93rd Operations Group

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93d Operations Group
Distinguished Unit Citation[1]
Insignia
93d Operations Group emblem[1][note 1]
93d Bombardment Group emblem[2]

The 93d Operations Group is an inactive

93d Air Control Wing, stationed at Robins Air Force Base
, Georgia. The unit was inactivated on 1 October 2002.

During World War II, the group's predecessor unit, the 93d Bombardment Group was the first

Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. It flew from RAF Alconbury in Cambridgeshire
. The group became operational with a mission over Occupied France on 9 October 1942.

In the postwar era, the 93d Bombardment Group was one of the original ten USAAF bombardment groups assigned to

Far East Air Forces during the early part of the Korean War
, and flew combat missions over Korea. The group was inactivated in 1952 when the parent wing adopted the dual deputy organization and assigned all of the group's squadrons directly to the wing.

It was reactivated as the 93d Operations Group in 1991 when the wing adopted the USAF objective organization.

History

For related history and lineage, see
93d Air-Ground Operations Wing

World War II

328th Bomb Squadron Consolidated B-24D-1-CO Liberator Serial 41-23711 "'Jerks Natural". This aircraft was lost over Austria 1 October 1943. MACR 3301
328th Bomb Squadron Consolidated B-24J-55-CO Liberator Serial 42-99949 on a mission to Friedrichshafen Germany during August 1944. This aircraft was lost over Belgium on 21 September 1944, MACR 9662
329th Bomb Squadron B-24D-5-CO 41-23809 "Hellsadroppin' II", landing at RAF Hardwick 21 December 1943. This plane was declared 'War Weary' and transferred to the 448th Bomb Group to be used as its formation assembly ship and was carried three different names during its time there and was painted with a black and yellow checkerboard pattern over the whole plane. Photo taken 15 December 1943. She was condemned as salvage on Jan. 15,1945.

The 93d Bombardment Group was activated on 1 March 1942. It initially prepared for combat with Consolidated B-24 Liberators. Engaged in antisubmarine operations over the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea as part of the III Bomber Command, May– July 1942.

The group moved to England, August– September 1942, and was assigned to Eighth Air Force. It was assigned to the

B-24 Liberator aircraft with a tail code of "Circle B". The 93d was the first Liberator-equipped bomber group to reach the Eighth Air Force. The group became operational with the B-24 on 9 October 1942 by attacking steel and engineering works at Lille France. Until December, the group operated primarily against submarine pens along the French coast along the Bay of Biscay
.

While the 93d was at RAF Alconbury, His Majesty,

King George VI
paid his first visit to an Eighth Air Force base on 13 November 1942. During the visit, he was shown the B-24 "Teggie Ann", then considered to be the 93d's leading aircraft.

On 6 December 1942 most of the group was transferred to

Distinguished Unit Citation for operations in that theatre, December 1942 – February 1943, when, with inadequate supplies and under the most difficult desert conditions, the detachment struck heavy blows at enemy shipping and communications. The detachment returned to England in February 1943, where its personnel were featured on the cover of the 26 July 1943 issue of Life Magazine
and the unit dubbed "Ted's Traveling Circus" after its first commander, Col. Edward J. Timberlake.

The balance of the 93d BG was moved to RAF Hardwick (Station 104), in Norfolk where B-24 groups were being concentrated. From February 1943 and until the end of June the group bombed engine repair works, harbors, power plants, and other targets in France, the Low Countries, and Germany.

A detachment returned to the Mediterranean theatre during June and July 1943 to support the

Distinguished Unit Citation
for the operation.

After the detachment returned to England in August 1943, the group flew only two missions before the detachment was sent back to the Mediterranean to support the

Fifth Army at Salerno during the invasion of Italy
in September 1943.

The detachment rejoined the group in October 1943, and until April 1945 the 93d concentrated on bombardment of strategic targets such as marshalling yards, aircraft factories, oil refineries, chemical plants, and cities in Germany. In addition it bombed gun emplacements, choke points, and bridges near

airborne troops in the Netherlands on 18 September 1944; struck enemy transportation and other targets during the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 – January 1945; and flew two missions on 24 March 1945 during the airborne assault across the Rhine, dropping supplies to troops near Wesel
and bombing a night-fighter base at Stormede.

The 93d Bombardment Group ceased combat operations in April 1945, and returned to

Sioux Falls Army Air Field
South Dakota during May/June for B-29 Superfortress transition training, prior to deployment to the Pacific Theater. However, the deployment never took place as the war in the Pacific ended. The group was demobilized and was eventually inactivated in December 1945.

Strategic Air Command

The 93d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) was activated at Merced Field, California on 21 June 1946 which was assigned to Merced for

444th Bombardment Group
.

On 1 October 1946 the airfield was put on "minimal operations on caretaker status", with control of the facility under Colorado Springs AAF. The 93d Bomb Group, however remained active. It, along with the

Roswell Army Air Field, New Mexico, was all there was of Strategic Air Command
at that time. The airfield remained in this status until 1 May 1947 when it was reactivated.

On 1 May 1947,

Okinawa
, becoming the first Strategic Air Command bomb group to deploy in full strength to the Far East.

Upon its return to Castle in 1951, the group was re-equipped with B-50s. In June 1952 the group was inactivated when Strategic Air Command reorganized its wings into the dual deputate system.

Reactivation

On 1 September 1991, the 93d Bombardment Wing was redesignated as the 93d Wing under the "Objective Wing" concept adopted by the Air Force. The flying components of the wing were reassigned to the newly renamed 93d Operations Group.

As part of their new mission, the 93d Group also gained the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress squadrons from the 93d Wing. However, the operations of the reestablished group was short, On 1 June 1992 the 93d was relieved from assignment to SAC and was reassigned to the newly formed Air Combat Command (ACC). Its B-52G aircraft given the ACC tail code of "CA" and carried blue tail stripes. The 328th Bomb Squadron was inactivated 3 May 1994, and the wing and group were placed on non-operational status. The group was inactivated on 31 October 1994.

Just four months later, however, it was reactivated as the operational arm of the 93d Air Control Wing and was reactivated at

Boeing E-8 Joint STARS
and it accepted its first production aircraft on 11 June 1996.

Some crews and aircraft deployed from Robins to Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1996 to support the

Operation Joint Endeavor peacekeeping operation. Deployed to Southwest Asia in response to Iraq's refusal to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors, 18 February – 3 June 1998. Between 23 February – 28 June 1999, deployed aircraft and personnel to Ramstein Air Base
, Germany to assist in monitoring Serbian withdrawal from Kosovo.

Upon inactivation on 1 October 2002; Georgia Air National Guard's 116th Air Control Wing assumed command responsibility for JSTARS mission.

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 93d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
Activated on 1 March 1942
Redesignated 93d Bombardment Group, Heavy in c. 20 August 1943
Redesignated 93d Bombardment Group, Very Heavy c. 6 July 1945
Redesignated 93d Bombardment Group, Medium c. 28 May 1948
Inactivated on 16 June 1952[3]
  • Redesignated 93d Operations Group on 28 August 1991
Activated on 1 September 1991
Inactivated on 31 October 1994
  • Activated on 29 January 1996
Inactivated on 1 October 2002

Assignments

Attached to: 201st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, 25 March-13 December 1943
20th Combat Bombardment Wing
, 13 September 1943 – 12 June 1945

Components

Stations

Aircraft

  • Consolidated B-24D/H/J/L/M Liberator, 1942–1945, 15 May-25 August 1948,
  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945–1949; 1950–1951, 15 May-25 August 1948,
  • Boeing B-50 Superfortress, 1949–1950; 1950–1952, 15 May-25 August 1948,
  • Boeing B-52G Stratofortress, 1991–1994
  • Boeing E-8 Joint STARS, 1996–2002

References

Notes
  1. ^ The group uses the wing emblem with the group designation on the scroll. Air Force Instruction 84-105, Organizational Lineage, Honors and Heraldry, 19 March 2013, para 3.3.3
Citations
  1. ^ a b Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 160-162
  2. ^ Watkins, pp. 38-39
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lineage, including stations and components, through 1952 in Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 160-162
  4. ^ a b c Robertson, Patsy (15 August 2012). "Factsheet 93 Air Ground Operations Wing (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 9 March 2017.

Bibliography

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

External links

  • The 93 Bomb Group Museum, Station 104, Hardwick. A small museum in Norfolk, UK dedicated to USAAF World War II activities.
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