northeastern United States. [2] The group's ground echelon deployed to England from Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts on 15 August aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth. [2] [4] [c]

Combat in Europe

Group P-47 at RAF Goxhill 356th Fighter Group - P-47 Thunderbolt 42-74702 at RAF Goxhill.jpg
Group P-47 at RAF Goxhill

The group arrived at RAF Goxhill in late August 1943. After preparing for combat, it moved to RAF Martlesham Heath in October and entered combat on 15 October. [2] [4] Through January 1944, it engaged primarily in missions escorting heavy bombers attacking industrial areas, missile sites, airfields and lines of communications. The 356th engaged primarily in bombing and strafing missions after late January 1944, with targets including submarine pens, barges, shipyards, airfields, marshalling yards, locomotives, trucks, vehicles, oil facilities, flak towers, and radar stations. [2]

During Operation Market Garden, the group bombed and strafed in the Arnhem area on 17, 18, and 23 September 1944 to neutralize enemy flak emplacements, reducing the danger for troop carriers resupplying the paratroopers. Lead elements acted as "flak bait" and once German defenses opened up would peel away so following elements could attack with guns and bombs. On the first day, this tactic successfully silenced nearly all the defenses. [5] The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for this contribution to the airborne attack on the Netherlands. [2]

359th Fighter Squadron P-51 P-51 Mustang - Martlesham - 356fg-p51.jpg
359th Fighter Squadron P-51

In November 1944, the group transitioned into North American P-51 Mustangs. [2] In one of its first engagements using the Mustang, on 26 November, the group claimed 23 enemy aircraft destroyed for no losses. [6] In early 1945, group Mustangs clashed with German Arado 234 jet aircraft. [7] The group flew its last combat mission on 7 May 1945, escorting Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses dropping propaganda leaflets. [4] [8] The group claimed 201 enemy aircraft destroyed in the air and an additional 75 1/2 on the ground for the loss of 122 fighters. [4] The highest scoring ace of the group was D.J. Strait of the 361st Squadron with 13 1/2 victories. [9] During its period in combat, the group suffered the highest rate of loss compared to its claims of enemy aircraft destroyed of any fighter group in Eighth Air Force. [4]

The 356th remained in England after V-E Day until November. In August and September, it transferred its planes to depots and most of its personnel were assigned to other units. The remainder of the group sailed aboard the RMS Queen Mary on 4 November 1945 for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1945. [2] [4]

Air National Guard

Initial organization and mobilization for the Korean War

The group was allotted to the National Guard as the 118th Fighter Group on 24 May 1946. It was organized on 1 September 1947 at Berry Field, Tennessee and federally recognized a month later. It was assigned the 105th Fighter Squadron, which had been part of the Tennessee National Guard in the inter-war years, along with two of its World War II squadrons, now numbered the 155th and 156th Fighter Squadrons. The 105th was stationed with group headquarters, while the 155th was located at Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee, and the 156th at Morris Field, North Carolina.

In the fall of 1950, the Air National Guard reorganized to the Wing Base Organization system, which placed operational and support organizations under a single wing. On 1 November, the group was redesignated the 118th Composite Group and assigned to the newly-activated 118th Composite Wing. Three months later, however both the wing and the group became reconnaissance units, with the group redesignating as the 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. [10]

Group RF-80 Shooting Star 184th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron Lockheed RF-80A-5-LO Shooting Star 45-8371.jpg
Group RF-80 Shooting Star

On 1 April 1951, the 118th Wing, including the group, was called to active duty for the Korean War. The group moved to Memphis Municipal Airport, where its squadrons were equipped with a mix of North American RF-51 Mustangs, Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Stars, and Douglas RB-26 Invaders. In January 1952, the group moved to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. On 1 January 1953, the group was released from active duty and returned to the Tennessee Air National Guard. [2] Its personnel and equipment remained at Shaw, transferring to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, which was activated the same day. [11]

Reconnaissance operations

Group RF-84F Thundeflash 184th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron - Republic RF-84F-10-RE Thunderflash 51-1893.jpg
Group RF-84F Thundeflash

After returning to the Guard, the group's squadrons included the 105th and 155th Squadrons assigned to it prior to its period on active duty, but also the 154th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas and the 184th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Fort Smith Regional Airport, Arkansas. In 1955, the group became an all-jet unit when it equipped with Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Stars, and by 1957, its squadrons were flying Republic RF-84F Thunderflashs. [10] In September 1957, in response to the Little Rock School Crisis of 1957, President Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard, including the 154th and 184th Squadrons. The squadrons were returned to state control the following month.[ citation needed ].

Airlift operations

Group Lockheed C-130A Hercules Lockheed C-130A Hercules (L-182), USA - Air Force AN1569917.jpg
Group Lockheed C-130A Hercules

In April 1961, the group's mission changed as it equipped with Boeing C-97 Stratofreighters, becoming the 118th Air Transport Group. [10] Along with the change in mission came a change in organization. The 118th Group's operational squadrons were located on bases as “augmented squadrons” containing support elements needed to sustain operations. By the law at the time Guardsmen could only be activated as members of a mobilized unit. This meant that, even if only operational and maintenance elements were needed for mobilization, the entire “augmented squadron” had to be called to active duty, including unneeded administrative personnel. The response was to replace the “augmented squadron” with a group including functional squadrons that could be mobilized as a group, or individually. [12] This meant that while the group retained only its 105th Squadron as a flying element, it added an air base squadron, an aeromedical evacuation squadron and a dispensary.

In January 1966, the squadron was redesignated 118th Military Airlift Group with no change in mission or aircraft. The following year, it replaced its Stratofreighters with Douglas C-124 Globemaster IIs. In 1971, its mission changed from strategic to tactical airlift as it became the 118th Tactical Airlft Group and equipped with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. [10] In the 1970s, the Air National Guard decided that flying groups located on the same bases as their parent wings constituted an additional layer of management. In this elimination of operational groups, the 118th was inactivated on 26 February 1975 and its elements reassigned directly to the 118th Wing.

Reactivation

Nearly eighteen years later, on 1 January 1993, the group was again activated as the 118th Operations Group, as the ANG implemented the Air Force's Objective Wing reorganization. Once again, the group's 105th Airlift Squadron was flying the C-130 Hercules, although the newer C-130H, rather than the C-130A it flew in 1975. In 2003, the group deployed most of its aircraft to Southwest Asia to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. [10] In 2007, it exchanged its C-130Hs for Lockheed WC-130s as its mission changed from airlift to international training. [13]

Following an announcement in 2012 that the group would lose its piloted aircraft mission, it converted to operating the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper.

Lineage

Activated on 12 December 1942
Inactivated on 10 November 1945
Redesignated 118th Fighter Group, Single Engine and allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946
Activated on 1 September 1947
Federally recognized on 2 October 1947
Redesignated 118th Composite Group on 1 November 1950
Redesignated 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 1 February 1951
Ordered to active duty on 1 April 1951
Inactivated on 1 January 1953
Activated in the Tennessee Air National Guard on 1 January 1953 [14]
Inactivated on 1 April 1961
118th Air Transport Group, Heavy, constituted on 13 March 1961, activated on 1 April 1961
Redesignated 118th Military Airlift Group on 1 January 1966
Redesignated 118th Tactical Airlift Group on 26 March 1971
Inactivated on 26 February 1975
Redesignated 118th Operations Group
Activated on 1 January 1993

Components

Operational squadrons
Support elements

Assignments

Stations

  • Westover Field, Massachusetts, 12 December 1942
  • Groton Army Air Field, Connecticut, 12 March 1943
  • Mitchel Field, New York, 30 May 1943
  • Grenier Field, New Hampshire, 4 July – 15 August 1943
  • RAF Goxhill (Station 345), [18] England, 27 August 1943
  • RAF Martlesham Heath (Station 369), [19] England, 5 October 1943 – 4 November 1945
  • Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 9–10 November 1945
  • Berry Field, Tennessee, 1 September 1947
  • Memphis Municipal Airport, Tennessee, 12 April 1951
  • Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, 15 January 1952 – 1 January 1953 [20]
  • Berry Field, Tennessee, 1 January 1953 – 1 April 1961
  • Berry Field Air National Guard Base, Tennessee, 1 April 1961 – 26 February 1975
  • Joint Base Berry Field, Tennessee, 1 January 1993 – present

Aircraft

  • Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943-1944, [2] 1947-1951 [10]
  • Republic RF-47 Thunderbolt, 1951-1953 [2]
  • North American P-51 Mustang,1944-1945 [2]
  • North American RF-51 Mustang, 1951-1953, 1953-1955 [2] [10]
  • Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Star, 1951-1953, 1955-1956 [2] [10]
  • Douglas RB-26 Invader, 1951-1953 [2]
  • Republic RF-84F Thunderflash, 1957-1961 [10]
  • Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, 1961-1967 [10]
  • Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, 1967-1971
  • Lockheed C-130A Hercules, 1971-1975 [10]
  • Lockheed C-130H Hercules, 1993 [10] -2007
  • Lockheed WC-130 Hercules, 2007-2015
  • General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, 2015-present

Awards and campaigns

Award streamerAwardDatesNotes
Streamer PUC Army.PNG Distinguished Unit Citation 17, 18, 23 September 1944356th Fighter Group, Holland [2]
Campaign StreamerCampaignDatesNotes
Streamer EAMEC.PNG Air Offensive, Europe27 August 1943–5 June 1944356th Fighter Group [2]
Streamer EAMEC.PNG Normandy6 June 1944–24 July 1944356th Fighter Group [2]
Streamer EAMEC.PNG Northern France25 July 1944–14 September 1944356th Fighter Group [2]
Streamer EAMEC.PNG Rhineland15 September 1944–21 March 1945356th Fighter Group [2]
Streamer EAMEC.PNG Ardennes-Alsace16 December 1944–25 January 1945356th Fighter Group [2]
Streamer EAMEC.PNG Central Europe22 March 1944–21 May 1945356th Fighter Group [2]

See also

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. ↑ While assigned to the 118th Wing, the group uses the wing emblem with the group designation on the scroll. AF Instruction 84-105, Organizational Lineage, Honors and History, 27 April 2017, paragraph 3.3.3.
  2. ↑ Approved 5 January 1954. Description: On a blue oval with a yellow border an aerial camera supporting binoculars and a torch, the whole group winged, all yellow with flame proper and lenses blue and white, above the torch and between the tips of the wings three white stars.
  3. ↑ The group's pilots sailed separately,and a few of the group's Thunderbolts were ferried to England via the North Atlantic ferry route. Freeman, p. 251.
  4. ↑ Aircraft is Republic P-47D-6-RE Thunderbolt, QI-F, serial 42-74702, Clarkie of the 361st Fighter Squadron. Dirkx, Marco (13 May 2024). "1942 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher’s Serial Number List. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  5. ↑ Aircraft is North American P-51K-5-NT Mustang, serial 44-11564 Princess Jocelyn of the 359th Fighter Squadron. Dirkx, Marco (18 August 2025). "1944 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher’s Serial Number List. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  6. ↑ Aircraft is Lockheed RF-80A-5-LO Shooting Star, serial 45-8371 of the 106th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Sent to the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) on 23 April 1958. Dirkx, Marco (9 June 2025). "1945 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher’s Serial Number List. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  7. ↑ Aircraft is Republic RF-84F-10-RE Thunderflash, serial 51-1893 of the 184th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron. Sent to MASDC on 1 October 1970, sold for scrap on 26 January 1977. Dirkx, Marco (28 July 2025). "1951 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher’s Serial Number List. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  8. ↑ Aircraft is Lockheed C-130A-LM, serial 54-1640 of the 105th Tactical Airlift Squadron. Sent to Fort Bragg as a ground trainer, then to MASDC on 23 April 1990. Dirkx, Marco (30 July 2025). "1954 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher’s Serial Number List. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  9. ↑ Freeman dates this assignment from 26 August 1943.
Citations
  1. ↑ No byline (6 February 2018). "356th Fighter Group". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 237-38
  3. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 448-49
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Freeman, p. 251
  5. ↑ Freeman, p. 189
  6. ↑ Freeman, p. 194
  7. ↑ Freeman, p. 219
  8. ↑ Rickard, J. (24 July 2014). "356th Fighter Group (USAAF)". HistoryofWar.org. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
  9. ↑ No byline. "356th Fighter Group". Ciel de Gloire: As de l'Aviation de 1914 à nos Jours. Retrieved 20 December 2025. (in French)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 No byline (3 June 2008). "Fact Sheets "The Old Hickory Squadron". 118th Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
  11. ↑ Maurer,Combat Units, pp.132-33
  12. ↑ No byline (2 March 2005). "190th Air Refueling Wing History: Kansas Coyotes, The First 25 Years". 190th Air Refueling Wing. Archived from the original on 3 May 2008. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  13. ↑ Staff writer, no byline (31 October 2007). "118th Airlift Wing Will Become Training Unit". NewsChannel5.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
  14. ↑ Lineage through 1953 in Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 237-38
  15. ↑ No byline (10 May 2007). "Factsheet 323 Air Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2014.
  16. ↑ Maurer,Combat Units, p. 427 (year only).
  17. ↑ No byline (5 October 2007). "Factsheet 65 Air Division (Defense)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 14 October 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  18. ↑ Station number in Anderson, p. 24
  19. ↑ Station number in Anderson, p. 26
  20. ↑ Stations through 1953 in Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 237-38, except as noted

Bibliography

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