23rd Fighter Group

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For the "23rd Fighter Group" that existed from 1997 to 2006, see 23rd Wing.

23rd Fighter Group
23rd Fighter Group A-10C Thunderbolt II attached to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing takes off from a forward-deployed location during
David Lee "Tex" Hill
Col. Edward F. Rector
Insignia
23rd Wing emblem (approved 24 January 1957)[2]

The 23rd Fighter Group (23 FG) is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23rd Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.

The 23rd Fighter Group was established in

cadre of volunteer personnel from the simultaneously disbanded 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) – the "Flying Tigers"[3] of the Chinese Air Force
.

To carry on the traditions and commemorate the history of the AVG, aircraft of the USAF 23rd Fighter Group carry the same "Shark Teeth"

P-40 Warhawks
, along with the "FT" (Flying Tiger) tail code. The 23rd Fighter Group's aircraft are the only United States Air Force aircraft currently authorized to carry this distinctive and historical aircraft marking.

Overview

Currently based at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, the group is assigned as one of two operations groups of the 23rd Wing at Moody. The other group at Moody is the 347th Rescue Group. Both organizations serve as part of the Fifteenth Air Force and Air Combat Command. The 23rd Fighter Group's primary missions are forward air control, close air support, air interdiction and combat search and rescue operations.

The group has two operational

A-10 Thunderbolt II
attack aircraft.

History

World War II

P-40
of the 23rd FG in 1942.

By 15 June 1942, under orders from Tenth Air Force, an advance cadre of pilots and aircraft had proceeded over the Hump to Kunming, China, for combat familiarization. Without ceremony, the 23rd Fighter Group was activated 4 July 1942, marking the first such activation of a United States fighter unit on a field of battle in World War II.[4][nb 1]

Claire L. Chennault, meanwhile, had been recalled to active duty with the rank of brigadier general and placed at the head of the China Air Task Force (later to grow into Fourteenth Air Force). The 23rd Fighter Group became a component of the Task Force and was assigned three squadrons, the 74th, 75th, and 76th Fighter Squadrons.[5][6][7][8]

The group inherited the mission of the

51st Fighter Group in India and flown over the Hump by personnel to be assigned to the 23rd, also mostly from the 51st Group.[citation needed
]

Others from the ranks of the original Flying Tigers left China when their contracts expired,[4] although some returned to duty later with the Army Air Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater. In addition to inheriting operational responsibilities from the AVG, the 23rd Fighter Group also benefited from the knowledge and experience of the AVG pilots, and took on the nickname of the disbanded unit.

Col. Robert L. Scott Jr., already in India as a commander of the Hump operation, became the first commander of the 23rd Fighter Group.[4] He would later author the military classic, "God Is My Co-Pilot." On the very first day of its activation, the 23rd Fighter Group engaged three successive waves of enemy aircraft and promptly recorded the destruction of five enemy aircraft with no losses to itself.[citation needed]

P-51 Mustang
and pilots of the 23rd FG

The next three years saw the 23rd Fighter Group involved in much of the action over southeast and southwest Asia. It provided

air defense for the Chinese terminus of the Hump route,[3] but its operations extended beyond China to Burma, French Indochina and as far as Taiwan.[3] The unit helped pioneer a number of innovative fighter and fighter-bomber tactics. The group used its so-called "B-40" (P-40's carrying 1,000-pound bombs) to destroy Japanese bridges and kill bridge repair crews, sometimes demolishing their target with a single bomb.[9] The unit gained another increase in capability with its conversion to the North American P-51 Mustang
aircraft in November 1943. Representative of the encounters undertaken by this small and often ill-equipped group was the defense against a major Japanese push down the
Distinguished Unit Citation.[3] In 1945 it help turn the Japanese spring offensive and harassed the retreating Japanese by strafing and bombing their columns.[3]

Before the 23rd Fighter Group returned to the United States in December 1945, it was credited with destroying 621 enemy planes in air combat, plus 320 more on the ground; with sinking more than 131,000 tons of enemy shipping and damaging another 250,000 tons; and with causing an estimated enemy troop loss of more than 20,000.[4] These statistics were compiled through a total of more than 24,000 combat sorties, requiring more than 53,000 flying hours, and at a cost of 110 aircraft lost in aerial combat, 90 shot down by surface defenses, and 28 bombed while on the ground.[4] Thirty-two pilots of the group achieved ace status by shooting down five or more enemy aircraft.[4]

The 23rd Fighter Group left the theater in December 1945 and was inactivated 5 January 1946, at Fort Lewis, Washington.[3]

Postwar Era

The 23rd Fighter Group was reactivated 10 October 1946, in

Albrook Air Force Base.[3][11]

Air Defense Command

The group was redesignated as the 23rd Fighter-Interceptor Group (FIG), activated once again

Air Defense Command (ADC) responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage.[14]

In August 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.

702nd Strategic Missile Wing
.

Modern era

23rd Operations Group

23rd Fighter Group A-10 Thunderbolt IIs on alert

On 1 June 1992, the 23rd Tactical Fighter Group was redesignated the 23rd Operations Group and activated at

Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina under the redesignated 23rd Wing under the USAF Objective Wing plan. It was given the mission of controlling the flying components of the parent 23rd Wing. These included both fighters providing close air support and theater airlift aircraft.[5]

In December 1992, Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft from the group's 2nd Airlift Squadron deployed to Mombasa, Kenya, to participate in Operation Provide Relief. The aircraft and crews delivered tons of food and other relief supplies to small airstrips throughout Somalia. 23rd Wing C-130s were also tasked to assist in other humanitarian relief efforts, to include Hurricane Andrew in Florida. They also airdropped relief supplies into Bosnia and Herzegovina and flew relief missions into Sarajevo for more than 28 months.[citation needed]

In September 1994, its C-130s participated in what was to be the largest combat personnel drop since World War II,

Port au Prince Airport, Haiti. The invasion force was recalled at the last minute after word that the Haitian president had resigned upon hearing that the aircraft were on their way. The 75th Fighter Squadron's A-10s deployed their aircraft to Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, where they were scheduled to launch close air support operations for the invasion force before recovering in Puerto Rico.[citation needed
]

The first operational deployment of a composite wing happened in October 1994, when Iraqi troops began massing near the Kuwaiti Border. Within 72 hours, 56 aircraft and 1,500 personnel deployed to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Vigilant Warrior. Eventually, the 75th Fighter Squadron redeployed to Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, becoming the first U.S. fixed-wing aircraft to be stationed in that country since the end of the Gulf War.[citation needed]

On 1 July 1996, the 74th Fighter Squadron's

524th Fighter Squadron at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, and the squadron transitioned to Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II received from the 20th Fighter Wing's 55th Fighter Squadron at Shaw.[citation needed] This gave the 23rd Group a second A-10 squadron.[5]

23rd Fighter Group

On 1 April 1997, the 23rd Operations Group was inactivated and replaced by the downsized 23rd Wing, which was redesignated as the 23rd Fighter Group.

347th Wing of Air Combat Command at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia but the group remained at Pope as a Geographically Separated Unit (GSU). Its C-130s and Pope Air Force Base were realigned to Air Mobility Command and assigned to the 43rd Airlift Wing
.

Moody Air Force Base

On 1 October 2006, the 347th Rescue Wing at Moody redesignated as the 347th Rescue Group, while the 23rd Fighter Group was expanded and redesignated the 23rd Wing. Along with the 347th Rescue Group, the original 23rd Fighter Group was reactivated, this time at Moody Air Force Base,[5] for only the second time in over fifty years. The 23rd Fighter Group was then assigned as one of the 23rd Wing's operations groups, although retaining the designation of "Fighter Group".[5]

Both the 23rd Wing and 23rd Fighter Group are charged with carrying on the historic Flying Tiger's heritage.[23]

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 23rd Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 17 December 1941
Redesignated 23rd Fighter Group on 15 May 1942
Activated on 4 July 1942
Inactivated on 5 January 1946
  • Redesignated 23rd Fighter Group, Single Engine in 1946
Activated on 10 October 1946
  • Redesignated 23rd Fighter Group, Jet on 3 May 1949
Inactivated on 24 September 1949
  • Redesignated 23rd Fighter-Interceptor Group on 19 December 1950
Activated on 12 January 1951
Inactivated on 6 February 1952
  • Redesignated 23rd Fighter Group (Air Defense) on 20 June 1955
Activated on 18 August 1955
Inactivated on 1 July 1959
Redesignated 23rd Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 (remained inactive)
  • Redesignated 23rd Operations Group, and activated, on 1 June 1992
Inactivated on 1 April 1997
  • Redesignated: 23rd Fighter Group on 26 September 2006
Activated on 1 October 2006[24]

Assignments

Components

  • 2nd Airlift Squadron: 1 June 1992 – 1 April 1997
  • 16th Fighter Squadron
    : attached, 4 July 1942 – 19 October 1943
  • 41st Airlift Squadron: 16 July 1993 – 1 April 1997
  • 74th Fighter Squadron: 4 July 1942 – 5 January 1946; 10 October 1946 – 24 September 1949; 12 January 1951 – 6 February 1952; 15 June 1993 – 1 April 1997; 1 October 2006 – present
  • 75th Fighter Squadron (later 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 75th Fighter Squadron): 4 July 1942 – 5 January 1946; 10 October 1946 – 24 September 1949; 12 January 1951 – 6 February 1952; 18 August 1955 – 1 July 1959; 1 June 1992 – 1 April 1997; 1 October 2006 – present
  • 76th Fighter Squadron (later, 76th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron): 4 July 1942 – 5 January 1946; 10 October 1946 – 24 September 1949; 18 August 1955 – 9 November 1957
  • 118th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
    : attached, May 1945 – Aug 1945
  • 132nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
    : attached, 21 July 1951 – 2 August 1951
  • 134th Fighter Interception Squadron
    : attached, Jan 1951 -2 August 1951
  • 449th Fighter Squadron: attached, Jul 1943–19 October 1943[24]
  • 598th Range Squadron: 22 Sep 2015–present[25]

Stations

  • Kunming Airport
    , China, 4 July 1942
  • Kweilin Airfield
    , China, c. Sept 1943
  • Liuchow Airfield
    , China, 8 September 1944
  • Luliang Airfield
    , China, 14 September 1944
  • Liuchow Airfield
    , China, Aug 1945
  • Hanchow Airfield
    , China, c. 10 October – 12 December 1945
  • Fort Lewis, Washington, 3 – 5 January 1946
  • Northwest Field (later, Northwest Guam Air Force Base)
    , Guam, 10 October 1946 – 3 April 1949
  • Howard Air Force Base, Canal Zone, 25 April – 24 September 1949
  • Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine, 12 January 1951 – 6 February 1952; 18 August 1955 – 1 July 1959
  • Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, 1 June 1992 – 30 July 2007
  • Moody Air Force Base, Georgia, 30 July 2007 – present[24]

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation
 17 June 1944–25 June 1944 23rd Fighter Group Hunan Province, China[3]
Air Force Meritorious Unit Award
 1 June 2008–31 May 2010 23rd Fighter Group[26]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
 31 May 1995–31 March 1997 23rd Operations Group[5]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award [30 July 2007]-31 May 2008 23rd Fighter Group[26]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
India-Burma 2 April 1943 – 28 January 1945 23rd Fighter Group[3]
China Defensive 4 July 1942 – 4 May 1945 23rd Fighter Group[3]
Western Pacific 17 April 1944 – 2 September 1945 23rd Fighter Group[3]
China Offensive 5 May 1945 – 2 September 1945 23rd Fighter Group[3]

References

Notes

  1. 1st Day Bombardment Group, both of which are currently active, were formed in France as well.[citation needed] The activation of the 23rd Fighter Group in China preceded that of the 4th Fighter Group in England (from the former RAF Eagle Squadrons
    ) by almost three months. Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 35–37, 73–75

Citations

  1. ^ "23rd FG changes hands". Moody Air Force Base. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b Haulman, Daniel L. (9 April 2012). "Factsheet 23 Fighter Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Maurer, Combat Units, p. 72
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Molesworth [page needed]
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Robertson, Patsy (7 August 2008). "Factsheet 23 Fighter Group (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  6. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 271–272
  7. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 273–274
  8. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 275–276
  9. ^ CBI Roundup, Vol. II, No. 32, 20 April 1944
  10. ^ Maurer Combat Units, p. 72
  11. ^ a b c Ravenstein, pp. 43–45
  12. ^ Goss, p. 59
  13. ^ a b c d Cornett & Johnson, p. 118
  14. ^ Grant, p. 33
  15. ^ a b Buss, et al., p.6
  16. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 274–275
  17. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 287, 389
  18. ^ See "Abstract, History 23 Infirmary Aug–Dec 1955". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  19. ^ "Abstract, History 23 Air Base Squadron January 1958 – June 1959". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  20. ^ Cornett & Johnson, p. 145
  21. ^ Cornett & Johnson, p. 136
  22. ^ Cornett & Johnson, p. 70
  23. ^ "Ceremony brings historic 23rd Wing to Moody". Air Force. 2 October 2006. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011.
  24. ^ a b c d Lineage, including assignment, components, and stations are in Robertson, Factsheet, 23rd Fighter Group
  25. ^ Tinsley, SRA Ceaira (23 September 2015). "598th RANS reactivates after seven decades". 23rd Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.
  26. ^ a b "Air Force Recognition Programs". Air Force Personnel Center. Retrieved 2 November 2012. (search)

Bibliography

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Further reading

External links
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