51st Operations Group: Difference between revisions

51st Operations Group
Emblem of the 51st Operations Group
Active	1940-1945; 1946-1957; 1990-President
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force

The 51st Operations Group (51 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 51st Fighter Wing, stationed at Osan Air Base, South Korea.

The group's World War II predecessor unit, the 51st Fighter Group. was activated in January 1941, nearly a year before American entered World War II. It was one of the first groups deployed from the United States after the Attack on Pearl Harbor, traveling west to India via Australia and Ceylon. Later, during the Korean War, the group's aircraft were some of the first United States Air Force fighters to engage in combat operations over South Korea, frequently engaging enemy fighters in air-to-air combat.

The 51st Operations Group is the most forward deployed USAF Operations Group in the world, providing combat ready aircraft for the close air support, air strike control, counter air, interdiction, theater airlift, and communications in the defense of the Republic of Korea.

The 51 OG (Tail Code: OS) consists of the following squadrons:

• 25th Fighter Squadron "Assam Draggins" (A-10A/C)
• 36th Fighter Squadron "Fiends" (Block 40 F-16C/D)
• 51st Operations Support Squadron (OSS)

• Established as 51 Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 Nov 1940

Activated on 15 Jan 1941

Redesignated: 51 Pursuit Group (Fighter) on 12 Mar 1941

Redesignated: 51 Fighter Group on 15 May 1942

Inactivated on 13 Dec 1945

• Activated on 15 Oct 1946

Redesignated: 51 Fighter-Interceptor Group on 1 Feb 1950

Inactivated on 25 Oct 1957

• Redesignated: 51 Tactical Fighter Group on 31 Jul 1985 (Remained inactive)
• Redesignated: 51 Fighter Group on 10 Sep 1990

Activated on 1 Oct 1990

Redesignated: 51 Operations Group on 7 Feb 1992.

• Southwest Air District (later, 4 Air Force), 15 Jan 1941
• 9 Pursuit Wing, 2 Jun 1941

Attached to 4 Air Force until 20 Jun 1941

• 4 Bomber Command, 19 Sep 1941-Jan 1942

Attached to 4 Interceptor Command, 14 Oct 1941-unkn)

• 10 (later, Tenth) Air Force, c. 14 Mar 1942
• Fourteenth Air Force, 12 Sep 1943

Attached to Tenth Air Force until 1 Oct 1943

• 69 Bombardment (later, 69 Composite) Wing, Oct 1943
• Fourteenth Air Force, 25 Aug 1945
• Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, Sep-Nov 1945
• 301 Fighter Wing, 15 Oct 1946
• 51 Fighter (later, 51 Fighter-Interceptor) Wing, 18 Aug 1948-25 Oct 1957

Attached to 8 Fighter-Bomber Wing, 26 Sep-12 Oct 1950

Attached toDetachment 1, Twentieth Air Force, 16 Aug 1954-1 Mar 1955

Attached toDetachment 1, 313 Air Division, 1-15 Mar 1955

• 51 Tactical Fighter (later, 51; 51 Fighter) Wing, 1 Oct 1990-Present

• 4 Fighter: attached 20 Feb 1947-20 Sep 1950
• 16 Pursuit (later, 16 Fighter; 16 Fighter-Interceptor): 15 Jan 1941-7 Dec 1945 (detached Jul 1942-19 Oct 1943); 15 Oct 1946-15 Oct 1957 (detached 3-28 Apr 1955, 1 Jun-1 Jul 1955, and 1 Jul-25 Oct 1957).
• 19 Tactical Air Support: 1 Oct 1990-1 Oct 1993
• 25 Pursuit (later, 25 Fighter; 25 Fighter-Interceptor; 25 Fighter): 15 Jan 1941-12 Dec 1945; 15 Oct 1946-25 Oct 1957 (detached 28 Apr-1 Jun 1955 and 1 Jul-25 Oct 1957); 1 Oct 1993-Present
• 26 Pursuit (later, 26 Fighter; 26 Fighter-Interceptor): 15 Jan 1941-13 Dec 1945; 15 Oct 1946-1 Oct 1957 (detached 20 Sep 1950-31 Jul 1954, 10 Nov-11 Dec 1954, and 11 Jul 1955-1 Oct 1957)
• 36 Tactical Fighter (later, 36 Fighter): 1 Oct 1990-Present
• 38 Rescue (later, 38 Rescue Flight): 1 Feb 1993-15 Feb 1996. 39 Fighter-Interceptor: attached 1 Jun 1952-14 Jul 1954. 68 Fighter-All Weather: attached 25 Sep-9 Oct 1950. 80 Fighter-Bomber: attached 25 Sep-20 Dec 1950
• 449 Fighter: 26 Aug 1943-13 Dec 1945 (detached 26 Aug-19 Oct 1943)

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.