53rd Electronic Warfare Group
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The 53rd Electronic Warfare Group was a component of the
53rd Wing The 53rd Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, which in turn reports to Headquarters Air Combat Comma ...
of the Air Force Warfare Center,
Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...
, headquartered at
Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...
, Florida. 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 responsible for providing operational, technical and maintenance electronic warfare (EW) expertise for the combat air forces and for systems engineering, testing, evaluation, tactics development, employment, capability and technology assessment. This includes the wartime responsibility for emergency reprogramming and dissemination of EW system mission data software for combat aircraft. The group managed the Combat Shield Electronic Warfare Assessment Program for combat aircraft EW systems. Combat Shield provides operational units a system-specific capability assessment for their radar warning receivers, electronic attack pods, and integrated EW systems. Established in 1941, the unit traces its lineage and heritage the 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Group; the 68th Air Refueling Group; the 68th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, and the 68th Electronic Combat Group.


History


World War II

The group was first established as the 68th Observation Group in 1941 at Brownwood Army Air Field, Texas, on 1 September 1941. Its primary mission was observation aircraft training and antisubmarine patrols. The group moved to several different U.S. locations in preparation for overseas deployment in 1942. It moved to the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...
(MTO), October–November 1942, and became part of
Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...
. Shortly after the group began operations most of its
squadrons Squadron(s) may refer to: Military * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 ...
were detached for separate duty in order to carry out diverse activities over a wide area. Operating from bases in North Africa until November 1943, the group, or elements of the group, engaged in patrolling the Mediterranean; strafing trucks, tanks, gun positions, and supply dumps to support ground troops in Tunisia; training fighter pilots and replacement crews; and flying photographic and visual reconnaissance missions in Tunisia, Sicily, and Italy to provide information needed to adjust artillery fire. The group moved to Italy and became part of
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...
in November 1943. It continued visual and photographic reconnaissance and began flying weather reconnaissance missions in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the
Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
. Also engaged in electronic-countermeasure activities, investigating radar equipment captured from the enemy, flying ferret missions along the coasts of Italy and southern France, and accompanying bomber formations to detect approaching enemy fighters. Inactivated in 1944,


Strategic reconnaissance

The
unit Unit may refer to: General measurement * Unit of measurement, a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law **International System of Units (SI), modern form of the metric system **English units, histo ...
trained in the Reserve as the 68th Reconnaissance Group at Hamilton Field (later Hamilton AFB), California between, 1947–1949, when it was inactivated as a result 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 ...
's reorganization of its flying units under the Wing Base ( Hobson) plan and its personnel transferred to units of the 349th Troop Carrier Wing. The 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated by
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 ...
(SAC) on 10 October 1951, with an initial cadre of 16 people from the 44th Bombardment Wing. The group was assigned as a subordinate unit to the new wing at
Lake Charles Air Force Base Chennault International Airport is a public aerospace/industrial complex in Lake Charles, in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is governed by the Chennault International Airport Authority. The facility covers 1,310 acres (530 ha) o ...
, Louisiana. The wing was assigned to the
37th Air Division The 37th Air Division (37th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Goose Air Force Base, Labrador, Canada It was inactivated on 30 June 1970. History Strategic Air Command Es ...
of
Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...
. The group was activated as the 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, but it was a paper unit, with token personnel assigned on additional duty to keep it active and with its flying squadrons controlled by 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 ...
. Support organizations for the wing were also activated, but they were located at
Lockbourne AFB Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation at Rickenbacker International Airport near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie R ...
, Ohio and were not controlled by the wing. It was not until May 1952 that the wing received
Boeing RB-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a United States Army Air Forces long range, strategic heavy bomber that was produced in many experimental and production models from 1943 to 1946. XB-29 : ''Section source: Baugher'' The XB-29, Boeing Model 345 ...
aircraft. Its primary mission was gathering intelligence on the Soviet Union. In June the group was discontinued entirely. Under SAC's new Dual Deputate organization,Under this plan flying nd missilesquadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Operations and maintenance squadrons reported to the wing Deputy Commander for Maintenance squadrons all flying and maintenance squadrons were directly assigned to the wing, so no operational group element was needed. It added a
Boeing KC-97 The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic Tanker (aircraft), tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. De ...
refueling mission in November 1953.


Strategic bombardment


Medium Bomber era

The wing replaced its propeller-driven RB-29s with new
Boeing B-47E Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. ...
swept-wing medium bombers in October 1953 and was redesignated as the 68th Bombardment Wing. The B-47 was capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Becoming operationally ready with the B-47 in May 1954, the wing conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling to meet SAC's global commitments. The wing performed Reflex deployments to
RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. While being an RAF station, Fairford hosts United States Air Force personnel. Since 20 ...
, England from 14 June to 7 August 1954 and to
RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton is the largest List of Royal Air Force stations, station of the Royal Air Force. Situated in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, it is close to the village of Brize Norton and the tow ...
, England from 27 September 1957 to 8 January 1958. The B-47s were reaching the end of their operational lifetime in the late 1950s, and the wing's aircraft were sent to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in April 1963 with the closure of Chennault AFB. With the closing of Chennault, and in order to retain the lineage of 379th, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to move the 68th without personnel or equipment to
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an F4F Wildcat crash near Norbeck, Mary ...
, North Carolina on 15 April where it replaced the 4241st Strategic Wing, which could not carry a permanent history or lineage


Heavy Bombardment era

4241st Strategic Wing SAC had organized the 4241st Strategic Wing at Seymour Johnson on 1 October 1958Mueller, pp. 521–526 and assigned it to Second Air Force as part of SAC's plan to disperse its
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...
heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The wing remained a
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 ...
only until 1 December 1959 when the
911th Air Refueling Squadron The 911th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 305th Operations Group, and is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The squadron was the Air Force's first active duty squadron under the command of a reserve wing. In Oc ...
, flying
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...
s, three maintenance squadrons, and a squadron to provide security for special weapons were activated and assigned to the wing. On 5 January 1959 the 73rd Bombardment Squadron, consisting of 15
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...
es moved to Seymour Johnson from
Ramey Air Force Base Ramey Air Force Base also known as Borinquen Field, is a former United States Air Force base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. It was named after United States Army Air Forces Brigadier General Howard Knox Ramey. Following its closure, it was redevel ...
, Puerto Rico where it had been one of the three squadrons of the 72nd Bombardment Wing and the wing was transferred from Second Air Force to the 822nd Air Division. The wing was fully organized at the start of May when the 53rd Aviation Depot Squadron' moved from
Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwest ...
, Louisiana to oversee the wing's special weapons. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. The 4241st (and later the 68th) continued to maintain an alert commitment until the end of the
Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
. In 1962, the wing's
bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...
s began to be equipped with the
GAM-77 Hound Dog The North American Aviation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, turbojet, turbojet-propelled, Thermonuclear weapon, nuclear armed, air-launched cruise missile developed in 1959 for the United States Air Force. It was primarily designed to be capab ...
and the GAM-72 Quail air-launched
cruise missiles A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...
, The 4134th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was activated in November to maintain these missiles. 68th Bombardment Wing, Heavy When the 68th replaced the 4341stThe 68th Wing continued, through temporary bestowal, the history, and honors of the World War II 68th Reconnaissance Group. It was also entitled to retain the honors (but not the history or lineage) of the 4341st Strategic Wing. This temporary bestowal ended when the wing and group were consolidated into a single unit. the 53rd Munitions Maintenance Squadron and the 911th Air Refueling Squadron were reassigned to the 68th. The 4241st's maintenance and security squadrons were replaced by ones with the 68th numerical designation. Each of the new units assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of its predecessor. The wing continued to conduct strategic bombardment training and global refueling operations to meet SAC commitments. Wing aircraft, most aircrews and maintenance personnel, and other support personnel were loaned to other SAC units for combat operations in Southeast Asia, 27 May 1972 – 15 July 1973.


Air refueling

In 1982 the B-52Gs of the wing were retired and the 68th Wing became the 68th Air Refueling Group. Elevated back to wing status in 1986, the 68th Air Refueling Wing participated in combat operations in Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury) in October 1983, in Libya (
Operation Eldorado Canyon The United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps carried out air strikes, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, against Libya on 15 April 1986 in retaliation for the West Berlin discotheque bombing ten days earlier, which U.S. President Rona ...
) in April 1986, and in Panama (
Operation Just Cause Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
) in December 1989. It deployed to Spain to provide airlift and air refueling during Operation
Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
/
Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
from August 1990 to March 1991. The 68th Air Refueling Wing was inactivated on 22 April 1991 as part of the objective wing reorganization of the Air Force, which called for one wing on a base. Its 911th Air Refueling Squadron was reassigned to the
4th Wing The 4th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Fifteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, where it is also the host unit. The wing is one of two Air Force ...
. Its support organizations were inactivated and their personnel and equipment assigned to elements of the 4th Wing or transferred,


The 1990s and twenty-first century

The group was activated again on 15 April 1993 as the 68th Electronic Combat Group. It provided operational and technical electronic combat expertise for US combat air forces from 1993 to 1998 when it was inactivated and replaced by the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group due to USAF policy that groups carry the same number as their parent wing. Two years later the 68th was consolidated with the 53rd that had replaced it. The group performed electronic warfare technology assessments; tested, developed, managed, and maintained electronic warfare systems hardware and software to meet Combat Air Force mission requirements. In June 2021, the group was inactivated and its assets were used to form the
350th Spectrum Warfare Wing The 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing is an active United States Air Force organization. It was activated in 2021 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing is responsible for delivering electromagnetic spectrum capabilities to 70 United States and ...
.


Lineage

68th Electronic Combat Group * Constituted as 68th Observation Group on 21 August 1941 : Activated on 1 September 1941 : Redesignated 68th Reconnaissance Group on 31 May 1943 : Redesignated 68th Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 13 November 1943 : Disbanded on 15 June 1944 * Reconstituted and redesignated 68th Reconnaissance Group, on 10 March 1947 : Activated in the Reserve on 9 April 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, Medium on 4 October 1951 : Activated on 10 October 1951 : Inactivated on 16 June 1952 * Redesignated 68th Air Refueling Group, Heavy on 17 March 1982 : Activated on 30 September 1982 * Consolidated with the 68th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 1 October 1982 : Redesignated 68th Air Refueling Wing, Heavy on 1 October 1986 : Inactivated on 22 April 1991 * Redesignated 68th Electronic Combat Group on 9 April 1993 : Activated on 15 April 1993 : Inactivated on 20 November 1998 * Consolidated with the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group on 25 July 2000 as the 53rd Electronic Warfare Group 68th Bombardment Wing * Constituted as 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium on 4 October 1951 : Activated on 10 October 1951 : Redesignated 68th Bombardment Wing, Medium on 16 June 1952 : Redesignated: 68th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 15 April 1963 : Organized on 15 April 1963 : Inactivated on 30 September 1982 * Consolidated with the 68th Air Refueling Group on 1 October 1982 as the 68th Air Refueling Group 53rd Electronic Warfare Group * Constituted on 1 November 1998 as 53rd Electronic Warfare Group : Activated on 20 November 1998 * Consolidated with the 68th Electronic Warfare Group on 25 July 2000 : Inactivated c. 25 June 2021


Assignments

68th Group, 1941–1952 * 3rd Air Support Command, 1 September 1941 *
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...
, 17 March 1942 * III Ground Air Support Command, 19 May 1942 : Attached to 3rd Demonstration Air Task Force rovisional c. 12 June 1942 – unknown : VIII Ground Air Support Command, c. 18–22 June 1942 * VIII Ground Air Support Command, 23 June 1942 * III Ground Air Support Command, c. 4 June 1942 *
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...
, 21 August 1942 * III Ground Air Support Command, 24 August 1942 * XII Air Support Command, c. 18 October 1942 (attached to
5th Bombardment Wing The 5th Bomb Wing (5 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot. The 5 BW is one of only ...
after 31 October 1942) * Northwest African Tactical Air Force, c. 18 June 1943 (attached to 5th Bombardment Wing) * XII Training Command, c. March 1943 (attached to 5th Bombardment Wing) *
XII Bomber Command XII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Twelfth Air Force, based in Corsica, France. It was constituted on 26 February 1942, activated on 13 March 1942, and inactivated on 10 J ...
, 18 October 1943 (attached to 5th Bombardment Wing) *
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...
, 1 November 1943 – 15 June 1944 (attached to 5th Bombardment Wing to 4 December 1943, attached to
47th Bombardment Wing The 47th Flying Training Wing is a United States Air Force pilot training wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, near Del Rio, Texas. It is one of five pilot training units in the Air Force's Air Education and Training Command which conducts ...
, 4 December 1943 – 24 May 1944) * 325th Reconnaissance Wing (later, 325th Air Division), 10 March 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 68th Wing, 1951–1982 *
37th Air Division The 37th Air Division (37th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Goose Air Force Base, Labrador, Canada It was inactivated on 30 June 1970. History Strategic Air Command Es ...
, 10 October 1951 (attached to
21st Air Division The 21st Air Division (21st AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, being stationed at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York. It was inactivated on 23 September 1983. History World ...
until c. 15 May 1952) *
Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...
, 28 May 1952 *
806th Air Division The 806th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was assigned to Second Air Force of Strategic Air Command at Chennault Air Force Base, Louisiana. where it was inactivated on 15 June 1960. The Air Division (United S ...
, 16 June 1952 (attached to
7th Air Division The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way. History Hawaii As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...
), 14 June – 7 August 1954; 27 September 1957 – 8 January 1958) * 825th Air (later, 825th Strategic Aerospace) Division), 15 June 1960 * 822nd Air Division, 15 April 1963 *
57th Air Division The 57th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force, based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 24 June 1991. History "Established as the 8th Pursuit Wi ...
, 1 July 1964 * 822nd Air Division, 1 July 1965 * 57th Air Division, 2 September 1966 * 823rd Air Division, 2 July 1969 *
42nd Air Division The 42nd Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991. History Activated in 1943 as the ...
, 30 June 1971 – 30 September 1982 Consolidated Organization *
42nd Air Division The 42nd Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991. History Activated in 1943 as the ...
, from consolidation in 1982 *
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
, 16 June 1988 – 22 April 1991 * USAF Air Warfare Center (later, 53rd Wing), 15 April 1993 – 20 November 1998 *
53rd Wing The 53rd Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The wing reports to the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, which in turn reports to Headquarters Air Combat Comma ...
, 20 November 1998 - c. 25 June 2021


Components

68th Group, 1941–1952 *
15th Observation Squadron The 15th Attack Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 432d Wing, 732nd Operations Group at Creech Air Force Base near Indian Springs, Nevada. It flies the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. It was the ...
: 12 December 1941 – 2 February 1942 * 16th Observation (later, 16th Reconnaissance) Squadron: attached February–March 1942, assigned 29 March 1942 – 26 May 1944 (detached 25 September 1943 – 26 May 1944) * 24th Reconnaissance, Very Long Range (Photographic) (later, 24th Strategic Reconnaissance, Medium (Photographic) Squadron): 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949; 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952) * 51st Reconnaissance, Weather (later, 51st Strategic Reconnaissance, Photographic) Squadron: 1 August 1947 – 27 June 1949; 10 August 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952) * 52nd Reconnaissance, Weather Scouting (later, 52nd Strategic Reconnaissance, Photographic) Squadron: 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949; 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952) *
68th Air Refueling Squadron The 68th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 305th Bombardment Wing at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1965. The earliest predecessor of th ...
: 8 April – 28 May 1952 * 111th Observation (later, 111th Reconnaissance, Fighter; 111th Tactical Reconnaissance): attached February–March 1942, assigned 29 March 1942 – 26 May 1944 (detached 12 March 1943 – 26 May 1944) * 122nd Observation (later, 122nd Liaison; 885th Bombardment): 1 October 1941 – 15 June 1944 * 125th Observation: 15 September 1941 – 12 March 1942 * 127th Observation: 6 October 1941 – 12 March 1942 * 154th Observation (later, 154th Reconnaissance; 154th Tactical Reconnaissance; 154th Weather Reconnaissance): 1 September 1941 – 15 June 1944 (detached 12 March 1943 – 15 June 1944) 68th Wing, 1951–1982 * 68th Air Base Group (later 68th Combat Support Group): 14 February 1952 – 28 May 1952, 15 June 1960 – 15 April 1963 * 68th Maintenance & Supply Group: 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 * 68th Strategic Reconnaissance Group: 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 * 24th Strategic Reconnaissance, Photographic (later, 24th Bombardment) Squadron: attached 10 October 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 16 January 1953 * 51st Strategic Reconnaissance, Photographic (later, 51st Bombardment) Squadron: attached 10 October 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 30 September 1982 * 52nd Strategic Reconnaissance, Photographic (later, 52nd Bombardment) Squadron: attached 10 October 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 15 April 1963 * 68th Air Refueling Squadron: attached 8 April – 28 May 1952; assigned 25 November 1953 – 3 September 1957 * 656th Bombardment Squadron: 16 January 1953 – 15 April 1963 * 657th Bombardment Squadron: 1 December 1958 – 1 January 1962 *
911th Air Refueling Squadron The 911th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 305th Operations Group, and is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The squadron was the Air Force's first active duty squadron under the command of a reserve wing. In Oc ...
: 15 April 1963 – 30 September 1982 * 32nd Munitions Maintenance Squadron: 1 July 1960 – 15 April 1963 * 53rd Munitions Maintenance Squadron: 15 April 1963 – 30 September 1972 * 68th Medical Squadron (later 68th Medical Group, 68th Tactical Hospital): 10 October 1951 – 15 February 1952, 16 June 1952 – 1 December 1958 * 68th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron: 1 February 1963 – 30 June 1974 * 68th Armament & Electronics Maintenance Squadron (later 68th Avionics Maintenance Squadron): 16 June 1952 – 30 September 1982 * 68th Maintenance Squadron (later 68th Field Maintenance Squadron, 68th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron): 16 June 1952 – 1 April 1991 * 68th Munitions Maintenance Squadron, 1 October 1972 – 30 September 1982 * 68th Periodic Maintenance Squadron (later 68th Organizational Maintenance Squadron): 16 June 1952 – 30 September 1982 * 4068th Armament & Electronics Maintenance Squadron: 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 * 4068th Organizational Maintenance Squadron: 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 Consolidated organization * 16th Test (later, 16th Electronic Warfare) Squadron: 15 April 1993 – 20 November 1998, 20 November 1998 – c. 25 June 2021 * 36th Engineering and Test (later, 36th Electronic Warfare) Squadron: 15 April 1993 – 20 November 1998, 20 November 1998 – c. 25 June 2021 * 39th Electronic Warfare Squadron: c. 23 July 2020 – c. 25 June 2021 * 51st Bombardment Squadron: 30 September – 1 October 1982 * 53rd Computer Systems Squadron: 13 September 1999 – 1 October 2002 * 68th Test Support Squadron (later 68th Electronic Warfare Squadron): 15 April 1993 – 20 November 1998, 20 November 1998 – c. 25 June 2021 * 84th Test Squadron: 1 December 1991 – 15 April 1993 * 87th Electronic Warfare Aggressor Squadron (later 87th Electronic Warfare Squadron): 15 April 1993 – 1 July 1997, c. 17 May 2019 – c. 25 June 2021 *
344th Air Refueling Squadron The 344th Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the US Air Force, part of the 22d Air Refueling Wing of Air Mobility Command at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. It operates the Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions. ...
: 1 October 1986 – 22 April 1991 * 453rd Electronic Warfare Squadron: Unknown – c. 25 June 2021 *
513th Electronic Warfare Squadron The 513th Electronic Warfare Squadron is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The squadron was formed as the 513th Bombardment Squadron in the Middle East in 1942 to reinfo ...
: 1 April 2010 – c. 25 June 2021 *
911th Air Refueling Squadron The 911th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 305th Operations Group, and is stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina. The squadron was the Air Force's first active duty squadron under the command of a reserve wing. In Oc ...
: 30 September 1982 – 22 April 1991


Stations

* Brownwood Army Air Field, Texas, 1 September 1941 *
New Orleans Army Air Base Lakefront Airport is a public airport five miles (eight kilometers) northeast of downtown New Orleans, in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general av ...
, Louisiana, 17 December 1941 *
Daniel Field Daniel Field is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 kilometre, km) west of the central business district of Augusta, Georgia, Augusta, a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. It is owned by the City of Augusta ...
, Georgia, 8 February 1942 *
Smith Reynolds Airport Smith Reynolds Airport is a public airport 3 miles (5 km) northeast of Winston-Salem in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The airport has two runways, and is used for general aviation and flight training. There are currently no scheduled pas ...
, North Carolina, 9 July 1942 *
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, c. 17 August – 18 October 1942 *
Casablanca Airfield Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a population of about 3.22 million in the urb ...
, French Morocco November 1942 *
Oujda Airfield Oujda Angads Airport () is an airport serving Oujda, a city in the Oriental region in Morocco. it is located about north of Oujda and about northeast of Casablanca, near the Algerian border. History During World War II, the airport was used ...
, French Morocco c. November 1942 * Berrechid Airfield, French Morocco 24 March 1943 *
Berteaux Airfield Berteaux Airfield is an abandoned World War II United States Army Air Forces military airfield in Algeria, which was located approximately 9 km east of Telerghma; 35 km southwest of Constantine, Algeria, Constantine. The airfield wa ...
, Algeria 5 September 1943 *
Massicault Airfield Borj El Amri Airport is a small airport near Borj El Amri, a city in the Manouba Governorate of Tunisia. The airport is located southwest of Tunis and has a functional Asphalt concrete, asphalt runway. The airport is used as a training site for ...
, Tunisia October 1943 *
Manduria Airfield Manduria Airfield is a World War II airfield in Italy, located approximately 5 km north of Manduria, and about 390 km east-southeast of Naples. It was used by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force and later Fifteenth Air ...
, Italy November 1943 *
Blida Airfield Blida Airport is an airport in Blida, Algeria . It undertook a repavement project in 2012. On 8 November 1942, during World War II, the airport was taken by the 11th Infantry Brigade, British Army. The event was part of the Operation Torch of ...
, Algeria, November 1943-15 June 1944 * Hamilton Field (later, Air Force Base), California, 9 April 1947 – 27 June 1949 * Lake Charles (later, Chennault) Air Force Base, Louisiana, 10 October 1951 *
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an F4F Wildcat crash near Norbeck, Mary ...
, North Carolina, 15 April 1963 – 30 September 1982; 30 September 1982 – 22 April 1991 *
Eglin Air Force Base Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso, Florida, Valparaiso in Okaloosa County, Florida, Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test ...
, Florida, 15 April 1993 – 20 November 1998, 20 November 1998 – c. 25 June 2021


Aircraft

68th Group 1941–1952: O-38, 1941–1942; O-46, 1941–1942; O-47, 1941–1942; O-49, 1941–1942; YO-50, 1941–1942; O-52, 1941–1942; O-57, 1941–1942; O-58, 1941–1942; O-59, 1941–1942; A-20, 1942–1943; DB-7, 1942; L-4, 1942; O-43, 1942; P-39, 1942–1943; P-40, 1942–1943; P-43, 1942; A-36, 1943; B-17, 1943–1944; P-38, 1943; P-38/F-4, 1943; P-51, 1943; P-51/F-6, 1943; Spitfire, 1943. A-6, 1947–1949; A-7, 1947–1949; A-11, 1947–1949. 68th Wing 1951–1982: B-29, 1952–1953; B-47, 1953–1963; KC-97, 1953–1957; B-52, 1963–1972, 1973–1982; KC-135, 1963–1972; 1973–1985. Consolidated organization: KC-10, 1982–1991; KC-135, 1982–1991. None, 1993–1998


See also

* List of B-29 units of the United States Air Force *
List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force The Boeing B-47 Stratojet was operational with the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command beginning in May 1951 with the first operational B-47Bs to the 306th Bombardment Wing, Medium, based at MacDill AFB, Florida. In March 1961, Pres ...
*
List of B-52 Units of the United States Air Force The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been operational with the United States Air Force since 5 June 1955. This list is of the units it's assigned to, and bases they're stationed at. In addition to the USAF, A single RB-52B (52-008) was flown by ...
*
List of MAJCOM wings of the United States Air Force This is a list of Major Air Command (MAJCOM) Wing (air force unit), Wings of the United States Air Force (USAF), a designation system in use from the summer of 1948 to the mid-1990s. From 1948 to 1991 MAJCOMs had the authority to form wings us ...


References


Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * {{Navboxes , list = {{Strategic Air Command {{USAAF 15th Air Force World War II {{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II {{USAAF 3rd Air Force World War II {{USAF air refueling units 53 Military units and formations established in 1998