123d Operations Group
The 123d Operations Group is a Kentucky Air National Guard flying organization whose lineage extends to the World War II 359th Fighter Group.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The 123d Operations Group is a flying organization of the Kentucky Air National Guard and the operational group of the 123d Airlift Wing. Its lineage reaches back to the 359th Fighter Group, a United States Army Air Forces unit constituted in December 1942 and activated in January 1943 for World War II service. The wartime group trained in the northeastern United States with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts before deploying to the European Theater of Operations in late 1943. Based principally at RAF East Wretham in England, it conducted escort, patrol, strafing, dive-bombing, weather-reconnaissance, and related missions over continental Europe. The 359th initially escorted Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator formations attacking targets in France. In 1944 it converted to the North American P-51 Mustang, gaining the range needed to escort bombers to targets deep in Germany and Poland. Its operations included support for the Normandy invasion, attacks on transportation infrastructure, missions connected with Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and Operation Varsity. Between December 1943 and April 1945, the group flew 346 combat missions and was credited with 373 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat and strafing, with additional aircraft listed as probable or damaged. It received a Distinguished Unit Citation for protecting heavy bombers during intense enemy opposition on 11 September 1944. Its final combat mission was flown on 20 April 1945, and the group was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on 10 November 1945. The organization was redesignated the 123d Fighter Group in 1946 and allotted to the National Guard. It was organized in Kentucky in 1947 and operated with Mustang-equipped fighter squadrons. During the Korean War mobilization, it entered federal active service in October 1950, became part of the 123d Fighter-Bomber Wing, and deployed to RAF Manston in England in December 1951. There it transitioned to the Republic F-84E Thunderjet. Its federal service ended in July 1952, when personnel and equipment transferred to an active-duty group and the organization returned to Kentucky Air National Guard control. After returning to state service, the group continued through several mission and designation changes. It operated Mustangs and North American F-86 Sabres as a fighter organization, then moved into tactical reconnaissance with Martin RB-57A Canberras and later McDonnell RF-101 Voodoos. The group was mobilized again during the Pueblo crisis in 1968 and returned to state control in 1969. It was inactivated in 1974 when the Air National Guard reorganized flying groups located alongside their parent wings. Under the Objective Wing structure, the lineage was revived in 1993 as the 123d Operations Group. The modern organization operates within the 123d Airlift Wing and is associated with Lockheed C-130 Hercules airlift operations. It is therefore best understood not as a commercial brand, but as a continuously redesignated military aviation organization whose identity is preserved through lineage, missions, personnel, and unit heritage.
History
The organization’s lineage began with the constitution of the 359th Fighter Group on 20 December 1942 and its activation at Westover Field, Massachusetts, on 15 January 1943. The group was assigned the 368th, 369th, and 370th Fighter Squadrons. Personnel formation and training continued during the spring and summer of 1943 at Grenier Field, New Hampshire, Republic Field, New York, and Westover. Equipped initially with P-47 Thunderbolts, the unit prepared for overseas combat before departing through Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, in October 1943. The group arrived in the United Kingdom in October 1943 and operated from RAF East Wretham. It entered combat in December, initially flying escort missions for heavy bomber formations striking targets in France. It also performed patrol, strafing, dive-bombing, and weather-reconnaissance tasks. In April 1944, conversion to the P-51 Mustang expanded its escort range and enabled missions against German industrial, oil, and rail targets. The group supported the Normandy campaign, attacks on German communications, Operation Market Garden, the Ardennes campaign, and Operation Varsity. Its wartime record included 346 combat missions and a Distinguished Unit Citation for operations on 11 September 1944. Following Germany’s defeat, it remained in England until November 1945 and was then inactivated at Camp Kilmer. On 24 May 1946, the former group was redesignated the 123d Fighter Group and allotted to the National Guard. It was organized at Standiford Field, Louisville, and received federal recognition in September 1947 as a Kentucky Air National Guard unit. Its operational structure included fighter squadrons in Kentucky, West Virginia, and North Carolina. The organization flew P-51 Mustangs and received the Spaatz Trophy in 1949, an annual recognition for a leading Air National Guard flying unit. The Korean War produced another major transition. Federalized on 10 October 1950, the group moved to Godman Air Force Base and was assigned to the newly established 123d Fighter-Bomber Wing. In December 1951, it deployed with the wing to RAF Manston in England and converted to F-84E Thunderjets. Its federal activation ended on 10 July 1952, when the operational personnel and equipment transferred to an active-duty formation and the group returned to Kentucky control. It subsequently resumed fighter operations, using Mustangs and then F-86 Sabres. Beginning in the late 1950s, the unit changed from fighter operations to tactical reconnaissance. It used Martin RB-57A Canberra aircraft and later McDonnell RF-101 Voodoos. During the Pueblo crisis, the group was called to federal active duty in January 1968 and stationed at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base, Missouri. It was released from active service in July 1969. The group continued its reconnaissance role until its inactivation on 9 December 1974, a structural consequence of Air National Guard reforms that removed separate group headquarters located at the same station as their parent wings. The lineage returned under the Objective Wing reorganization on 1 January 1993, when the 123d Operations Group was activated. The modern group is assigned to the 123d Airlift Wing and includes the 123d Operations Support Squadron and the lineage-bearing 165th Airlift Squadron. Its aircraft history moved from C-130B to C-130H Hercules aircraft, reflecting the transition from fighter and reconnaissance work to tactical airlift. The group’s present identity thus combines a World War II combat heritage with the air mobility mission of the Kentucky Air National Guard.
- 1993
Activation as the 123d Operations Group
[1]The unit was reactivated under the Objective Wing structure as the operations group of the 123d Airlift Wing.
- 1974
Inactivation as a separate group
[1]The group was inactivated during an Air National Guard organizational restructuring.
- 1968
Pueblo crisis mobilization
[1]The group was again called to federal active duty during the Pueblo crisis.
- 1958
Transition to tactical reconnaissance
[1]The organization changed from fighter operations to reconnaissance, initially flying Martin RB-57A aircraft.
- 1951
Deployment to RAF Manston
[1]The group deployed to England and transitioned to Republic F-84E Thunderjets.
- 1950
Korean War federal activation
[1]The group entered federal active service and was incorporated into the 123d Fighter-Bomber Wing.
- 1946
Redesignation as the 123d Fighter Group
[1]The wartime lineage was redesignated and allotted to the National Guard.
- 1945
End of World War II operations
[1]The group flew its last combat mission on 20 April and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer on 10 November.
- 1944
Conversion to the P-51 Mustang
[1]The group converted from P-47 Thunderbolts to P-51 Mustangs, extending its escort reach to targets in Germany and Poland.
- 1944
Distinguished Unit Citation action
[1]The unit was recognized for protecting a heavy-bomber formation against strong German fighter opposition on 11 September 1944.
Products and positioning
A military aviation organization defined by operational readiness, expeditionary airpower, combat lineage, and service to the United States Air Force and Kentucky Air National Guard.
Fighter aircraft · 1943
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
The 359th Fighter Group used P-47 Thunderbolts during its training period in the United States and at the beginning of its World War II deployment. The aircraft supported the group’s preparation for escort, patrol, and ground-attack missions before the unit converted to the longer-range P-51 Mustang in 1944.
Fighter aircraft · 1944
North American P-51 Mustang
The P-51 became the group’s principal World War II combat aircraft after the 1944 conversion. Its range made it suitable for escorting bombers to targets deep in Germany and Poland, while its performance supported strafing and dive-bombing missions during the Normandy, Market Garden, Ardennes, and Rhine campaigns.
Jet fighter-bomber · 1951
Republic F-84E Thunderjet
The group operated F-84E Thunderjets during its deployment to RAF Manston in the United Kingdom from late 1951 until its federal service ended in July 1952. The aircraft marked the organization’s transition from piston-engine fighters to early jet fighter-bomber operations.
Tactical reconnaissance aircraft · 1957
Martin RB-57A Canberra
The RB-57A Canberra was the group’s initial aircraft after it moved into the tactical reconnaissance mission in the late 1950s. It represented a shift from air-to-air combat toward photographic and battlefield reconnaissance support.
Tactical reconnaissance aircraft · 1965
McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo
The RF-101 Voodoo equipped the group from the mid-1960s through its reconnaissance-era inactivation. The supersonic reconnaissance aircraft supported the unit’s federal activation during the Pueblo crisis and remained central to its mission until the group was disbanded in 1974.
Tactical airlift aircraft · 1989
Lockheed C-130 Hercules
The modern 123d Operations Group operates within the 123d Airlift Wing’s Hercules airlift structure. The group’s aircraft lineage includes C-130B and C-130H variants, reflecting its post-1993 role in tactical air mobility rather than fighter or reconnaissance operations.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Operation Varsity
Germany · United Kingdom
The group supported the airborne assault near Wesel by escorting bombers and attacking German communications and ground positions.
Outcome. The operation helped establish an Allied bridgehead across the Rhine.
- 1944Normandy campaign and Operation Overlord
France · United Kingdom
The group escorted bomber formations toward the French coast and conducted patrol, dive-bombing, and strafing missions against bridges, locomotives, and rail lines supporting the Allied invasion of Normandy.
Outcome. The group supported the Allied invasion and subsequent ground operations in France.
- 1944Operation Market Garden
Netherlands · United Kingdom
The group attacked enemy positions and transportation targets in support of the airborne effort to establish a bridgehead across the Rhine near Nijmegen.
Outcome. The unit contributed fighter escort and ground-attack support to the Allied operation.
- 1944Battle of the Bulge
Belgium · Luxembourg · Germany
During the German winter offensive, the group performed escort and attack missions in support of Allied forces engaged in the Ardennes campaign.
Outcome. The group continued combat operations through the winter campaign and subsequent Allied advance.
Brand decisions
1993
Reactivation under the Objective Wing structureStrategyBackground
The Air National Guard implemented a new wing organization model during the 1990s.
Action taken
The lineage was reactivated as the 123d Operations Group under the 123d Airlift Wing.
Aftermath
The organization resumed active service in an airlift role and became associated with C-130 Hercules operations.
1958
Shift from fighter operations to tactical reconnaissanceStrategyBackground
The Air National Guard reorganized the group’s mission during the Cold War.
Action taken
The organization transitioned first to RB-57A reconnaissance aircraft and later to RF-101 Voodoos.
Aftermath
The group operated as a tactical reconnaissance formation until its 1974 inactivation.
1944
Conversion from P-47 Thunderbolts to P-51 MustangsGeneration changeBackground
The group required greater range for bomber escort missions reaching Germany and Poland.
Action taken
It replaced its P-47 fighters with North American P-51 Mustangs.
Aftermath
The conversion expanded the group’s escort reach and supported a broader range of strategic and tactical missions.
Sources1 sources
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