84th Combat Sustainment Group    | |
|---|---|
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| Active | 1942–1944, 1949–1951, 1955–1963, 2005–2010 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Air Defense |
| Motto | Cursum Perficio (Latin for 'I Accomplish my Course') |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem of the 84th Combat Sustainment Group[b] |  |
| 84th Fighter Group emblem[c][1] |  |
The84th Combat Sustainment Group is an inactiveUnited States Air Force (USAF) group last assigned to the84th Combat Sustainment Wing atHill Air Force Base, Utah, where it was inactivated in 2010. The group was formed in 1942 as the84th Bombardment Group, one of the firstdive bomber units in theUnited States Army Air Corps and tested theVultee Vengeance, proving that aircraft unsuitable as a dive bomber. As anOperational Training Unit, it was the parent for several otherbombardment groups, but from 1943 until it was disbanded in 1944, trained replacementaircrews as aReplacement Training Unit designated the84th Fighter-Bomber Group.
The group was again active as a fighter group from 1949 to 1951 in thereserves, with no equipment of its own, but using that of the Regular52d Fighter-All Weather Group until it was called to active duty in 1951 and its personnel used to man other units.
In 1955, as part of anAir Defense Command program to revive fighter units that had served inWorld War II, the group became the84th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and served as the USAF host atGeiger Field and served in anair defense role in the northwestern United States until inactivating in 1963.
The group changed missions again, becoming alogistics unit when activated in 2006 as part of a major reorganization ofAir Force Materiel Command (AFMC). It was inactivated in 2010, when this reorganization was reversed, and AFMC returned to a more traditional organization.
Thegroup was activated in 1942 as the84th Bombardment Group (Light) atHunter Field, Georgia, and equipped withDouglas A-24 Banshee dive bombers.[1] The301st,[2]302d,[3]303d,[4] and304th Bombardment Squadrons[5] were assigned.[1] It received its initialcadre and equipment from the3d Bombardment Group.[6] The group was assigned the firstArmy Air Forces (AAF)squadron expressly designated fordive bombing.[6] It operated briefly withVultee V-72 (A-31 Vengeance) aircraft, but its operations showed this aircraft was unsuitable for dive bombing.[6] The group served as anOperational Training Unit (OTU), equipping with A-24 Banshees andBell P-39 Airacobras.[1]
The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to “satellite groups "[7] The OTU program was patterned after the unit training system of theRoyal Air Force. After forming the satellite groups, the parent unit assumed responsibility for satellite training and oversaw its expansion with graduates ofArmy Air Forces Training Command schools to become effective combat units.[8][9] Phase I training concentrated on individual training increwmember specialties. Phase II training emphasized the coordination for the crew to act as a team. The final phase concentrated on operation as a unit.[10] The 84th Group was the parent for several light bombardment groups{{efn|These units were the85th,311th,312th,319th,405th and407th Bombardment Groups.[6]} and also trained pilots fromChile.[6]
In August 1943, the squadron was redesignated the84th Fighter-Bomber Group as were otherArmy Air Forces (AAF) single engine bombardment units, and was re-equipped withRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts.[1] It continued to serve as an OTU until October 1943.[1] During the fall of 1943, operations dwindled and by the end of September 1943 only five aircraft were assigned to the group.[11] As a result of this redesignation, its squadrons were renumbered as the 496th, 497th, 498th, and 491st Fighter-Bomber Squadrons, respectively.[12] DuringWorld War II, the 84th Group served as an Operational Training Unit (OTU) until October 1943.[2][3][4][5] The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups."[13] During the fall of 1943, group operations dwindled and by the end of September 1943 only five aircraft were assigned to the group.[14]
The group then became aReplacement Training Unit (RTU) and also participated occasionally in demonstrations andmaneuvers.[1] RTUs were also oversized units, but with the mission of training individualpilots oraircrews.[13] In performing this mission, the group assumed a split operation, with groupheadquarters[1] and the 491st[5] and 497th Squadrons[3] moving toHarding Field, Louisiana, while the 496th[2] and 498th Squadrons[4] moved toHammond Army Air Field, Louisiana in October and November 1943 andAbilene Army Air Field, Texas in February 1944.[1]
However, the AAF found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission in the US. Accordingly a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[15] The group was, therefore, disbanded in April 1944[1] and replaced at Harding by the 236th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Fighter)[16] as the Army Air Forces disbanded its units in the US that were not programmed to be transferred overseas. At the same time, the 261st AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Fighter) took over the personnel, equipment and mission of the squadrons at Abilene.[17]
The May 1949 Air Force Reserve program called for a new type of unit, the corollary unit, which was a reserve unit integrated with an active duty unit. The plan called for corollary units at 107 locations. It was viewed as the best method to train reservists by mixing them with an existing regular unit to perform duties alongside the regular unit.[18] As part of this program, the group was reconstituted as the84th Fighter Group, All Weather and activated atMitchel Air Force Base, New York in theAir Force Reserves to train as a fighter corollary unit of the52d Fighter Group of the regular Air Force, moving with the 52d toMcGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey a few months later.[1] The group was apparently undermanned and thus performed very little training. During its only 2-week summer encampment (12–26 June 1950), the group had only four pilots capable of flying the 52d'sNorth American F-82 Twin Mustangs provided for training the 84th. Like other corollary units, the 84th Group seems to have been poorly manned, and the parent52d Fighter-All Weather Wing made little use of its corollary units, focusing on its combat mission instead. The 84th Group was ordered to active service on 1 June 1951, inactivated the next day, and its few people became "fillers" for the 52d Wing or, if there was no vacancy in the 52d, for other USAF units.[1][19]
The group was redesignated the84th Fighter Group (Air Defense) and reactivated in 1955[1] atGeiger Field, WA to replace the530th Air Defense Group[20] as part ofAir Defense Command's Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.[21] It was assigned the 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), which moved to Geiger fromPortland International Airport and the newly activated 498th FIS. These two squadrons took over the equipment and personnel of the inactivating440th FIS[22] and520th FIS.[23] Both squadrons flewradar equipped andMighty Mouse rocket armedNorth American F-86 Sabres.[24]
The group providedair defense and acted as USAF host organization at Geiger. It was assigned several support organizations to perform its host duties, including communications, base operations, law enforcement, housing and food services.[25][26][27] In February 1957, the 498th FIS upgraded toConvair F-102 Delta Daggers, which were equipped withdata link for interception control through theSemi-Automatic Ground Environment system. The 497th FIS, however, continued to fly Sabres until it moved to Europe in June 1958 and was reassigned away from the group.[24] In July 1959, the group again upgraded toConvair F-106 Delta Darts.[24]
On 22 October 1962, before PresidentJohn F. Kennedy told Americans that missiles were in place in Cuba, the group dispersed a portion of its force, equipped with nuclear tipped missiles toPaine Air Force Base at the start of theCuban Missile Crisis.[28] These planes returned after the crisis. The group was inactivated shortly thereafter, in July 1963[1] and its combat squadron transferred toMcChord Air Force Base, Washington and the325th Fighter Wing (Air Defense).[24]
The group was reactivated in 2005 as a logistics support group atHill Air Force Base, Utah as part ofAir Force Materiel Command reorganization, which replaced that command's traditional staff agency organizations withwings andgroups. It added component squadrons the following year. The 84th Combat Sustainment Group developed, acquired, and sustained nineteen major command, control, communication, and intelligence systems, space ground segments and presidential telecommunications systems. It served the National Command Authority, the Services, combatant commands, federal agencies, and foreign sales customers. It managed systems valued at over $3.5B and provided spare parts for fielded systems worldwide.[29] In 2010 the group was inactivated when AFMC returned to its traditional organization.[30]
Operational Squadrons
Support Units
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| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
.png) | American Theater without inscription | 10 February 1942 – 1 April 1944 | 84th Bombardment Group (later 84th Fighter-Bomber Group) |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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