302d Operations Group  | |
|---|---|
Lockheed C-130 with Pikes Peak in the background | |
| Active | 1942–1944; 1949–1951; 1952–1959; 1992–present |
| Country |  |
| Branch |  |
| Role | Airlift |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Joseph J. Nazzaro |
| Insignia | |
| 302d Operations Group emblem (approved 27 February 1943) [1] |  |
The 302d Operations Group is the operational flying component of the 302d Airlift Wing of the United States Air Force Reserve. It is stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
The 302d Airlift Wing is an Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Twenty-Second Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
Peterson Air Force Base is a U.S. Air Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Air Force Space Command headquarters, and United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) headquarters. Developed as a World War II air support base for Camp Carson, the facility conducted Army Air Forces training and supported Cold War air defense centers at the nearby Ent Air Force Base, Chidlaw Building, and Cheyenne Mountain Complex. The base has been the location of the Air Force Space Command headquarters since 1987 and has had NORAD/NORTHCOM command center operations since the 2006 Cheyenne Mountain Realignment placed the nearby Cheyenne Mountain Complex centers on standby.
Contents
- Mission
- History
- Lineage
- Assignments
- Components
- Stations
- Aircraft
- See also
- References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- External links
The group was activated during World War II as the 302d Bombardment Group, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator replacement training unit (RTU). It was originally a Second Air Force unit, it was reassigned to First Air Force in 1943. The group was inactivated in 1944 when the Army Air Forces reorganized its training units to make more efficient use of its manpower.
World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s, in the Land Bomber design category.
The Second Air Force is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended the Northwestern United States and Upper Great Plains regions and during the Cold War, was Strategic Air Command unit with strategic bombers and missiles. Elements of Second Air Force engaged in combat operations during the Korean War; Vietnam War, as well as Operation Desert Storm.
The group was redesignated the 302d Troop Carrier Group and activated in the Air Force Reserve in 1949. The group was called to active duty in June 1951 and its personnel used as fillers for other units before the 302d was inactivated a week later.
The group was again activated in the reserves in 1952 and trained as an airlift unit until it was inactivated in 1958 when Continental Air Command converted its operational wings to the dual deputy system in which squadrons reported ddirectly to wing headquarters.
Continental Air Command (ConAC) (1948–1968) was a Major Command of the United States Air Force (USAF) responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility for managing all business activities. In the United Kingdom, the term head office is most commonly used for the HQs of large corporations. The term is also used regarding military organizations.
The group was activated again when Air Force Reserve Command reorganized under the Combat Wing reorganization.
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commissioned officers and enlisted airmen.
