22nd Operations Group

22d Operations Group
22nd Bomb Group emblem
Active	1940-1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Force
Type	Medium (B-25, B-26) 1940-1943. Heavy (B-24) 1943-1945
Role	Combat
Motto(s)	Ducemus - "We Lead"

The 22d Operations Group (22 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 22d Air Refueling Wing. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, and is assigned to the Air Mobility Command (AFGSC) Eighteenth Air Force.

History

For additional history and lineage, see 22d Air Refueling Wing

Lineage

• Established as 22 Bombardment Group (Medium) on 22 Dec 1939

Activated on 1 Feb 1940

Redesignated: 22 Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 11 Feb 1944

Redesignated: 22 Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 15 Jun 1946

Redesignated: 22 Bombardment Group, Medium, on 28 Jul 1948

Inactivated on 16 Jun 1952

• Redesignated: 22 Air Refueling Group, Heavy, on 31 Jul 1985 (Remained inactive)
• Redesignated: 22 Operations Group on 29 Aug 1991

Activated on 1 Sep 1991.

Assignments

• 2 (later, 2 Bombardment) Wing, 1 Feb 1940
• I Bomber Command, 4 Sep 1941
• United States Army Forces in Australia, Feb 1942
• Allied Air Forces, Southwest Pacific Area, Apr 1942
• V Bomber Command, 5 Sep 1942

Attached to 309 Bombardment Wing, 1-16 Feb 1944

• Far East Air Forces (later, Pacific Air Command United States Army), Nov 1945

• Eighth Air Force, 15 May 1946
• 316 Bombardment Wing, c. 15 Jun 1946
• Fifteenth Air Force, Jun 1948
• 22 Bombardment Wing, Medium, 1 Aug 1948-16 Jun 1952

Detached 1 Aug 1948-30 Jun 1949, 14 Nov 1949-20 Feb 1950, 4 Jul-c. 31 Oct 1950; not operational, 10 Feb 1951-16 Jun 1952

• 22 Air Refueling Wing, 1 Sep 1991-Present

Components

• 2 Bombardment: 1 Feb 1940-16 Jun 1952 (detached 10 Feb 1951-16 Jun 1952)
• 6 Air Refueling: 1 Sep 1991-1 Jan 1994
• 9 Air Refueling: 1 Sep 1991-1 Jan 1994
• 18 Reconnaissance (later, 408 Bombardment): attached 1 Feb 1940-24 Apr 1942; assigned 24 Apr 1942-29 Apr 1946
• 19 Bombardment: 1 Feb 1940-16 Jun 1952
• 22 Air Refueling: 16 Jun 1950-16 Jun 1952
• 33 Bombardment: 1 Feb 1940-16 Jun 1952
• 344 Air Refueling: 29 Apr 1994-Present
• 349 Air Refueling: 1 Jan 1994-Present
• 350 Air Refueling: 1 Jul 1994-Present
• 384 Air Refueling: 1 Jan 1994-Present
• 459 Airlift, 1 Apr-1 Oct 1993.

Stations

• Mitchel Field, NY, 1 Feb 1940
• Langley Field, VA, 14 Nov 1940
• Muroc, CA, c. 9 Dec 1941-31 Jan 1942
• Amberley Field, Australia, 1 Mar 1942
• Garbutt Field, Australia, 5 Apr 1942
• Woodstock, Australia, 5 Jul 1942
• Iron Range, Australia, 2 Oct 1942
• Woodstock, Australia, 4 Feb-3 Oct 1943
• Dobodura, New Guinea, 9 Oct 1943
• Nadzab, New Guinea, c. 13 Jan 1944
• Owi Island, New Guinea, 11 Aug 1944
• Leyte, Philippine Islands, 15 Nov 1944
• Angaur, Palau Islands, 26 Nov 1944
• Samar, Philippine Islands, 20 Jan 1945

• Clark Field, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 12 Mar-4 Aug 1945
• Motobu, Okinawa, 15 Aug 1945
• Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippine Islands, 23 Nov 1945
• Kadena AAB, Okinawa, 15 May 1946-29 Jun 1948
• Smoky Hill AFB, KS, c. 29 Jun 1948

Detached to Marham and Lakenheath RAF Stations, England, 15 Nov 1948-Feb 1949

• March AFB, CA, 1 May 1949-16 Jun 1952

Detached to Marham and Lakenheath RAF Stations, England, Dec 1949-Mar 1950

Detached to Kadena AB, Okinawa, Jul-Oct 1950

• March AFB, CA, 1 Sep 1991
• McConnell AFB, KS, 1 Jan 1994-Present

Aircraft

• B-18, 1941-1942
• B-25, 1940-1942, 1943-1944
• B-26, 1941-1944
• B-24, 1944-1945
• A-20, 1945
• A-26, 1945

• B-29, 1946-1951
• KC-10, 1991-1994
• C-12, 1993-1995
• C-21, 1993
• KC-135, 1994-Present

Operations

Origns

The authorizing document was a letter issued by the Adjutant-General's Office titled "The Constitution and Activation of Certain Air Corps Units". Lieutenant Colonel Ross F. Cole was the first Group Commander.

The first elements of the Group included:

• 2d Bombardment Squadron, commanded by Captain Leslie P. Halcomb
• 19th Bombardment Squadron, commanded by 1st Lieutenant Herman E. Hurst
• 33d Bombardment Squadron, commanded by 1st Lieutenant Theodore E. Graff
• 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (later became 408th Bombardment Squadron), commanded by Captain John P. Doyle.

The Group was located at Langley Field, Virginia. Its first aircraft were a few B-18 Bolo bombers, with a few B-25 Mitchell bombers allocated to the 18th Bombardment Group.

In 1941 the Group transitioned to B-26 Marauder bombers, a fast bomber with very specialized aerodynamic capabilities. These capabilities included short, stubby wings, which led the plane to be known as "The Flying Prostitute" (no visible means of support). However its flying characteristics led to many crashes, which also led to the plane being known as "The Flying Coffin".

Throughout 1941 the 22nd BG trained extensively, increasing in intensity in November 1941. It was so combat ready that 16 hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the 44 planes of the 22nd BG headed for the West Coast and on to the South West Pacific.

World War II

The Group prepared itself at Muroc Army Air Field in the Mojave Desert in California from 15 December 1941 and began patrols of the west coast. A ground crew team left San Francisco on 31 January 1942 for Brisbane, Queensland in Australia.

On 6 February 1942 the Group's aircraft were shipped to Hickam Field (arriving about a week later). They immediately commenced patrol duties.

On 22 March 1942, the first flight of the 22nd air echelon arrived at Amberley Field. near Brisbane in Australia, and became the first fully armed Air Force Group to fly the Pacific en masse. They were warmly welcomed by the Australians who were concerned that, while the Japanese were threatening Australia, its troops were fighting the Germans in the Middle East.

Shortly after arriving in Australia, the Group (now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Millard L. Haskin) moved further North to the Townsville area:

• 2nd Squadron (commanded by 1st Lt George R. Anderson) was based at Reid River, about 40 miles South of Townsville
• 408th Squadron (formerly 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, now commanded by Captain Brian O'Neill) was also based at Reid River
• 19th Squadron (commanded by 1st Lt Elliott H. Reed) was based at Garbutt field.
• 33rd Squadron (commanded by 1st Lt William A. Garnett) was based Antill Plains, 20 miles South of Townsville.

On 5 April 1942 the 22nd BG took off from Garbutt Field for its first combat action, an attack on Rabaul in New Britain (North of New Guinea). In this attack on the Japanese Naval Base, the Group sunk a transport ship but lost a plane and the life of S/Sgt Bourne.

Meanwhile, four B-26 Marauders, including two from the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, left behind at Hawaii, saw action on 4 June 1942 as part of the air attack in the Battle of Midway, and were the first Army planes to make a torpedo attack. These planes, piloted by 1st Lieutenant Herbert C. Mayes and 1st Lieutenant James P. Muri attacked the Japanese Naval Invasion Force, focusing torpedo and strafing action on its aircraft carrier. Lt Muri's plane, badly damaged with over 500 bullet and shrapnel holes, crash landed. [Lt Muri's account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSm055a0394]

In 1944, the group converted from medium, twin engined B-25 Mitchell and B-26 marauder bombers to heavy four engined B-24 Liberator bombers. Following its conversion to B-24 Liberators, on 11 Feb 1944 the 22nd Bomb Group was redesignated 22 Bomb Group, Heavy. Bombed Japanese airfields, shipping, and oil installations in Borneo, Ceram, and Halmahera. Began raiding the southern Philippines in Sep 1944 to neutralize Japanese bases in preparation for the invasion of Leyte.

From December 1944 to August 1945, struck airfields and installations on Luzon, supported Australian ground forces on Borneo, and bombed railways and industries in Formosa and China. Moved to Okinawa in Aug 1945 and flew some armed reconnaissance missions over southern Japan.

Postwar era

The 22 BG's staff and aircraft were released and the Group moved to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in November 1945. In April 1946 the 22 BG returned to Okinawa as the 22d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), and was remanned and assigned B-29 Superfortress bombers, operating from Kadena Air Base.

Korean War

The 22 BG's staff and aircraft were released and the Group moved to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in November 1945.

In April 1946 the 22 BG returned to Okinawa as the 22d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), and was remanned and assigned B-29 Superfortress bombers, operating from Kadena Air Base.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• 22d Operations Group Factsheet
• Capt J. W. Brosius Jr (editor), "The Marauder: a book of the 22nd Bomb Group", 1944
• Lawrence J Hickey (Warpath Across the Pacific), Walter Gaylor (WWII vet & 22nd BG historian) and Don Evans & Harry Nelson, (who served with the 22nd), "Revenge of the Red Raiders", 2006 [ISBN 0913511056]
• Michael John Claringbould, "The Forgotten Fifth"

External links

• OFFICIAL WEBSITE for 22nd Bomb Group: http://www.klimesh.com/redraiders
• 22nd Bomb Group in Australia during WW2: http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/22ndbomb.htm
• The International B-24 Museum: 22nd BG: http://www.pwam.org/virtual_museum/22bghst.htm
• Walt Gaylor, Lawrence J Hickey "Revenge of the Red Raiders: The Illustrated History of the 22nd Bombardment Group in World War II", International Research and Publishing Corp, Boulder CO: 2007: http://www.irandpcorp.com/22BG.html
• Warbirds on the Web: 22nd BG: http://www.web-birds.com/5th/22/22nd.htm
• Video of B-26 belly landing at Port Moresby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bOvSYfBNOU&feature=related (This is a survivor of the mission in which Lyndon Johnson was awarded his Silver Star).

Personal Accounts

2nd Squadron

• Jim Houston: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/people/veterans/houston.html

19th Squadron

• Merrill S. Matthews: http://www.b26.com/marauderman/merrill_matthews.htm

33rd Squadron

• Hugh Manson: http://www.b26.com/marauderman/hugh_manson.htm