18th Wing
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| 18th Wing | |
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 18th Wing Insignia |
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| Active | January 21, 1927 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Role | Fighter / Command & Control / Airlift |
| Part of | Fifth Air Force Pacific Air Forces |
| Garrison/HQ | Kadena Air Base |
| Motto | “Unguibus Et Rostro” With Talons and Beak |
| Engagements | World War II Korean War Vietnam War Operation Desert Storm |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Patrick K. Gamble Richard E. Hawley William T. Hobbins Lauris Norstad George B. Simler |
The United States Air Force's 18th Wing is the host wing for Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan and is the Air Force’s largest combat wing. It is the largest and principal organization in the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force.
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[edit] Mission
The 18th Wing's mission is to defend U.S. and Japanese' mutual interests by providing a responsive staging and operational airbase with integrated, deployable, forward-based airpower. The focus of the unit's operations is directed to accomplishing this mission. Strategy used to employ this mission centers around a composite force of combat-ready fighter, air refueling, airborne warning and control and rescue aircraft.
[edit] Units
The 18th Wing is composed of five groups each with specific functions. The Operations Group controls all flying and airfield operations. The Maintenance Group performs Aircraft and Aircraft support equipment maintenance. The Mission Support Group has a wide range of responsibilities but a few of its functions are Security, Civil Engineering, Communications, Personnel Management, Logistics, Services and Contracting support. The Civil Engineer Group provides facilities management, while the Medical Group provides medical and dental care.
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Team Kadena includes associate units from five other Air Force major commands, the Navy, and numerous other Department of Defense agencies and direct reporting units. In addition to the 81 aircraft of the 18th Wing, associate units operate more than 20 permanently assigned, forward-based or deployed aircraft from the base on a daily basis.
[edit] History
[edit] Lineage
- 18th Pursuit Group, (1927 - 1939)
- 18th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), (1939 - 1942)
- 18th Fighter Group, (1942 - 1944)
- 18th Fighter Group (Single Engine), (1944)
- 18th Fighter Group, (Two Engine), (1944)
- 18th Fighter Group, (1944 - 1948)
- 18th Fighter Wing, (1948 - 1950)
- 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing, (1950 - 1958) ***
- 18th Tactical Fighter Wing (1958 - 1991)
- 18th Wing, (1991 - Present)
Note: *** = Honors, lineage and history of USAAF 18th Fighter Group bestowed on USAF 18th Fighter Wing, 1952.
[edit] Bases assigned
- Wheeler Field, Territory of Hawaii (1927 - 1943)
- Southwest Pacific (Various) (1943 - 1944)
- Philippine Islands (Various) (1944 - 1950)
- Korea (Various) (1950 - 1954)
- Kadena AB, Okinawa (1954 - Present)
[edit] Origins
The 18th Wing has the unique distinction of being the only wing never stationed in the United States. 18th Wing heritage began on 21 January 1927, when the War Department activated a provisional pursuit group at Wheeler Field, Hawaii. Shortly thereafter the group was re-designated the 18th Pursuit Group with the following squadrons:
- 6th Pursuit Squadron (assigned January 1927)
- 19th Pursuit Squadron (assigned January 1927)
The "fighting cock" Group insignia with "Unguibus et Rostro", "With Talon and Beak" was chosen by 18th Pursuit Group CO Maj. Carlyle H. Walsh in February, 1931, and officially approved in 1932. Major Kenneth M. Walker (for whom Walker AFB, New Mexico was later named) assumed command in March, 1940, having on his staff Captain Roger W. Ramey (for whom Ramey AFB Puetro Rico was named), and Lieutenants Bruce K. Holloway, K. P. Bocquist, John G. Simpson, and William F. Savidge.
The Group was flying Boeing P-26 Peashooters, then upgraded into the radial-engined Curtiss P-36 Hawks before being re-equipped with Curtiss P-40s a few months prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese naval aircraft which immediately drew the United States into World War II.
In the immediate months before the Pearl Harbor attack, the group was expanded as follows:
- 6th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (P-40B)
- 19th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (P-40B, P-40C)
- 44th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (P-40B, P-40C) (At Bellows Field)
- 72nd Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (none)
- 73rd Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (P-40B)
- 78th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) (P-40B)
[edit] World War II
The Imperial Japanese attack on December 7, 1941, severely hurt the group — its only two P-40C Warhawks of the 44th Pursuit Squadron to get airborne were immediately shot down, and the rest of the group’s aircraft were heavily damaged. Over 60 P-40Cs were destroyed on the ground at Wheeler. The group, assigned to Seventh Air Force in February 1942, had to be re-equipped before it could resume training and begin patrol missions.
During March 1943, the group moved to the South Pacific Theater and rejoined the war effort as part of Thirteenth Air Force and began operations from Guadalcanal. Flew protective patrols over US bases in the Solomons; later, escorted bombers to the Bismarcks, supported ground forces on Bougainville, and attacked enemy airfields and installations in the northern Solomons and New Britain. Used Lockheed P-38 Lightnings; Bell P-39 Airacobra; Northrop P-61 Black Widows, and Douglas P-70 Havoc aircraft. The following operational squadrons were assigned to the 18th Fighter Group:
- 6th Night Fighter Squadron (P-70)
- 12th Fighter Squadron (P-39)
- 44th Fighter Squadron (P-38)
- 70th Fighter Squadron (P-39)
- 419th Night Fighter Squadron (P-38,P-61)
Moved to New Guinea in Aug 1944. Equipped with P-38's. Escorted bombers to targets in the southern Philippines and Borneo, and attacked enemy airfields and installations in the Netherlands Indies. Received a Distinguished Unit Citation for actions at Ormoc Bay: on 10 Nov 1944 the group withstood intense flak and vigorous opposition from enemy interceptors to attack a Japanese convoy that was attempting to bring in additional troops for use against American forces that had landed on Leyte; on the following day a few of the group's planes returned to the same area, engaged a large force of enemy fighters, and destroyed a number of them.
Moved to the Philippines in January 1945. Supported ground forces on Luzon and Borneo, attacked shipping in the central Philippines, covered landings on Palawan, attacked airfields and railways on Formosa, and escorted bombers to such widely-scattered targets as Borneo, French Indochina, and Formosa.
At the end of the war, the group moved to Clark Field on Luzon and became part of Far East Air Forces after the war. Flew patrols and trained with Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars, with the distinction of being the first overseas fighter unit to be jet-equipped.
The group lost all personnel in March 1947 but was re-manned in September 1947. Equipped first with Republic F-47 Thunderbolts, later with North American F-51 Mustangs, and still later (1949) with F-80's.
In August 1948, it became a subordinate unit to the newly activated 18th Fighter Wing. On 20 January 1950, the wing was re-designated the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing.
[edit] Korean War
The 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing was reassigned to Korea in July 1950 and entered combat. Its organization was as follows:
- 12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (F-80C, F-51D, F-86F)
- 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (F-80C, F-51D, F-86F)
- 39th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (March 1951 - March 1952) (F-51D)
- 2nd Squadron, South African Air Force (November 1950 - March 1951, April 1951 - June 1953) (F-51D)
At the outbreak of the Korean War, the 18th FBG's 12th FBS provided personnel to form the "Dallas" fighter squadron, which rushed into battle. In late July, the group headquarters with two of its squadrons (12th and 67th FBSs) deployed with F-80s from the Philippines to Taegu AB (K-37), South Korea.
From July 28 to August 3, the 18th Group operated directly under Fifth Air Force then passed to the control of the 6002nd Fighter (later, Tactical Support) Wing. Pilots exchanged their F-80s for F-51 Mustangs. Combat targets included tanks and armored vehicles, locomotives and trucks, artillery and antiaircraft guns, fuel and ammunition dumps, warehouses and factories, and troop concentrations.
In August, advancing enemy forces and insufficient aircraft parking at Taegu forced the group to move to Japan, but it returned to South Korea the following month to support UN forces in a counteroffensive. Because the front advanced so rapidly, operations from Pusan (K-9) soon became impractical, and the group moved in November to an airstrip near Pyongyang, North Korea (K-24). The 2nd SAAF Squadron joined the 18th in mid-November.
Maj Louis Sebille was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his action on 5 August 1950: although his plane was badly damaged by flak while attacking a concentration of enemy trucks, Maj Sebille continued his strafing passes until he crashed into an armored vehicle.
The Chinese Communist (CCF intervention) caused the group to move twice in as many weeks, first to Suwon AB (K-13), South Korea, then to Chinhae (K-10). From there the 18th FBG continued to support ground forces and carry out armed reconnaissance and interdiction missions. From November 1950 through January 1951, it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for destroying roughly 2,400 enemy vehicles and severely damaging almost 500 more.
From early 1951 until January 1953, the group and its tactical squadrons, moving from base to base in South Korea, operated separately from the rest of the 18th FBW. The group earned its second Distinguished Unit Citation from April 22 to July 8, 1951, when it flew 6,500 combat sorties while operating from sod, dirt filled, and damaged runways to counter the enemy's 1951 spring offensive.
When in January 1953 the group rejoined the wing at Osan-ni AB (K-55), its squadrons transitioned to F-86 Sabrejets without halting the fight against the enemy. It flew its first F-86 counter air mission on February 26, 1953. In the final days of the war, the 18th FBG attacked dispersed enemy aircraft at Sinuiju and Uiju Airfields.
The group remained in Korea for some time after the armistice. The wing was reassigned to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa in November 1954.
[edit] Cold War
Since November 1954, the 18th Wing under various designations has been the main United States Air Force operational unit at Kadena Air Base. Over the past 50 years, the 18th has maintained assigned aircraft, crews, and supporting personnel in a high state of readiness for tactical air requirements of Fifth Air Force and the Pacific Air Forces. Known Cold War-Era operational squadrons were:
- 12th Fighter-Bomber/Tactical Fighter (November 1954 - September 1967) F-86F, F-100D/F, F-105D/F/G
- 44th Fighter-Bomber/Tactical Fighter (November 1954 - March 1971) F-86F, F-100D/F F-105D/F
- 67th Fighter-Bomber/Tactical Fighter (November 1954 - March 1971) F-86F, F-100D/F, F-105D/F
Flying the North American F-86 Sabres, the wing supported tactical fighter operations in Okinawa, as well as in South Korea, Japan, Formosa (later Taiwan), and the Philippines with frequent deployments. In 1957, the wing upgraded to the North American F-100 Super Sabre and the designation was changed to the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing. In 1960, a tactical reconnaissance mission was added to the wing with the arrival of the McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo and the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Tail Code: ZZ) The McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II replaced the RF-101 in the reconnaissance role in 1967.
Beginning in 1961, the 18th was sending it's tactical squadrons frequently to South Vietnam and Thailand, initially with its RF-101 reconnaissance forces, and beginning in 1964 with its tactical fighter forces supporting USAF combat missions in the Vietnam War. In 1963, the Republic F-105 Thunderchief replaced the Super Sabres. Known Vietnam-era squadrons of the wing were:
- 12th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (Tail Code: ZA, ZZ) (September 1967 - June 1972) (F-105D/F)
- Det 1, 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Tail Code: ZB) (F-105F/G)
(Deployed at Korat RTAFB, Thailand, September - November 1970. Redesignated as 6010 Wild Weasel Squadron and reassigned to 388th TFW) - 44th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (Tail Code: ZL, ZZ) (March 1971 - December 1972) (F-4C)
- 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (Tail Code: ZG, ZZ) (March 1971 - October 1973) (F-4C)
The deployments to Southeast Asia continued until the end of United States involvement in the conflict. An electronic warfare capability was added to the wing in late 1968 with the attachment of the 19th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron from Shaw AFB South Carolina flying the Douglas EB-66E Destroyer (Tail Code: ZT). The B-66s remained until 1970, flying daily over the skies of Southeast Asia.
During the 1968 Pueblo crisis, the 18th deployed between January and June to Osan Air Base, South Korea following the North Korean seizure of the vessel. Frequent deployments to South Korea have been performed ever since to maintain the air defense alert mission there. The McDonnell Douglas F-4C/D Phantom II replaced the F-105s in 1971, and a further upgrade to the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle was made in 1979.
In 1972, the 1st Special Operations Squadron was assigned, bringing their specialized Martin EB-57E Canberra aircraft (Tail Code: GT) to the wing. The squadron was reassigned in 1978. The reconnaissance mission ended in 1989 with the retirement of the RF-4Cs, and the deactivation of the 15th TRS.
Post Vietnam-era squadrons have been:
- 12th Tactical Fighter (June 1972 - May 1978, February 1981 - October 1991)
F-4D (June 1972 - July 1979), F-15C/D (July 1979 - October 1991) (Tail Code: ZZ) - 44th Tactical Fighter (December 1972 - May 1978, February 1981 - October 1991)
F-4C (October 1973 - June 1975), F-4D (June 1975 - July 1979), F-15C/D (July 1979 - October 1991) (Tail Code: ZZ) - 67th Tactical Fighter (October 1973 - May 1978, February 1981 - October 1991)
F-4C (October 1973 - September 1980) (Tail Code: WW), F-15C/D (July 1979 - October 1991) (Tail Code: ZZ)
[edit] Post Cold War
The designation of the wing changed on 1 October 1991 to the 18th Wing with the implementation of the Objective Wing concept. With the objective wing, the mission of the 18th expanded to the Composite Air Wing concept of multiple different wing missions with different aircraft. The mission of the 18th was expanded to include aerial refueling with Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotanker tanker aircraft (909th ARS); and surveillance, warning, command and control Boeing E-3B/C Sentry (961st AACS), and communications. Added airlift mission in June 1992 with the Beech C-12 Huron, transporting mission critical personnel, high-priority cargo and distinguished visitors.
In February 1993, the 18th Wing gained responsibility for coordinating rescue operations in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean with the addition of the 33d Rescue Squadron (33d RQS).
In November 1999, the 18th Wing underwent another change as one of its three F-15 units, the 12th Fighter Squadron, was reassigned to the 3d Wing at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska.
The 18th Wing has earned many honors over the years, including 17 Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
This article contains information from the 18th Wing history factsheet which is an official document of the United States Government and is presumed to be in the public domain.
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
- Martin, Patrick (1994). Tail Code: The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Schiffer Military Aviation History. ISBN 0887405134.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
- [1] ArmyAirForces.com
- [2] Air Force Historical Research Agency
[edit] External links
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