World War II Organization and training The
group was activated in January 1943 at
Westover Field, Massachusetts, with the
368th,
369th and
370th Fighter Squadrons assigned, although it apparently did not begin to receive personnel until March.
Combat in Europe The 359th entered combat in mid-December 1943 after five 359th pilots flew combat missions with the
78th Fighter Group. At first, the group engaged primarily in escort missions to cover
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and
Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers that attacked airfields in France. It also flew patrol,
strafing,
dive bombing and weather reconnaissance missions. In April 1944, the group began converting to the
North American P-51 Mustang, whose extended range permitted it to provide escort for bombers that struck rail centers in Germany and oil targets in Poland. With the Mustang, the group supported
Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, by patrolling the English Channel, escorting bomber formations to the French coast, and dive bombing and strafing bridges, locomotives, and rail lines near the battle area.
Avelin P. Tacon Jr. was commander of the 359th Fighter Group and went on to become a major general in the US Air force.
Howard L. Fogg, an American artist specializing in railroad art, flew 76 combat missions with the 359th Fighter Group and was awarded the Air Medal with three clusters and the Distinguished Flying Cross with one cluster.
George A. "Pop" Doersch. was the 359th Fighter Group's second highest ranking ace with 10.5 victories in aerial combat (according to USAAF and Imperial Air Museum records) and other sources. Major Doersch flew 78 missions between April 1943 (many in his personal P-51B named "Mis Pop") and July 1944, when returned to the Zone of the Interior. Returning to combat on 20 September 1944, he flew another 69 missions, most in a Mustang P-51D (a replica "OLE GOAT" hangs in the Wisconsin State Museum in Madison). Doersch flew over 500 hours in the ETO, which __ Most of his victories were German Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters. After World War II he went on to serve in the Strategic Air Command until 1967, retiring from the USAF as a full Colonel.
Claude J. Crenshaw was the 359th Fighter Group's fourth highest ranking ace with seven victories in aerial combat. Crenshaw flew 270 combat hours between April 1944 and December 1944 in ETO, and his personal P-51 was named 'Louisiana Heatwave'. After World War II, he continued served in the USAF until 1965, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Air National Guard The group was redesignated
123d Fighter Group and allotted to the
National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at
Standiford Field, Louisville, Kentucky, and was extended federal recognition on 28 September 1947. Upon mobilization, he unit would be gained by
Tenth Air Force of
Continental Air Command. Upon activation, the group was assigned two of its former squadrons. The 165th Fighter Squadron (the former 368th Fighter Squadron) was located with group
headquarters at Standiford Field and the 167th Fighter Squadron (the former 369th Fighter Squadron) was at
Kanawha County Airport, West Virginia. The following year, the
156th Fighter Squadron at
Morris Field, North Carolina was assigned as the group's third operational squadron. The group was again equipped with Mustangs. Administrative and logistics support for the group was supplied by the 223d Air Service Group, which had detachments at each operational squadron's location. In 1949, the unit earned its first Spaatz Trophy, an award given each year to the premier Air National Guard flying unit.
Korean War mobilization After the surprise
invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, the group was mobilized into federal active duty on 10 October 1950. The group and 165th Squadron moved to
Godman Air Force Base, Kentucky at
Fort Knox, where they were joined by the 156th and 167th Fighter Squadrons. A few days later, the group was assigned to the newly organized
123d Fighter-Bomber Wing, which combined the group's operational elements and the 223d Air Service Group's support elements under the
wing base organization of the regular Air Force. In December 1951, the group deployed with the
wing to
RAF Manston, England to replace a
Strategic Air Command unit on temporary duty there. At Manston, the group transitioned into the
Republic F-84E Thunderjet. On 20 July 1952, the group's federalization period expired and it was inactivated, transferring its personnel and equipment to the
406th Fighter-Bomber Group.
Return to state control The group was activated the same day in the Guard and returned to its familiar Mustangs. It again replaced them, this time with
North American F-86 Sabres. In 1957, it transitioned into the
reconnaissance role, initially with
Martin RB-57A Canberras, but in 1965, with
McDonnell RF-101 Voodoos. In connection with the
Pueblo Crisis, the group was again called to active duty in 1968. It was released to state control the following year. The group continued to operate Voodoos until 1974, when it was inactivated as the Air National Guard eliminated group headquarters that were located on the same stations as their parent wings, assigning their operational squadrons directly to the wings. The group was activated again as the
123d Operations Group when the Guard reorganized under the Objective Wing model in 1993. It now operates
Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft. ==Lineage==