
The 403rd Operations Group (403 OG) is the operational flying component of the
United States Air Force Reserve
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...
403rd Wing
The 403rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 25 ...
. It is stationed at
Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city along the Gulf Coast in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., a Mississippi nat ...
,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
.
Units
The 403rd Operations Group performs missions including airlift of personnel, equipment and supplies. Additionally, the group is the only unit in the
Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to:
Current departments of defence
* Department of Defence (Australia)
* Department of National Defence (Canada)
* Department of Defence (Ireland)
* Department of National Defense (Philippin ...
tasked to organize, equip, train and perform all hurricane weather reconnaissance in support of the
Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bus ...
.
* 403rd Operations Support Squadron
*
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force, and "the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes." Align ...
"Hurricane Hunters"
*
815th Airlift Squadron
The 815th Airlift Squadron is a flying unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command and part of the 403d Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates Lockheed C-130J Hercules aircraft providing gl ...
"Flying Jennies"
* 5th Operational Weather Flight
* 36th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
History
Trained for overseas troop carrier operations from late 1942 to the summer of 1943, when it moved to the South Pacific.
Transported men and supplies to forward areas in the Solomon Islands and flew passenger and cargo routes to New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and New Caledonia. From August 1943 to July 1944 it was attached to the
South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command
South Pacific OPACCombat Air Transport Command (SCAT) was a joint command of US military logistics units in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II. It contributed notably to the success of U.S. forces in the battles for Guadalcanal (1942– ...
(SCAT), earning a
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944.
History
Navy and U.S. Marine Corps commands may recommend any Navy or Marine Cor ...
.
[Armstrong, William. (2017). ''Marine Air Group 25 and SCAT (Images of Aviation)''. Arcadia. .] The group also moved personnel of Thirteenth Air Force units to the Southwest Pacific theater. Supported campaigns in New Guinea and the Philippines by transporting men and cargo to combat areas, evacuating casualties, and landing or dropping supplies for guerrilla forces. On 23 February 1945, dropped paratroops at Laguna de Bay, Luzon, to free civilian internees held by the Japanese.
Earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for transporting ammunition, food, and other supplies to Eighth Army forces in Mindanao and for landing on jungle airstrips to evacuate wounded personnel from Apr to Jun. From the Philippines, ferried occupation troops to Japan, evacuated liberated prisoners, and flew cargo and passenger routes to Japan and Australia.
From June 1949 until 1 April 1951, when it was called the active duty, the group trained as a reserve troop carrier unit in Oregon.
In Mar and April 1952, moved to Japan for operations against communist forces in Korea. Using C-119s, the group dropped paratroops and supplies, transported personnel and equipment, and evacuated casualties. On 1 January 1953, relieved from active duty and inactivated in Japan.
It activated again as a reserve unit, training for airlift, air evacuation, and aeromedical evacuation missions until inactivation in 1959. From 1992, the group flew Air Force Reserve airlift and weather reconnaissance missions, including Hurricane Hunter missions.
Lineage
* Established as 403rd Troop Carrier Group on 7 December 1942
: Activated on 12 December 1942
: Inactivated on 15 October 1946
* Redesignated 403rd Troop Carrier Group, Medium on 10 May 1949
: Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949
: Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951
: Inactivated on 1 January 1953
* Activated in the Reserve on 1 January 1953
: Inactivated on 14 April 1959
: Redesignated: 403rd Military Airlift Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
: Redesignated: 403rd Operations Group on 1 August 1992
* Activated in the Reserve on 1 August 1992.
Assignments
*
I Troop Carrier Command
The I Troop Carrier Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Forces, at Stout Field, Indiana, where it was disbanded in November 1945, and its resources transferred to IX Troop Carrier Com ...
, 12 December 1942
*
50th Troop Carrier Wing
The 50th Troop Carrier Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The wing was formed in 1941 as the 50th Transport Wing, a headquarters fpr air transport organizations of the Air Corps. In 1942, it became a training organization for t ...
, 1 May 1943
*
XIII Air Force Service Command, September 1943
* Far East Air Service Command, 13 December 1945
*
322d Troop Carrier Wing
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
, 1 January 1946
*
54th Troop Carrier Wing
The Type 054 (NATO Codename Jiangkai I) is a class of Chinese multi-role frigates that were commissioned in the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 2005. They superseded the Type 053H3 frigates. Only two ships, ''Ma'anshan'' (525), a ...
, 26 January – 15 October 1946
*
403rd Troop Carrier Wing
The 403rd Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 ...
, 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953 – 14 April 1959
*
403rd Airlift Wing (later, 403 Wing), 1 August 1992–present
Components
*
6th Troop Carrier Squadron
6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number.
In mathematics
Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second ...
: 15 May – 15 October 1946
*
9th Troop Carrier Squadron 009 may refer to:
* OO9, gauge model railways
* O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport
* 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California
* British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent
* BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9
* ...
: 31 May – 15 October 1946
*
13th Troop Carrier Squadron
013 is a music venue in Tilburg, the Netherlands. The venue opened in 1998 and replaced the ''Noorderligt'', the ''Bat Cave'' and the ''MuziekKantenWinkel''. 013 is the largest popular music venue in the southern Netherlands.
There are two concer ...
: 22 August 1943 – 15 October 1946
*
19th Troop Carrier Squadron
19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number.
Mathematics
19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third f ...
: 31 May – 15 October 1946
*
53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force, and "the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes." Align ...
: 1 November 1993–present
*
63rd Troop Carrier Squadron: 12 December 1942 May-15 May 1946 (detached 10 October 1943 – 3 July 1944); 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953 – 14 April 1959
*
64th Troop Carrier Squadron: 12 December 1942 May-15 May 1946; 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953 – 14 April 1959
*
65th Troop Carrier Squadron: 12 December 1942 – 26 July 1943; 20 February 1945 – 27 January 1946; 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953 – 16 November 1957
*
66th Troop Carrier Squadron
The 66th Training Squadron is an active unit of the United States Air Force. Its current assignment is with the 336th Training Group at Fairchild Air Force Base where is performs the training for the SERE instructor course for the USAF.
Histo ...
: 12 December 1942 – 21 July 1943; 20 February 1945 – 15 January 1946; 27 June 1949 – 17 April 1951
*
815th Airlift Squadron
The 815th Airlift Squadron is a flying unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command and part of the 403d Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates Lockheed C-130J Hercules aircraft providing gl ...
: 1 August 1992–present.
Stations
*
Bowman Field Bowman Field may refer to: Airports
* Bowman Field (Kentucky), an airport in Louisville, Kentucky
* Bowman Field (Maine), an airport in Livermore Falls, Maine
* Bowman Field (Montana), an airport in Anaconda, Montana
* Bowman Municipal Airport, an a ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virgini ...
, 12 December 1942
*
Alliance Army Air Field
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...
, 18 December 1942
*
Pope Field
Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012 ...
,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
, 3 May 1943
*
Baer Field
Baer (or Bär, from german: bear, links=no) or Van Baer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Baer
* Alan Baer, American tuba player
* Arthur "Bugs" Baer (1886–1969), American journalist and humorist
* Buddy Baer (1915–198 ...
,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
, 20 June 1943
* Camp Stoneman, California, 18 July – 24 August 1943
*
Pekoa Airfield
Santo International Airport is an airport in Luganville on Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu . The airport used to be called Santo-Pekoa International airport until it was renamed in the Vanuatu AIPV amendment released on 16 June 2021. Airports Vanuatu ...
,
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census.
Geography
The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...
,
New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...
, 15 September 1943
*
Momote Airfield
Momote Airport is an airport on Los Negros Island in the Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea. It also serves Manus Island, which is connected to Los Negros by a bridge.
History
Hayne Airfield
Built by the Imperial Japanese at Momote during Wor ...
,
Los Negros
Los Negros ('The Black Ones') was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Sinaloa splinter gang, the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel. In 2010 it went indepe ...
,
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.
These rainforest-co ...
, 30 August 1944
*
Mokmer Airfield
Frans Kaisiepo International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Frans Kaisiepo) , is an airport in Biak, Papua, Indonesia. It is also known as Mokmer Airport. The airport is named after Frans Kaisiepo (1921–1979), the fourth Governor of ...
,
Biak
Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and corals.
The large ...
,
Netherlands East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, whi ...
, 4 October 1944
* Undeterined Location,
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
, Philippines, 25 June 1945
*
Clark Field
Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...
,
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, ...
, Philippines, 1 February 1946
*
Manila Airport,
Luzon
Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, ...
, Philippines, c. June-15 October 1946
*
Portland Municipal Airport,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
, 27 June 1949 – 29 March 1952
*
Ashiya AB
is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.
History
Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a ...
, Japan, 14 April 1952 – 1 January 1953
*
Portland International Airport
Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city li ...
,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...
, 1 January 1953
*
Selfridge AFB
Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the U ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
, 16 November 1957 – 14 April 1959
*
Keesler AFB
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city along the Gulf Coast in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler Jr., a Mississippi nat ...
,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
, 1 August 1992–present
Aircraft
* C-47, 1942–1946; C/VC-47, 1952; TC-47, 1957–1959
* C-46, 1945–1946; C/TC-46, 1949–1952
* C-54, 1952
* C-119, 1952, 1957–1959
* C-46, 1953–1957
* C-130, 1992–present; WC-130, 1992–present
References
403d Operations Group Factsheet* Armstrong, William. (2017). ''Marine Air Group 25 and SCAT (Images of Aviation)''. Arcadia.
External links
{{Use dmy dates, date=February 2018
Operations groups of the United States Air Force