The origins of the Michigan Air National Guard can be traced back to the
107th Aero Squadron, which was organized on 27 August 1917. The squadron assembled, serviced, and repaired aircraft during
World War I. It was re-designated 801st Aero Squadron on 1 February 1918 and inactivated after the end of the war on 18 March 1919. The
Militia Act of 1903 established the present National Guard system, units raised by the states but paid for by the Federal Government, liable for immediate state service. If
federalized by Presidential order, they fall under the regular military chain of command. On 1 June 1920, the
Militia Bureau issued Circular No.1 on organization of National Guard air units. It was reformed on 7 May 1926, as the
107th Observation Squadron and is oldest unit of the Michigan Air National Guard. It is one of the
29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the
United States Army National Guard formed before
World War II. The 107th Observation Squadron was ordered into active service on 15 October 1940 as part of the buildup of the
Army Air Corps prior to the United States entry into World War II.
World War II The unit was activated again on 15 October 1940, being redesignated 107th Observation Squadron with
Douglas O-38 and
North American O-47 observation planes. It was sent to the
airfield at Camp Beauregard,
Louisiana for unit training on 28 October 1940. In 1941, the 107th was joined by two other National Guard observation units to form the
67th Observation Group. The 67th Group did anti-submarine patrolling off the East Coast of the US from mid-December 1941 to March 1942, when it returned to Louisiana for training in fighter aircraft. Under War Department policy, many of Michigan's National Guard units were detached from their former organizations and attached to other units. Such was the case for the 107th Observation Squadron, which entered service with the 32nd Division. The squadron was later attached to the 67th Fighter Reconnaissance Group and performed outstanding service in the European Theater of Operations. The 67th Group was sent to
Membury,
England, in August 1942 and flew the
Spitfire Mk V and
Tiger Moths for a year until equipped with the
F-6A Mustang. The 107th became the first operational photographic reconnaissance squadron in Northern Europe. Before the
Normandy landings in June 1944, pilots of the Michigan National Guard's 107th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron were flying photographic missions in preparation for D-Day. The squadron's pilots flew 384 missions to perform the dangerous task of photographically mapping the French coast before D-Day. Miraculously, only one aircraft was shot down from December 1943 to June 1944. Lt. Donald E. Colton was killed in action in the vicinity of
Rouen,
France, on 9 May 1944. For its efforts during this period, the 107th received the
Presidential Unit Citation. Assigned to support the
U.S. First Army during the
Normandy Campaign, the 107th became the first recon squadron to operate from French soil. The squadron flew an additional 1,800-plus missions after May 1944 and participated in four campaigns following Normandy.
Reorganization Following their service during World War II, all Michigan National Guard units remaining in Federal service were officially deactivated by the Army. Officers and men returned to their homes as individuals rather than in units. The
Michigan National Guard was again required to undertake post-war re-establishment and organization from scratch. On 24 May 1946, the
United States Army Air Forces, in response to dramatic postwar military budget cuts imposed by President
Harry S. Truman, allocated inactive unit designations to the
National Guard Bureau for the formation of an Air Force National Guard. These unit designations were allotted and transferred to various State National Guard bureaus to provide them unit designations to re-establish them as Air National Guard units. The
Governor officially accepted the troop allotment assigned to Michigan by the National Defense Authority on 31 May 1946. The allotment called for 228 troop units (including 16 Air National Guard units) to be manned by 24,795 officers and men. This strength was not attained, however, because the
United States War Department immediately began to scale down its plans. Insofar as possible, units were allotted to Michigan communities that had previously sponsored National Guard units and where state-owned or leased armory facilities were available. Initial priority was given to the organization of the State Headquarters, the 46th Infantry Division, and Air National Guard units. On 29 September 1946, the first post-war units of the Michigan National Guard were activated. 18 September 1947, however, is considered the Michigan Air National Guard's official birth concurrent with the establishment of the United States Air Force as a separate branch of the United States military under the National Security Act.
Korean War The United States' second mobilization in a decade was touched off by the
invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950. 26 Michigan Army and Air National Guard units were called to active military service during the Korean War. Inducted strength of these units totaled 2,742 officers and men. All three squadrons of the 127th Fighter Wing, Michigan Air National Guard, were federalized in 1951. Two squadrons were stationed at
Luke Air Force Base,
Arizona. The Battle Creek squadron was assigned to
Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The remaining federalized Michigan Army and Air National Guard units served in the United States, but some of their officers and men were transferred to units that eventually saw service in Korea. With the exception of those who elected to remain on active duty, most of Michigan's Guardsmen completed their tours of duty by the late spring or summer of 1952 and returned home.
1990s When tensions began to reach the breaking point with
Kosovo refugees being forced out of their homes in
Yugoslavia, In 1997 the 110th Fighter Wing took part in
Operation Deny Flight in 1997. Joining with other A-10 "Thunderbolt" units from other state National Guards and active-duty Air Force personnel, the Michigan Air National Guard members formed the 104th Expeditionary Operations Group, which were deployed from mid-May to early July 1997. In 1996, air crew members and maintainers from the airlift element of the 127th Fighter Wing deployed to Germany over a period of two months to fly support shuttle missions into Bosnia as part of
Operation Joint Endeavor. The fighter element of the Wing took their F-16s to
Singapore for training exercises with the Singapore Air Force, and then to Hawaii to participate in
RIMPAC '96, a multi-national maritime exercise. Elements of the Michigan National Guard were some of the last to serve at U.S. military installations in
Panama before the return of those facilities to the
Republic of Panama. The 171st Airlift Squadron of the 127th Wing is the last Air National Guard unit to perform missions from
Howard Air Force Base in Panama and members of the 1775th and 46th Military Police Companies provided law enforcement services and security as
Fort Clayton, Panama was closed down.
War on Terror ground attack aircraft at
Ämari Air Base operated by the
Estonian Defence Forces. Michigan Air National Guard F-16s took to the skies within hours of the
terrorist attacks on the
World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon to fly
combat air patrols over Michigan's cities. The 110th Fighter Wing had
A-10 attack aircraft in service in both
Iraq and
Afghanistan, supporting
Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom. ==See also==