23d Fighter Group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 23d Fighter Group | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Active | 1941-present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | U.S. Air Force |
| Type | Fighter |
| Role | Close Air Support |
| Size | 900 personnel 48 A-10/OA-10 aircraft |
| Garrison/HQ | Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina |
| Nickname | Flying Tigers |
| Battles/wars | China Offensive Western Pacific China Defensive India-Burma Liberation and Defense of Kuwait Defense of Saudi Arabia Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Henry Santicola |
| Notable commanders |
Claire L. Chennault |
The 23d Fighter Group is an air combat unit of the United States Air Force. During World War II it was based in China and was the successor to the Flying Tigers.
Currently based at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, the group is assigned as a second operations group of the newly-redesignated 23d Wing at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. Both organizations serve as part of the Ninth Air Force and Air Combat Command. The 23d Fighter Group's primary missions are forward air control, close air support, air interdiction and combat search and rescue operations.
The 23d Fighter Group, working with the 43d Airlift Wing also at Pope Air Force Base, is a self-sustaining unit available for deployment worldwide at short notice to provide an airborne forced entry capability in conjunction with the United States Army. The group has two operational squadrons assigned: the 74th and the 75th Fighter Squadrons both flying A-10 light attack aircraft. The aircraft assigned to the group have the unique "Shark Teeth" nose art on them. The 23rd Fighter Group's A-10s are the only Air Force aircraft authorized to carry this distinctive and historical aircraft marking.
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[edit] 23d Fighter Group (USAAF)
The 23d Fighter Group was created as the 23d Pursuit Group (Interceptor), constituted at Langley Field, Virginia, December 17, 1941, as part of the United States Army Air Forces, and re-deignated the 23d Fighter Group in May 1942.
By June 15, 1942, under orders from Tenth Air Force, an advance cadre had proceeded over the infamous "Hump" route to Kunming, China, and without ceremony, the 23rd Fighter Group was activated July 4, 1942, marking the first such activation of a fighter group on a field of battle.
Claire L. Chennault, meanwhile, had been recalled to active duty with the rank of Brigadier General and placed at the head of the China Air Task Force (later to become 14th Air Force). The 23d Fighter Group, a component of the CATF, was assigned three squadrons — the 74th, 75th and 76th Fighter Squadrons.
The group inherited the mission of the disbanded American Volunteer Group "Flying Tigers". Five of Chennault’s staff officers, five pilots and 19 ground crewmen entered the U.S. Army Air Forces and became members of the 23d Fighter Group. Approximately 25 AVG pilots, still in civilian status, volunteered to extend their contracts for two weeks to train the new group following the disbanding of their organization.
Others from the ranks of the original Flying Tigers left China when their contracts expired, although some returned to duty later with the Army Air Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater. In addition to inheriting operational responsibilities from the AVG, the 23d Fighter Group also benefited from the knowledge and experience of the AVG pilots, and took on the nickname of the disbanded unit.
Col. Robert L. Scott Jr., became the first commander of the 23d Fighter Group. The former AVG pilot would later author the military classic, "God Is My Co-Pilot."
On the very first day of its activation, the 23d Fighter Group engaged three successive waves of enemy aircraft and promptly recorded the destruction of five enemy aircraft with no losses to itself.
The next three years saw the 23d Fighter Group involved in much of the action over southeast and southwest Asia. It was made even more combat effective with its conversion to the North American P-51 "Mustang" aircraft in November 1943.
Representative of the encounters undertaken by this small and often ill-equipped group was the defense against a major Japanese push down the Hsiang Valley in Hunan Province June 17-25, 1944. Ignoring inhibiting weather conditions and heavy ground fire, the 23d Fighter Group provided air support for Chinese land forces and repeatedly struck at enemy troops and transportation.
Its valiant efforts in this instance earned it the Distinguished Unit Citation for "outstanding performance of duty in action against the enemy."
Before the 23d Fighter Group returned to the United States in December 1945, it accounted for the destruction of 621 enemy planes in air combat, plus 320 more on the ground. It sank more than 131,000 tons of enemy shipping and damaged another 250,000 tons. It caused an estimated enemy troop loss of more than 20,000.
These statistics were compiled through a total of more than 24,000 combat sorties, requiring more than 53,000 flying hours, and at a cost of 110 aircraft lost in aerial combat, 90 shot down by surface defenses and 28 bombed while on the ground.
The 23d Fighter Group was inactivated January 5, 1946, in Fort Lewis, Washington.
[edit] Post-war deployments
The 23d Fighter Group was reactivated October 10, 1946, in Guam and assigned to the Twentieth Air Force), equipped with the long-range Republic P-47N Thunderbolt. While stationed in Guam, the 23 FG became a part of the United States Air Force when it became a separate military service on September 18, 1947.
[edit] 23d Fighter Wing
For history and organization of current USAF group, see 23d Wing
The 23d Fighter Wing was activated on August 10, 1948. The 23d Fighter Group was assigned as the combat group under the 23d Fighter Wing, and is currently an operations group of the re-activated 23d Wing.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Donald, David, "Century Jets - USAF Frontline Fighters of the Cold War".
- Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
- Fletcher, Harry R., Air Force Bases Volume II, Active Air Force Bases outside the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
- Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
- Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
- Menard, David W., Before Centuries. USAFE Fighters 1948-1959
- Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
- Rogers, Brian, United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978, 2005
