33d Operations Group

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33d Operations Group
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel sits in an F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., July 10, 2014, during a two-day trip to visit bases in the South 140710-D-xxxxM-003c.jpg
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel sits in a group F-35A Lightning II at Eglin AFB
Active1941–1945; 1946–1952; 1955–1957; 1991–present
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Role Fighter operations and training
Part of 33d Fighter Wing
Garrison/HQ Eglin Air Force Base
Nickname(s)Nomads
Motto(s)Fire From the Clouds
Engagements Mediterranean Theater of Operations
China Burma India Theater
Vietnam War
Decorations Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Elwood R. Quesada
Col. William W. Momyer
Insignia
33d Operations Group emblem (approved 21 February 1942) [1] [note 1] 33d Fighter Wing.png
Patch with 33d Tactical Group emblem 33d-tactical-group-SVN-PACAF.png

The 33d Operations Group is the flying component of the 33d Fighter Wing, assigned to Air Education and Training Command of the United States Air Force. The group is stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Air Education and Training Command Major command of the United States Air Force responsible for military training and education

Air Education and Training Command (AETC) was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training Command and Air University. It is one of the U.S. Air Force's ten major commands and reports to Headquarters, United States Air Force.

United States Air Force Air and space warfare branch of the United States Armed Forces

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

Eglin Air Force Base census designated place

Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base in western Florida, located about three miles (5 km) southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County.

Contents

The group was first activated in January 1941 as the 33d Pursuit Group and began training in fighter operations at Mitchel Field, New York. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor the group moved to Philadelphia, where it assumed an air defense role while training for combat. After being redesignated the 33d Fighter Group, it moved to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in November 1942 as part of Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa, flying its planes to its first base in Morocco from the aircraft carrier USS Chenango of the United States Navy. The group served in North Africa and Italy until February 1944, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation in January 1943 for its defense of its base from attacks by German and Italian aircraft.

Attack on Pearl Harbor Surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii

The Attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, on the morning of December 7, 1941. The attack, also known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor, led to the United States' formal entry into World War II. The Japanese military leadership referred to the attack as the Hawaii Operation and Operation AI, and as Operation Z during its planning.

Philadelphia Largest city in Pennsylvania, United States

Philadelphia, sometimes known colloquially as Philly, is the largest city in the U.S. state and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the sixth-most populous U.S. city, with a 2017 census-estimated population of 1,580,863. Since 1854, the city has been coterminous with Philadelphia County, the most populous county in Pennsylvania and the urban core of the eighth-largest U.S. metropolitan statistical area, with over 6 million residents as of 2017. Philadelphia is also the economic and cultural anchor of the greater Delaware Valley, located along the lower Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, within the Northeast megalopolis. The Delaware Valley's population of 7.2 million ranks it as the eighth-largest combined statistical area in the United States.

The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations (NATOUSA), was the American term for the theater of operations covering North Africa and Italy during World War II. American operations in the theater began with the Allied Expeditionary Force, which landed on the beaches of northwest Africa on November 8, 1942, in Operation Torch. They ended in the Italian Alps some 31 months later with the German surrender in May 1945.

In 1944, the group departed Italy for the China-Burma-India Theater, leaving its Curtiss P-40 Warhawks behind for Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. It continued combat operations until the surrender of Japan. In November 1945, it returned to the United States and was inactivated when it arrived at the Port of Embarkation.

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk family of fighter aircraft

The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational service. The Warhawk was used by most Allied powers during World War II, and remained in frontline service until the end of the war. It was the third most-produced American fighter of World War II, after the P-51 and P-47; by November 1944, when production of the P-40 ceased, 13,738 had been built, all at Curtiss-Wright Corporation's main production facilities at Buffalo, New York.

Lockheed P-38 Lightning airplane

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is a World War II–era American piston-engined fighter aircraft. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the fork-tailed devil by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese. The P-38 was used for interception, dive bombing, level bombing, ground attack, night fighting, photo reconnaissance, radar and visual pathfinding for bombers and evacuation missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings.

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt family of fighter aircraft

The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II era fighter aircraft produced by the United States from 1941 through 1945. Its primary armament was eight .50-caliber machine guns and in the fighter-bomber ground-attack role it could carry five-inch rockets or a bomb load of 2,500 pounds (1,103 kg). When fully loaded the P-47 weighed up to eight tons (tonnes) making it one of the heaviest fighters of the war. The P-47 was designed around the powerful Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine which was also used by two U.S. Navy fighters, the Grumman F6F Hellcat and the Vought F4U Corsair. The Thunderbolt was effective as a short-to-medium range escort fighter in high-altitude air-to-air combat and ground attack in both the World War II European and Pacific theaters.

The group was activated as part of the Occupation Forces at Neubiberg Air Base, Germany, where it took over the personnel and equipment of the 357th Fighter Group, which was inactivated and transferred to the National Guard. In July 1947, its personnel became the cadre for the 86th Composite Group, while the group made two moves without personnel or equipment before arriving at Roswell Army Air Field, where it equipped with North American P-51 Mustangs and became part of the fledgling Strategic Air Command. A year later, it received its first jet aircraft, the Republic F-84 Thunderjet. In 1948. the group moved to Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it assumed an air defense role, first under Continental Air Command, then under Air Defense Command (ADC) as the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Group. It was inactivated in February 1952 when ADC reorganized its forces on a geographic basis.

Military occupation effective provisional control of a certain power over a territory

Military or belligerent occupation is effective provisional control by a certain ruling power over a territory, which is not under the formal sovereignty of that entity, without the violation of the actual sovereign. The territory is then known as the occupied territory and the ruling power the occupant. Occupation is distinguished from annexation by its intended temporary nature, by its military nature, and by citizenship rights of the controlling power not being conferred upon the subjugated population.

Neubiberg Air Base architectural structure

Neubiberg Air Base is a former German Air Force and United States Air Force airfield which was closed in 1991. It is located 9 km south of the city of Munich, Germany.

357th Fighter Group fighter group of the United States Army Air Forces

The 357th Fighter Group was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. The 357th operated P-51 Mustang aircraft as part of the U.S. Eighth Air Force and its members were known unofficially as the Yoxford Boys after the village of Yoxford near their base in the UK. Its victory totals in air-to-air combat are the most of any P-51 group in the Eighth Air Force and third among all groups fighting in Europe.

ADC activated the group, once more the 33d Fighter Group, at Otis in August 1955 as part of Project Arrow, a program to replace ADC's Air Defense Groups with fighter groups with distinguished combat records in World War II. As Otis expanded to add the airborne early warning and control mission the following year, the group's support units were transferred to the newly reactivated 33d Fighter Wing. In 1957, the group and wing were inactivated and the group's flying squadrons were transferred to the Boston Air Defense Sector

World War II 1939–1945 global war

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.

Airborne early warning and control Airborne system of surveillance radar plus command and control functions

An airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system is an airborne radar picket system designed to detect aircraft, ships and vehicles at long ranges and perform command and control of the battlespace in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack aircraft strikes. AEW&C units are also used to carry out surveillance, including over ground targets and frequently perform C2BM functions similar to an Air Traffic Controller given military command over other forces. When used at altitude, the radar on the aircraft allows the operators to detect and track targets and distinguish between friendly and hostile aircraft much farther away than a similar ground-based radar. Like a ground-based radar, it can be detected by opposing forces, but because of its mobility, it is much less vulnerable to counter-attack.

Boston Air Defense Sector

The Boston Air Defense Sector (BADS) is an inactive United States Air Force Air Defense Command (ADC) organization. Its last assignment was with the ADC 26th Air Division at Hancock Field, New York.

As the United States Air Force implemented the Objective wing reorganization in 1991, the 33d, now designated the 33d Operations Group, was activated to command the 33d Fighter Wing's operational units. It flew the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle until 2009, when it began the transition to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle air superiority fighter family

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engined, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air supremacy in all aspects of aerial combat. Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's design in 1967 to meet the service's need for a dedicated air-superiority fighter. The Eagle first flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. It is among the most successful modern fighters, with over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat, with the majority of the kills by the Israeli Air Force.

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Family of fifth-generation stealth combat aircraft

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters. The fifth-generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It has three main models: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variant, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) variant, and the F-35C carrier-based catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) variant. The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the winning design of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. It is built by Lockheed and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.

Overview

From its reactivation in December 1991, as part of the 33d Fighter Wing, the 33d Operations Group has deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia, Canada, the Caribbean, South America, Jamaica, Iceland, Italy, and Puerto Rico and participated in Operation Southern Watch, Operation Coronet Macaw; Operation Restore Hope, Operation Support Justice III and IV, and Operation Uphold Democracy. [2]

These deployments included combat as well as deployments to assist in the United States War on Drugs. [3] The 33d lost members of three of its squadrons in the Khobar Towers bombing, Saudi Arabia on 25 June 1996. [4]

Mission

The mission of the group is to train Air Force, Marine, Navy and international partner pilots and maintainers of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. [5]

Units

The 33d Group has three squadrons assigned:

The 33d Group also has three affiliated units for associated F-35 training:

History

World War II

Emblem of the 33d Fighter Group 33d-fighter-group-WWII.png
Emblem of the 33d Fighter Group

The 33d Fighter Group was activated early in 1941 as the 33d Pursuit Group with the 58th, [8] 59th, [9] and 60th Pursuit Squadrons [10] assigned. [1] It trained with Bell P-39 Airacobras in 1941, but soon changed to Curtiss P-40 Warhawks and served as part of the United States defense force for the east coast after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. [1] Its 58th and 59th squadrons were based on the West Coast in May and June 1942 to provide additional air defense there. [8] [9]

The group was requested as air support for the Western Task Force of Operation Torch and assigned on 19 September 1942. Its 77 P-40Es moved from Hampton Roads, Virginia, to North Africa on the deck of the USS Chenango as part of the invasion force on 8 November 1942. [1] Pilots had been given brief training at Philadelphia in carrier launches but the Navy had serious misgivings about the aircraft's ability to withstand the strain and the pilot's ability to launch by catapult from the escort carrier. [11] With securing of the Port Lyautey airfield on 10 November the launch from Chenango began and was successful but the airfield's runways were so damaged that the launch was discontinued and not completed until two days later. [11] Two of the 77 aircraft were lost to a crash and vanishing in a fog with 17 damaged in landing with none getting into action. [11] The 35 planes of the group following on D+5 aboard the British carrier HMS Archer also were launched to land at the Port Lyautey airfield and suffered four loses on landing due to pilot inexperience. [11]

Meanwhile, the group's ground echelon sailed for Morocco aboard the USS Susan B. Anthony (AP-72). Shortly after the squadron's arrival in North Africa, a provisional "J Squadron", commanded by Lt. Col. Philip Cochran, at Rabat. The squadron was organized to provide an advanced replacement center for aircraft and pilots. On 6 December, the 58th squadron moved forward to Thelepte Airfield, where it became the first American air unit stationed in Tunisia. [12]

The unit operated with Twelfth Air Force in the Mediterranean theater until February 1944, providing close air support for ground forces, and bombing and strafing personnel concentrations, port installations, fuel dumps, bridges, highways, and rail lines. [1] The 33d received a Distinguished Unit Citation for action on 15 January 1943 when nine German Junkers Ju 88 bombers escorted by four Italian Macchi C.202 fighters attempted to knock out the group's base at Thelepte. Group airplanes on combat air patrol drove off the escorting fighters. Other group planes took off while the field was being bombed. The group destroyed eight of the attackers, and the ninth was shot down by antiaircraft fire. [1] [12]

Curtiss P-40L of 99th Fighter Squadron in North Africa 1943 Curtiss P-40L of 99th FS (USAAF) in North Africa 1943.jpg
Curtiss P-40L of 99th Fighter Squadron in North Africa 1943

In May 1943 the 99th Fighter Squadron, the first AAF unit to enter combat with black personnel, was attached to the group, and again from August to October 1943. [13] It took part in the reduction of Pantelleria and flew patrol missions while Allied troops landed after surrender of the enemy's garrison. [1] It also participated in the invasion and conquest of Sicily by supporting landings at Salerno. [1] The group supported additional landings in southern Italy, and the beachhead at Anzio. [1]

After moving to India in February 1944, the group trained with Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. It then moved to China where it continued training and flew patrol and intercept missions. [1] Upon returning to India in September 1944, it flew dive bombing and strafing missions in Burma until the Allied campaigns in that area had been completed. [1]

33d Ftr Gp

Aerial VictoriesNumberNote
Group Hq11 [14] [note 2]
58th Fighter Squadron48.5 [15]
59th Fighter Squadron35 [16]
60th Fighter Squadron28 [16]
Group Total122.5 [note 3]

Occupation forces

In August 1946, the 33d Fighter Group took over the personnel and equipment of the 357th Fighter Group at Neubiberg Air Base and began service as part of the United States occupation force in Germany, initially operating North American P-51 Mustangs. [1] [17] The 357th was inactivated and transferred to the National Guard. [18] In July 1947, the 33d's personnel became the cadre for the 86th Composite Group, [19] while the group made two moves without personnel or equipment to Bad Kissingen Airfield, Germany and Andrews Field, Maryland. [2] [20]

Cold War

Republic P-84C of the 59th Fighter Squadron 33d-Fighter-Group-F-84Cs-Otis-1949.jpg
Republic P-84C of the 59th Fighter Squadron

The group was organized as an operational unit at Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico on 16 August 1947, where it again equipped with Mustangs and became part of Eighth Air Force of Strategic Air Command. [2] At Roswell, the group participated in the experimental Wing Base organization, which was intended to unify control at air bases under a single wing. [21] As a result, the group was assigned to the 33d Fighter Wing. [2] The test proved successful, and the wing-base plan was adopted by the Air Force. [22]

A year later, in June 1948, it received its first jet aircraft, the Republic F-84 Thunderjet. [1] The group was the second in the Air Force to fly the F-84C model of the Thunderjet. [23] A few months later the group moved to Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it assumed an air defense role, first under Continental Air Command, then under Air Defense Command (ADC) as the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Group. [1]

North American F-86As at Otis AFB. 33d-Fighter-Group-F-86As-OtisAFB-1951.jpg
North American F-86As at Otis AFB.

There it trained to maintain tactical proficiency and participated in exercises and aerial demonstrations. In February 1949, the group transitioned to North American F-86A Sabres. By December the group had completed its transition to Sabres and assumed an air defense mission, providing air defense in the northeastern US. [2] Toward the end of 1949, ADC was inactivated and the group and its parent wing became elements of Continental Air Command. In December 1950 ADC was reactivated, and the group, which since spring had been designated as the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Group rejoined the command. Because of ADC's need to expand its coverage, the group dispersed the 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron to Westover Air Force Base, Massachusetts in August 1950. [24] The group was inactivated in February 1952 along with the 33d Fighter Wing in a major reorganization of ADC responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage. [25] Fighter-interceptor groups and wings were replaced by regionally organized air defense wings. [26]

The 564th Air Base Group was activated on 1 February 1952 to replace the support elements of the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Wing. The group became the 564th Air Defense Group in February 1953 when it assumed control of fighter-interceptor squadrons at Otis. The unit was replaced by the reactivated 33d Fighter Group (Air Defense) as part of ADC's "Project Arrow", which reactivated fighter units that had achieved distinction in the two world wars. [27]

The 33d Fighter Group was assigned to ADC's 4707th Air Defense Wing, and in 1956 reunited with the 33d Fighter Wing (Air Defense). Again, it provided air defense in northeastern US flying the Northrop F-89 Scorpion. It was also the host organization for USAF units until 1956, and was assigned several support organizations to fulfill this function. [28] [29] [30] [31] when the 33d Fighter Wing was activated and the group was assigned to it once again, along with the support units assigned to the group. [32] The group was inactivated on 18 August 1957 and replaced by 4735th Air Defense Group when the 551st Airborne Early Warning and Control Wing assumed host responsibilities for Otis from the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Wing. [33]

Vietnam War

On 8 July 1963 the 33d Tactical Group was activated in Viet Nam. It was equipped primarily with cargo aircraft. Its mission was to maintain and operate base support facilities at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, supporting the 2d Air Division and subordinate units by performing reconnaissance of Vietnam from various detachments flying Douglas RB-26 Invader, Martin RB-57 Canberra, and McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo aircraft. [2]

The 33d Tactical Group performed administrative and maintenance tasks and set up detachments at smaller, outlying airfields, the 33d assuming responsibility for Can Tho and Nha Trang Air Bases. The group inactivated in July 1965, and its aircraft, personnel and equipment were transferred to the 6250th Combat Support Group. [34] While the 33d Tactical Group was inactive, it was consolidated with the 33d Fighter Group as the 33d Tactical Fighter Group. [2]

Contingency operations

Five F-15Cs from the 33d Fighter Wing during a deployment to Elmendorf AFB 33dog-f-15-1.jpg
Five F-15Cs from the 33d Fighter Wing during a deployment to Elmendorf AFB

As the 33d Fighter Wing reorganized under the Objective Wing system on 1 December 1991, the group was activated as the 33d Operations Group and once more assigned its original three squadrons, which were equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, together with an operations support squadron. [2] In May 1992 the group was enlarged by the assignment of the 728th Air Control Squadron at Duke Field when the 507th Air Control Wing inactivated. [35]

From 1992 through 2002 the group deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia, Canada, the Caribbean, South America, Jamaica, Iceland, Italy, and Puerto Rico and participated in various operations. [2] The group lost members of its 58th and 60th Fighter Squadron and 33d Operations Support Squadron in the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia on 25 June 1996 during one of these deployments. [4]

In 1999, as a result of the administration reductions in military spending, the group lost six of its F-15s. The 59th squadron inactivated on 15 April as a result and the remainder of its aircraft were split between the other two squadrons. [35]

The group engaged in air expeditionary operations in various combat areas as part of the Global War on Terrorism. [2]

In May 2008, the 728th Air Control Squadron was reassigned to the 552d Air Control Wing. [36] The group continued to shrink when, on 1 October 2008, the 60th Fighter Squadron flew its last sortie with the Eagle and became non-operational. [35] It inactivated on 1 January 2009. In July, the group stopped operating F-15s in anticipation of receiving the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. For more than a year, it would remain without assigned aircraft. [37]

Lightning II training

The group mission changed in addition to its change of aircraft, and on 1 October 2009, the group became part of Air Education and Training Command in preparation for its new role of conducting joint training on the Joint Strike Fighter. [38]

However, the F-35 program was delayed and in January 2011, the group received its first aircraft in 17 months, when four General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft borrowed from the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona arrived to prepare the group's instructor pilots for the Lightning II. The F-16's flying characteristics are similar to those of the F-35, and would prepare group pilots to transition into its new plane on arrival. [37] On 14 July 2011, the group received its first Lightning II for training. [39] Lt Col Christine Mau, the deputy commander of the group, became the first woman to fly the F-35 on 5 May 2015, when she completed her first training flight. [40]

Lineage

33d Operations Group

Activated on 15 January 1941
Redesignated 33d Fighter Group on 15 May 1942
Inactivated on 8 December 1945
Redesignated 33d Fighter-Interceptor Group on 20 January 1950
Inactivated on 6 February 1952
Activated on 18 August 1955
Inactivated on 18 August 1957

33d Tactical Group

Organized on 8 July 1963
Discontinued, and inactivated on 8 July 1965

Assignments

Components

Tactical Squadrons

Support Units

Stations

Awards and campaigns

Award streamerAwardDatesNotes
Streamer PUC Army.PNG Distinguished Unit Citation 15 January 194333d Fighter Group, Central Tunisia [2]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 2 December 1991 – 31 March 199233d Operations Group [2]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 June 1996 – 31 May 199833d Operations Group [2]
AFOUA Streamer.JPG Air Force Outstanding Unit Award1 June 1998 – 31 May 199933d Operations Group [2]
Campaign/Service StreamerCampaignDatesNotes
Streamer AC.PNG American Theater without inscription7 December 1941 – October 194233d Pursuit Group (later 33d Fighter Group) [48]
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png Algeria-French Morocco10 November 1942 – 11 November 194233d Fighter Group [2]
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png Tunisia12 November 1942 – 13 May 194333d Fighter Group [2]
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png Sicily14 May 1943 – 17 August 194333d Fighter Group [2]
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png Naples-Foggia18 August 1943 – 21 January 194433d Fighter Group [2]
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png Anzio22 January 1944 – February 194433d Fighter Group [2]
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png Rome-Arno22 January 1944 – February 194433d Fighter Group [2]
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal streamer.png Air Combat, EAME Theater10 November 1942 – February 194433d Fighter Group [2]
Streamer APC.PNG India-Burma20 February 1944 – 28 January 194533d Fighter Group [2]
Streamer APC.PNG Central Burma29 January 1945 – 15 July 194533d Fighter Group [2]
Streamer APC.PNG China Defensive4 July 1942 – 4 May 194533d Fighter Group [2]
Streamer VS.PNG Vietnam Advisory8 July 1963 – 1 March 196533d Tactical Group [2]
Streamer VS.PNG Vietnam Defensive2 March 1965 – 8 July 196533d Tactical Group [2]
Streamer NOS E.JPG World War II Army of Occupation (Germany)20 August 1946 – July 194733d Fighter Group [48]

Aircraft

  • Bell P-39 Airacobra (1941)
  • Curtiss P-40 Warhawk (1941–1944)
  • Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1944–1945)
  • Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (1944–1948)
  • North American P-51D Mustang (1948–1950)
  • Republic F-84C Thunderjet (1948–1950)
  • North American F-86A Sabre (1950–1952)
  • Lockheed F-94 Starfire (1951–1952, 1956–1957)
  • Northrop F-89C Scorpion (1956–1957)
  • McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (1991–2009)
  • McDonnell Douglas F-15D Eagle (1991–2009)
  • General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon (2011)
  • Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II (2011–present)

See also

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The 4706th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force (USAF) organization. Its last assignment was with the 37th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at O'Hare International Airport (IAP), Illinois where it was discontinued in 1956. It was established in 1952 at O'Hare as the 4706th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of Air Defense Command (ADC), which replaced wings responsible for a base with wings responsible for a geographical area. It assumed control of several Fighter Interceptor squadrons that had been assigned to the 142d Fighter-Interceptor Wing, an Air National Guard wing mobilized for the Korean War and the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Group. In early 1953 it also was assigned six radar squadrons in the Midwest and its dispersed fighter squadrons combined with colocated air base squadrons into air defense groups. The wing was redesignated as an air defense wing in 1954. It was discontinued in 1956 and most of its units transferred to the 58th Air Division.

4708th Air Defense Wing

The 4708th Air Defense Wing is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 30th Air Division of Air Defense Command (ADC) at Selfridge Air Force Base (AFB), Michigan, where it was discontinued in 1956. It was established in 1952 at Selfridge as the 4708th Defense Wing in a general reorganization of Air Defense Command (ADC), which replaced wings responsible for a base with wings responsible for a geographical area. It assumed control of several fighter Interceptor squadrons that had been assigned to the 56th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, some of which were Air National Guard squadrons mobilized for the Korean War.

575th Air Defense Group

The 575th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4708th Air Defense Wing at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, where it was inactivated in 1955. The group was originally activated as a support unit for the 4th Fighter Group after the 4th returned to the US at the end of World War II and performed that mission until it was inactivated in 1947.

4727th Air Defense Group

The 4727th Air Defense Group is a discontinued United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Syracuse Air Defense Sector at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, where it was discontinued in 1959.

564th Air Defense Group

The 564th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4707th Air Defense Wing, stationed at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, where it was inactivated in 1955. The group was originally activated as a support unit for a combat group at the end of World War II but never deployed before it was inactivated in 1945.

52d Operations Group

The 52d Operations Group is the flying component of the 52d Fighter Wing, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). The group is stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany.

566th Air Defense Group

The 566th Air Defense Group is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the 28th Air Division at Hamilton Air Force Base, California where it was inactivated on 18 August 1955. The group was originally activated as a support unit for a combat group at the end of World War II but never deployed before it was inactivated in 1945.

325th Operations Group

The 325th Operations Group is the flying component of the 325th Fighter Wing, assigned to Air Combat Command of the United States Air Force. The group is stationed at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. It conducts training on the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and commands one operational Raptor squadron. It directs the flying and support operations of two F-22 squadrons, a fighter training squadron, an operations support squadron and a training support squadron.

337th Aeronautical Systems Group

The 337th Aeronautical Systems Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Aeronautical Systems Center of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, where it was inactivated in 2008.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ The emblem was approved for the 33d Fighter Wing on 5 October 1965. Ravenstein, p. 60. While the group is assigned to the wing, it uses the form approved for the wing with the group designation on the scroll. Dollman, AFHRA Factsheet 33 Operations Group
  2. ↑ 8 of the 11 victories by the Group Hq were credited to the commander, Lt Col. William W. Momyer
  3. ↑ Each of the squadrons scored additional victories during Desert Storm and the 58th during the Vietnam War, but they were not assigned to the group at the time.
  4. ↑ Aircraft is P-84C-2-RE Thunderjet serial 47-1994

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 86–87
  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 Dollman, TSG David (18 October 2016). "Factsheet 33 Operations Group (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  3. ↑ Foster, p. 57
  4. 1 2 Foster, pp. 27–28
  5. ↑ Foster, p. 1
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Factsheet 33rd Fighter Wing". 96th Test Wing Public Affairs. 3 February 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Factsheet 337th Air Control Squadron". 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 20 July 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  8. 1 2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 230–231
  9. 1 2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 233–234
  10. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons. pp, 235–236
  11. 1 2 3 4 Craven & Cate, Vol. 2 Europe, Torch to Pointblank, August 1942 to December 1943 pp. 58, 77
  12. 1 2 Foster, p. 45
  13. 1 2 Robertson, Patsy (12 January 2009). "Factsheet 99 Flying Training Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  14. ↑ Newton & Senning, p. 541
  15. ↑ Newton & Senning, pp. 555–556
  16. 1 2 Newton & Senning, pp. 556
  17. ↑ "Abstract, History Neubiberg AAF Air Station Aug 1946". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  18. ↑ Maurer, Combat Units, p. 259
  19. ↑ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 86–87, 151–153
  20. ↑ Foster, p. 11
  21. ↑ Goss, p. 59 (note)
  22. ↑ Ravenstein, p. 10
  23. ↑ Knaack, p. 28
  24. 1 2 "Factsheet 60 Fighter Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 27 February 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  25. ↑ Grant, p. 33
  26. ↑ Cornett & Johnson, p. 25
  27. ↑ Buss, et al., p. 6
  28. 1 2 Cornett & Johnson, p. 132
  29. 1 2 Cornett & Johnson, p. 136
  30. 1 2 Cornett & Johnson, p. 151
  31. 1 2 See "Abstract, History 33 Hospital Jul–Dec 1955". Air Force History Index. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 6 AFOMO Letter 660j, 20 June 1955, Subject: Activation of Headquarters, 1st Fighter Group (Air Defense); Inactivation, Activation and Reorganization of Certain Other USAF Units
  33. ↑ "Abstract, History 26 Air Division Jul–Dec 1957". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  34. ↑ "Abstract, History 6250 Combat Support Group Jul–Dec 1965". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  35. 1 2 3 Foster, p. 26
  36. ↑ Foster, p. 32
  37. 1 2 Wright, Ashley M. (14 January 2011). "F-16s' arrival brings 'battle rhythm' to JSF wing". 96 Air Base Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  38. ↑ Foster, p. 35
  39. ↑ Foster, p.39
  40. ↑ Cronin, 1st Lt Hope (7 May 2015). "First female F-35 pilot begins training". Air Force News Service. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  41. 1 2 3 4 Lineage, including assignments, stations, components and aircraft in Bailey, AFHRA Factsheet, except as noted.
  42. ↑ Robertson, Patsy (23 May 2011). "Factsheet 58 Fighter Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  43. ↑ Haulman, Daniel L. (8 November 2011). "Factsheet 59 Test and Evaluation Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
  44. ↑ Kane, Robert (16 March 2010). "Factsheet 459 Flying Training Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  45. ↑ "325th ACS to remain under AETC". United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  46. ↑ Foster, pp. 26, 32
  47. ↑ Kane, Robert B. (6 February 2015). "Factsheet 33 Maintenance Squadron (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  48. 1 2 See Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 87–88

Bibliography

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