Early History, WW I
20thFIGHTER GROUP STATISTICS
Group Lineage
Group Components
Group Station Listing
Group Aircraft History
Group & Bestowed* History and Battle Honors
20thPursuit Group accomplishments during World War II
Individual Awards
20th Group Commanders
Group Lineage
| Authorized as 20th Balloon Group | 18 Oct 1927 |
| Redesignated 20th Pursuit Group | 30 Jun 1929 |
| Activated | 15 Nov 1930 |
| Redesignated 20th Pursuit Group (Fighter) | 6 Dec 1939 |
| Redesignated 20th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) | 12 Mar 1941 |
| Redesignated 20th Fighter Group | 15 May 1942 |
| Redesignated 20th Pursuit Group (Twin Engine) | 30 Dec 1942 |
| Inactivated | 18 Oct 1945 |
| Activated | 29 Jul 1946 |
| Assigned to 20th Fighter Wing | 15 Aug 1947 |
| Redesignated 20th Fighter Bomber Group | 20 Jan 1950 |
| Inactivated | 8 Feb 1955 |
| Redesignated 20th Tactical Fighter Group | 31 Jul 1985 |
| Redesignated 20th Operations Group | 1 Mar 1992 |
| Activated | 31 Mar 1992 |
| Inactivated | 1 Jan 1994 |
| Activated | 1 Jan 1994 |
Group Components
| 24th Pursuit Squadron | *15 Nov 1930 | 16 Jun 1932 | |
| 55th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter, Fighter-Bomber, Tactical Fighter, Fighter) | Attached | 15 Nov 1930 | 15 Jun 1932 |
| Assigned | 15 Jun 1932 | 18 Oct 1945 | |
| 29 Jul 1946 | 8 Feb 1955 | ||
| 31 Mar 1992 | 30 Dec 1993 | ||
| 1 Jan 1994 | |||
| 77th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter, Fighter-Bomber, Tactical Fighter, Fighter) | 15 Nov 1930 | 18 Oct 1945 | |
| 29 Jul 1946 | 8 Feb 1955 | ||
| 31 Mar 1992 | 30 Sep 1993 | ||
| 1 Jan 1994 | |||
| 78th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter) | *1 Apr 1931 | 15 Jun 1932 | |
| 1 Jan 1994 | 30 Jun 2003 | ||
| 79th Pursuit Squadron (Fighter, Fighter-Bomber, Tactical Fighter, Fighter) | 1 Apr 1933 | 18 Oct 1945 | |
| 29 Jul 1946 | 8 Feb 1955 | ||
| 31 Mar 1992 | 30 Jun 1993 | ||
| 1 Jan 1994 | |||
| 87th Pursuit Squadron | * 1 Mar 1935 | 1 Sep 1936 |
| *These squadrons assigned but never operationally active under group control during this period |
Group Station Listing
| Mather Field, California | 15 Nov 1930 | 11 Oct 1932 |
| Barksdale Field, Louisiana | 31 Oct 1932 | 15 Nov 1939 |
| Moffett Field, California | 19 Nov 1939 | 9 Sep 1940 |
| Hamilton Field, California | 9 Sep 1940 | c. Feb 1942 |
| Wilmington, North Carolina | 2 Feb 1942 | 18 Apr 1942 |
| Morris Field, North Carolina | 18 Apr 1942 | 7 Aug 1942 |
| Drew Field, Florida | 7 Aug 1942 | 30 Sep 1942 |
| Paine Field, Washington | 30 Sep 1942 | 1 Jan 1943 |
| March Field, California | 2 Jan 1943 | 11 Aug 1943 |
| Kings Cliffe, England | 26 Aug 1943 | 11 Oct 1945 |
| Camp Kilmer, New Jersey | 16 Oct 1945 | 18 Oct 1945 |
| Biggs Field, Texas | 29 Jul 1946 | 19 Oct 1946 |
| Shaw Field (later AFB), South Carolina | 20 Oct 1946 | 19 Nov 1951 |
| Langley AFB, Virginia | 19 Nov 1951 | 22 May 1952 |
| RAF Wethersfield, England | 1 Jun 1952 | 8 Feb 1955 |
| RAF Upper Heyford, England | 31 Mar 1992 | 1 Jan 1994 |
| Shaw AFB, South Carolina | 1 Jan 1994 |
Group Aircraft History
| BOEING P-12, B, E | Nov 1930 | Oct 1935 |
| DH-4 | 1931 | 1931 |
| BOEING P-26A PEASHOOTER | Oct 1934 | Sep 1938 |
| CURTIS P-36A MOHAWK | Sep 1938 | Sep 1940 |
| CURTIS P-40, C, E WARHAWK | Sep 1940 | Feb 1942 |
| BELL P-39D AIRACOBRA | Feb 1942 | Jan 1943 |
| REPUBLIC P-43A LANCER | ~Feb 1942 | ~Sep 1942 |
| LOCKHEED P-38F, H, J LIGHTNING | Jan 1943 | Jul 1944 |
| NORTH AMERICAN P-51B, C, D, K MUSTANG | Jul 1944 | Oct 1945 |
| NORTH AMERICAN P-51D, K MUSTANG | Jul 1946 | Aug 1947 |
| REPUBLIC P-84B (F-84B, D, F, G) THUNDERJET, THUNDERSTREAK | 1948 | 1952 |
| NO AIRCRAFT | 1953 | 1955 |
| GENERAL DYNAMICS F-111E AARDVARK | 1992 | 1993 |
| GRUMMAN EF-111A RAVEN | 1992 | 1992 |
| FAIRCHILD REPUBLIC A/OA-10 THUNDERBOLT II | 1994 | 1996 |
| GENERAL DYNAMICS F-16C, D, E, F FALCON | 1994 |
Group & Bestowed* History and Battle Honors
| American Theatre | WDGO 85 1945 |
| Air offensive, Europe | WDGO 102 1945 |
| Normandy | WDGO 103 1945 |
| Northern France | WDGO 114 1945 |
| Ardennes Alsace | WDGO 114 & 24 1945 |
| Central Europe | WDGO 116 1945 |
| Rhineland | WDGO 118 1945 |
| Group Distinguished Unit Citation For Action Over Central Germany 8 April 1944 | WDGO 34 1945 |
*History and honors of the 20th Group were temporarily bestowed on the 20thWing,
Nov 1954, consequent to the Air Force's adoption of a wing base plan which
established wings (vice groups) as the primary combat element of operational
organizations. The bestowal has remained in effect ever since.
20thPursuit Group accomplishments during World War II
| 20th Aircraft Employed | P-38 | P-51 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enemy Aircraft Destroyed Air | 89 | 122 | 211 |
| Enemy Aircraft Destroyed Gnd | 31 | 201 | 232 |
| Enemy Aircraft Damaged Air | 42 | 39 | 81 |
| Enemy Aircraft Damaged Gnd | 26 | 107 | 133 |
| Enemy Aircraft Probables | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| Aircraft Dispatched | 6,847 | 9,015 | 15,862 |
| Flying Hours | 27,177 | 43,935 | 69,112 |
| Rounds Expended | 405,910 | 581,708 | 987,618 |
| Bombs Expended (lbs) | 600,180 | 83,500 | 683,680 |
Individual Awards
| Individual Awards | HQ* | 55th | 77th | 79th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Distinguished Service Cross | 3 | |||
| Silver Star | 14 | |||
| Distinguished Flying Cross | 15 | 79 | 94 | 78 |
| Air Medal | 62 | 584 | 564 | 558 |
| Purple Heart | 2 | 4 | 15 | 13 |
| Croix De Guerre | 2 | |||
| Legion of Merit | 1 | |||
| Soldiers Medal | 6 | 5 | 1 | |
| Bronze Star | 16 | 11 | 15 | 15 |
| Certificate Of Merit | 4 |
*Also includes decorations to subordinate group units.
20th Group Commanders
Major Clarence L Tinker
5 Nov 1930 - 13 Oct 1932 |
Captain Thomas Boland
4 Oct 1932 - 30 Oct 1932 |
Major Millard P Harmon
1 Oct 1932 - 6 Oct 1936 |
Major Armin F Herold
Oct 1936 - 13 Sep 1937 |
Lt Colonel Ross G Hoyt
4 Sep 1937 - 15 Jan 1941 |
Lt Colonel Ira C Eaker
6 Jan 1941 - 9 Sep 1941 |
Major Jesse Auton
Sep 1941 - 6 Jan 1942 |
Major Homer A Boushey, Jr
Jan 1942 - 8 Mar 1942 |
Lt Colonel Edward W Anderson
Mar 1942 - 20 Aug 1942 |
Colonel Jesse Auton
1 Aug 1942 - 15 Jan 1943 |
Colonel Barton H Russell
6 Jan 1943 - 1 Mar 1944 |
Lt Colonel Mark E Hubbard
Mar 1944 - 18 Mar 1944 |
Major Herbert E Johnson, Jr
9 Mar 1944 - 20 Mar 1944 |
Lt Colonel Harold J Rau
0 Mar 1944 - 24 Jun 1944 |
Lt Colonel Cy Wilson
5 Jun 1944 - 26 Aug 1944 |
Colonel Harold J Rau
7 Aug 1944 - 17 Dec 1944 |
Colonel Robert P Montgomery
8 Dec 1944 - 2 Oct 1945 |
Major Jack C Price
Oct 1945 - 17 Oct 1945 |
Colonel Joseph L Laughlin
9 Jul 1946 - 23 Feb 1947 |
Colonel Archie J Knight
4 Feb 1947 - 20 Jul 1947 |
Colonel William J Cummings, Jr
1 Jul 1947 - 1 Aug 1948 |
Colonel George R Bickell
Aug 1948 - 3 Oct 1949 |
Colonel John A Dunning
Oct 1949 - 26 Jun 1950 |
Lt Colonel Dean Davenport
6 Jun 1950 - c. Mar 1951 |
Lt Colonel Jack R Brown
2 Oct 1951 - 28 Apr 1952 |
Colonel William D Ritchie
9 Apr 1952 - 7 Feb 1955 |
|
Colonel Richard H Meeboer
1 Mar 1992 - 1 Jan 1994 |
Colonel Kees W Rietsema
Jan 1994 - 19 Aug 1994 |
Colonel Robert M Hylton
9 Aug 1994 - 9 Nov 1995 |
Colonel William H Camp
Nov 1995 - 9 Jul 1996 |
Colonel James M Corrigan
Jul 1996 - 17 Dec 1997 |
Colonel James A Whitmore
7 Dec 1997 - 1 Jul 1999 |
Colonel Michael V Ely
July 1999 - 24 Aug 2001 |
Colonel Noel T Jones
4 Aug 2001 - 23 Jan 2003 |
Colonel Robert J Beletic
3 Jan 2003 - 27 May 2004 |
Colonel Joel E Malone
4 May 2004 - 29 Mar 2006 |
Colonel John C. Colombo
7 Apr 2006 - 6 Jun 2008 |
Colonel David G. Van der Veer
6 Jun 2008 - ___________ |