43d Operations Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 43d Operations Group


caption= Shield of the 43d Operations Group.
dates= 20 Nov 1940 to present
country= United States
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branch= United States Air Force
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current_commander= Col John McDonald
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The 43d Operations Group is a unit of the 43d Airlift Wing at Pope AFB, North Carolina. It is a component of Eighteenth Air Force and Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force, and is part of the air force component of United States Transportation Command. It provides airlift, special missions, and tactical aeromedical evacuation for U.S. troops and regional Unified Commands using C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The 43d Operations Group is composed of the 2d Airlift Squadron, 41st Airlift Squadron, 43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, and the 43d Operations Support Squadron.

Lineage

Established as 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 20 Nov 1940. Activated on 15 Jan 1941. Redesignated 43d Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 21 Sep 1943. Inactivated on 29 Apr 1946. Redesignated 43d Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, and activated, on 1 Oct 1946. Redesignated 43d Bombardment Group, Medium, on 2 Jul 1948. Inactivated on 16 Jun 1952. Redesignated 43d Operations Group, and activated, on 1 Jun 1992. Inactivated on 1 Jul 1994. Activated on 1 Apr 1997.

Assignments

General Headquarters, Air Force (later, Air Force Combat Command), 15 Jan 1941; Northeast Air District (later, 1 Air Force), Jan 1941; I Bomber Command, c. 5 Sep 1941; United States Army Forces in Australia, c. 28 Mar 1942; Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Areas, 18 Apr 1942; Fifth Air Force, 3 Sep 1942; V Bomber Command, 5 Sep 1942; Far East Air Forces, 3 Dec 1945-29 Apr 1946. Fifteenth Air Force, 1 Oct 1946; Eighth Air Force, 19 Nov 1946; 43d Bombardment Wing, 17 Nov 1947-16 Jun 1952 (attached to 3d Air Division, 16 Aug-16 Nov 1949). 43d Air Refueling Wing, 1 Jun 1992-1 Jul 1994. 43d Airlift Wing, 1 Apr 1997-Present.

Operations

The 43d trained for bombardment operations during most of 1941. From Dec 1941-Feb 1942, it flew antisubmarine patrols along the New England coast. It then moved to the Southwest Pacific via Cape Town, South Africa, from Feb-Mar 1942. It then attacked Japanese shipping in the Netherlands East Indies and the Bismarck Archipelago from bases in Australia, New Guinea, and Owi Island between Aug 1942 and Nov 1944. While there it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for missions over Papua, New Guinea from Aug 1942-Jan 1943. The unit used skip bombing to sink Japanese ships during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, 2-4 Mar 1943, for which the unit earned a second DUC. It also provided support for ground forces on New Guinea and attacked airfields and other enemy installations in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, Yap, Palau, and the southern Philippines in 1943 and 1944. The group conducted long-range raids on oil refineries on Ceram and Borneo late in the war. After moving to the Philippines in Nov 1944, the group attacked shipping along the Asiatic coast and struck factories, airfields, and other installations in China and on Formosa. It also supported ground forces on Luzon. The unit moved to Ie Shima in Jul 1945, from which it conducted raids against airfields and railways in Japan and against shipping in the Inland Sea and the Sea of Japan. It was moved on paper to the Philippines in Dec 1945 and inactivated in Apr 1946. During the next period of activation, between Oct 1946 and Feb 1951, the group trained and conducted long-range test missions, including the first nonstop flight around the world (26 Feb-2 Mar 1949), accomplished by Capt James G. Gallagher and his crew in a B-50 called Lucky Lady II. The group deployed to England for training, Aug-Nov 1949. It was not operational after 10 Feb 1951, and the flying squadrons attached directly to the 43d Wing for operations. Inactivated on 16 Jun 1952. Between Jun 1992 and 1 Jul 1994, the group flew air refueling missions in training exercises. In 1997, it assumed an airlift mission. It cooperated with U.S. Army airborne organizations at nearby Fort Bragg, taking part with them in joint training exercises. Crews and aircraft deployed to Europe and later to Southwest Asia to support contingency operations such as enforcement of no-fly zones over Iraq and for expeditionary force rotations. After terrorist attacks on the U.S. on 11 Sep 2001, deployed resources in the Global War on Terror.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater; Air Offensive, Japan; China Defensive; Papua; Guadalcanal; Northern Solomons; New Guinea; Bismarck Archipelago; Western Pacific; Leyte; Luzon; Southern Philippines; China Offensive.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Papua, [Aug] 1942-23 Jan 1943; Bismarck Sea, 2-4 Mar 1943. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jun 1992-30 Jun 1993; 1 Jul 1998-30 Jun 2000; 1 Jul 2001-30 Jun 2002; 1 Jul 2002-31 May 2004. Philippine Presidential Unit Citation (WW II).

tations

*Langley Field, Virginia, 15 Jan 1941
*Bangor, Maine, 28 Aug 1941-17 Feb 1942
*Sydney, Australia, 28 Mar 1942
*Torrens Creek, Australia, c. 1 Aug 1942
*Port Moresby, New Guinea 14 Sep 1942
*Dobodura, New Guinea, 10 Dec 1943
*Nadzab, New Guinea, 4 Mar 1944
*Owi, Schouten Islands, 2 Jul 1944
*Tacloban, Leyte, c. 15 Nov 1944
*Clark Field, Luzon, 16 Mar 1945
*Ie Shima, 26 Jul 1945
*Fort William McKinley, Luzon, 10 Dec 1945-29 Apr 1946
*Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 1 Oct 1946-16 Jun 1952 (and deployed at RAF Station Marham, England, 16 Aug-16 Nov 1949)
*Malmstrom AFB, Montana, 1 Jun 1992-1 Jul 1994
*Pope AFB, North Carolina, 1 Apr 1997-Present

Commanders

*Lt Col Harold D. Smith, 15 Jan 1941
*Lt Col Francis B. Valentine, 1 Mar 1941
*Major Conrad H. Diehl Jr., 18 Feb 1942
*Colonel Roger M. Ramey, 21 Oct 1942
*Lt Col John A. Roberts, 30 Mar 1943
*Col Harry J. Hawthorne, 24 May 1943
*Lt Col Edward W. Scott Jr., 18 Nov 1943
*Col Harry J. Hawthorne, 8 Feb 1944
*Col James T. Pettus Jr., 18 Sep 1944
*Maj Paul B. Hansen, 8 Sep 1945
*Col James C. Selser Jr., 5 Oct 1946
*Col William E. Eubank Jr., Apr 1948
*Col Dalene E. Bailey, Jul 1948
*Col Alvan N. Moore, 3 Jan 1949-16 Jun 1952
*Col Larry L. Evanoff, 1 Jun 1992
*Col Kenneth Mills, by Dec 1993-1 Jul 1994
*Col Gordon M. Ettenson, 1 Apr 1997
*Col Jimmie L. Simmons Jr., 30 Apr 1999
*Col Alexander M. McDowell, 11 Apr 2001
*Brigadier General Darren W. McDew, Jan 2005-Jul 2006
*Col Timothy M. Zadalis, Jul 2006- Present

Aircraft

*B-17 Flying Fortress, 1941-1943
*B-18, 1941
*B-25, 1941
*PT-17, 1941
*A-29, 1941
*LB-30, 1941
*B-24, 1943-1946
*B-29, 1946-1948
*B-50, 1948-1951
*KC-135, 1992-1994
*C-12, 1994
*C-130, 1997-Present

Component Squadrons

Squadrons that have been components of the 43 OG include the following:
*2d Airlift Squadron: 1 Apr 1997-Present
*2d Air Refueling Squadron: attached 1 Jul 1949-16 Sep 1950
*41st Airlift Squadron: 1 Apr 1997-Present
*28th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Jun 1992-15 May 1994
*43d Air Refueling Squadron: 19 Jul 1948-16 Jun 1952. It was detached from 10 Feb 1951 to 16 Jun 1952).
*43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron: 1 Apr 1997-Present
*63d Bombardment Squadron: 15 Jan 1941-29 Apr 1946; 1 Oct 1946-16 Jun 1952 (it was detached from 10 Feb 1951 to 16 Jun 1952)
*64th Bombardment Squadron: 15 Jan 1941-29 Apr 1946; 1 Oct 1946-16 Jun 1952 (it was detached from 10 Feb 1951 to 16 Jun 1952)
*65th Bombardment Squadron: 15 Jan 1941-29 Apr 1946; 1 Oct 1946-16 Jun 1952 (it was detached from 10 Feb 1951 to 16 Jun 1952)
*91st Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Jun 1992-1 Jul 1994
*97th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Oct 1992-1 Apr 1994
*307th Air Refueling Squadron: attached 16 Sep 1950-9 Feb 1951
*350th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Oct 1993-1 Jul 1994
*403d Bombardment Squadron: 15 Jan 1941-29 Apr 1946
*905th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Jul-1 Oct 1993
*906th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Jun 1992-30 Jan 1994
*917th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Oct 1993-1 Jul 1994

External links

* [http://public.pope.amc.af.mil/units/ Pope AFB unit information]
* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/wings_groups_index.asp AF Historical Research Agency site]
* [http://public.pope.amc.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=8695 Col Zidalis' Biography]

Current Component Squadron Patches