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

C-17 of the 729th Airlift Squadron being refueled by a KC-135R of the 336th Air Refueling Squadron

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.

The present day 452d works to maintain a special relationship with the 452d Bomb Group Memorial Association to keep its proud heritage alive.

Overview

The 452 OG mission is to organize, train and equip aircrews to provide air refueling and strategic airlift any time, any place. The Group’s aircraft operate under widely varying situations ranging from small movements in battle to large movements over long distances.

The Group also has a medical squadron which augments joint forces with qualified, professional, aeromedical evacuation aircrews who provide medical care for sick and injured patients transported by air in peacetime and wartime.

Units

The grouop 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

For additional history and lineage, see 452d Air Mobility Wing

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 Squadron: 1 Aug 1992-1 Apr 1995
• 336 Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Aug 1992-Present
• 703 Bobmardment Squadron: 28 May 1948-27 Jun 1949
• 728th Bombardment (later Airlift) Squadron (9Z) : 1 Jun 1943-28 Aug 1945; 19 Apr 1947-10 May 1952; 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959
• 729th Bombardment (later, 729 Tactical Reconnaissance; 729 Bombardment; 729 Troop Carrier; 729 Airlift) Squadron (M3): 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) Squadron (6K) : 1 Jun 1943-28 Aug 1945; 1 Aug 1947-10 May 1952; 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959; 1 May 1994-Present
• 731st Bombardment Squadron (7D): 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, Washington, 1 Jun 1943
• Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, c. 13 Jun 1943
• Pendleton Field, Oregon, 10 Oct 1943
• Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington, c. 4 Nov-Dec 1943
• RAF Deopham Green (USAAF Station 142), England, c. 8 Jan 1944-6 Aug 1945
• Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, c. 12-28 Aug 1945

• Long Beach AAFld (later, Long Beach Muni Aprt), California, 19 Apr 1947
• George AFB, California, 10 Aug-Oct 1950
• Itazuke Air Base, Japan, 26 Oct 1950
• Miho Air Base, Japan, c. 10 Dec 1950
• Pusan-East AB (K-9), South Korea, 17 May 1951-10 May 1952
• Long Beach Airport, California, 13 Jun 1952-14 Apr 1959
• March AFB (later, ARB), California, 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, 1994-2005
• C-17, 2006-Present

World War II

B-17s of the 452d Bomb Group.

The 452 Bombardment Group (Heavy) was established on 14 May 1943 and activated on 1 Jun 1943 at Geiger Field, Washington. The unit was transferred to Rapid City AAB, South Dakota on 15 June 1943 and trained there until early October 1943. It had been redesignated as 452 Bombardment Group, Heavy on 20 August 1943. The 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. The 452d was assigned to the 45th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Square-L".

the 452nd entered combat on 5 Feb with an attack against aircraft assembly plants at Brunswick. Throughout combat, engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets, including marshalling yards at Frankfurt, aircraft assembly plants at Regensburg, aircraft component works at Kassel, the ball-bearing industry at Schweinfurt, a synthetic rubber plant at Hanover, and oil installations at Bohlen.

In addition to strategic missions, the 452d supported ground forces and carried out interdictory operations. Helped prepare for the invasion of Normandy by hitting airfields, V-weapon sites, bridges, and other objectives in France. The group struck coastal defenses on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Bombed enemy positions in support of the breakthrough at St Lo in July and the offensive against Brest in August and September 1944. Later in September, assisted the airborne attack on Holland. Hit enemy communications in and near the combat zone during the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945. Bombed an airfield in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945.

The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for action on 7 April 1945 when, despite vigorous fighter attacks and heavy flak, it accurately bombed a jet-fighter base at Kaltenkirchen. The 452d Bomb Group flew its last combat mission of World War II [in Europe] on 21 April, striking marshalling yards at Ingolstadt.

The group flew a total of 250 missions from Deopham Green during the war, losing 110 of its bombers in the course of these operations. Indeed, the group suffered particularly heavy losses during the spring of 1944, at that time sustaining one of the highest rates of loss of any Fortress equipped unit in the Eighth Air Force.

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.

Cold War

Emblem of the 452d Bombardment Group

Redesignated 452 Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 11 March 1947. Activated in the Reserve on 19 April 1947. Redesignated 452 Bombardment Group, Light on 27 June 1949. Trained as a bombardment group under supervision of the 2347th Air Force Reserve Training Center. Ordered to active duty effective 10 August 1950 for duty in the Korean War. Moved to Japan, Oct-Nov 1950, and entered combat with B-26s against communist forces late in Oct, operating first from bases in Japan and later from South Korea. Flew armed reconnaissance, intruder, and interdiction missions, and provided support for ground troops. Bombed and strafed buildings, tunnels, rail lines, switching centers, bridges, vehicles, supply dumps, and airfields until May 1952. Received two DUCs for actions during the Korean War. Remanned and trained as a tactical reconnaissance group, (452 Tactical Reconnaissance Group) 1952-1955; as a tactical bombardment group (452 Bombardment Group, Tactical), 1955-1957; and as a troop carrier group, (452 Troop Carrier Group, Medium) 1957-1959.

Modern era

On 1 August 1992, the 452d Operations Group (452d OG) was activated as a result of the 452d Refueling Wing implementing the USAF objective wing organization. Upon activation, the 452 OG was bestowed the lineage and history of the 452 Air Refueling Group and all predecessor organizations. the 452d OG was assigned the flying squadrons of the 452d Refueling Wing.

In 1993, March AFB was selected for realignment. As part of the Air Force's realignment the 452nd ARW was deactivated and their personnel and equipment joined under the 452nd Air Mobility Wing on April 1, 1994. On April 1, 1996, March officially became March Air Reserve Base. In 2005, the Group retired its C-141 fleet. A year later, the wing began to receive its eight C-17s.

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.
• 452d Operations Group Factsheet