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36th Operations Group | |
|---|---|
 AnF-22 Raptor flies over Guam for a training mission[a] | |
| Active | 1940–1957; 1992–1994; 2007–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Part of | Pacific Air Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Andersen AFB |
| Motto | Prepared to Prevail[b] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Glenn O. Barcus |
| Insignia | |
| 36th Operations Group emblem[c] |  |
The36th Operations Group is the operational component of the36th Wing, assigned to theUnited States Air ForcePacific Air Forces. The group is stationed atAndersen Air Force Base,Guam.
The group's World War II predecessor unit, the36th Fighter Group was a prewar unit deployed to the European Theater and assigned toNinth Air Force. The group flew theRepublic P-47 Thunderbolt and earned aDistinguished Unit Citation for operations on 1 September 1944 when, in a series of missions, the group attacked German columns south of theLoire River in order to disrupt the enemy's retreat across central France toDijon.
The 36th OG assumed the mission of the36th Expeditionary Operations Group on 14 February 2007 and established a permanent command structure for deployed Air Force units assigned to Andersen AFB.
Media related to36th Fighter Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons
The36th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) was activated on 1 February 1940 atLangley Field, Virginia. Initial training of the group was with theCurtiss P-36 Hawk.
The group moved to Losey Field,Puerto Rico in January 1941 where it was equipped withBell P-39 Airacobras andCurtiss P-40 Warhawks. In Puerto Rico, the 36th served as part of the defense force for the Caribbean area andPanama Canal, and flew antisubmarine patrols. The group was redesignated the36th Fighter Group in May 1942 and returned toMorrison Field, Florida where it trained withRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts.
From 1942 through 1944, the 36th trained at several airfields in the United States before deploying toRAF Kingsnorth, England in April 1944 as part ofNinth Air Force, serving in combat as part of the European theater. With Ninth Air Force, the group operated primarily as a P-47 fighter-bomber organization as part of the303d Fighter Wing, ofXIX Tactical Air Command.
Operational missions included strafing and dive-bombing armored vehicles, trains, bridges, buildings, factories, troop concentrations, gun emplacements, airfields, and other targets in preparation for theOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. The 36th also flew some escort missions withEighth Air ForceBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress andConsolidated B-24 Liberator strategic bombers.
The 36th participated in the June 1944D-Day invasion of France in by patrolling the air over the landing zones and by flying close-support and interdiction missions. The group moved to itsAdvanced Landing Ground at Brucheville, France (A-16) in July, then eastward as ground forces advanced on the continent. Operations supported the breakthrough atSaint-Lô in July and the thrust ofThird Army toward Germany in August and September.
The group earned aDistinguished Unit Citation for operations on 1 September 1944 when, in a series of missions, the group attacked German columns south of theLoire in order to disrupt the enemy's retreat across central France toDijon. In October, the group moved into Belgium to supportNinth United States Army.
The 36th Fighter Group participated in theBattle of the Bulge during December 1944 and January 1945 by flying armed reconnaissance and close-support missions. AidedFirst United States Army's push across theRoer River in February 1945. Supportedoperations at the Remagen bridgehead and during theOperation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in March.
The group received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for performance on 12 April 1945 when the group, operating through intense anti-aircraft fire, relentlessly attacked airfields in southern Germany, destroying a large hangar and numerous aircraft.
ByV-E Day, the group was based atKassel/Rothwesten airfield, Germany (ALG R-12), where it remained until February 1946 as part of theUnited States Air Forces in Europe Army of Occupation. In February, the group was transferred, without personnel or equipment toBolling Field, D.C., where the group's fighter squadrons were inactivated. From its deployment to RAF Kingsnorth into January 1945, Lt. Col. William Lewis Curry served as commanding officer. Lt. Col. Van H. Slayden and Lt. Col Paul P. Douglas Jr. served as commanders through the remaining months through V-E Day.[1]
On 15 October 1946, Headquarters, 36th Fighter Group was transferred toHoward Field,Panama Canal Zone as part of thePanama Canal defense forces. In Central America, the group conducted air defense training missions for the next two years initially with P-47's. The group upgraded to jet aircraft in December 1947 with the arrival of theLockheed F-80 Shooting Star.
On 2 July 1948, the United States Air Force36th Fighter Wing was activated at Howard. The 36th Fighter Group became the operational component of the new Air Force wing.
As a result of theBerlin Blockade and otherCold War tensions in Europe, the 36th Fighter Group was reassigned toUSAFE. The squadron was stationed atFürstenfeldbruck Air Base West Germany on 13 August 1948, being the first USAFE unit to be jet-equipped with theLockheed F-80 "Shooting Star". At Fürstenfeldbruck tactical operations included air defense, tactical exercises, maneuvers, and photographic reconnaissance. In May 1949, the group formed theSkyblazers [ja] aerial demonstration team, which it controlled until August 1952, and again from October 1956 to January 1962 when it was disbanded.
On 20 January 1950, the group was redesignated as the36th Fighter-Bomber Group when 89Republic F-84E Thunderjets arrived. Existing USAFE bases in West Germany, however, were deemed very vulnerable to an attack by the Soviet Union, given their proximity toEast Germany and otherWarsaw Pact nations. Negotiations with otherNATO nations were made to build new bases west of theRhine. The F-80s were sent back to CONUS to equipAir National Guard units. In addition to its primary installation at Fürstenfeldbruck, the wing controlled Oberpfaffenhofen AB, West Germany, December 1949 – February 1950.
The 36th remained at Fürstenfeldbruck until 1952 when it moved to the newBitburg Air Base, in theEifel mountains west of the Rhine River. Throughout the summer, elements of the 36th moved into Bitburg, with the group officially arriving in November 1952.
In August 1953, theNorth American F-86F Sabre was introduced to the group, replacing the F-84s. On 31 March 1954, The1st Pilotless Bomber Squadron, equipped with the BMartin B-61A Matador, was assigned to the group, making it the first operational U.S. missile unit. The 1st was renamed to the 1st Tactical Missile Squadron, and in 1958 was replaced by the71st Tactical Missile Squadron and assigned to the701st Tactica Missile Wing atHahn Air Base, although it remained at Bitburg Air Base.
In August 1954, the group was redesignated the36th Fighter-Day Group. In 1956, the group received theNorth American F-100 "Super Sabre," marking the first time a wing in USAFE flew supersonic jets. The group was inactivated on 8 December 1957 when parent wing adopted dual deputate organization and assigned operational squadrons directly to the wing.
On 1 October 1991 the wing was redesignated as the36th Fighter Wing when the objective wing concept was implemented. The group was redesignated the36th Operations Group and activated to control the operational flying squadrons of the Wing.
Bitburg Air Base was one of the bases affected by the1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission (or BRAC) decisions that saw the drawdown of many military facilities in a series of post-Cold War force reductions. In July 1993, HQ USAFE announced the closure of Bitburg Air Base and the pending inactivation of the 36th Fighter Wing. On 1 October 1994 the 36th Fighter Wing was inactivated along with all subordinate units.
The 36th Wing was reactivated without personnel or equipment atAndersen Air Force Base, Guam the same day as the 36th Air Base Wing, a non-flying organization taking over as the host unit. The former host unit, the633d Air Base Wing, was inactivated in keeping with the Air Force Chief of Staff's policy of keeping the most highly decorated and longest serving Air Force units on active duty.
With no aircraft permanently assigned, the 36th Operations Group was not activated, but instead converted to provisional status as the36th Expeditionary Operations Group. The 36 was under the control of HQ,Pacific Air Forces with a mission to support deployed aircraft to PACAF. It could, and was activated and inactivated as needed by the demands of the mission.
The36th Operations Group was re-established as a permanent unit on 14 February 2007, replacing the temporary structure of the provisional expeditionary group for deployed Air Force units assigned to Andersen AFB.[2]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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