World War II The
group was organized as the
353d Fighter Group at
Mitchel Field, New York, although it did not receive any
pilots until it moved to
Richmond AAB, Virginia. The group trained in the Mid-Atlantic states during 1942–1943 while also serving as an
air defense organization. Its original squadrons were the
350th,
351st, and
352d Fighter Squadrons. The group was equipped with
Curtiss P-40N Warhawks that had been used by other units, but in February 1943, it began receiving
Republic P-47B Thunderbolts. Operations commenced on 9 August 1943 when sixteen planes joined P-47s of the
56th Fighter Group on an uneventful fighter sweep over the Netherlands. The group's first mission on its own was a
bomber escort mission on 14 August. On the 16th, the group had its first engagement with enemy
Bf 109 and
Fw 190 fighters. Unfortunately, the first group commander, Lt. Col. Joseph A. Morris was lost in combat that day. These pilots flew P-47s equipped with "paddle blade" propellers which improved the low altitude performance of their Thunderbolts. Until "Bill's Buzz Boys" were disbanded on 12 April they developed
tactics for low level strafing attacks on enemy
airfields, which prevented the
Luftwaffe from shepherding their air defense forces on the ground, in order to use them only when they had an advantage, minimizing losses, because the aircraft were vulnerable both in the air and on the ground. During the
Battle of Normandy, the 353d supported the breakthrough at
Saint-Lô in July. The group received the
Distinguished Unit Citation for supporting
Operation Market Garden, the airborne attack on
Arnhem and
Nijmegen (Operation Market) and the advance of British Forces to link up with the airhead and attack across the
Rhine River (Operation Garden) between 17 and 23 September 1944. In October 1944, the group converted to the
North American P-51 Mustang. Four days later Lt. C. W. Mueller claimed Eighth Air Force's second victory over a jet-propelled
Me 262 fighter. About this time Raydon was known colloquially as "Bomb Alley" due to the number of German
V-1 "Doodlebug" flying bombs which flew directly overhead on their way to London. One V-1 blew up as it went over and the engine narrowly missed the bomb dump in Raydon Great Wood. The group continued its fighter-bomber, escort, and counter-air activities, participating in the
Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945 and
Operation Varsity, the airborne attack across the Rhine in March 1945. The 353d's flew its last combat mission (its 448th) on 25 April 1945, when it escorted
Royal Air Force and
398th Bombardment Group bombers attacking
Berchtesgaden and
Pilsen. It had lost 152 aircraft in combat. 50 of the pilots had become prisoners of war or evadees (including group commander, Col. Glenn E. Duncan), but most aircraft losses also involved the loss of the pilot. After the end of hostilities, the group trained and prepared for transfer to the
Pacific Theater. With the end of World War II in September, the group left Raydon and transferred back to Camp Kilmer,
New Jersey where it was inactivated on 18 October 1945.
Aircraft Markings •
P-47s Yellow and black diamonds on the cowling. •
P-51s Spinners striped alternately yellow and black. Three rows of yellow and black checks on cowlings (expanded to eight rows in 1945). ::
350th Fighter Squadron LH, yellow rudders ::
351st Fighter Squadron YJ, plain rudders ::
352d Fighter Squadron SX, black rudders
Georgia Air National Guard The wartime 353d Fighter Group was redesignated as the
116th Fighter Group, allotted to the
National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at
Marietta Army Air Field, Georgia, and was extended federal recognition on 20 August 1946 by the
National Guard Bureau. The 116th Fighter Group was entitled to the history, honors, and colors of the 353d Fighter Group. It was assigned to the
54th Fighter Wing. The 116th Fighter Group consisted of the
128th Fighter Squadron at Marietta AAF, and the
158th Fighter Squadron at
Chatham Army Air Field, near Savannah. As part of the
Continental Air Command Fourteenth Air Force, the unit trained for tactical fighter missions and air-to-air combat.
Korean Mobilization In October 1950, the group was mobilized and moved to
George Air Force Base. Under the regular Air Force's
wing base organization the
116th Fighter-Bomber Wing was activated as the headquarters for the group and the units supporting it. The 128th Fighter-Bomber Squadron remained with the group after mobilization, but its other units were the
159th Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the
Florida Air National Guard and the
196th Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the
California Air National Guard.
Return to the Georgia Air National Guard The group was redesignated the
116th Fighter-Interceptor Group, returned to the
Georgia Air National Guard on 10 July 1952 and activated at Dobbins Air Force Base. The 116th was gained by
Air Defense Command (ADC). It was initially equipped with old
North American P-51H Mustangs, but soon converted to
Republic F-84 Thunderjets. In 1958, the group began to stand
alert with its interceptors. In 1960 the F-84s were replaced by the
North American F-86L Sabre. In 1961, the group traded in its Sabres for
Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter transports, becoming the
116th Air Transport Group. The group flew long-distance transport missions in support of Air Force requirements, frequently sending aircraft to the Caribbean, Europe, Greenland, and the Middle East. In 1966 the 116th, now the
116th Military Airlift Group, was the first Air National Guard group to receive
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II strategic heavy airlifters. In the years after the Vietnam War, the 116th returned to the
fighter mission and was re-equipped with
North American F-100 Super Sabre. In 1974 the Air National Guard eliminated its tactical groups at locations that also had a
wing headquarters and the
116th Tactical Fighter Group was inactivated on 9 December. In 1992 as part of the post Cold War reorganizations of the Air Force, the 116th Wing converted to the Air Force Objective Wing organization and the group was again activated as the
116th Operations Group. After calling Dobbins home for 50 years, the 116th simultaneously converted from the
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle fighters to the
Rockwell B-1 Lancer strategic bomber and moved 110 miles south to
Robins Air Force Base near Warner Robins, Georgia and the former
Strategic Air Command alert facility there. Under the Air Force's Total Force Initiative the 116th Wing became a "blended" wing. The
93d Air Control Wing, an active-duty unit, was inactivated on 1 October 2002 and the 116th Group was assigned both members of the Guard and active duty airmen. The unit was equipped with the new
E-8C Joint STARS airborne battle management aircraft. On 24 November 2010, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force designated the 116th Air Control Wing as an "Active Associate" wing and replaced the "blended" wing concept. A new active duty associate wing was formed, and the squadrons with active duty airmen were reassigned to the
461st Air Control Wing. The two units continue to operate together to accomplish the shared J-STARS mission. ==Lineage==