123d Fighter Group
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The 359th Fighter Group was a
United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
fighter unit that was active during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Following organization and training in the United States, the
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
deployed to the
European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...
, operating from RAF East Wretham. The fighter group flew 346 combat missions over continental Europe and claimed 373 enemy aircraft in aerial combat and strafing attacks; probable destruction of 23; and damage to 185. It was awarded the
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
for its actions. The group flew its last mission on 20 April 1945, then returned to the United States for inactivation. The group was redesignated the 123d Fighter Group and allotted to the
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
in 1946. It was again activated in the fall of 1947 in the
Kentucky Air National Guard The Kentucky Air National Guard (KY ANG) is the aerial militia of the United States, U.S. state of Kentucky. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Kentucky Army National Guard, an element of the Kentucky National Guard ...
. In the fall of 1950, the group was called to active duty and moved to
Godman Air Force Base Godman Army Airfield is a military airport located on the Fort Knox, Kentucky, Fort Knox United States Army military base, post in Hardin County, Kentucky, Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. It has four runways and is used entirely by the U ...
, Kentucky, where it became part of the
123d Fighter-Bomber Wing The 123rd Airlift Wing (123 AW) is a unit of the Kentucky Air National Guard, stationed at Louisville International Airport (Louisville Air National Guard Base), Kentucky. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States ...
under the wing-base organization system. It returned to England in December 1951 and, as the 123d Fighter-Bomber Group, served until July 1952, when it transferred its mission, personnel and equipment to an active duty group, then moved without personnel or equipment back to the Kentucky Air National Guard, activating the same day. It served as a fighter unit in the 1950s, then became a tactical reconnaissance group, being called to active duty twice. It was inactivated in 1974, when the Air National Guard eliminated flying groups located on the same station as their parent
wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...
, and its flying squadron was assigned directly to the 123d Wing. With the implementation of the Objective Wing organization in the 1990s, the group was activated under its current name, the 123d Operations Group.


History


World War II


Organization and training

The
group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
was activated in January 1943 at Westover Field, Massachusetts, with the 368th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 456 369thMaurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 457 and
370th Fighter Squadron The 370th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. The squadron was activated in early 1943 and assigned to the 359th Fighter Group. After training in the United States, it deployed to England and participated in co ...
s assigned,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 458-459 although it apparently did not begin to receive personnel until March. After training with
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
s at
Grenier Field Grenier is a surname. It is a French word for ''attic, loft,'' or ''granary''. Notable people with the surname include: * Adrian Grenier * Angèle Grenier, Canadian maple syrup producer * Auguste Jean François Grenier (1814–1890), French docto ...
, New Hampshire and
Republic Field Republic Airport is a public airport in East Farmingdale in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York, United States The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation ''reliever airpor ...
, New York, returning to Westover in August 1943. The group's personnel proceeded to
Camp Kilmer Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp in Central New Jersey that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Tra ...
, New Jersey on 2 October, where most of the group embarked on the on 8 October, although the 369th Squadron sailed on the and SS ''Sloterdyjk'', arriving at
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and Clyde on 19 October.Freeman (1970), p. 252


Combat in Europe

The 359th entered combat in mid-December 1943 after five 359th pilots flew combat missions with the 78th Fighter Group. At first, the group engaged primarily in escort missions to cover
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
and
Consolidated B-24 Liberator 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 desi ...
bombers that attacked airfields in France. It also flew patrol,
strafing Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons. Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such a ...
,
dive bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...
and weather reconnaissance missions. In April 1944, the group began converting to the
North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed by James H. Kin ...
, whose extended range permitted it to provide escort for bombers that struck rail centers in Germany and oil targets in Poland. With the Mustang, the group supported
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...
, the invasion of Normandy, by patrolling the English Channel, escorting bomber formations to the French coast, and dive bombing and strafing bridges, locomotives, and rail lines near the battle area. From July 1944 until February 1945, the group engaged chiefly in escorting bombers to
oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied pet ...
,
marshalling yards A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway y ...
, and other targets in such cities as
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, Brux,
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
,
Ludwigshafen Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
,
Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese ...
and
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
. The group received a
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
for operations over Germany on 11 September 1944 when the group protected a formation of heavy bombers against large numbers of enemy fighters. In addition to its escort duties, the 359th supported campaigns in France during July and August 1944, bombed enemy positions to support Operation Market Garden, the airborne attempt to size a bridgehead across the
Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
near
Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...
in September, and participated in the
Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
in December 1944 and January 1945. The group flew missions to support Operation Varsity, the airborne attack to seize a bridgehead across the Rhine at
Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel i ...
in March 1945. It also escorted
medium bomber A medium bomber is a military bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft designed to operate with medium-sized Aerial bomb, bombloads over medium Range (aeronautics), range distances; the name serves to distinguish this type from larger heavy bombe ...
s attacking German
lines of communication A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base. Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communicat ...
from February 1945 through April. Following
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
, the 359th Fighter Group remained in England until November 1945, although most of its personnel were transferred to other unit, and its aircraft shipped to depots. It sailed on the on 4 November. It arrived at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1945.


Notable pilots

Ray Wetmore was credited with 21.25 victories in aerial combat and ended the war as a 21-year-old major. His last victory was on March 15, 1945, near Wittenberg, destroying a
Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft primarily designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It is the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft in history as well as ...
rocket fighter.Smith (2012) Avelin P. Tacon Jr. was commander of the 359th Fighter Group and went on to become a major general in the US Air force. Howard L. Fogg, an American artist specializing in railroad art, flew 76 combat missions with the 359th Fighter Group and was awarded the Air Medal with three clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with one cluster.Fogg George A. "Pop" Doersch. was the 359th Fighter Group's second highest ranking ace with 10.5 victories in aerial combat (according to USAAF and Imperial Air Museum records) and other sources. Major Doersch flew 78 missions between April 1943 (many in his personal P-51B named "Mis Pop") and July 1944, when returned to the Zone of the Interior. Returning to combat on 20 September 1944, he flew another 69 missions, most in a Mustang P-51D (a replica "OLE GOAT" hangs in the Wisconsin State Museum in Madison). Doersch flew over 500 hours in the ETO, which __ Most of his victories were German Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters. After World War II he went on to serve in the Strategic Air Command until 1967, retiring from the USAF as a full Colonel. Claude J. Crenshaw was the 359th Fighter Group's fourth highest ranking ace with seven victories in aerial combat. Crenshaw flew 270 combat hours between April 1944 and December 1944 in ETO, and his personal P-51 was named 'Louisiana Heatwave'. After World War II, he continued served in the USAF until 1965, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.


Air National Guard

The group was redesignated 123d Fighter Group and allotted to the
National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...
on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Standiford Field, Louisville, Kentucky, and was extended federal recognition on 28 September 1947. Upon mobilization, he unit would be gained by
Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...
of
Continental Air Command 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. During the Korean War, ConAC provided the necessary aug ...
. Upon activation, the group was assigned two of its former squadrons. The 165th Fighter Squadron (the former 368th Fighter Squadron) was located with group
headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
at Standiford Field and the 167th Fighter Squadron (the former 369th Fighter Squadron) was at Kanawha County Airport, West Virginia. The following year, the 156th Fighter Squadron at
Morris Field Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, located roughly west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and m ...
, North Carolina was assigned as the group's third operational squadron. The group was again equipped with Mustangs. Administrative and logistics support for the group was supplied by the 223d Air Service Group, which had detachments at each operational squadron's location. In 1949, the unit earned its first Spaatz Trophy, an award given each year to the premier Air National Guard flying unit.


Korean War mobilization

After the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, the group was mobilized into federal active duty on 10 October 1950. The group and 165th Squadron moved to
Godman Air Force Base Godman Army Airfield is a military airport located on the Fort Knox, Kentucky, Fort Knox United States Army military base, post in Hardin County, Kentucky, Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. It has four runways and is used entirely by the U ...
, Kentucky at
Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...
, where they were joined by the 156th and 167th Fighter Squadrons. A few days later, the group was assigned to the newly organized
123d Fighter-Bomber Wing The 123rd Airlift Wing (123 AW) is a unit of the Kentucky Air National Guard, stationed at Louisville International Airport (Louisville Air National Guard Base), Kentucky. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States ...
, which combined the group's operational elements and the 223d Air Service Group's support elements under the wing base organization of the regular Air Force. In December 1951, the group deployed with the
wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...
to
RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpor ...
, England to replace a
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...
unit on temporary duty there. At Manston, the group transitioned into the Republic F-84E Thunderjet. On 20 July 1952, the group's federalization period expired and it was inactivated, transferring its personnel and equipment to the 406th Fighter-Bomber Group.


Return to state control

The group was activated the same day in the Guard and returned to its familiar Mustangs. It again replaced them, this time with
North American F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
s. In 1957, it transitioned into the
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
role, initially with
Martin RB-57A Canberra The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric ...
s, but in 1965, with McDonnell RF-101 Voodoos. In connection with the
Pueblo Crisis USS ''Pueblo'' (AGER-2) is a ''Banner''-class technical research ship, placed into service during World War II, then converted to a spy ship in 1967 by the United States Navy. She gathered intelligence and oceanographic information, monitoring ...
, the group was again called to active duty in 1968. It was released to state control the following year. The group continued to operate Voodoos until 1974, when it was inactivated as the Air National Guard eliminated group headquarters that were located on the same stations as their parent wings, assigning their operational squadrons directly to the wings. The group was activated again as the 123d Operations Group when the Guard reorganized under the Objective Wing model in 1993. It now operates
Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...
aircraft.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 359th Fighter Group on 20 December 1942 : Activated on 15 January 1943 : Inactivated 10 November 1945 : Redesignated 123d Fighter Group and allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946 : Activated on 8 September 1947 : Federally recognized on 28 September 1947 : Called into active service on 10 October 1950 : Redesignated 123d Fighter-Bomber Group on 26 October 1950 : Inactivated and returned to state control on 10 July 1952Lineage information, including stations and aircraft, through July 1952 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 241-243 : Redesignated 123d Fighter-Interceptor Group and activated on 10 July 1952 : Redesignated 123d Fighter-Bomber Group on 1 January 1953 : Redesignated 123d Fighter-Interceptor Group c. 1 July 1955 * Redesignated 123d Tactical Reconnaissance Group c. 1 June 1958 * Called into active service in January 1968 * Released from active service in July 1969 : Inactivated on 9 December 1974 * Redesignated 123d Operations Group : Activated on 1 January 1993


Assignments

* Boston Air Defense Wing, 15 January 1943 * New York Air Defense Wing (later New York Fighter Wing), 11 July 1943 * Boston Air Defense Wing, 23 August 1943 * 66th Fighter Wing, 20 October 43 *
67th Fighter Wing The 67th Fighter Wing was a unit of the United States Air Force for four years, between 1946 and 1950. It was located at Logan Airport in Boston, Massachusetts. It is unrelated to the modern 67th Network Warfare Wing. History World War II Th ...
, c. 1 November 1943 (attached to 1st Tactical Air Force, Provisional after November 1944) * Army Service Forces, Port of Embarkation, 9 November 1945 – 10 November 1945 * Kentucky National Guard, 8 September 1947 * Kentucky Air National Guard, 18 September 1947 * 55th Fighter Wing, 20 December 1947 *
Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...
, 10 October 1950 *
123d Fighter-Bomber Wing The 123rd Airlift Wing (123 AW) is a unit of the Kentucky Air National Guard, stationed at Louisville International Airport (Louisville Air National Guard Base), Kentucky. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States ...
, 26 October 1950 – 10 July 1952 * 123d Fighter-Interceptor Wing (later 123d Fighter-Bomber Wing, 123d Fighter-Interceptor Wing), 10 July 1952 – c. 1 June 1958 * 123d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, c. 1 October 1962 –9 December 1974 * 123d Airlift Wing, 1 January 1993 – present


Components

* 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10 April 1958 – c. June 1958 * 123d Operations Support Squadron, 1 January 1993 – present * 156th Fighter Squadron (later 156th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 156th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron), 1948 – 10 Jul 52, 10 July 1952 – c. 1 June 1958 * 166th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, c. 1 November 1952 – c. June 1953 * 368th Fighter Squadron (later 165th Fighter Squadron, 165th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 165th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 165th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 165th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 165th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 165th Airlift Squadron), 15 January 1943 – 10 November 1945, 8 September 1947 – 10 July 1952, 10 July 1952 – c. 1 June 1958, c. 1 October 1962 – January 1968, c. 30 June 1969 – 9 December 1974, 1 January 1993 – present * 369th Fighter Squadron (later 167th Fighter Squadron, 167th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 167th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 167th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 167th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron), 15 January 1943 – 10 November 1945, 8 September 1947 – 10 July 1952, 10 July 1952 – c. 1 June 1958 * 370th Fighter Squadron, 15 January 1943 – 10 November 1945


Stations

* Westover Field, Massachusetts, 15 January 1943 * Grenier Field, New Hampshire, 7 April 1943 * Republic Field, New York, 11 July 1943 * Westover Field, Massachusetts, 23 August – 3 October 1943 * RAF East Wretham (Sta 133),Station number in Anderson, p. 21. England, October 1943 – November 1945 * Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 9–10 November 1945 * Standiford Field, Kentucky, 8 September 1947 *
Godman Air Force Base Godman Army Airfield is a military airport located on the Fort Knox, Kentucky, Fort Knox United States Army military base, post in Hardin County, Kentucky, Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. It has four runways and is used entirely by the U ...
, Kentucky, c. 20 October 1950 – 15 November 1951 *
RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpor ...
, 10 December 1951 – 10 July 1952 * Standiford Field, Kentucky, 10 July 1952 *
Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport is a former airport that operated alongside Richards-Gebaur Air Reserve Station (also Richards-Gebaur Air Force Station) until the base's closure in 1994, and until it was closed in 1999. Formerly, it was oper ...
, Missouri, 30 January 1968 * Standiford Field, 9 June 1969 – present


Aircraft

* Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943-1944 * North American P-51 Mustang, 1944–1945, 1946–1951; 1952–1956 * Republic F-84E Thunderjet, 1951–1952 * North American F-86A Sabre, 1956–1957 * Martin RB-57A Canberra, 1957–1965 * McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo, 1965–1976 *McDonnell RF-4C Phantom, 1976-1989 *Lockheed C-130B Hercules, 1989-1992 *
Lockheed C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designe ...
, 1992–present


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * ; Further reading * * * * * * *


External links

* * * {{authority control Operations groups of the United States Air Force 1943 establishments