HISTORY OF THE 20th FIGHTER WING - Shaw Air Force Base

HISTORY OF THE 20 th FIGHTER WING
Today’s 20 th Fighter Wing (FW) can trace its lineage to the initial creation, on 28 July 1947, of the 20 th Fighter
Wing, organized (manned) on 15 August of the same year at Shaw Field, South Carolina, as a Ninth Air Force
unit. Components of the new fighter wing included the 20 th Maintenance and Supply Group, the 20 th Airdrome
Group, and the 20 th Station Medical Group (later Tactical Hospital). At the same time, the 20 FG with its 55, 77,
and 79 FSs and P-51 Mustangs formed the combat element of the 20 FW. The group exchanged its P-51s in
February 1948 for P-84B (later D) Thunderjets.
On 24 August 1948, a reorganization of the 20 th Maintenance and Supply Group featured the activation of the
20 th Supply Squadron, Fighter, Jet (later simplified to 20 th Supply Squadron) and the 20 th Maintenance Squadron,
Fighter, Jet (renamed 20 th Maintenance Squadron in 1950, 20 th Field Maintenance Squadron in 1954, and 20 th
Equipment Maintenance Squadron in 1981).
Two days later, on 26 August 1948, the wing’s 20 th Airdrome Group was discontinued and its security police (now
the 20 th Security Police Squadron), installations, food service and air base elements became realigned under
the 20 th Air Base Group. The creation of the new group fostered the activation of the 20 th Finance Disbursing
Unit (today’s 20 th Comptroller Squadron), the 20 th Motor Vehicle Squadron (predecessor of the 20 th Transportation
Squadron), the 20 th Installations Squadron (redesignated 20 th Civil Engineering Squadron fourteen years
later), the 20 th Food Service Squadron (antecedent of the 20 th Services Squadron), and the 20 th Communications
Squadron (no relation to the communications organizations serving the wing today).
Control over the wing changed hands on 1 February 1949 with its assignment to the Fourteenth Air Force.
Eleven months later, on 20 January 1950, the wing was redesignated as the 20 th Fighter Bomber Wing (FBW).
Similar redesignations altered the titles of the 20 th Group and its three flying squadrons.
Front Row L-R: Capt. Tom Ross (USMC exchange officer),
Maj. Delynn E. Anderson (CO 79 FS), May Jacobson, Maj.
Alan Armstrong (USMC exchange officer), Col Dunning (CO
20 FG), Col Cy Wilson (ex 20 FG CO WW II on loan from
Pentagon for Fox Able deployment). 2nd row: Billy Mitchell
(CO 55 FS). Briefing for deployment to RAF Manston in
Shaw Base Theater. Many in this picture became important
leaders for developing jet fighter operations, and for Korean
and Vietnam combat. The future was here!
20 th Becomes Fighter Bomber Wing
The Korean War had just begun. USAF plans had been
to send the SAC 12 FW to England to bolster the forces
in Europe. But the Cold War got hot before the 12 th ’s F-
84s were ready to go. The 20 th D.O. was called from a
Saturday night party at the club to take a message that
the 20 th was going to England. The 20 th had about seven
days to get ready. Getting ready included receiving a set
of two-230 gallon tip tanks for each airplane to replace
the two-185 gallon tanks we had been provided with our
F-84Ds. On 19 July 1950 the 20 th Fighter Bomber Group
(FBG) under the command of Colonel John Dunning executed
the first movement of a full jet fighter group to
Europe. The 20 th flew their F-84Ds from Shaw AFB to
Dow AFB Maine. At Dow AFB a message was received
to remove personal baggage from the .50 cal. ammunition
compartments so that live ammunition could be loaded.
Headquarters felt there was a strong possibility that
the Soviets would try to interfere with the movement of
the unit to England. The 20 th would then continue on its
movement without Soviet action via Goose Bay Labrador,
Bluie West One, Greenland, Keflavik, Iceland, Kinross,
Scotland and finally to Manston, England. Half way between
Greenland and Iceland one of the F-84s had an
20 th Fighter Wing History --- Page Number 1 .