8th Fighter Wing

8th Fighter Wing
Active	1 April 1931 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	Air Force
Part of	Pacific Air Forces
Garrison/HQ	Kunsan Air Base
Nickname(s)	Wolf Pack
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Jeffrey Lofgren
Notable commanders	William W. Momyer Robin Olds

The United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing (8 FW) is the host wing at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea. The wing is assigned to the Pacific Air Forces Seventh Air Force.

Mission

• DEFEND THE BASE
• ACCEPT FOLLOW-ON FORCES
• TAKE THE FIGHT NORTH

Units

The 8th Fighter Wing is composed of four groups each with specific functions. The Operations Group controls all flying and airfield operations. The Maintenance Group performs Aircraft and Aircraft support equipment maintenance. The Mission Support Group has a wide range of responsibilities but a few of its functions are Security, Civil Engineering, Communications, Personnel Management, Logistics, Services and Contracting support. While the Medical Group provides medical and dental care.

8th Operations Group (8 OG) (Tail Code: WP)

• 8th Operations Support Squadron (8 OSS)
• 35th Fighter Squadron (35 FS) (F-16C/D, blue tail stripe)
• 80th Fighter Squadron (80 FS) (F-16C/D, yellow tail stripe)

8th Maintenance Group (8 MXG)

• 8th Maintenance Squadron (8 MXS)
• 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (8 AMXS)
• 8th Maintenance Operations Squadron (8 MOS)

Wing Staff Agencies

• 8th Comptroller Squadron (8 CPTS)

8th Mission Support Group (8 MSG)

• 8th Civil Engineer Squadron (8 CES)
• 8th Contracting Squadron (8 CONS)
• 8th Security Forces Squadron (8 SFS)
• 8th Services Squadron (8 SVS)
• 8th Logistics Readiness Squadron (8 LRS)
• 8th Mission Support Squadron (8 MSS)
• 8th Communications Squadron (8 CS)

8th Medical Group (8 MDG)

• 8th Medical Operations Squadron (8 MDOS)
• 8th Medical Support Squadron (8 MDSS)

• 
  8 FW
• 
  8 CPTS
• 
  35 FS
• 80 FS
  80 FS
• 
  8 OSS
• 
  8 MXG
• 
  8 MOS
• 
  8 MSG
• 
  8 CES
• 
  8 CS
• 
  8 LRS
• 
  8 SFS
• 
  8 SVS
• 
  8 MDG
• 
  8 MDOS
• 
  8 MDSS

History

Lineage

• 8th Pursuit Group (1923-1926)
  (authorized 24 March 1923, inactive)
• 8th Pursuit Group, Air Corps (1926-1936)
  (activated 1 April 1931)
• 8th Pursuit Group(1936-1939)
• 8th Pursuit Group (Fighter) (1939-1941)
• 8th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) (1941-1942)

• 8th Fighter Group (1942-1943)
• 8th Fighter Group, Single Engine (1943-1950)
• 8th Fighter Wing (1948-1950)
• 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing (1950-1958)***
• 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (1958-1992)
• 8th Fighter Wing (1992-Present)

Note:*** Lineage, honors and history of USAAF 8th Fighter Group bestowed on USAF 8th Fighter Wing, 1952.

Bases Assigned

• Langley Field, Virginia (1931-1940)
• Mitchel Field, New York (1940-1942)
• Various, Australia (1942-1943)
• Various, Pacific Theater of Operations (1943-1945)
• Various, Japan (1945-1950)

• Various, Korea (1950-1954)
• Itazuke AB, Japan, (1954-1964)
• George Air Force Base, California (1964-1965)
• Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand (1965-1974)
• Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea (1974-Present)

Aircraft Flown

• P-6 Hawk (1923-1940)
• P-12 (1923-1940)
• PB-2A (1923-1940)
• P-36 Hawk (1923-1940)
• P-40 Warhawk (1940-1944)
• P-39 Airacobra (1941-1943)
• P-38 Lightning (1943-1946)
• P-47 Thunderbolt (1943-1944)
• P-51 Mustang (1946-1950)
• P-80 Shooting Star (1948-1953)

• F-86 Sabre (1953-1957)
• F-100 Super Sabre (1956-1963)
• F-102 Delta Dagger (1961-1964)
• F-104 Starfighter (1966-1967)
• F-105 Thunderchief (1963-1964)
• F-4 Phantom (1964-1982)
• F-16 Falcon (1981-Present)
• AC-130 Spector (1968-1974)
• B-57 Canberra (1970-1972)

Origns

February 6, 1918, marked the activation of the 8th Pursuit Group at Camp Waco, Texas. By May 1918, the pilots of the 8th were deployed to the World War I Western Front and experienced their first combat in France. The group deactivated at the end of the war and remained as such until April 1931.

In 1931, the 8th was reactivated helped fly the air corps air mail routes across the United States. In addition, the group trained, took part in maneuvers and reviews, and tested planes and equipment.

Initially, the group had two flying squadrons assigned, but both operated from other bases. The 36th Pursuit Squadron flew from Selfridge Field, Michigan, while the 55th Pursuit Squadron operated from Mather Field, California. In June 1932 the group reorganized. It gained the 33rd and 35th Pursuit Squadrons, and activated at Langley Field, Virginia. The 36th moved from Selfridge to Langley to join the rest of the group. At the same time, the 55th Pursuit Squadron transferred to the 20th Fighter Group, leaving the 8th with three squadrons.

At Langley the group trained in such aircraft as the Consolidated PB-2, Curtiss P-6, and Boeing P-12. Over the next several years, the group transitioned to such newer aircraft as the Seversky P-35, Curtiss P-36 Hawk, Bell P-39 Airacobra, and the Curtiss P-40.

Significantly, on 11 October 1940, the 8th Pursuit Group participated in a test designed to compare the take-off runs of standard Navy and Army aircraft. On that day, 24 P-40s from the 8th Pursuit Group launched from the USS Wasp, an aircraft carrier, and returned to Langley Field. That experiment, the first time that Army planes had flown from a Navy carrier, foreshadowed the use of the ship in the ferry role that it performed admirably in World War II.

In December 1940, the group became part of the defense force for the New York metropolitan area, being reassigned to Mitchel Field on Long Island. At Mitchel, the 33rd Pursuit Squadron was transferred to the 342d Composite Group in Iceland in August 1941, leaving the group with two flying squadrons, the 35th and 36th Pursuit Squadrons, with the P-40 as the primary aircraft flown.

World War II

In the spring of 1942, the unit was redesignated as the 8th Fighter Group, as fighting became the new mission. It was deployed to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater. When the group arrived in Australia, three squadrons were assigned:

• 35th Fighter Squadron
• 36th Fighter Squadron
• 80th Fighter Squadron

In September 1942 the group moved to New Guinea and served in combat in February 1943 flying P-40s. Resuming operations in April 1943, the 8th served in the theater through the rest of the Second World War, providing cover for Allied landings, escorting bombers, and attacking enemy airfields. The group supported operations of the Marines at Cape Gloucester, February and March 1944; flew long-range escort and attack missions to Borneo, Ceram, Halmahera, and the southern Philippines; provided cover for convoys; and attacked enemy shipping. The unit won a Distinguished Unit Citation for strafing a Japanese naval force off Mindoro on 26 December 1944. The group went on to cover landings at Lingayen; support ground forces on Luzon; escort bombers to targets on the Asian mainland and on Formosa; and, in the last days of the war, attack enemy airfields and railways in Japan.

After V-J Day, the group remained as part of the Far East Air Forces occupation force at Ashiya Air Field on the island of Kyushu. Initially flying North American P-51D Mustangs in 1946, the 8th provided air defense for the Japanese region. While stationed in Japan, the wing upgraded to the more sophisticated Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star jet fighter in 1948. On January 20, 1950, the wing gained its new designation as the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing.

Korean War

On 25 June 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea, starting a war that would last three years. As the war in Korea began, the 347th Fighter Group was assigned to the 8th to to fly combat missions. The wing provided air cover for the evacuation of Americans from Korea on 26 June, the day after the invasion.

The wing had several additonal squadrons attached to it during the first months of the war in addition to the 35th, 36th, and 80th Fighter Squadrons, these being:

• 9th Fighter Squadron (27 June - 9 July 1950) (F-80C)
• 68th Fighter Squadron, All Weather (1 March - 1 December 1950) (F-82E/G)
• 77th Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force (2 July - 10 October 1950, 25 June - 22 August 1951) (F-51D)
• 339th Fighter Squadron, All Weather (26 June - 5 July 1950) (F-82E/G)

In these early operations, the wing flew the F-80 Shooting Star jet fighter and propeller driven aircraft such as the F-51 Mustang and F-82 Twin Mustang. The first aerial victory of the Korean War went to 1Lt William G. Hudson, of the 68th Fighter Squadron, All Weather in an F-82. Later the same day, 35th Fighter-Bomber Squadron F-80s scored the Air Force's first confirmed kills from jet aircraft. In August, the wing briefly reverted to the F-51 Mustang, returning to the F-80 in December 1950.

Throughout the war, the wing principally conducted air-to-ground operations, providing close air support to United Nations ground forces and attacking targets such as supply centers and transportation assets.

The 8th Fighter Wing is known for the heroic actions of its members, including Major Charles J. Loring, a pilot in the 80th FS, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on November 22, 1952 when he flew his badly damaged F-80 aircraft into an enemy artillery emplacement near Sniper Ridge so that entrenched U.S. Infantry men could escape. During the next three years, the 8th flew more than 60,000 sorties while operating from bases in both Korea and Japan. The wing participated in 10 campaigns and earned three unit citations.

The wing finished the war flying the F-86 Sabre beginning in 1953 and became responsible for air defense over South Korea until relocated to Itazuke Air Base, Japan in October 1954. Its wartime participation in Korea earned the wing two Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citations and ten campaign streamers, while the 8th Fighter-Bomber Group separately earned a Distinguished Unit Citation.

During the war in Korea, the 8th shot down 18 enemy aircraft, most in the earliest days of the war before the wing's mission changed to air-to-ground operations.

Cold War

With the end of the Korean War, the wing was assigned to Itazuke AB, Japan for the next ten years. On 1 October 1957, the 8th Fighter-Bomber Group inactivated, with the flying squadrons then assigned directly to the wing. Less than a year later, on 1 July 1958, the Air Force redesignated the wing as the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. During its tenure at Itazuke, the wing flew several different aircraft, including the North American F-86 Sabre, North American F-100 Super Sabre, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, and Republic F-105 Thunderchief.

As part of an overall effort to reduce the number of wings in Japan the wing's tactical squadrons were detached on 13 May 1964, and on 18 June 1964 all wing components except wing headquarters inactivated.

Vietnam War

On 18 Jun 1964, the wing moved without personnel or equipment to George AFB California, replacing and absorbing the resources of the 32d Tactical Fighter Wing. Operational squadrons of the 8th TFW at George were:

• 68th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
• 431st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron
• 497th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron

While at George AFB, the wing trained with the McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II figher aircraft and participated in numerous exercises, operational readiness inspections, and the like until the wing moved to Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand in December 1965 to commence combat operations in the Vietnam War.

At Ubon, the 8th TFW carried out its wartime mission as it led the way for other tactical Air Force fighter units during the Vietnam conflict. Initial F-4D operational sqauadrons were:

• 433d Tactical Fighter Squadron (December 1965 - July 1974) (Tail Code: FG)
• 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron (December 1965 - September 1974) (Tail Code: FP)

Additional F-4D squadrons deployed and assigned to the 8th TFW were:

• 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron (February 1966 - June 1968 (Tail Code: FY)
  (Reassigned from 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, Naha AB, Okinawa)
  25th Tactical Fighter Squadron (May 1968 - July 1974) (Tail Code: FA)
  (Reassigned from 33d Tactical Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida)
• 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron (June 1966 - August 1974) (Tail Code: FO)
  (Reassigned from 65th Air Division, Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam)

Note: The 555th TFS was reassigned to the 432d TFW at Udon RTAFB where it would bring the unit up to strength. The 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron, replaced the unit as the fourth F-4D fighter-bomber squadron at Ubon.

The wing carried out a number of roles during combat. By the end of 1966, aircrews assigned to the 8th TFW flew nearly 14,000 combat missions into Vietnam. One of the squadrons assigned to wing, the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, became known as the "Ace" squadron of the conflict. During his tenure from September 1966 to September 1967, Col Robin Olds, Wing Commander, referred to his unit as the "Wolf Pack" because of pilot aggressiveness and teamwork while flying combat missions, much like a pack of wolves, which led to the wing's nickname. In May 1968, the wing was the first to use laser-guided bombs (LGBs) in combat. During 1970, the Wolf Pack flew its 100,000th combat sortie.

In addition to the F-4D fighter-bombers, the wing used Martin B-57G Canberras for night attacks, and AC-130 "Spectre" gunships for ground support and armed reconnaissance. Squadrons which operated these aircraft were:

• 16th Special Operations Squadron (October 1968 - July 1974) (AC-130A/E/H Tail Code: FT)
• 13th Bombardment Squadron (October 1970 - March 1972) (B-57G Tail Code: FS/FK)

After North Vietnam invaded the Republic of Vietnam in March 1972, the 8 TFW was augmented by additional Temporary Duty (TDY) F-4E units. These were:

• 334th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  (April 1972 - July 1972) (Tail Code: SA)
  (September 1972 - March 1973) (Tail Code: SJ) (TDY from 4th TFW, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina)
• 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  (August 1972 - December 1972) (Tail Code: SJ) (TDY from 4th TFW, Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina)
• 308th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  (December 1972 - January 1973) (Tail Code: ZF) (TDY from 31st TFW, Homestead AFB, Florida)
• 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron
  (June 1973 - September 1973) (Tail Code: ED) (TDY from 33d TFW, Eglin AFB, Florida)

To make room for these forces, the 13th Bomb Squadron was reassigned to Clark AB, Phillipines.

In December 1972, the 8th became involved in Linebacker II. Designed to make the enemy more serious about the peace negotiations in progress at Paris, France, the 8th TFW launched 524 sorties for bombing missions against North Vietnam between December 18-31, 1972.

Early in 1973, the Wolf Pack mission included air interdiction into Laos against communist insurgents in Cambodia. In mid-1974 action began to phase down Ubon Afld, Thailand, and the wing began to lose personnel, aircraft, and units. The last scheduled F-4 training flight occurred on 16 July 1974,

For its efforts during the Vietnam War, the wing received four Presidential Unit Citations and five Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards. In addition, the wing led the Air Force with 38.5 MiG kills.

Post Vietnam Era

On 16 September 1974 the wing moved without personnel or equipment to Kunsan AB, South Korea, where it absorbed resources of the 3d Tactical Fighter Wing. The 8th then became responsible for air defense of South Korea.

In April 1975 the wing gained an air base squadron at Kwang Ju, often used during numerous tactical exercises. Following the killing of two U.S. Army officers by North Koreans on 18 August 1976, the 8th TFW went on increased alert and was quickly augmented by F-4s from the 12th and 67th Squadrons at Kadena AB, Okinawa. The alert status relaxed on 8 September 1976 and the augmentation forces were released.

On 1 October 1978, the wing gained a third flying unit, the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, based at Taegu Air Base, South Korea. Operations continued unchanged for the next few years, until the wing transitioned from the F-4 to the newer F-16 Fighting Falcon. The Wolf Pack’s transition from the F-4 to the F-16 began with the arrival of the wing’s first F-16 on 29 May 1981. The wing’s first F-16 sortie was flown the following 18 September and, by 19 July 1982, the conversion of the 35th and 80th Fighter squadrons was complete as the last F-4 departed Kunsan. This aircraft conversion made the 8th the first active-duty overseas F-16 wing. On 1 January 1982, the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Taegu inactivated.

For the next ten years the wing used the F-16 to maintain combat readiness for the defense of Korea. While the overall mission remained unchanged, the wing reorganized on 3 February 1992. The wing became the 8th Fighter Wing. Further, the wing adopted a new organizational structure. Under the former tri-deputy system, the wing commander had three deputy commanders, one each for operations, maintenance, and resources. As well, the squadrons were assigned directly to the wing.

Post Cold War

In 1992, the wing adopted a multi-group structure. This reorganization re-activated the 8th Operations Group and assigned it and the 8th Logistics, Support, and Medical Groups directly to the wing. The squadrons were then assigned to their functionally aligned groups.

The 8th Fighter Wing entered a new era in November 2000. On 17 November, the 35th Fighter Squadron received its first Block 40 F-16s. The new aircraft carried Low-Altitude Navigation & Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) pods. The 35th completed its conversion in February 2001. The combination of LANTIRN and night-vision goggles has allowed the Wolf Pack to take the fight into the night.

See Also

• Pacific Air Forces

References

This article contains information from the 8th Wing history factsheet which is an official document of the United States Government and is presumed to be in the public domain.

• Martin, Patrick, Tail Code: The Complete History Of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings, 1994
• Maurer Maurer, Air Force Combat Units Of World War II, Office of Air Force History, 1983
• Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings: Linege and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, 1984
• USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present
• ArmyAirForces.com
• Air Force Historical Research Agency

External links

• Kunsan AB Home Page