452nd Operations Group

452d Operations Group
Emblem of the 452d Operations Group
Active	1943-1945; 1947-1952; 1952-1959; 1992-Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force

The 452d Operations Group (452 OG) is the flying component of the 452d Air Mobility Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Reserve. The group is stationed at March Air Reserve Base, California.

During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 452d Bombardment Group (Heavy) was a Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed at RAF Deopham Green. 1st Lieutenant Donald J. Gott and 2d Lieutenant William E. Metzger, Jr were both awarded the Medal of Honor for their heroic actions.

Overview

The 452d Operations Group includes a C-17 Globemaster III flying squadron and a KC-135R Stratotanker flying squadron as well as an aeromedical evacuation squadron:

• 336th Air Refueling Squadron (KC-135R)
• 729th Airlift Squadron (C-17)
• 452d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
• 452d Operations Support Squadron
• 452d Airlift Control Flight

History

Lineage

• Established as 452 Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 May 1943

Activated on 1 Jun 1943

Redesignated 452 Bombardment Group, Heavy on 20 Aug 1943

Inactivated on 28 Aug 1945

• Redesignated 452 Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 11 Mar 1947

Activated in the Reserve on 19 Apr 1947

Redesignated 452 Bombardment Group, Light on 27 Jun 1949

Ordered to Active Duty on 10 Aug 1950

Inactivated on 10 May 1952

• Redesignated 452 Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 6 Jun 1952

Activated in the Reserve on 13 Jun 1952

Redesignated: 452 Bombardment Group, Tactical on 22 May 1955

Redesignated: 452 Troop Carrier Group, Medium on 1 Jul 1957

Inactivated on 14 Apr 1959

• Redesignated: 452 Air Refueling Group, Heavy on 31 Jul 1985 (Remained inactive)
• Redesignated: 452 Operations Group on 1 Aug 1992 and activated in the Reserve.

Assignments

• II Bomber Command, 1 Jun 1943
• Second Air Force, 6 Oct 1943
• Eighth Air Force, c. 8 Jan 1944
• VIII Bomber Command, Jan 1944
• 3d Bombardment Division, Jan 1944
• 45th Combat Bombardment Wing, Jan 1944
• 20th Bombardment Wing, 18 Jun 1945

• Second Air Force, c. 12-18 Aug 1945
• 304th Bombardment Wing (later, 304 Air Division), 19 Apr 1947
• 452d Bombardment Wing, 27 Jun 1949-10 May 1952
• 452d Tactical Reconnaissance (later, 452 Bombardment; 452 Troop Carrier) Wing, 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959
• 452d Air Refueling (later, 452 Air Mobility) Wing, 1 Aug 1992-Present

Components

• 79 Air Refueling: 1 Aug 1992-1 Apr 1995
• 336 Air Refueling: 1 Aug 1992-Present
• 703: 28 May 1948-27 Jun 1949
• 728: 1 Jun 1943-28 Aug 1945; 19 Apr 1947-10 May 1952; 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959
• 729 Bombardment (later, 729 Tactical Reconnaissance; 729 Bombardment; 729 Troop Carrier; 729 Airlift): 1 Jun 1943-28 Aug 1945; 12 Jul 1947-10 May 1952; 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959; 1 May 1994-Present
• 730 Bombardment (later, 730 Tactical Reconnaissance; 730 Bombardment; 730 Troop Carrier; 730 Airlift): 1 Jun 1943-28 Aug 1945; 1 Aug 1947-10 May 1952; 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959; 1 May 1994-Present
• 731: 1 Jun 1943-28 Aug 1945; 12 Jul 1947-25 Jun 1951 (detached Nov 1950-25 Jun 1951). 733:16 Nov 1957-14 Apr 1959.

Stations

• Geiger Field, WA, 1 Jun 1943
• Rapid City AAB, SD, c. 13 Jun 1943
• Pendleton Field, OR, 10 Oct 1943
• Walla Walla AAFld, WA, c. 4 Nov-Dec 1943
• RAF Deopham Green, England, c. 8 Jan 1944-6 Aug 1945
• Sioux Falls AAFld, SD, c. 12-28 Aug 1945
• Long Beach AAFld (later, Long Beach Muni Aprt), CA, 19 Apr 1947

• George AFB, CA, 10 Aug-Oct 1950
• Itazuke AB, Japan, 26 Oct 1950
• Miho AB, Japan, c. 10 Dec 1950
• Pusan-East AB, South Korea, 17 May 1951-10 May 1952
• Long Beach Muni Aprt, CA, 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959
• March AFB (later, ARB), CA, 1 Aug 1992-Present

Aircraft assigned

• B-17, 1943-1945
• C-45, c. 1948-1949
• C-47, c. 1948-1949; 1957-1958
• B/TB/FB-26, 1948-1957
• Primarily flew F/TF-51, 1953-1954
• F/TF-80, 1954-1955
• C-46, 1957-1958; 1952-1954

• C-119, 1958-1959
• C-45, 1953-1955, 1957-1958
• TB-25, 1954-1955
• KC-135, 1992-Present
• KC-10, 1992-1995
• C-141, 1994-2002
• C-17, 2002-Present

Operational History

World War II

Emblem of the 452d Bombardment Group

Activated 1 June 1943 at Geiger Field, Washington. Unit was transferred to Rapid City AAB, South Dakota on 15 June 1943 and trained there until early October 1943. Then unit was moved to Pendleton Field Oregon on 11 October 1943 and to Walla Wallla AAFd Washington on the 4th of November 1943. Ground unit left for Camp Shanks New York on the 23rd of December 1943 and sailed on the Queen Elizabeth on the 2nd of January 1944, and arrived in Clyde on the 8th of January 1944. The air echelon began overseas movement in early December 1943 via the southern ferry route. Most of the aircraft reached England a few days before the ground units arrived.

Redeployed to the US June/August 1945. The air echelon departed the United Kingdom late June 1945. Ground echelon sailed on the Queen Elizabeth from Greenock on the 5th of August 1945, and arrived in New York on the 11th of August 1945. The unit established at Sioux Falls AAFd, South Dakota where the Group was inactivated on the 28th of August 1945.

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• Rogers, Brian. United States Air Force Unit Designations since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications, 2005. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.