3rd Operations Group: Difference between revisions

3d Operations Group
Emblem of 3d Operations Group
Active	1919-1957; 1991-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force

The 3d Operations Group (3 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 3d Wing. It is stationed at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) Eleventh Air Force.

The 3 OG is a composite organization that provides air superiority and defense for Alaska flying F-22A Raptor Stealth aircraft. In addition, the group supports Pacific Air Forces in the Pacific Command area of responsibility flying C-17 Globemaster III transports and E-3B sentry Airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft.

The group is a direct successor organization of the 3rd Attack Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II. Based in Texas after World War I, the group patrolled the Mexican Border from Brownsville, Texas, to Nogales, Arizona. The group pioneered dive bombing, skip-bombing, and parafrag attacks in the 1920s—the earliest forms of precision guided attack from aircraft—and put this work to good use in World War II.

The World War II 3d Bombardment Group moved to Australia early in 1942 and served primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as a light bombardment group assigned to Fifth Air Force. The group participated in numerous campaigns during the war, engaging in combat over Japan; Netherlands East Indies; New Guinea; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon and the Southern Philippines. On 2 Nov 1943, the group encountered heavy opposition from Japanese forces at Simpson Harbor, New Britain. In that attack Major Raymond H. Wilkins, commander of the 8th Fighter Squadron, sank two ships before he was shot down as he deliberately drew the fire of a destroyer so that other planes of his squadron could withdraw safely-an action for which Maj Wilkins was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

The 3d again served in combat during the Korean War, using B-26 Invader light bombers. Captain John S. Walmsley, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions a night mission. Capt Walmsley discovered and attacked an enemy supply train, and after exhausting his ammunition he flew at low altitude to direct other aircraft to the same objective; the train was destroyed but Walmsley’s plane crashed in the target area.

Notable alumni include General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, General Jimmy Doolittle, General Lewis Brereton, General Richard Ellis, General John Henebry, Major Paul I. "Pappy" Gunn, and General Nathan Twining.

The 3 OG Mobilizes, deploys, and employs three different squadrons of F-15C/D, F-22, C-17, 2 E-3Bs, and C-12Fs aircraft worldwide to accomplish air superiority, air battle management, air interdiction, counter narcotics, airlift, and air daily air sovereignty missions to achieve dominant maneuver, precision engagement, and information superiority in support of CJCS, PACOM, CENTCOM, SOUTHCOM, and NORAD operations.

Assigned squadrons to the group are:

• 3rd Operations Support Squadron
• 19th Fighter Squadron
• 90th Fighter Squadron
• 517th Airlift Squadron
• 962nd Airborne Air Control Squadron
• 525th Fighter Squadron

For additional lineage and history, see 3d Wing

Shield: Party per bend vert and sable in chief a cactus (prickly pear) or, a bend azure fimbriated of the third, all within a bordure argent charged with nineteen crosses patee of the second.

Crest: On a wreath of the colors an arm couped near the shoulder paleways with hand clenched proper between two wings conjoined in lure argent.

Motto: Non Solum Armis -Not by Arms Alone. (Approved 17 Jan 1922. This insigne was modified 22 Dec 1952.)

• Organized as Army Surveillance Group on 1 Jul 1919

Redesignated: 1 Surveillance Group on 15 Aug 1919

Redesignated: 3 Group (Attack) on 15 Sep 1921

Redesignated: 3 Attack Group on 25 Jan 1923

Redesignated: 3 Bombardment Group (Light) on 15 Sep 1939

Redesignated: 3 Bombardment Group (Dive) on 28 Sep 1942

Redesignated: 3 Bombardment Group (Light) on 25 May 1943

Redesignated: 3 Bombardment Group, Light on 14 Feb 1944

Redesignated: 3 Bombardment Group, Tactical on 1 Oct 1955

Inactivated on 25 Oct 1957

• Redesignated: 3 Tactical Fighter Group on 31 Jul 1985 (Remained inactive)
• Redesignated: 3 Operations Group on 1 Dec 1991

Activated on 19 Dec 1991.

The 3d Group and its successor units have served the United States on a continuing basis since the group's activation as the Army Surveillance Group on July 1, 1919***. In August 1919 the Air Service organized its first seven groups and it became the 1st Surveillance Group. Initially the group used Airco DH-4B's to patrol the border from Brownsville, Texas, to Nogales, Arizona, as revolution and disorder had broken out in Mexico, resulting in border violations and the killing of American citizens.

Note:*** The 8th Aero Squadron was organized on June 21, 1917; the 13th Aero Squadron on June 14, 1917, and the 90th Aero Squadron on August 20, 1917 by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps. These squadrons served in combat during World War I prior to their assignment to the 3d.

In a functional redesignation of Air Service groups, the unit was redesignated as the 3d Attack Group in 1921. It participated in maneuvers, tested new equipment, experimented with tactics, flew in aerial reviews, patrolled the United States–Mexico border (1929), and carried Airmail (1934) flying a wide variety of biplanes (DH-4, XB-1A, GA-1, A-3).

On March 1, 1935, the Army Air Corps formed the first centralized control of its combat striking units within the United States under the General Headquarter Air Force. The 3rd Attack Group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, as part of the 3rd Wing commanded by Col. Gerald Brant, together with the 20th Pursuit Group. Aircraft assigned to the 3rd Attack Group were the Curtiss A-12 Shrike in 1935 and the Northrup A-17/A-17A Nomad in 1937.

The commander of the 3d Attack Group, Lt. Col. Horace Meek Hickam, was killed on November 5, 1934, when the A-12 he was piloting (33-250) crashed while landing at Fort Crockett, Texas. Hickam Field was named in his honor. Some A-12s were still at Hickam Field on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked, however, none of the aircraft saw any combat. The A-12 was withdrawn from service soon after.

The A-17s were was fairly fast and had a fairly heavy forward-firing armament for its time, and during 1938-39 war games it was deemed to be the most effective ground attack aircraft yet devised. However the career of the A-17 with the Army was quite brief. After only three years of service with the Army, the A-17As were declared surplus. In 1940, the unit was redesignated as the 3d Bombardment Group (Light), being reequipped with the Boeing B-18 Bolo and B-12 bombers and reassigned to Savannah Airfield, Georgia.

The 3d Group served in combat in the Pacific Theater of Operations from April 1, 1942 until V-J Day. It was transferred to Australia early in 1942 as part of the Far East Air Force - F.E.A.F. under Gen. George H. Brett and later the Fifth Air Force under Gen. George C. Kenney. It's designation was 3rd Bombardment Group (Light). The 13th and 90th Squadrons were equipped with the North American B-25C Mitchell medium bomber after an agreement with the Dutch Air Force, ML-KNIL in March 1942. The 89th Squadron flew the Douglas A-20A Havoc attack bomber while the 8th Squadron used the Douglas A-24 dive bomber.

The group had its headquarters in Australia until January 1943, but its squadrons operated from forward locations in New Guinea, bombing and strafing enemy airfields, supply lines, installations, and shipping as the Allies halted the Japanese drive toward Port Moresby and drove the enemy back from Buna to Lae. At the end of that campaign, group headquarters moved to New Guinea.

For the next year and a half the group continued to serve in the Southwest Pacific, where it played an important role in the offensives in which the Allies pushed along the northern coast of New Guinea, taking Salamaua, Lae, Hollandia, Wakde, Biak, and Noemfoor. In March 1943 it took part in the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, which ended Japanese attempts to send convoys to Lae. In August 1943, when Fifth Air Force struck airfields at Wewak to neutralize Japanese airpower that threatened the advance of Allied forces in New Guinea, the group made an attack in the face of intense antiaircraft fire on August 17, destroyed or damaged many enemy planes, and won a Distinguished Unit Citation for the mission.

In the fall of 1943 the group struck Japanese naval and air power at Rabaul to support the assaults on Bougainville and New Britain. In an attack on shipping at Simpson Harbor, New Britain, on November 2, 1943, the 3d Group encountered heavy opposition from enemy fighters and from antiaircraft batteries on the ships. In that attack Major Raymond H. Wilkins, commander of the 8th Squadron, sank two ships before he was shot down as he deliberately drew the fire of a destroyer so that other planes of his squadron could withdraw safely - an action for which Maj Wilkins was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

The group moved to the Philippines late in 1944. Equipped with A-20's, it bombed and strafed airfields; supported ground forces on Mindoro, Luzon, and Mindanao; attacked industries and railways on Formosa; and struck shipping along the China coast.

The group moved to Okinawa early in August 1945 and flew some missions to Japan before the war ended. Moved to Japan in September 1945 and, as part of U.S. Far East Air Forces, became part of the army of occupation.

Flying Douglas A-26 Invaders (after 1948, the B-26) the 3d Wing participated from the first bombing sortie to the very last during the Korean War. The first Americans to lose their lives during the Korean War, 1Lt. Remer L. Harding and SSgt. William Goodwin, were assigned to the 13th Bomb Squadron, 3d Bombardment Wing when they lost their lives June 28, 1950 returning from a sortie on the Korean Peninsula. Captain John S. Walmsley, Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on September 14, 1951: flying a night mission in a B-26, Capt Walmsley discovered and attacked an enemy supply train, and after exhausting his ammunition he flew at low altitude to direct other aircraft to the same objective; the train was destroyed but Walmsley's plane crashed in the target area.

In recognition of the wing's distinguished service, the 3d Bombardment Wing's was granted the privilege of conducting the last bombing mission over North Korea minutes before implementation of the ceasefire of July 27, 1953.

With the war over in Korea, wing returned to the routine of peacetime duty in the Cold War environment. It remained at Kunsan Air Base until October 1954, when it moved to Johnson AB, Japan. Beginning in January 1956, the 3d Bombardment Group converted from the B-26 to the Martin B-57B Canberra Night Intruder. By Aug 1956, the Group had become a paper unit, with only one officer and one airman assigned for record purposes. Its squadrons were attached to the 3 Bombardment Wing, which had assumed its duties. On 25 Oct 1957, those squadrons were transferred to the wing and the group inactivated.

In 1991, activated in Alaska after 34 years on the inactive list, and expanded the air defense mission of the 3 Wing, to include deep interdiction and air-to-air capabilities with the F-15E aircraft. Added an airlift capability in Apr 1992, using C-130 and C-12 aircraft, providing worldwide combat airdrop, tactical airland, operational support airlift, airlift for theater deployed forces, and resupply of remote Alaskan long-range radar sites. Again expanded its mission in 1993 when it gained E-3B/J aircraft for long-range airborne surveillance, detection, identification, and command and control.

Since 1993, mobilized, deployed and employed flying squadrons worldwide to accomplish air superiority, air battle management, air interdiction, counter narcotics, airlift and air sovereignty in support of 3 Wing mission.

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• 3d Operations Group Factsheet
• Cortesi, Lawerence. Grim Reapers: History of the 3rd Bomb Group, 1918-1965. Temple City, California: Historical Aviation Album, 1985.
• Martin, Patrick. Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military Aviation History, 1994. ISBN 0-88740-513-4.
• Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to present
• ArmyAirForces.com