51st Fighter Wing

The 51st Fighter Wing (51 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The wing has been based entirely in the Far East during its entire existence, including its combat role as the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing during the Korean War.

51st Fighter Wing
Active1948–1971; 1971–present
CountryUnited States
BranchAir Force
Part ofPacific Air Forces
Garrison/HQOsan Air Base, South Korea
Motto(s)Leading the Charge (1993–present); Deftly and Swiftly (former motto)[1][2]
Engagements
  • World War II
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign (1941–1945)
  • Korean Service (1950–1954)
DecorationsAir Force Outstanding Unit Award (15 Awards)
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation (3 Awards)
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel John F. Gonzales
Notable
commanders		Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.
Francis S. "Gabby" Gabreski

The 51st Fighter Wing is under Pacific Air Forces' Seventh Air Force. The unit is the most forward deployed wing in the world, providing combat ready forces for close air support, air strike control, counter air, interdiction, theater airlift, and communications in the defense of the Republic of Korea. The wing executes military operations to bed-down, maintain and employ follow-on forces for the combined arms base that includes three major flying tenants and large multi-service fighting units.

The wing is equipped with General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II squadrons and myriad base support agencies conducting the full spectrum of missions providing for the defense of the Republic of Korea.

Mission

The mission of the 51st FW is to provide mission-ready Airmen to execute combat operations and receive follow-on forces. The wing accomplishes this mission through:

  • Conducting exercises to ensure our forces maintain the highest degree of readiness to defend Osan AB against air and ground attack.
  • Maintaining and administering U.S. operations at Osan and five collocated operating bases—Taegu, Suwon, Kwang Ju, Kimhae and Cheong Ju – for reception and bed-down of follow-on forces.
  • Providing timely and accurate air power in support of military operations directed by higher headquarters.

Units

The 51st Fighter Wing is composed of four groups each with specific functions. The Operations Group controls all flying and airfield operations. The Maintenance Group performs maintenance of aircraft, ground equipment and aircraft components. The Mission Support Group has a wide range of responsibilities but a few of its functions are Security, Civil Engineering, Communications, Personnel Management, Logistics, Services and Contracting support, whilst the Medical Group provides medical and dental care.

History
For additional history and lineage, see 51st Operations Group

In 1948, assumed air defense of Ryukyu Islands.

Korean War
F-80C of the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing taking off from Suwon AB with a JATO bottle
North American F-86E-10-NA Sabres of the 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (51st) FBG over Korea. Identifiable is serial is 51-2742.

With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, elements of the 51st FIW were dispatched first to Japan, then to South Korea. Korean War operational squadrons were:

  • 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: duration (F-80C, F-86F)
  • 25th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: duration (F-80C, F-8)
  • 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 1 June 1952– (F-80C, F-86F)
  • 68th Fighter-All Weather Squadron: attached 25 September – 9 October 1950 (F-82F/G)
  • 80th Fighter-Bomber Squadron: attached 25 September – 20 December 1950 (F-80C)

It entered combat service flying the F-80C Shooting Star on 22 September of that year, when it moved to Itazuke AB, Japan, to support the breakout of the Eighth U.S. Army from the Pusan Perimeter. For nearly 4 years thereafter, the 51st FIW played a key role in the defense of South Korea despite moving to four different locations within a year and operating under austere conditions.

The wing moved to South Korea in October only to return to Japan in December, leaving combat elements behind. In May 1951, the 51st FIW moved to Suwon Air Base, southwest of Seoul, but retained maintenance and supply elements at Tsuiki AB, Japan, to provide rear echelon support. In November 1951 the 51st FIW transitioned to the F-86 Sabre with two squadrons (16th, 25th), adding a third squadron (26th) the following May.

The group operated a detachment at Suwon AB, Korea, beginning in May 1951, and relocated there in October 1951, with maintenance and supply elements remaining in Japan until August 1954. The wing ceased combat on 27 July 1953. The 51 FIW's war record was impressive. Wing pilots flew more than 45,000 sorties and shot down 312 MiG-15s; this produced 14 air aces including the top ace of the war, Captain Joseph C. McConnell. The ratio of aerial victories to losses was 10 to 1. Unfortunately, the wing lost 32 pilots to enemy action; however, nine that became prisoners of war were repatriated later.

Korean War Aces
Capt Joseph McConnell, lead US Ace Pilot during the Korean War, achieving 16 Aerial Victories. Official US Air Force Photo.
Aerial VictoriesRankNameUnitAceDouble AceTriple Ace / Notes:
16CaptJoseph C. McConnell39FIS16 February 195324 April 195318 May 1953; Top USAF Ace of the Korean War
10CaptHarold E. Fischer39FIS24 January 195321 March 1953
91st LtCecile G. Foster16FIS3 May 1952
8Lt ColGeorge I Ruddell39FIS18 May 1953
71st LtHenry Buttelmann25FIS30 June 19532nd youngest Ace (24y/o)
6.5ColFrancis S. Gabreski51FIW1 April 1952Wing Commander; Top WWII US Ace in European Theater
6.5MajDonald E. Adams16FIS3 May 1952
6MajJohn F. Bolt39FIS11 July 1953USMC Exchange Pilot
5.5MajWilliam T. Whisner, Jr.25FIS23 Feb 1952First 51FIW Ace; 15.5 Aerial Victories in WWII
5ColRobert P. Baldwin51FIG22 June 1953
5CaptIven C. Kincheloe, Jr.25FIS6 April 1952Youngest Korean War Ace (23yrs, 9mos)
5CaptRobert H. Moore16FIS3 April 1952
5CaptDolphin D. Overton16FIS24 January 1953
5MajWilliam Wescott25FIS26 April 1952

Cold War
Three 36th Fighter Squadron McDonnell Douglas F-4E-37-MC Phantoms in flight. Serials 68-0328 and 68-0365 identifiable.
Three 36th Fighter Squadron F-16Cs in flight.

On 1 August 1954, the 51 FIW returned to Naha Air Base to resume air defense coverage of the Ryukyu Islands. Operational squadrons were:

At the same time, the wing demonstrated its mobility readiness in response to three regional crises.

From August 1958 to January 1959, the 51 FIW deployed eight F-86Ds to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base Taiwan to fly combat air support missions for Nationalist Chinese forces after mainland Communist Chinese forces shelled the Nationalist-held islands of Quemoy and Matsu. Six years later, the wing deployed 12 F-102s to the Philippines and South Vietnam from August to October 1964 for air defense against possible Communist North Vietnamese air attacks.

During the Vietnam War, crews of the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing provided air defense of Naha AB, Okinawa, with F-102s of the 82nd FIS which was assigned to the 51st FIW from Travis AFB in January 1966. During the 1968 Pueblo crisis, the wing deployed 12 of is 33 aircraft to Suwon AB. On 31 May 1971, the 51st FIW was inactivated, ending almost 17 years of service in the Pacific from Naha when it was inactivated as the Air Force began scaling down its activities in Southeast Asia. In 1975 Naha Air Base closed.

Two Fairchild Republic A-10A Thunderbolt IIs from the 25th Fighter Squadron and two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 36th Fighter Squadron fly over Osan AB in formation, 2010

The 51st was inactive for only five months. On 1 November 1971, the wing was redesignated the 51st Air Base Wing and activated at Osan Air Base, South Korea. At Osan, the 51st assumed the host responsibilities of the inactivated 6314th Support Wing to include the Koon-ni range and a variety of remote sites. Operational squadrons of the 51st at Osan have been:

Fighter Squadrons

On 1 October 1993, after a half-dozen name changes, the wing returned to its original and current designation as the 51st Fighter Wing. Since then, the 51st has continued operating as a fighter/ground attack wing and continues to be tasked to receive and integrate follow-on reinforcing forces to the peninsula in the event of crisis.

Lineage
  • Established as 51 Fighter Wing on 10 August 1948
Activated on 18 August 1948
Redesignated 51 Fighter-Interceptor Wing on 1 February 1950
Inactivated on 31 May 1971
  • Redesignated 51 Air Base Wing on 20 October 1971
Activated on 1 November 1971
Redesignated: 51 Composite Wing (Tactical) on 30 September 1974
Redesignated: 51 Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 July 1982
Redesignated: 51 Wing on 7 February 1992
Redesignated: 51 Fighter Wing on 1 October 1993.

Assignments
Attached to Fifth Air Force, 25 September 1950 – 1 August 1954
Further attached to 8th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 25 September – 12 October 1950

Components

Groups

Squadrons

  • 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron: attached 1 July – 24 October 1957, assigned 25 October 1957 – 24 December 1964
  • 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron: 30 September 1974 – 8 January 1980
  • 25th Fighter-Interceptor (later, 25 Tactical Fighter) Squadron: attached 1 July – 24 October 1957, assigned 25 October 1957 – 8 June 1960; 1 February 1981 – 31 June 1990
  • 36th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 30 September 1974 – 1 October 1990
  • 82d Fighter Interceptor Squadron: attached 17 February – 24 June 1966, assigned 25 June 1966 – 31 May 1971 (detached 30 January – 20 February 1968)
  • 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron: attached 11–18 February 1968
  • 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron: 1 January 1982 – 24 January 1989
  • 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 11 December 1964 – 15 March 1965 and 11 November 1965 – 25 February 1966
  • 558th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 12 March – 15 June 1965
  • 559th Tactical Fighter Squadron: attached 12 June – 15 November 1965.

Stations
Historical Aircraft of the 51st Fighter Wing; Poster created by L. Vance Fleming, Historian for the 51st Fighter Wing. The photos used were from open-source sites. Not all aircraft were specifically assigned to the 51st Fighter Wing but are representative of the type of aircraft that were assigned.

Aircraft Assigned

The 51st FW's aircrews have flown a variety of aircraft, including the P/F-51 Mustang, F-80 Shooting Star, F-82 Twin Mustang, F-86 Sabrejet, F-94 Starfire, F-102A Delta Dagger, F-4E Phantom II, RF-4C Phantom II, F-106A Delta Dart, OV-10 Bronco, A-10 and OA-10 Thunderbolt II and several versions of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Commanders

The list of commanders for the 51st Fighter Wing and its predecessors includes a wartime hero, Colonel Francis Gabreski, and an aviation pioneer, Tuskegee Airman Colonel Benjamin O. Davis Jr. This list includes those who only held command briefly as interim commanders.[4]

The Wall of Mustang 1s – Former Commanders of the 51st Fighter Wing, located in the wing headquarters at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea.
NumberCommand RankNameCall SignCommand StartCommand EndNotes:
1Brig GenHugo P. Rush–18 August 194824 March 1949Commanded 301st Fighter Wing from April 1947; 51FIW activated at Naha Air Base, Okinawa
2ColJohn F. Egan–25 March 194931 March 1949
3ColRichard M. Montgomery–1 April 194918 September 1949
4ColJohn W. Weltman–19 September 194923 April 1951Commanded 51FIW as it entered the Korean War (Japan / Korea / Japan / Korea)
5ColOliver G. Cellini–24 April 195131 October 1951
6ColWilliam P. Litton–1 November 19512 November 1951Crashed 2 November 1951, on mission, missing and presumed dead
7ColGeorge R. Stanley–2 November 19515 November 1951
8ColFrancis S. Gabreski–6 November 195112 June 1952Lead Ace of WWII – European Theater; Ace in Korean War with 6.5 Aerial Victories
9ColJohn W. Mitchell–13 June 195230 May 1953"Robinson Crusoe of MiG Alley"
10ColWilliam C. Clark–31 May 19538 August 1953Commander when Korean War Armistice was signed
11ColErnest H. Beverly–9 August 195310 September 1953
12ColWilliam C. Clark–11 September 195311 November 1953
13ColBenjamin O. Davis Jr.–12 November 19531 July 1954Former Commander of the Tuskeegee Airman
Colonel Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., commander of the 51st FIW, leads a formation of F-86F Sabres over Korea in 1954
14ColBarton M. Russell–2 July 195431 July 1954Relinquished command in Korea as last units returned to Naha AB
15ColTravis Hoover–1 August 19548 August 195451FIW returns to Naha AB
16ColHilmer C. Nelson–9 August 195415 August 1954
17ColEdwin C. Ambrosen–16 August 195414 November 1955
18ColJohn H. Bell–15 November 19551 February 1957
19ColPaul E. Hoeper–2 February 19573 May 1957
20ColRobert L. Cardenas–4 May 195714 July 1957
21ColWalter V. Gresham Jr.–15 July 195731 July 1957
22ColElliott H. Reed–1 August 195714 August 1957
23ColWalter V. Gresham Jr.–15 August 195721 November 1957
24ColLester J. Johnsen–22 November 195724 March 1960
25ColWilliam W. Ingenhutt–25 March 196023 July 1962
26ColLester C. Hess–24 July 1962June 1965
27ColLloyd R. Larson–11 June 19657 April 1967
28ColFrank E. Angier–8 April 196712 June 1968
29ColJohn B. Weed–13 June 196829 June 1968
30ColRoy D. Carlson–30 June 196831 May 1971Wing inactivated at Naha AB.
31ColHewitt E. Lovelace Jr.–1 November 197131 July 1972Wing Reactivate at Osan Air Base.
32ColJohn H. Allison–1 August 19726 June 1973
33ColBillie J. Norwood–7 June 197330 April 1974
34ColAlonzo L. Ferguson–1 May 197429 September 1974
35ColGlenn L. Nordin–30 September 197411 August 1975
36ColVernon H. Sandrock–12 August 197514 June 1977
37ColFred B. Hoenniger–15 June 197717 June 1979
38ColJames T. Boddie Jr.–18 June 197915 May 1980
39ColJohn C. Scheidt Jr.–16 May 198019 February 1981
40ColEugene Myers–20 February 198115 July 1982
41ColThomas R. Olsen–16 July 198225 May 1983
42ColMarcus F. Cooper Jr.–26 May 198317 October 1983
43ColBarry J. Howard–18 October 198319 July 1984
44ColCharles D. Link–20 July 198411 August 1985
45ColHenry J. Cochran–12 August 198511 June 1987
46ColJohn C. Marshall–12 June 198729 June 1989
47ColJames J. Winters–30 June 198916 July 1990
48ColThomas R. Case–17 July 199022 June 1992
49Brig GenRobert G. Jenkins–23 June 199230 January 1994
50Brig GenRobert H. Foglesong–31 January 199420 November 1995
51Brig GenSteven R. Polk–21 November 199514 May 1997
52Brig GenPaul R. Dordal–15 May 199714 September 1998
53Brig GenRobert R. Dierker–15 September 199821 May 2000
54Brig GenDavid E. Clary–22 May 200017 March 2002
55Brig GenWilliam L. Holland–18 March 200228 September 2003
56Brig GenMaurice H. Forsyth–29 September 20037 July 2005
57Brig GenJoseph Reynes Jr.–8 July 200514 June 2007
58ColJon A. Norman–15 June 200714 October 2008
59ColThomas H. Deale–15 October 20086 December 2009
60ColPatrick C. Malackowski–7 December 200914 July 2011
61ColPatrick McKenzieSmack15 July 201112 July 2013
62ColBrook LeonardTank13 July 201315 June 2015
63ColAndrew P. HansenPopeye16 June 201526 June 2017
64ColWilliam D. BettsWilbur27 June 201717 June 2019
65ColJohn F. GonzalesGonzo18 June 2019Present[5]

Notable members
  • Buzz Aldrin, Served in the 16th Fighter Squadron during the Korean War; attained two aerial victories.
  • Lt Col William A. Campbell, Commanded the 25FIS in 1954; served with the Tuskegee Airmen in WWII, flying 106 missions with one aerial victory.
  • CMSAF James A. Cody, assigned to the 51st Operations Support Squadron from May 1993 – May 1994; became the 17th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.
  • Gen Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., former commander of the Tuskegee Airmen who became the wing commander and was promoted to General Officer (four-star) post-retirement.
  • John Glenn, served as a branch exchange pilot from the USMC to the 25th Fighter Squadron, with three aerial victories in the Korean War.
  • Chuck Norris, assigned to Osan security forces where he first started his martial arts practice.
  • CMSAF Kaleth O. Wright. assigned to the 51st Dental Squadron from 1994 – 1995 and 2007 – 2009; became the 18th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force.

References
  1. Ravenstein, p. 85.
  2. Okonski, John (26 July 2007). "Wing's shield preserves long heritage". 51st Fighter Wing History Office.
  3. Fisher, Franklin (26 March 2004). "Osan airmen practice 'hot pit refueling'". Stars and Stripes. Not shutting off the engines saves turnaround time, said Capt. Dominick Martin, officer in charge of the 25th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, part of the 51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
  4. "Experienced commanders have led 'Mustang Stampede'". 51st Fighter Wing History Office. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. https://www.osan.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1879129/new-commander-takes-rein-of-51st-fighter-wing/

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

  • USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers—1908 to present
  • This article contains information from the Osan Air Base factsheet which is an official document of the United States Government and is presumed to be in the public domain.
  • Maurer, Maurer (1961). Air Force Combat Units of World War II History and Insignia. Zenger Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89201-092-9.
  • Martin, Patrick (1994). Tail Code The Complete History of USAF Tactical Aircraft Tail Code Markings. Schiffer Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-0-88740-513-6.
  • Ravenstein, Charles A.; United States Air Force, Office of Air Force History (1984). Air Force combat wings lineage and honors histories, 1947–1977. Air Force History & Museums program. ISBN 978-0-912799-12-4.
  • Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-197-2.
  • Thompson, Warren (1999). F-86 Sabre Fighter-Bomber Units Over Korea Frontline Color 1. Osprey Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-85532-929-4.
  • Thompson, Warren (2001). F-80 Shooting Star Units Over Korea. Osprey Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-84176-225-8.
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