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22nd Operations Group | |
|---|---|
 KC-135R Stratotanker taking off[note 1] | |
| Active | 1940–1952; 1991–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | McConnell AFB |
| Nickname | Red Raiders (World War II) |
| Motto | DucemusLatin We Lead |
| Engagements | Southwest Pacific Theater Korean War |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Meritorious Unit Award Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Philippine Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation[1] |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Col Brent Toth |
| Insignia | |
| 22nd Operations Group emblem[note 2] |  |
| Red Raider marking used by the 22nd Bombardment Group[2] |  |
The22nd Operations Group is the operational flying component of theUnited States Air Force22nd Air Refueling Wing. It is stationed atMcConnell Air Force Base,Kansas, and is part ofAir Mobility Command (AMC)'sEighteenth Air Force.
Thegroup's primary mission is to provide global reach by conductingair refueling andairlift where and when needed. The group directs the 22nd Wing'sBoeing KC-135R Stratotanker refueling and airlift operations in support of worldwide AMC,United States Transportation Command, Air Force,Department of Defense, and alliedoperations anywhere in the world.
DuringWorld War II, as the22nd Bombardment Group, the unit was one of the firstArmy Air Forces units to be deployed into the Pacific Theater after Pearl Harbor with theMartin B-26 Marauder medium bomber. It operated primarily in theSouthwest Pacific Theater as aNorth American B-25 Mitchell unit assigned toFifth Air Force. It was awarded twoDistinguished Unit Citations and thePhilippine Presidential Unit Citation for its combat service in China, the Netherlands East Indies, New Guinea, theBismarck Archipelago; the Western Pacific;Leyte andLuzon.
The group was reactivated as part ofStrategic Air Command (SAC). During the early years of theCold War, the group moved temporarily toOkinawa in July 1950 and was attached toFar East Air Forces for duty in theKorean War. It began combat immediately, and until October 1950 attackedmarshalling yards, bridges, highways,airfields, and industries and supportedUnited Nations ground forces in Korea. It was inactivated in a SAC program to eliminate groups and assign operational squadrons directly towings.
The 22nd Operations Group uses five squadrons and their assigned personnel to execute the wing's air refueling and airlift missions, from the continental United States refueling support to unit deployments in support of theater operations worldwide.
With these air refueling squadrons, the group supervises operations in support of strategic force projection and mobility, special operations, tactical air operations, and humanitarian assistance efforts.
The authorizing document was a letter issued by the Adjutant-General's Office titled "The Constitution and Activation of Certain Air Corps Units". Lieutenant Colonel Ross F. Cole was the first Group Commander.
The first elements of the Group included:
The Group was located atLangley Field, Virginia. Its first aircraft were a fewDouglas B-18 Bolo bombers, with a fewNorth American B-25 Mitchell bombers allocated to the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron.
In 1941 the Group transitioned toMartin B-26 Marauder bombers, a fast bomber with very specialized aerodynamic capabilities. These capabilities included short, stubby wings, which led the plane to be known as "The Flying Prostitute" (no visible means of support). However its flying characteristics led to many crashes, which also led to the plane being known as "The Flying Coffin".
Throughout 1941 the 22nd trained extensively, increasing in intensity in November 1941. It was so combat ready that 16 hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the 44 planes of the 22nd headed for the West Coast and on to the South West Pacific.
The Group prepared itself atMuroc Army Air Field in theMojave Desert in California from 15 December 1941 and began patrols of the west coast.A ground crew team left San Francisco on 31 January 1942 forBrisbane,Queensland in Australia.
On 6 February 1942, the Group's aircraft were shipped toHickam Field (arriving about a week later). They immediately commenced patrol duties.
On 22 March 1942, the first flight of the 22nd air echelon arrived atAmberley Field. near Brisbane in Australia, and became the first fully armed Air Force Group to fly the Pacific en masse. They were warmly welcomed by the Australians who were concerned that, while the Japanese were threatening Australia, its troops were fighting the Germans in the Middle East.
Shortly after arriving in Australia, the Group (now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Millard L. Haskin) moved further North to theTownsville area:
On 5 April 1942, the 22nd took off from Garbutt Field for its first combat action, an attack onRabaul in New Britain (North of New Guinea). In this attack on the Japanese Naval Base, the Group sunk a transport ship but lost a plane and the life of S/Sgt Bourne.
Meanwhile, four B-26 Marauders, including two from the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, left behind at Hawaii, saw action on 4 June 1942 as part of the air attack in theBattle of Midway, and were the first Army planes to make a torpedo attack. These planes, piloted by 1st Lieutenant Herbert C. Mayes and 1st Lieutenant James P. Muri attacked the Japanese Naval Invasion Force, focusing torpedo and strafing action on its aircraft carrier. Lt Muri's plane, badly damaged with over 500 bullet and shrapnel holes, crash landed. [Lt Muri's account:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSm055a0394] [Alternate URL for broken link (same original commentary):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E67kmx3aWg&t=7m18s]
In 1944, the group converted from medium, twin engined B-25 Mitchell and B-26 Marauder bombers to heavy four engineConsolidated B-24 Liberator bombers. Following its conversion to Liberators, on 11 February 1944 the 22nd was redesignated 22nd Bombardment Group, Heavy. The group was tasked to bomb Japanese airfields, shipping, and oil installations in Borneo, Ceram, and Halmahera. It began raiding the southern Philippines in September 1944 to neutralize Japanese bases in preparation for the invasion of Leyte.
From December 1944 to August 1945, the group struck airfields and installations on Luzon, supported Australian ground forces on Borneo, and bombed railways and industries in Formosa and China. Near the end of the war the 22nd moved to Okinawa in August 1945 and flew some armed reconnaissance missions over southern Japan.
The 22nd's staff and aircraft were released and the group moved toClark Air Base in the Philippines in November 1945. In April 1946 the 22nd returned to Okinawa as the 22nd Bombardment Group, Very Heavy and was remanned and assignedBoeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, operating fromKadena Air Base. In May 1948, moved to the United States to serveStrategic Air Command (SAC).
The 22nd was one of two SAC groups selected to deploy to the Pacific after SAC was directed to reinforce the19th Bombardment Wing ofFar East Air Forces. The 22nd was selected because removing it from SAC control would have a minimum impact on the SAC mission because its planes were not yet equipped for the delivery of nuclear weapons and would not impact SAC's task of building a credible deterrent to the Soviet Union.[4] The 22nd Bombardment Group deployed its B-29 Superfortresses in early July 1950 to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, where it came under control of FEAF Bomber Command (Provisional). On 13 July, the group flew its first mission, against the marshalling yards and oil refinery atWonsan, North Korea. By 21 October, it had amassed fifty-seven missions against the enemy, attacking bridges, factories, industrial targets, troop concentrations, airfields, marshalling yards, communications centers, and port facilities. During four months of combat, the group flew 335 sorties with only fourteen aborts and dropped over 6,500 tons of bombs.
When the 22nd returned toMarch Air Force Base in late October or early November 1950, 335 sorties had been flown. One plane, 44-62279,[5] was reported lost during operations from Okinawa. Combat components of the group were the 2nd, 19th and 33rd Bombardment Squadrons. It became a records unit in February 1951, inactivated on 16 June 1952.
After activation in 1991, commenced air refueling missions. Using KC-10 aircraft, the group airlifted humanitarian equipment and supplies to Somalia, 1992–1994. Deployed group aircrews and aircraft on other contingency operations in many parts of the world, including Haiti in 1994 and Serbia in 1999. The group also refueled aircraft enforcing no-fly zones over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the mid-1990s and over northern and southern Iraq between 1992 and 2002.
After terrorist attacks in the United States in September 2001, deployed crews and aircraft for operations in Afghanistan.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Further reading
Media related to22d Bombardment Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons5th AF: South West Pacific Area
2nd Squadron
19th Squadron
33rd Squadron
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