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27th Special Operations Group | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 1940–1945; 1946–1952; 1991–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Part of | Air Force Special Operations Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Cannon Air Force Base |
| Motto | Intelligent Strength[1] |
| Engagements | Southwest Pacific Theater Mediterranean Theater of Operations European Theater of Operations Korean War |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 27th Special Operations Group emblem[a] |  |
| 27th Fighter-Escort Group emblem[b] |  |
| 27th Bombardment Group emblem[c][1] |  |
The27th Special Operations Group is the flying component of the27th Special Operations Wing, assigned to theAir Force Special Operations Command. The group is stationed atCannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.
During theSecond World War, its predecessor unit, the27th Bombardment Group fought in theSouthwest Pacific Theater andMediterranean, Middle East and African theatres. Its ground personnel fought as infantry in the1941–1942 Battle of Bataan with the survivors being forced to march as prisoners in theBataan Death March. Later, its air echelon was awarded fiveDistinguished Unit Citations and aPhilippine Presidential Unit Citation. The airmen of the 27th were among the most decorated USAAF units of the war.
Thegroup carries out global special operations tasks as an Air Force component of theUnited States Special Operations Command. It conducts infiltration/exfiltration, combat support, helicopter and tilt-rotor aerial refueling, psychological warfare, and other special missions. It directs the deployment, employment, training, and planning for squadrons that operate the AC-130W, MC-130J, CV-22B, U-28A and MQ-9, and provides operational support to flying operations.[2]
The group conducts infiltration/exfiltration, combat support, tilt-rotor operations, helicopter aerial refueling, close air support, unmanned aerial vehicle operations, non-standard aviation, and other special missions. It directs the deployment, employment, training, and planning for squadrons that operate the AC-130W, MC-130J, CV-22B, C-146A, U-28A, MQ-1, MQ-9 and provides operational support to flying operations.[2]
On 1 February 1940, theUnited States Army Air Corps activated the27th Bombardment Group (Light) atBarksdale Field, Louisiana and equipped it with theDouglas B-18 Bolomedium bomber aircraft. The group consisted of the15th,16th and17th Bombardment Squadrons. In October 1941 the group moved toHunter Field, Georgia, less the15th Bombardment Squadron, which was reassigned toV Air Support Command on 14 October. On 21 October 1941 the group was ordered to the Philippine Islands in response to the growing crisis in the Pacific.
Arriving atFort William McKinley in the Philippines on 20 November, the group readied itself for delivery of itsDouglas A-24 Banshee aircraft. Concern grew as days turned into weeks and still the planes had not arrived. When theImperial Japanese Armyattacked the Philippines on 9 December 1941, the situation had not changed. Unknown to the group's airmen, to avoid capture or destruction, the ship carrying the planes was diverted to Australia when the war escalated.
On 18 December Major John H. Davies, group commander, and an aircrew of 20 flew fromClark Field onLuzon in two B-18s and oneDouglas C-39 of Transport Command toTarakan Island in the Dutch East Indies toDarwin Australia arriving on 22 December. Flying from Darwin, the group arrived inBrisbane on 24 December to pick up their A-24s off the shipUSAT Meigs. However, as a swift Japanese advance prevented his group from returning to the Philippines, the air echelon of the 27th was ordered to operate from Brisbane.
The ground echelon of the 27th still in the Philippines was evacuated south from Luzon on 25 December to theBataan Peninsula, arriving to form the2nd Battalion (27th Bombardment Group) Provisional Infantry Regiment (Air Corps). For the 99 days following theattack on Pearl Harbor until their surrender to the Japanese after theBattle of Bataan, the men of the 27th became the only Air Force unit in history to fight as an infantry regiment, and were the only unit to be taken captive in whole. After surrendering, they were forced to endure the infamousBataan Death March. Of the 880 or so Airmen who were taken, fewer than half survived captivity.
However, a number of officers and enlisted men of the 27th Bomb Group were evacuated out of the Philippines in fiveU.S. Navy submarines just before it was overrun by the Japanese during April.USS Seawolf,USS Seadragon,USS Sargo,USS Swordfish andUSS Spearfish, on the night of 3 May 1942 managed to sneak intoManila Bay and evacuate American personnel fromCorregidor to Java andFremantle, Western Australia.
In Australia, the escaped airmen and aircraft of the 27th Bomb Group reformed into a combat unit. In early 12 February pilots of the91st Bombardment Squadron flew their A-24's with gunners from Brisbane toMalangJava in the colonial Dutch East Indies to defend the island. The group participated in an attack on the Japanese invasion fleet landing troops onBali. The attacks, carried out during the afternoon of 19 February and throughout the morning of 20 February, caused little damage and all air operations that day failed to halt the landings. The group was credited with the sinking of a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. From 27 February through 1 March, three A-24's of the 91st participated inBattle of the Java Sea. The remaining pilots and gunners of the 27th Group were flown out to Australia in early March, consolidating with the 16th and 17th Squadrons which had moved from Brisbane toBatchelor Airfield in the [orthern Territory. For their heroic efforts in the Philippines and the Southwest Pacific during late 1941 and early 1942, the 27th Bombardment Group (Light) received threeDistinguished Unit Citations (DUC).
On 25 March, Davies and the surviving 27th Group personnel, consisting of 42 officers, 62 enlisted men and 24 A-24s, were reassigned en mass to the four squadrons of the3d Bombardment Group atCharters Towers Airfield in Queensland, Australia. The remaining A-24 aircraft were added to the8th Bombardment Squadron.[e]
On 4 May the group moved without personnel or equipment toHunter Field, Georgia. At Hunter, the group was remanned and re-equipped with theDouglas A-20 Havoc light bomber. After additional training in Mississippi and Louisiana, on 26 December the group was transferred toSte-Barbe-du-Tlelat Airfield, Algeria to enter combat in North Africa withTwelfth Air Force.
Maintenance and support personnel went by sea to North Africa while aircrews and the A-20s flew to South America then across to North Africa, In North Africa, the A-20s were sent to other groups and the group was redesignated the27th Fighter-Bomber Group and reequipped with theNorth American A-36 Apache dive bomber. The 27th flew its first combat missions of the war fromKorba Airfield, Tunisia, on 6 June 1943.
The 27th served in theMediterranean Theater of Operations until the end of the war. It was redesignated the27th Fighter Group in May 1944 when the group converted first to theCurtiss P-40 Warhawk, then to theRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft.
During theSicilian Campaign, operations included participation in the reduction ofPantelleria andLampedusa Islands and supporting ground forces during the conquest ofSicily. In theItalian Campaign the 27th covered the landings atSalerno and received a DUC for preventing three German armored divisions from reaching the Salerno beachhead on 10 September 1943. In addition, the group supported theFifth Army during the Allied drive toward Rome.
The group took part inOperation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France, and assistedSeventh Army's advance up theRhone Valley, receiving another DUC for helping to disrupt the German retreat, 4 September 1944.
The 27th took part in the interdiction of the enemy's communications in northern Italy, and assisted in the Allied drive from France into Germany during the last months of the war, eventually being stationed atBiblis, Germany onV-E Day.
With five Distinguished Unit Citations and a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, the airmen of the 27th were among the most decorated USAAF units of World War II.
In the immediate postwar drawdown of the USAAF, the 27th Fighter Group returned to the United States in October 1945, then inactivated on 7 November atCamp Shanks, New York. Within a year, the group was reactivated in Germany on 20 August 1946, atAAF Station Fritzlar, flying P-47 Thunderbolts.
The group stayed in Germany for a year performing occupation duty until being transferred, without personnel or equipment, toAndrews Field, Maryland, in June 1947. The 27th was assigned toStrategic Air Command (SAC) and reactivated atKearney Army Air Field Nebraska. Fighter Squadrons of the 27th were the 522d, 523d and 524th.
The 27th was initially equipped with theNorth American P-51D Mustang, and in 1948 was upgraded to the newNorth American F-82 Twin Mustang. In June 1948 the designation "P" for pursuit was changed to "F" for fighter. Subsequently, all P-51s were redesignated F-51s. The mission of the 27th Fighter Wing was to fly long-range escort missions for SACBoeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. With the arrival of the F-82s, the older F-51s were sent toAir National Guard units.
The first production F-82Es reached the 27th in early 1948, and almost immediately the group was deployed toMcChord Air Force Base, Washington in June where its squadrons stood on alert on a secondary air defense mission due to heightened tensions over theBerlin Airlift. It was also believed that the 27th would launch an escort mission, presumably to the Soviet Union, if conflict broke out in Europe. From McChord, the group flew its Twin Mustangs on weather reconnaissance missions over the northwest Pacific, but problems were encountered with their fuel tanks. Decommissioned F-61 Black Widow external tanks were found atHamilton Air Force Base, California that could be modified for the F-82 which were fitted on the pylons of the Twin Mustang that solved the problem. With a reduction in tensions, the 27th returned to its home base in Nebraska during September where the unit settled down to transition flying with their aircraft.[3]
On 1 August 1948 the27th Fighter Wing was activated. Although established over a year earlier in July 1947. Under theHobson Plan thewing commanded the functions of both the support groups as well as the flying combat 27th Fighter Group and the squadrons assigned to it.
Four F-82s were deployed to Alaska from McChord where the pilots provided transition training to the449th Fighter-All Weather Squadron which used Twin Mustangs in the air defense mission. They remained in Alaska for about 45 days, returning to rejoin the rest of the group at the beginning of November 1948.[3]
In January 1949, Eighth Air Force planned a large celebration atCarswell Air Force Base. All of its assigned units were to participate in a coordinated flyover. Most of SAC's bombers were to participate, along with SAC's only "Long Range" fighter group, the 27th. The weather in Nebraska in January that year was especially horrible, with most airports in the Midwest weathered in the day of the display. At Kearney, the base was socked-in with a blizzard. Nevertheless, the crews had an early morning mission briefing, the aircraft in the hangars were preflighted and prepared for the flyover mission. Paths were cut through the snow for the aircraft to taxi and somehow the F-82s got airborne, with the 27th's Twin Mustangs joining up with SAC bombers over Oklahoma]on schedule. The flyover by the Twin Mustangs was a tremendous success, with SAC leadership being amazed that the F-82 was truly an "all weather" aircraft and the 27th being able to carry out their mission despite the weather.[3]
In early 1949, the 27th began carrying out long-range escort profile missions. Flights toPuerto Rico, Mexico, theBahamas and nonstop to Washington D.C were carried out. ForPresident Truman's 1949 inauguration, the 27th FEW launched 48 aircraft to fly in review, along with several other fighter units, in formation down Pennsylvania Avenue. Another flyover over the newly -dedicatedIdlewild Airport in New York City soon followed, with the aircraft flying non-stop from Kearney.[3]
With the tight defense budgets in the late 1940s, the decision was made by Strategic Air Command decided to close Kearney in 1949. The 27th was transferred toBergstrom Air Force Base Texas on 16 March.
At Bergstrom, the 27th transitioned to jet aircraft withRepublic F-84E Thunderjets in 1950. It was redesignated the27th Fighter-Escort Group, to better represent the mission of the group on 1 February. By the end of summer, the transition to the Thunderjets was complete and the Twin Mustangs were mostly sent to reclamation, with a few being sent toFar East Air Forces or Alaska as replacement aircraft or for air defense duties.
The wing won the Mackay Trophy for successful deployment of 180 F-84s from Bergstrom toFürstenfeldbruck Air Base West Germany, in September 1950, via Labrador, Greenland, Iceland, and England, delivering the Thunderjets to the36th Fighter-Bomber Group.[4] This was the Second[g] long-range mass flight of jet aircraft in aviation history.
After the pilots and support ground personnel were flown back to Bergstrom on MATS transports, a new production batch of F-84Es were picked up, and on 15 October the group headed forNeubiberg Air Base, West Germany, this time with ninety-two aircraft.
Upon their return to Bergstrom in November 1950, the 27th anticipated another delivery trip to Europe and a permanent change of station toUnited States Air Forces in Europe. However, this was changed to a deployment to Japan and duty in theKorean War.
The 27th departed Bergstrom on 11 November with the 522nd Squadron refueling en route atBiggs Air Force Base, Texas; the 523rd atKirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and the 524th atWilliams Air Force Base, Arizona on the way toSan Diego, California. The overseas transport of the 27th was via theUSS Bairoko (CVE-115) on 14 November and theUSS Bataan (CVL-29) on 16 November. TheUSS Cape Esperance (CVE-88), with the remainder of the wing was scheduled to depart from San Francisco on 27 November, but this was delayed for two days while fiftyNorth American F-86A Sabres and their equipment for the4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing were loaded for their transfer to Japan.
By 30 November the ground echelon had arrived atKimpo Air Base (K-14), South Korea, preparing for the arrival of the air echelon which had been unloaded in Japan. Once unloaded from the transport carriers, the aircraft were barged toKisarazu Air Base where they were preflighted for a short flight toYokota Air Base. However the aircraft were damaged during their trans-Pacific open-air deck shipment and had salt air induced corrosion; corroded electrical equipment and landing gear damage. Some of the aircraft also had flat tires. On 1 December Far East Air Forces decided they would station their short-ranged 4th Group at Kimpo and the 27th was ordered split into forward and rear echelons. Advanced headquarters would be atTaegu Air Base (K-2), South Korea; while the rear echelon would locate atItazuke Air Base, Japan. The advanced echelon would be attached to theLockheed F-80 Shooting Star equipped49th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Tageu for logistical support, while the rear portion would be attached to the 6160th Air Base Wing at Itazuke for the same kind of support.
The first six of rapidly repaired F-84Es arrived at K-2 on 5 December. All of these aircraft were equipped with special gun camera that were depressed to record bomb strikes. They were alsoJATO-equipped with a special electronic system for their operation. The 27th flew their first combat mission on 6 December 1950; the mission being an armed reconnaissance over the Chinnampo River area. Over the next two days, thirty-two rockets and 7,200 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition were expended. Several locomotives were claimed as damaged and aNorth Korean village was strafed.
On 13 December two 27th Thunderjets were lost on a strafing mission two miles west of Krin-ni when the aircraft did not return and crashed to the ground. One aircraft crashed on the ground; the cause not known; another was given a go-around at K-2 because of other traffic. The aircraft suddenly lost power and made a belly landing in a dry creek bed; the Thunderjet written-off as a result. By January, the remainder of the 27th's aircraft were made operational.
For the next six months, the 27th flew missions in support of ground forces, earning another DUC for missions between 26 January and 21 April 1951. Among these missions was close support of the largest paratroop landing in the Korean War and escort forBoeing B-29 Superfortress bombers on raids over North Korea, including air-to-air combat with enemyMiG-15 fighters.
In June the 27th was given the responsibility for acclimating the newly arrived136th Fighter-Bomber Wing to combat, as the 136th was their replacement. They were also given the responsibility of assisting the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing in transition from F-80Cs to F-84Es. In eight months of combat, the 27th had participated in three major campaigns and earned theRepublic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation. They had flown 12,000 combat missions and had lost seven of their pilots in combat, and fifteen F-84 aircraft to all causes.
The 27th was relieved from assignment to FEAF in July 1951 and returned to Bergstrom AFB. On 3 August the 27th was declared non-operational when its squadrons were attached for operational control to the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing as part of the Air Force dual deputate reorganization. It was inactivated on 16 June 1952 when the group was considered redundant.
The group was reactivated in on 1 November 1991 as the27th Operations Group and assigned to the 27th Fighter Wing as part of the Objective Wing Reorganization adapted by the Air Force. The group took control of the wing's fighter squadrons upon activation.
From September 1992 to July 1993, the group's F-111 aircrews and support personnel rotated toIncirlik Air Base, Turkey, in support ofOperation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq.
In 1995 the face of the flightline changed when the wing began its transition toGeneral Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft. The first F-16s to arrive in May were assigned to the 522d Fighter Squadron. Also transitioning were the 523d and 524th Fighter Squadrons. With the arrival of the F-16s, the F-111s were sent to theAerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center in Arizona. The428th Fighter Squadron was inactivated in September 1995, and the electronic combat EF-111A-equipped429th Electronic Combat Squadron was inactivated in May 1998 with the 27th Operations Group holding a retirement ceremony in memorial park. The F-111 in various forms had been at Cannon for 29 years. With their retirement, the430th Electronic Combat Squadron was inactivated.
On 15 January 1998, the 524th Fighter Squadron ventured to the desert for their first overseas deployment since transitioning to the F-16. The 522d Fighter Squadron deployed toPrince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia in direct support ofOperation Southern Watch. They flew missions enforcingUnited Nations resolutions of no-fly zone over Southern Iraq. In March, the 523d Fighter Squadron also deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Southern Watch.
These two squadrons were the first F-16 unit to replaceFairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II units performing close air support. In addition, they were the first F-16 unit to maintain the demanding combat search and rescue alert in Southwest Asia. While deployed to the Gulf region in December 1998, the F-16s from the 522d Fighter Squadron provided close air support alert, defensive counter air alert and interdiction in Iraq.
In August 1998, the 524th Fighter Squadron deployed toHill Air Force Base, Utah for exercise Combat Hammer. During the exercise, they dropped inertGBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs and fired liveAGM-65 Maverick antitank missiles on Utah test range. The hit rate was one of the highest ever seen in the Air Force, showcasing the lethality of the Block 40 F-16.
In 1998, the governments of the United States and Singapore signed an agreement laying the foundation of the Peace Carvin III program. As a Foreign Military Sales training program for the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), Peace Carvin III was designed for the continued training of RSAF in rapid deployment and tactical employment of the block 52 F-16C/D throughout a wide spectrum of missions including air-to-air, joint maritime and precision air-to-ground weapons delivery.
In support of Peace Carvin III, the428th Fighter Squadron' was reactivated on 12 November 1998 and tasked to take the lead in Peace Carvin III. The squadron was a hybrid of USAF and RSAF F-16C/D manned by USAF instructor pilots, Singaporean pilots and combined RSAF and USAF teams of maintenance and support personnel. In May 1999, the 428th participated in its first official major exercise after its reactivation. The squadron deployed toTyndall Air Force Base, Florida, for exercise Combat Archer. The exercise was designed to test weapons capabilities, tactics and employment. This included the first live firing of radar-guided air-to-airAIM-7 Sparrow by the RSAF. With the completion of Peace Carvin III, the 428th was inactivated on 6 July 2005.
In July 1999, the 522d Fighter Squadron deployed toNaval Air Station Keflavik, Iceland, to supportNATO exercise Coronet Norsemen. They served primarily as the combat air arm of the Iceland Defense Force. In August 1999, the 523d Fighter Squadron relieved the 522d Fighter Squadron from Coronet Norsemen.
DuringOperation Allied Force in the former Yugoslavia in 1999, the 524th Fighter Squadron was notified for "on-call" duty to augment forces. Quick termination of hostilities precluded the 524th Fighter Squadron from seeing action.
On 11 September 2001 when terrorists attacked theWorld Trade Center in New York City andThe Pentagon in Washington, D.C., aircraft from the 27th went on air defense alert. Two weeks following the 9/11 attacks members of the 27th Civil Engineer Squadron Prime BEEF team had deployed to a forward location in the AOR[jargon] and built a tent city at a (then) classified location. They would not return till March 2002.
In December 2002, the 524 FS deployed toKuwait and participated inOperation Iraqi Freedom, dropping nearly a million pounds of precision guided munitions, more than any other F-16 Block 40 squadron in history. In September 2007, the 522d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron wrapped up the final deployment for their squadron and, ultimately, the 27th Operations Group.
The 522d Fighter Squadron, known as the Fireballs, were inactivated upon their return to Cannon and the 27th became the27th Special Operations Group on 1 October 2007. Among the units that joined the group were the3d Special Operations Squadron (MQ-1),73d Special Operations Squadron (MC-130W) and318th Special Operations Squadron (light transport aircraft) as well as the20th Special Operations Squadron (CV-22s).[5]
Today there are twelve squadrons within the group:[6]
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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