930th Operations Group

930th Operations Group
930th Tactical Fighter Group - Emblem
Active	1963-1994
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force Reserve
Role	Fighter

The 930th Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force Reserve unit. It was last active with the 434th Wing, based at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Indiana. It was inactivated on 1 October 1994.

History

Following the mobilizations in 1961 and 1962 for the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, Continental Air Command (ConAC) realized that it was unwieldy to mobilize an entire wing unless absolutely necessary. Their original Table of Organization for each Wing was a wing headquarters, a troop carrier group, an Air Base Group, a maintenance and supply group, and a medical group. In 1957, the troop carrier group and maintenance and supply groups were inactivated, with their squadrons reassigned directly to the wing headquarters - despite the fact that many wings had squadrons spread out over several bases due to the Detached Squadron Concept dispersing Reserve units over centers of population.

To resolve this, in late 1962 and early 1963, ConAC reorganized the structure of its reserve Troop Carrier Wings by establishing fully deployable Troop Carrier Groups and inserting them into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons at every base that held a ConAC troop carrier squadron. At each base, the group was composed of a material squadron, a troop carrier squadron, a tactical hospital or dispensary, and a combat support squadron. Each troop carrier wing consisted of 3 or 4 of these groups. By doing so, ConAC could facilitate the mobilization of either aircraft and aircrews alone, aircraft and minimum support personnel (one troop carrier group), or the entire troop carrier wing. This also gave ConAC the flexibility to expand each Wing by attaching additional squadrons, if necessary from other Reserve wings to the deployable groups for deployments.

As a result, the 930th Troop Carrier Group was established with a mission to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel in the tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. The group was equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

The group was one of three C-119 groups assigned to the 434th TCW in 1963, the others being the 931st Troop Carrier Group, at Bakalar AFB, Indiana and the 932d Troop Carrier Group at Scott AFB, Illinois.

The 930th performed routine reserve airlift operations until 13 May 1968 when the group was activated for combat duty in the Vietnam War. The 71st TAS's C-119 aircraft were selected for modification to the AC-119G Shadow Gunship configuration with powerful searchlights and rapid-fire machine guns. The 71st TAS was reassigned to Lockbourne AFB, Ohio on 1 June for training, and later deployed to Nha Trang AB, South Vietnam later in 1968. With its operational squadron reassigned, the 930th was inactivated.

Special Operations

With the re-designated 71st Special Operations Squadron returning from service in South Vietnam in 1969, the Group was re-organized in the Air Force Reserve and equipped with the squadrons returning AC-119Gs. It was re-activated on 10 June 1969 as the 930th Special Operations Group, with the 71st being assigned as its operational flying squadron. It was assigned to the 302d Tactical Airlift Wing at Bakalar AFB, although with the pending closure of Bakalar AFB, the unit was moved to the active-duty Grissom AFB later in June.

The group provided AC-119 gunship training for pilots, navigators, flight engineers, and mechanics of USAF active units and personnel from Jordan, Morocco, Ethiopia, and South Vietnam until the end of 1970 when the Shadow gunships were retired by the Air Force.

On 1 June 1970, the Air Force Reserve activated the 434th Special Operations Wing (434 SOW) at Grissom AFB, and the 930th was returned to its original wing, albeit with a new mission. On 15 January 1971, the group received A-37B Dragonfly counter-insurgency aircraft being returned from South Vietnam. The A-37s were primarily an export aircraft used for foreign military sales and the 71st SOS trained personnel from other Air Force Reserve squadrons and Latin American Air Forces in the use of the aircraft.

The 71st SOS was inactivated on 1 October 1973, and was replaced by the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron in a reorganization. The 45th TFS was assigned directly to the re-designed 434th Tactical Fighter Wing, and the 930th SOG was placed in a non-operational status. On 1 July 1975 it was inactivated.

Tactical Fighter

Re-activated a third time in 1987 as the 930th Tactical Fighter Group, and equipped with A-10 Thunderbolt II ground support aircraft. Trained reserve personnel in close air support, anti-armor, battlefield air interdiction, and combat search and rescue missions.

In 1992, the group was transferred back to its original 434th wing again part of the transition of the 434th Air Refueling Wing to the objective organization plan. It was re-designated as the 930th Operations Group under the 434th Wing, being the fighter component of the now composite wing. However, the post-Cold War era cutbacks were the order of the day, and the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) directed realignment of Grissom AFB to the Air Force Reserve as an air refueling base. The 930th OG was ordered inactivated and its A-10 aircraft were reassigned to other units.

The 45th FS was inactivated on 30 September 1994; the 930th OG the next day on 1 October.

Lineage

• Established as 930th Troop Carrier Group, Medium, and activated, on 15 January 1963

Organized in the Reserve on 11 February 1963

Re-designated as 930th Tactical Airlift Group, on 1 July 1967

Ordered to active service on 13 May 1968

Inactivated on 1 June 1968

• Re-designated as 930th Special Operations Group, and activated in the Reserve on 10 June 1969

Inactivated 1 July 1975

• Re-designated as 930th Tactical Fighter Group, and activated in the Reserve on 1 July 1987

Re-designated as 930th Fighter Group, on 1 February 1992

Re-designated as 930th Operations Group, on 1 August 1992

Inactivated on 1 October 1994

Assignments

• Continental Air Command, 15 January 1963
• 434th Troop Carrier (later Tactical Airlift) Wing, 11 February 1963 – 13 May 1968
• 838th Air Division, 13 May-1 June 1968
• Fifth Air Force Reserve Region 10 June-31 December 1969 (not manned or equipped)
• 302d Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 December 1969 – 1 June 1970
• 403d Composite Wing, 1 June 1970 – 15 January 1971
• 434th Special Operations Wing, 15 January 1971 – 1 July 1975 (not operational, 1 Oct 1973-1 Jul 1975)
• 442d Tactical Fighter (later Fighter) Wing, 1 July 1987 – 1 August 1992
• 434th Wing, 1 August 1992 – 1 October 1994

Components

• 71st Troop Carrier (later Special Operations) Squadron, 11 February 1963 – 1 June 1968; 10 June 1969 – 1 October 1973
• 45th Tactical Fighter (later Fighter) Squadron, 1 July 1987 – 30 September 1994

Stations

• Atterbury AFB, Indiana, 11 February 1963 – 1 June 1968
• Bakalar AFB, Indiana, 10 June 1969
• Grissom AFB, Indiana, 15 January 1970 – 1 July 1975; 1 July 1987 – 1 October 1994

Aircraft

• C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1963-1968
• AC-119G Shadow, 1968, 1969-1970
• A-37B Dragonfly, 1971–1973
• A-10 Thunderbolt II, 1987-1994

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Mueller, Robert, Air Force Bases Volume I, Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982, Office of Air Force History, 1989
• Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
• Cantwell, Gerald (1987), Citizen Airmen, A History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946-1994. Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program: GPO, 1997 ISBN 0-16049-269-6
• AFHRA search 930th Operations Group