127th Operations Group
A Michigan Air National Guard flying group whose lineage began with the World War II 361st Fighter Group.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The 127th Operations Group is a flying organization of the Michigan Air National Guard and one of the two principal flying groups assigned to the 127th Wing. It is based at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan and operates Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground-attack aircraft. Although the present organization is designated the 127th Operations Group, its lineage reaches back to the 361st Fighter Group, a United States Army Air Forces unit formed during World War II. The original 361st Fighter Group was constituted in January 1943 and activated at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, on 10 February of that year. Its wartime components were the 374th, 375th, and 376th Fighter Squadrons. Equipped initially with Republic P-47 Thunderbolts, the group trained at bases in Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey before departing for the European Theater in November 1943. It arrived in England at the end of that month and was assigned to the Eighth Air Force's VIII Fighter Command. The group flew its first combat mission from RAF Bottisham on 21 January 1944. Its primary wartime role was fighter escort for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bomber formations attacking targets in German-occupied Europe and Germany. It also conducted fighter sweeps, counter-air patrols, strafing, dive-bombing, and attacks on airfields, rail facilities, industrial sites, depots, refineries, trains, and roads. The unit participated in the concentrated attacks on the German aircraft industry during Big Week, operations against transportation networks before and after D-Day, support for the Normandy campaign and the Saint-Lô breakout, Operation Market Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, attacks associated with Operation Crossbow, and Operation Varsity. In May 1944, the group converted from the P-47 to the North American P-51 Mustang, which it used for the remainder of the war. It moved from Bottisham to RAF Little Walden in September 1944. Detachments and later the whole group operated from forward locations in France and Belgium as Allied armies advanced into Germany. The 361st flew its final combat mission on 20 April 1945. After Germany's surrender, its personnel and equipment were progressively dispersed, and the unit was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on 10 November 1945. The lineage entered the Air National Guard in 1946 as the 127th Fighter Group. Michigan activated the organization at Wayne County Airport near Detroit, and it received federal recognition later that year. During the Korean War period, the group was called to active duty in February 1951 and redesignated the 127th Pilot Training Group. Based at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, it trained fighter pilots using P-51 Mustangs, Lockheed F-80 Shooting Stars, and Republic F-84 Thunderjets. It returned to the Michigan Air National Guard in November 1952 as the 127th Fighter-Bomber Group. The postwar organization underwent several mission changes. It became the 127th Fighter-Interceptor Group in 1955, adopted an air-defense designation in 1956, and shifted to tactical reconnaissance in 1958, operating Republic RF-84F Thunderflashes. In 1972 it resumed the fighter mission as the 127th Tactical Fighter Group, flying North American F-100 Super Sabres, but the group was inactivated in December 1974. The organization was activated again around January 1993 as the 127th Operations Group under the Air Force's Objective Wing structure. Its current role is tied to the operational flying mission of the 127th Wing rather than to commercial branding or a consumer product business.
History
The organization's lineage began with the 361st Fighter Group, Single Engine, constituted on 28 January 1943 and activated at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, on 10 February. The group trained with P-47 Thunderbolts and moved through Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey before sailing from New York aboard RMS Queen Elizabeth on 23 November 1943. It reached the European Theater at the end of the month and established itself at RAF Bottisham in England. The 361st entered combat with the Eighth Air Force on 21 January 1944. The group initially flew P-47s, but the aircraft's weight and the wet conditions at Bottisham created operational difficulties. A pierced-steel-plank runway was rapidly constructed to improve operations. In May 1944, the group transitioned to P-51 Mustangs. Its principal duty was escorting heavy bomber formations, although its crews also performed offensive counter-air operations, fighter sweeps, strafing, dive bombing, and attacks against German military and industrial infrastructure. The group supported the Allied air offensive during Big Week in February 1944 and participated in attacks on transportation and military targets in preparation for the Normandy invasion. It supported the invasion and the subsequent advance through France, including the Saint-Lô breakout and Operation Cobra. After moving to RAF Little Walden in September 1944, it supported Operation Market Garden. A detachment operated from France during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945. In February 1945, the entire group moved to Chievres Airfield in Belgium for tactical ground-support missions, including support for Operation Varsity, the Allied airborne crossing of the Rhine. It returned to Little Walden and completed its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. Following V-E Day, the group was progressively reduced. Aircraft were transferred to depots during September and October, and remaining personnel returned to the United States aboard RMS Queen Mary in November. The group reached Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on 9 November and was inactivated the next day. On 24 May 1946, the lineage was allotted to the National Guard and redesignated the 127th Fighter Group, Single Engine. Michigan activated it on 9 July at Wayne County Airport, and federal recognition followed on 29 September. The group incorporated Michigan Guard aviation elements and former wartime squadron lineages. In 1950, the Air National Guard adopted the Wing Base Organization, placing the group under the newly established 127th Fighter Wing. The group was called to active duty around 1 February 1951 because of the Korean War. Instead of deploying as a conventional fighter formation, it became the 127th Pilot Training Group within Air Training Command and moved with major elements to Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It trained pilots on P-51 Mustangs, F-80 Shooting Stars, and F-84 Thunderjets. The organization returned to Michigan control on 1 November 1952 and became the 127th Fighter-Bomber Group. Its mission and designations changed repeatedly in the following decades. It was redesignated the 127th Fighter-Interceptor Group in 1955, then the 127th Fighter Group (Air Defense) in 1956. In 1958 it became the 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, operating RF-84F Thunderflashes. Some reconnaissance squadrons were reorganized into separate groups in the early 1960s. The group moved to Selfridge Air Force Base in 1970, resumed a fighter role as the 127th Tactical Fighter Group in 1972, and was inactivated on 9 December 1974. The organization was redesignated the 127th Operations Group and activated around 1 January 1993 as part of the Objective Wing reorganization. In its current form it is assigned to the 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard at Selfridge Air National Guard Base. The group operates A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft and represents the continuation of the unit's long-standing fighter and tactical aviation lineage.
- 1993
Activation as 127th Operations Group
[1]The group was reactivated around 1 January under the Objective Wing structure as the 127th Operations Group.
- 1974
Inactivation
[1]The 127th Tactical Fighter Group was inactivated on 9 December.
- 1972
Return to the fighter mission
[1]The group was redesignated the 127th Tactical Fighter Group and operated North American F-100 Super Sabres.
- 1958
Conversion to tactical reconnaissance
[1]The organization became the 127th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and operated RF-84F Thunderflash aircraft.
- 1951
Korean War mobilization and pilot training
[1]The group entered active duty, became the 127th Pilot Training Group, and moved to Luke Air Force Base to train fighter pilots.
- 1946
Entry into the Air National Guard
[1]The lineage was redesignated the 127th Fighter Group and allotted to the National Guard in May; Michigan activated it in July.
- 1945
Final World War II mission
[1]The 361st flew its final combat mission on 20 April and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer on 10 November.
- 1944
First combat mission
[1]The group flew its first combat mission from RAF Bottisham on 21 January.
- 1944
Conversion to P-51 Mustangs
[1]The group replaced its P-47 Thunderbolts with North American P-51 Mustangs, which became its principal wartime fighter.
- 1943
361st Fighter Group activated
[1]The 361st Fighter Group was activated at Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, on 10 February with the 374th, 375th, and 376th Fighter Squadrons.
Products and positioning
A military aviation organization defined by operational flying capability, combat heritage, and continuity within the Michigan Air National Guard.
World War II fighter aircraft · 1943
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
The 361st Fighter Group used P-47 Thunderbolts during training and its first phase of combat operations in Europe from 1943 into 1944. The aircraft performed escort, fighter-sweep, and ground-attack duties before the group converted to the P-51 Mustang.
Fighter aircraft · 1944
North American P-51 Mustang
The P-51 became the group's principal combat aircraft from May 1944 through the end of World War II. It supported long-range bomber escort, counter-air operations, tactical attacks, and close support of Allied ground operations.
Jet fighter and training aircraft · 1951
Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star
The group used F-80 aircraft during its Korean War-era period as the 127th Pilot Training Group at Luke Air Force Base.
Jet fighter and training aircraft · 1951
Republic F-84 Thunderjet
F-84 Thunderjets formed part of the pilot-training equipment used by the group during its active-duty assignment at Luke Air Force Base.
Tactical reconnaissance aircraft · 1958
Republic RF-84F Thunderflash
The RF-84F was associated with the group's tactical reconnaissance period after its 1958 conversion from the fighter-interceptor mission.
Supersonic fighter aircraft · 1972
North American F-100 Super Sabre
The group operated F-100 Super Sabres after returning to the fighter mission as the 127th Tactical Fighter Group in 1972.
Ground-attack aircraft
Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
The present-day 127th Operations Group operates A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from Selfridge Air National Guard Base in support of the 127th Wing's flying mission.
Marketing campaigns
- 1945Operation Varsity
Germany
The entire group deployed to Chievres Airfield in Belgium and flew tactical ground-support missions for the airborne assault across the Rhine.
Outcome. The group later returned to England and completed its final combat mission in April 1945.
- 1944Big Week
European Theater
The 361st participated in the concentrated Allied air offensive against the German Air Force and aircraft industry from 20 to 25 February.
Outcome. The group continued its escort and offensive fighter operations as the strategic air campaign expanded.
- 1944Operation Crossbow
Western Europe
The group attacked German missile-launch infrastructure as part of the Allied effort against V-weapon sites.
Outcome. The operations contributed to the wider campaign against German long-range weapons facilities.
- 1944Normandy invasion and Operation Cobra
France
The group attacked transportation and military targets before and after D-Day and supported the Allied advance, including the breakout at Saint-Lô.
Outcome. The group continued tactical air support during the Allied advance through France.
- 1944Operation Market Garden
Netherlands
From RAF Little Walden, the group supported the airborne and ground operation aimed at securing crossings over the Rhine.
Outcome. The group performed fighter and tactical support missions during the September operation.
- 1944Battle of the Bulge
Belgium · France
A group detachment deployed to France in December to support Allied ground forces during the German Ardennes offensive.
Outcome. The detachment remained into January 1945 while the Allied counteroffensive proceeded.
Sources1 sources
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