403d Operations Group
Encyclopedia
The 403d Operations Group (403 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force Reserve 403d Wing
. It is stationed at Keesler Air Force Base
, Mississippi
.
tasked to organize, equip, train and perform all hurricane weather reconnaissance in support of the Department of Commerce.
Transported men and supplies to forward areas in the Solomon Islands and flew passenger and cargo routes to New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and New Caledonia. The group also moved personnel of Thirteenth Air Force units to the Southwest Pacific theater. Supported campaigns in New Guinea and the Philippines by transporting men and cargo to combat areas, evacuating casualties, and landing or dropping supplies for guerrilla forces. On 23 February 1945, dropped paratroops at Laguna de Bay, Luzon, to free civilian internees held by the Japanese.
Earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for transporting ammunition, food, and other supplies to Eighth Army forces in Mindanao and for landing on jungle airstrips to evacuate wounded personnel from Apr to Jun. From the Philippines, ferried occupation troops to Japan, evacuated liberated prisoners, and flew cargo and passenger routes to Japan and Australia.
From June 1949 until 1 April 1951, when it was called the active duty, the group trained as a reserve troop carrier unit in Oregon.
In Mar and April 1952, moved to Japan for operations against communist forces in Korea. Using C-119s, the group dropped paratroops and supplies, transported personnel and equipment, and evacuated casualties. On 1 January 1953, relieved from active duty and inactivated in Japan.
It activated again as a reserve unit, training for airlift, air evacuation, and aeromedical evacuation missions until inactivation in 1959. From 1992, the group flew Air Force Reserve airlift and weather reconnaissance missions, including Hurricane Hunter missions.
403d Wing
403d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians.403d Wing performs...
. It is stationed at Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base
Keesler Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in Biloxi, a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. The base is named in honor of aviator 2d Lt Samuel Reeves Keesler, Jr., a Mississippi native killed in France in First World War.-Units:The base is home of...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Units
The 403 OG performs missions including airlift of personnel, equipment and supplies. Additionally, the group is the only unit in the Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
tasked to organize, equip, train and perform all hurricane weather reconnaissance in support of the Department of Commerce.
- 403rd Operations Support Flight
- 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron53rd Weather Reconnaissance SquadronThe 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron , also known by its nickname, Hurricane Hunters, is a flying unit of the United States Air Force...
"Hurricane Hunters" - 815th Airlift Squadron815th Airlift SquadronThe 815th Airlift Squadron is part of the 403d Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates C-130J Hercules aircraft providing global airlfit....
"Flying Jennies"
Lineage
- Established as 403 Troop Carrier Group on 7 December 1942
- Activated on 12 December 1942
- Inactivated on 15 October 1946
- Redesignated 403 Troop Carrier Group, Medium on 10 May 1949
- Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949
- Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951
- Inactivated on 1 January 1953
- Activated in the Reserve on 1 January 1953
- Inactivated on 14 April 1959
- Redesignated: 403 Military Airlift Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
- Redesignated: 403 Operations Group on 1 August 1992
- Activated in the Reserve on 1 August 1992.
Assignments
- I Troop Carrier CommandI Troop Carrier CommandThe I Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Stout Army Air Field, Indiana.Its primary mission was theater troop and logistics transport training...
, 12 December 1942 - 50 Troop Carrier Wing, 1 May 1943
- XIII Air Force Service CommandThirteenth Air ForceThe Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
, September 1943 - Far East Air Service Command, 13 December 1945
- 322d Troop Carrier Wing322d Airlift DivisionThe 322d Airlift Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-First Air Force, being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany...
, 1 January 1946 - 54th Troop Carrier Wing, 26 January – 15 October 1946
- 403 Troop Carrier Wing403d Wing403d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians.403d Wing performs...
, 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953-14 April 1959 - 403 Airlift Wing (later, 403 Wing)403d Wing403d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians.403d Wing performs...
, 1 August 1992–present
Components
- 6 Troop Carrier Squadron: 15 May – 15 October 1946
- 9 Troop Carrier Squadron: 31 May – 15 October 1946
- 13 Troop Carrier Squadron: 22 August 1943 – 15 October 1946
- 19 Troop Carrier Squadron: 31 May – 15 October 1946
- 53 Weather Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 November 1993–present
- 63 Troop Carrier Squadron: 12 December 1942 May-15 May 1946 (detached 10 October 1943 – 3 July 1944); 27 June 1949-1 January 1953; 1 January 1953 – 14 April 1959
- 64 Troop Carrier Squadron: 12 December 1942 May-15 May 1946; 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953-14 April 1959
- 65 Troop Carrier Squadron: 12 December 1942 – 26 July 1943; 20 February 1945-27 January 1946; 27 June 1949 – 1 January 1953; 1 January 1953-16 November 1957
- 66 Troop Carrier Squadron: 12 December 1942 – 21 July 1943; 20 February 1945-15 January 1946; 27 June 1949 – 17 April 1951
- 815 Airlift Squadron: 1 August 1992–present.
Stations
- Bowman Field, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, 12 December 1942 - Alliance Army Air Field, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 18 December 1942 - Pope Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 3 May 1943 - Baer Field, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, 20 June 1943 - Camp Stoneman, California, 18 July – 24 August 1943
- Luganville Airfield, Espiritu SantoEspiritu SantoEspiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, New HebridesNew HebridesNew Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, 15 September 1943 - Momote Airfield, Los NegrosLos NegrosLos Negros was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. On 2010 it went independent and had been contesting the control of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. It was then the criminal...
, Admiralty IslandsAdmiralty IslandsThe Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, 30 August 1944 - Mokmer Airfield, BiakBiakBiak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
, Netherlands East Indies, 4 October 1944
- Undeterined Location, LeyteLeyteLeyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
, Philippines, 25 June 1945 - Clark Field, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippines, 1 February 1946 - Manila AirportNinoy Aquino International AirportThe Ninoy Aquino International Airport or NAIA , also known as Manila International Airport , is the airport serving the general area of Manila and its surrounding metropolitan area...
, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippines, c. June-15 October 1946 - Portland Municipal AirportPortland International AirportPortland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 27 June 1949 – 29 March 1952 - Ashiya AB, Japan, 14 April 1952 – 1 January 1953
- Portland International AirportPortland International AirportPortland International Airport is a joint civil-military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of passenger travel and more than 95% of air cargo of the state. It is located within Portland's city limits just south of the Columbia River in Multnomah...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, 1 January 1953 - Selfridge AFB, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 16 November 1957 – 14 April 1959 - Keesler AFB, MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, 1 August 1992–present
Aircraft
- C-47, 1942–1946; C/VC-47, 1952; TC-47, 1957–1959
- C-46, 1945–1946; C/TC-46, 1949–1952
- C-54, 1952
- C-119, 1952, 1957–1959
- C-46, 1953–1957
- C-130, 1992–present; WC-130, 1992–present
Operations
Trained for overseas troop carrier operations from late 1942 to the summer of 1943, when it moved to the South Pacific.Transported men and supplies to forward areas in the Solomon Islands and flew passenger and cargo routes to New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, and New Caledonia. The group also moved personnel of Thirteenth Air Force units to the Southwest Pacific theater. Supported campaigns in New Guinea and the Philippines by transporting men and cargo to combat areas, evacuating casualties, and landing or dropping supplies for guerrilla forces. On 23 February 1945, dropped paratroops at Laguna de Bay, Luzon, to free civilian internees held by the Japanese.
Earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for transporting ammunition, food, and other supplies to Eighth Army forces in Mindanao and for landing on jungle airstrips to evacuate wounded personnel from Apr to Jun. From the Philippines, ferried occupation troops to Japan, evacuated liberated prisoners, and flew cargo and passenger routes to Japan and Australia.
From June 1949 until 1 April 1951, when it was called the active duty, the group trained as a reserve troop carrier unit in Oregon.
In Mar and April 1952, moved to Japan for operations against communist forces in Korea. Using C-119s, the group dropped paratroops and supplies, transported personnel and equipment, and evacuated casualties. On 1 January 1953, relieved from active duty and inactivated in Japan.
It activated again as a reserve unit, training for airlift, air evacuation, and aeromedical evacuation missions until inactivation in 1959. From 1992, the group flew Air Force Reserve airlift and weather reconnaissance missions, including Hurricane Hunter missions.