Overview
The 43 OG was part of the air force component of United States Transportation Command. It provides airlift, special missions, and tactical aeromedical evacuation for U.S. troops and regional Unified Commands using C-130 Hercules aircraft. It is composed of the following squadrons:
- 2nd Airlift Squadron
- 41st Airlift Squadron
- 43d Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
- 43d Operations Support Squadron.
The unit's World War II predecessor unit, the 43d Bombardment Group, operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as a B-17 Flying Fortress, and later a B-24 Liberator heavy bomber unit assigned to Fifth Air Force. It was awarded two United States Distinguished Unit Citations and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for its combat service in China; Netherlands East Indies; New Guinea; the Bismark Archipelago; the Western Pacific; Leyte, Luzon, and Okinawa.
In the postwar era, the 43d Bombardment Group was one of the first USAAF units assigned to the Strategic Air Command on 1 October 1946, prior to the establishment of the United States Air Force as a redesignation of the 444th Bombardment Group due to the Air Force's policy of retaining only low-numbered groups on active duty after the war.
It conducted long-range test missions, including the first nonstop flight around the world (26 February-2 March 1949), accomplished in "Lucky Lady II", a B-50A (46–10) commanded by Capt James G Gallagher. The group was inactivated in 1952 when the parent wing adopted the Tri-Deputate organization and assigned all of the groups squadrons directly to the wing.
Reactivated as the 43d Operations Group in 1992 when the 43d Air Refueling Wing adopted the USAF Objective organization plan.
Read more about this topic: 43d Operations Group