98th Operations Group

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98th Operations Group Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation[2]
Insignia
98th Operations Group emblem[note 1]
98th Air Refueling Group emblem (approved c. December 1988)[3]
98th Bombardment Group emblem (approved 28 July 1942)[1]

The 98th Operations Group is a component unit of the Nevada Test and Training Range, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The group is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. It provides day-to-day control of the Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) and directly supports Air Force, joint and multi-national test and training activities; and operates two Air Combat Command bombing ranges; the NTTR and Leach Lake Tactics Range, near Barstow, California.

During

.

In the postwar era, the 98th Bombardment Group was one of the first

.

History

See

98th Range Wing

for related history and lineage

World War II

The 98th trained for bombardment missions with Consolidated B-24 Liberators during the first half of 1942.

The group was alerted and departed for the Middle East on 15 July 1942, arriving in Palestine in late July 1942. The 98th was initially assigned to the United States Middle East Air Force (USMEAF). However, the USMEAF was dissolved on 12 November 1942. At that time, the 98th came under

personnel until 98th maintenance personnel arrived in mid-August 1942.

It supported the

John R. (Killer) Kane

was awarded the Medal of Honor for his leadership.

The 98th was under the command of the

Donald Pucket

sacrificed his life trying to save three of his crewmembers who could not or would not bail out of their doomed B-24. Donald Pucket was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his sacrifice.

In the summer of 1944, the 98th participated in the invasion of southern France, assisted in the Soviet advance into the Balkans, and supported the partisans and guerrillas in Yugoslavia and neighboring countries. It flew a total of 417 missions and earned a total of 15 battle streamers as well as two Presidential Unit Citations.

The group returned to the United States as the war was ending in Europe, where it trained in preparation for movement to the

, but the war with Japan ended before redeployment.

The 98th was inactivated as a group on 10 November 1945. However, its 343rd, 344th, and 345th Squadrons were reassigned to other B-29 groups. The 343d Squadron was assigned to the

MacDill Field

, Florida and inactivated on 31 March 1946.

Postwar era and Korean War

The 98th was reactivated on 1 July 1947 and equipped with B-29 Superfortresses at

, England. During the training phase of the years 1947–1950, the 98th recorded six B-29 losses.

During the deployment to England, the 98th practiced high level (35,000 ft) bombing missions on the German Island of

. The aircraft were challenged by RAF and USAF fighters. The gunners were evaluated on gun camera film. The bombardiers were rated on their performance as well as were other air crew members. As a result of the exercise, the 98th was rated very highly and combat ready.

In early 1950, the 98th was alerted for permanent change of stations to

(Provisional). The first planes arrived at Yokota on 5 August 1950.

It flew its first combat mission on 7 August, striking marshalling yards at Pyongyang, capital of North Korea. The Group attacked enemy communication lines and supported United Nations ground forces during the war. Targets included rail facilities, oil centers, bridges, roads, troop concentrations, airfields, and military installations. There were 34 known losses.

It became an administrative unit in 1951 when its operational squadrons were assigned directly to the wing as a result of the SAC dual deputate reorganization.

Reserve refueling operations

The unit was reactivated in the

at March Air Force Base.

On 12–14 May 1989, the group was tasked to support USAF transport aircraft airlifting troops into Panama, which was the prelude to

. Following that operation, the 98th was involved with President Bush's code name Sinbad, a secret plan to monitor drug trafficking in South America.

Yet again the 98th flew mercy missions into Mogadishu, Somalia delivering 491,610 pounds of supplies to try to alleviate the humanitarian disaster. Still operating in Operation Southern Watch the group flew missions along the southern border of Iraq in January 1993 until inactivated on 30 September 1994.

Nevada range

It was redesignated the 98th Operations Group and reactivated in October 2001, supporting the

. It is now a non-flying unit that commands two squadrons with 55 military and civil service personnel and has functional responsibility for approximately 300 contract personnel.

It prioritizes and schedules all range activities for all range users, provides ground control intercept operations, flight-following safety deconfliction, simulated threat command and control operations, communications, data link operations, and range access control. It also assists test customers by coordinating support activities, and coordinates airspace issues with military and federal agencies.

The 98th Operations Support Squadron is the scheduling, command and control and project support authority for NTTR operations. The Weapons and Tactics Flight provides qualified ground control intercept and Link 16 operations for more than 5,000 test and training sorties per year on the NTTR. The Current Operations Flight is responsible for range scheduling, range monitoring and advisory control (Blackjack), and provides a comprehensive debrief tool for combat air forces aircrews. The Operations Plans Flight coordinates all exercise, test and experimentation customer assistance.

The 98th Range Squadron is responsible for technical support of NTTR Air Force, joint and multinational aircrew training. The Communications Flight provides small computer hardware and software support and all communications. The Operations and Maintenance Flight provides operation, maintenance and deployment of threat systems, mission control and debriefing systems, time-space-position indicator/scoring systems and Roulette (Red Forces Command and Control). The Engineering Flight conducts research, engineers, develops and manages hardware and software projects.

Lineage

• Established as the 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942

Activated on 3 February 1942

Redesignated: 98th Bombardment Group, Heavy on 1 July 1943

Redesignated: 98th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 12 July 1945

Inactivated on 10 November 1945

• Activated on 1 July 1947

Redesignated 98th Bombardment Group, Medium on 12 July 1948

Inactivated on 16 June 1952

• Redesignated 98th Air Refueling Group, Heavy on 12 May 1987

Activated in the reserve on 1 October 1987

Redesignated: 98th Air Refueling Group on 1 February 1992

Inactivated on 30 September 1994

• Redesignated: 98th Operations Group on 21 September 2001

Activated on 29 October 2001^[1]

Assignments

Components

• 25th Reconnaissance Squadron (later
  415th Bombardment Squadron
  ): 3 February 1942 – 3 July 1945
• 78th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 October 1987 – 1 August 1992
• 98th Air Refueling Squadron: 16 August 1950 – 16 June 1952 (attached to 98th Bombardment Wing)^[4]
• 98th Operations Support Squadron (circa 2017)
• 98th Range Squadron (circa 2017)
• 343d Bombardment Squadron: 3 February 1942 – 10 November 1945; 1 July 1947 – 16 June 1952 (attached to 98th Bombardment Wing after c. 1 April 1951)^[4]
• 344th Bombardment Squadron: 3 February 1942 – 10 November 1945; 1 July 1947 – 16 June 1952 (attached to 98th Bombardment Wing after c. 1 April 1951)^[4]
• 345th Bombardment Squadron: 3 February 1942 – 10 November 1945; 1 July 1947 – 16 June 1952 (attached to 98th Bombardment Wing after c. 1 April 1951)^[4][5]

Stations

MacDill Field , Florida, 3 February 1942 Barksdale Field , Louisiana, 9 February 1942 Fort Myers Army Air Field , Florida, 30 March 1942 Drane Field , Florida, 17 May– July 1942 RAF Ramat David , Palestine, 25 July 1942 (air echelon), 21 August 1942 (ground echelon) RAF Fayid, Egypt, c. 11 November 1942 Baheira Airfield, Libya, 29 January 1943 Benina Airfield, Libya, c. 14 February – 26 March 1943; 4 Ap4 – 25 September 1943 Berca Airfield, Libya, 26 March – 4 April 1943 Hergla Airfield, Tunisia, c. 25 September 1943 Brindisi Airfield , Italy, c. 22 November 1943 Manduria Airfield, Italy, 19 December 1943

Lecce Airfield, Italy, 17 January 1944 – 19 April 1945 Fairmont Army Air Field , Nebraska, 8 May 1945 McCook Army Air Field, Nebraska, 25 June – 10 November 1945 Andrews Field , Maryland, 1 July 1947 Spokane Army Air Field (later Spokane Air Force Base, Fairchild Air Force Base), Washington, 24 September 1947 – 16 June 1952 Deployed to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa , c. 25 August – 10 December 1948 Deployed to RAF Sculthorpe, England, 17 May – 17 August 1949 Deployed to Yokota Air Base, Japan, c. 5 August 1950 – 16 June 1952 Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 1 October 1987 – 30 September 1994 Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, 29 October 2001 – present[1]

Aircraft

• Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
• Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945; 1947–1953
• McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender, 1987–1994.[1]

References

Notes

Explanatory notes

Citations

Bibliography

• Endicott, Judy G., ed. (2001). The USAF in Korea, Campaigns, Units and Stations 1950-1953 (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  ISBN 0-16-050901-7
  . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Futrell, Robert F. (1983). The United States Air Forces in Korea 1950-1953 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
  ISBN 0-912799-71-4
  . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Gansz, David M. (2022). Fifteenth Air Force War Diary, Bombing by the Numbers. First Mountain Belgians Publishing.
  ISBN 978-1-7343806-1-3
  .
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
  LCCN 61060979
  . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
  OCLC 72556
  . Retrieved 17 December 2016.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
  ISBN 0-912799-12-9
  . Retrieved 17 December 2016.

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