| 127th Wing | |
|---|---|
127th Wing emblem |
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| Active | since 1948 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Fighter Wing, Air Refueing Wing |
| Role | Air-to-Air combat, Air Refueling, Combat Weather |
| Part of | First Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Selfridge ANGB, Michigan |
| Nickname | "Michigan Red Devils" |
| Motto | We stand ready |
The United States Air Force's 127th Wing is a fighter and air refueling unit located at Selfridge ANGB, Michigan. It is part of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command's First Air Force.
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The 127th's Wing's mission is to provide trained, equipped and motivated air refueling, fighter and support resources for the community, state and nation.
The 107th Fighter Squadron was established in 1918 for duty in France and was mobilized in October 1940. The unit returned to federal control in September 1946 as the 107th Bombardment Squadron with the A-26 at Detroit-Wayne Major Airport.
In 1948, the former United States Army Air Forces 361st Fighter Group was redesignated the 127th Fighter Group and allocated to the Michigan Air National Guard without personnel or equipment. The 127th Fighter Group was assigned the 107th Fighter Squadron, 171st Fighter Squadron and 172nd Fighter Squadron as its operational components.
At this time, the 107th and 171st were based at the Detroit Airport and the 172nd was based at Battle Creek. Initially allocated F-51H Mustang propeller-driven fighters, in the spring of 1950 the Detroit units converted to F-84B & C jets, becoming the first units of the Michigan ANG to transition to jets.
All three units were activated on 1 February 1951, with the Detroit units becoming the 127th Pilot Training Group stationed at Luke AFB, and the Battle Creek unit moving to Selfridge AFB for the Korean War.
Returning to Michigan in November 1952, the 127th was redesignated as a Fighter-Bomber Group and had two units at Wayne County Airport and one at Kellogg Field, Battle Creek. Mission aircraft were F-51H, F-86E and F-89C.
The 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was activated in 1958. The Detroit units flew RF-84F's and the Battle Creek unit was equipped with RB-57's. Moving to Selfridge Air National Guard Base in 1971, both Detroit units converted to RF-101's with the Battle Creek unit changing to O-2's with a new mission as a Tactical Support Group.
In 1973, the 127th reorganized as a Tactical Air Command gained Tactical Fighter Wing; the 107th Tactical Fighter Squadron was equipped with F-100D's. The 191st Fighter Interceptor Group received Federal Recognition and gained the 171st Fighter Interceptor Squadron under the Aerospace Defense Command, flying F-106's. In 1979 the 107th converted to the A-7D Corsair II with a mission of fighter-bomber support of ground combat forces and limited air superiority.
The 127th distinguished itself during the period from 1 June 1983 through 31 December 1984 and was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. The Air Force recognized the unit for demonstrating a high degree of combat readiness and outstanding performance in all mission support.
The 127th Wing was established at Selfridge ANG Base on 1 April 1996, by consolidating the former 127th Fighter Wing and the 191st Airlift Group. The flying units, the 171st Air Refueling Squadron which flew the KC-135T Stratotanker, and the 107th Fighter Squadron which flew the A-10 Thunderbolt, retained their designations.
Throughout their history, the 127th and the 191st have stood ready to serve the Nation whenever they have been needed, In the post Cold War era, the role of the Guard has increased tremendously in support of contingency and day to day operations. Both units provided support personnel for Operation Desert Storm, and the 127th Security Police Squadron was deployed to protect coalition aircraft on an air base in Egypt during the conflict. The 191st played a major part in anti-drug operations in Panama. Both units have contributed to the peace effort in Bosnia; 191st and 127th personnel prepared shipments of supplies and equipment that were airlifted on 191st C-130's and Air Force transports. The 191st also airlifted Army Guard military police personnel en route to Germany to backfill for active duty soldiers sent to Bosnia.
In 1996, air crew members and maintainers from the airlift element of the 127th Wing deployed to Germany over a period of two months to fly support shuttle missions into Bosnia as part of Operation Joint Endeavor. The fighter element of the Wing took their F-16's to Singapore for training exercises with the Singapore Air Force, and then to Hawaii to participate in RIMPAC '96, a multi-national maritime exercise. Early in 1997, the air lifters returned to Panama. In 1997 the wing experienced its first Operational Readiness Inspection as a combined unit. In 1997, the air lifters participated in another deployment to Panama, followed by one to Brazil, and the fighter element deployed to Southeast Asia.
Among the distinguished former members of the 127th Wing is former WWII 361st Fighter Group ace Urban "Ben" Drew, who was a F-51 instructor pilot assigned to the 107th Fighter Squadron in Detroit from 1947 to 1950. During WWII, while flying a P-51 named "Detroit Miss" Lt. Drew was credited with shooting down two German Me 262 jet fighters on a single mission. He was also credited with destroying the sole German BV 238 seaplane, the largest aircraft to see service during WWII.
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