The 23d Fighter Group is the current home of the Air Force's legendary Flying Tigers and is headquartered at Pope Air Force Base, N.C.. The group is a unit of 4th Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, NC; Ninth Air Force, Shaw Air Force Base, SC; and Air Combat Command, Langley Air Force Base, VA. The 23rd Fighter Group's primary mission is forward air control, close air support, air interdiction and combat search and rescue operations.
| 23d Fighter Group | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1941-present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Fighter |
| Role | Close Air Support |
| Size | Group |
| Garrison/HQ | Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina |
| Nickname(s) | Flying Tigers |
| Engagements | 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 "Santa" Santicola |
| Notable commanders | Claire L. Chennault |
The 23d Fighter Group, in conjunction with the 43d Airlift Wing at Pope Air Force Base, provides the global reach and global power of the United States Air Force - capable of deploying a self-sustaining war fighting package anywhere in the world at a moment's notice, to form our nation's premiere forced entry capability with the United States Army. To carry out this mission, the group has two operational squadrons assigned: the 74th and the 75th Fighter Squadrons flying A-10s. The A-10A is a single-seat tactical fighter and light attack aircraft. It was the first Air Force aircraft specifically designed to perform the close-air support mission. The aircraft assigned to the group have the unique "Shark Teeth" nose art on them. The Flying Tigers are the only Air Force unit authorized to carry this distinctive and historical aircraft marking. The 23d Fighter Group has more than 880 people assigned.
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.
By June 15, 1942, under orders from Tenth Air Force, an advance cadre of what would become the 23d Fighter Group had proceeded over the infamous "Hump" route to Kunming, China, and without ceremony, the unit 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, at the Fort Lewis, Washington.
Post-war deployments
The 23d Fighter Group reactivated October 10, 1946, in Guam, and assigned to the Far East Air Forces (Twentieth Air Force), was equipped with long-range Republic P-47N Thunderbolt aircraft. The group moved to Howard Air Force Base, Canal Zone, in April 1949, where it also acquired a squadron of Lockheed RF-80 Shooting Stars. The 23d Fighter Group conducted air defense of the Canal Zone under the Caribbean Air Command until it was again inactivated on September 24, 1949.
Reactivated on January 12, 1951, at Presque Isle Air Force Base, Maine, the group was re-designated the 23d Fighter-Interceptor Group with the 74th and 75th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons assigned, as part of the Air Defense Command. Equipped with North American F-86 Sabre, F-51 Mustang, and F-80 Shooting Star aircraft, its mission was to provide air defense for the northeastern United States during the Korean War and conduct basic training for about 500 Air Force recruits.
Inactivated February 6, 1952, and subsequently reactivated August 18, 1955, at Presque Isle as the 23d Fighter Group (Air Defense), with the 75th and 76th Fighter Squadrons and flew Northrop F-89 Scorpions until again inactivated July 1, 1959.
23d Tactical Fighter Wing
Following its longest period of inactivation, the Flying Tiger unit was re-activated as the 23d Tactical Fighter Wing on January 28, 1964, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, under Tactical Air Command and Twelfth Air Force. The 23rd TFW is one of the few Air Force wings to have direct lineage from a group and not simply have its honors bestowed on it. The 23rd TFW was activated to replace the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing at McConnell.
During its service as the 23rd TFW, the wing had assigned the 560th, 561st, 562d and 563d Tactical Fighter Squadrons, flying the Republic Aviation F-105 "Thunderchief" aircraft. When F-105 units rotated on temporary duty to combat in Southeast Asia from November 1964 to October 1965, two squadrons of the 23rd TFW rotated with each other to Thailand.
The wing maintained proficiency in tactical fighter operations, and later also functioned as an F-105 replacement training unit and assisted Air National Guard units in their conversion to the F-105 when the Thunderchief left first-line service. For the dual role it played from June 1970 to June 1971 as both an operational and a training unit, the wing received the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award in March 1971. Two of its squadrons, the 562d and 563d, also received the same award for their duty in Vietnam during 1965.
England Air Force Base
The 23d Tactical Fighter Wing moved "on paper" without people or equipment to England Air Force Base, Louisiana, July 1, 1972 and took over the assets and personnel of the 4403rd Tactical Fighter Wing. Assigned to the Ninth Air Force, the wing activated all three of its original World War II fighter units — the 74th, 75th and 76th Tactical Fighter Squadrons for the first time since 1949, and began operations with the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7D Corsair II aircraft.
In early 1973, the 74th TFS deployed to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on temporary duty with the 388th TFW, to replace a squadron of the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing that had completed its temporary duty. For seven months, until the cessation of all U.S. bombing on August 15, 1973, the 74th TFS supported the air war activities in Southeast Asia, accounting for the destruction of 311 enemy structures, 25 ground artillery and missile sites, three bridges and 9,500 cubic meters of supplies.
The 23rd TFW took part in a variety of operational exercises both in the United States and overseas, including tactical bombing competitions against the Royal Air Force at Lossiemouth, Scotland, during October 1977 and July 1978. In both events, A-7D teams captured the Sir John Mogg Team Trophy.
In December 1980, the 23rd TFW accepted its first operational Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft. The 23rd TFW took top honors in Ninth Air Force’s tactical bombing competition (Gunpowder 1981) in July, and advanced to TAC’s worldwide Gunsmoke 1981 competition at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, in September. The Flying Tigers won six of nine events, including top maintenance and munitions awards, and was the top A-10 unit in the competition. The wing’s maintenance complex was also awarded the 1981 Daedalian runner-up trophy, and earned the 1984 Daedalian Aircraft Maintenance Trophy.
Air Force records were set by the wing for "mission capable" and "fully mission capable" rates during fiscal year 1985. The marks, 93.1 percent in MC and 92.8 percent in FMC, topped records set by the wing in 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. Mission capable means an aircraft can meet any mission tasking.
The wing won its fourth Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period April 1, 1989, to March 31, 1991.
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm
In response to the buildup of forces following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, the 74th and 76th Tactical Fighter Squadrons deployed with numerous support personnel to King Fahd International Airport, Saudi Arabia, as part of Operation Desert Shield. The A-10 deployment was the largest ever fielded and included the 353rd and 355th TFS of the 354th TFW (Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina), the 706th TFS of the 926th TFW (Air Force Reserve, Naval Air Station, New Orleans), the 10th TFS of the 81st TFW (RAF Alconbury, UK), and the 23rd TASS "Nails", OA-10 forward air controllers from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, forming two provisional wings totaling 144 aircraft.
Using forward operating locations near the Kuwaiti border as well as King Fahd AB, A-10s made their combat debut in Operation Desert Storm on January 15, 1991. The 23rd TFW flew more than 2,700 combat sorties over Iraq and Kuwait while maintaining a mission-capable rate of 95 percent. In addition to providing close air support for ground units, the A-10s performed Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) and SCUD-hunting missions. The combined efforts of the A-10 units resulted in the confirmed destruction of 987 tanks, 926 artillery pieces, 500 armored personnel carriers, 1,106 trucks, 112 military structures, 96 radars, 72 bunkers, 57 SCUD missile launchers, 50 anti-aircraft artillery batteries, 28 command posts, 11 FROG missiles, nine surface-to-air missile sites, eight fuel tanks and 12 aircraft.
Both squadrons returned to England Air Force Base at the end of March 1991. Support personnel continued to arrive for months after the aircraft redeployment. In October 1990, it was determined that England Air Force Base would be closed by September 1992. A draw down of equipment and personnel began almost immediately. On October 1, 1991, as part of an Air Force-wide reorganization, the wing designation became 23d Fighter Wing, and on November 1, 1991, the squadrons also dropped "tactical" from their designations.
Pope Air Force Base
The 23rd TFW was inactivated June 1, 1992, at England Air Force Base and reactivated as the 23d Wing, a composite wing of A-10, F-16, and C-130 aircraft at Pope Air Force Base, N.C., on the same day. The wing activation coincided with the activation of Air Combat Command as the replacement for both SAC and TAC.
In December 1992, C-130s from the 2d Airlift Squadron deployed to Mombasa, Kenya, to participate in Operation Provide Relief. The aircraft and crews delivered tons of food and other relief supplies to small airstrips throughout Somalia. 23rd Wing C-130s have also been tasked to assist in other humanitarian relief efforts, to include Hurricane Andrew in Florida. They also airdropped relief supplies into Bosnia-Herzegovina and flew relief missions into Sarajevo for more than 28 months.
In September 1994, its C-130s participated in what was to be the largest combat personnel drop since World War II, Operation Uphold Democracy. They were to assist in dropping more than 3,000 paratroopers from the 82d Airborne Division onto Port au Prince Airport, Haiti. The invasion force was recalled at the last minute after word that the Haitian president had resigned upon hearing that the aircraft were on their way. The 75th Fighter Squadron's A-10s were deployed their aircraft to Shaw AFB, South Carolina, where they were scheduled to launch close air support operations for the invasion force before recovering in Puerto Rico.
The first operational deployment of a composite wing happened in October 1994, when Iraqi troops began massing near the Kuwaiti Border. Within 72 hours, 56 aircraft and 1,500 personnel deployed to the Persian Gulf region for Operation Vigilant Warrior. Eventually, the 75th Fighter Squadron redeployed to Al Jabar AB, Kuwait, becoming the first U.S. fixed-wing aircraft to be stationed in that country since the end of the Gulf War. The 23d Wing underwent another change with the conversion of the 74th Fighter Squadron from F-16 to A/OA-10s.
23rd Fighter Group (USAF)
On April 1, 1997, the 23d Wing was deactivated and its C-130s and Pope Air Force Base were realigned to Air Mobility Command under the designation 43d Airlift Wing. At the same time, the 23d Fighter Group was activated at Pope as a unit assigned to the 347th Wing at Moody AFB, Georgia, remaining in Air Combat Command. The 23rd Fighter Group became part of the 4th Fighter Wing, and continued to operate from Pope, after the 347th Wing was made a flying training wing and part of Air Education and Training Command. The group as it exists in 2006 consists of the:
- 74th Fighter Squadron,
- 75th Fighter Squadron,
- 23d Operations Support Squadron and the
- 23d Maintenance Squadron.
Operation Allied Force
In April 1999, the 74 FS deployed five aircraft and 60 personnel to Operation Allied Force, the NATO air campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, nominally intended to stop ethnic cleansing of Albanians by Serbians. The US participation was known as Operation Noble Anvil and officially spanned 24 March - 10 June 1999. The 74th FS deployed initially to Spangdahlem Air Base and then forward deployed to Gioia Del Colle Airbase Italy. Designated the 74th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, the unit co-located with the 81st EFS of the 51nd Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to form an expeditionary fighter wing.
The A-10A aircraft provided close air support during missions over the region, provided short-notice alert for combat search and rescue missions and also provided Airborne Forward Air Control for NATO fighters attacking Serbian targets found in the Kosovo area.
Operation Enduring Freedom
In March 2002, the 23d Fighter Group landed the first fighter aircraft inside Afghanistan. They deployed from Al Jaber AB, Kuwait, to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. 23d Fighter Group personnel operated simultaneously in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch for nearly seven months.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
In February 2003, the 23d Fighter Group deployed to Al Jaber Air Base in preparation of Operation Iraqi Freedom, there they launched aircraft to attack Baghdad until the major fighting ceased. They then deployed forward to Tallil Air Base, near An-Nasiriyah.
Milestones
In 2002 an A-10 of the 75th Fighter Squadron passed the 9000 flying-hour mark, becoming the most traveled fighter aircraft in Air Force history. This was exceeded in 2005 by another A-10 o the 75th FS that passed the 10,000 flying-hour mark.