The 20th Air Base Group is a disbanded group of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

. It was part of the Far East Air Force, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

was based at

Nichols Field Nichols Field was a U.S. military airfield located south of Manila in Pasay and Parañaque, Metro Manila, Luzon, the Philippines. The complex is located at Andrews Avenue by the north, Domestic Road by the west, NAIA Road and Ninoy Aquino Avenu ...

, in the Philippines. It surrendered to the Japanese in the spring of 1942, but was kept on the rolls as an active unit until April 1946. It was disbanded in 1984. The Unit's first predecessor, the 66th Aero Squadron served at a training base during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was consolidated with the 66th Service Squadron, which had provided maintenance support at Nichols Field since 1921. In the late 1930s, the unit assumed administrative support functions as well and was expanded to a group. The first unit holding the name 20th Air Base Group was active up until 1942, and is where the majority of this article focuses. However, a second unit, the 20th Airdrome Group, was renamed the 20th ABG in 1948, remaining as part of the

20th Fighter Wing The 20th Fighter Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Shaw Air Force Base South Carolina. The wing is assigned to Air Combat Command's Fifteenth Air Force. The wing's mission is to provide, project, and sustain c ...

. It later became the 20th Mission Support Group, and is still supporting the 20th Fighter Wing.

History

World War I

The first predecessor of the

was the 66th Aero Squadron,The unit is not related to an earlier 66th Aero Squadron, organized in August 1917, which had been renumbered as the 478th Aero Squadron (Construction). which was organized in April 1918 at Kelly Field, Texas. As soon as the squadron was organized it moved to

Eberts Field Eberts Field is a former military airfield, located northwest of Lonoke, Arkansas. The airfield was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established in 1917 after the United States entry into World War I. It operated as a training f ...

, Arkansas to join the flying school there. In the summer of 1918, the Air Service reorganized its units at its flying schools as lettered squadrons and the squadron became Squadron A, Eberts Field.Clay, p. 1421 Shortly after the end of the

, the squadron was demobilized and its personnel were absorbed by the Flying School Detachment at Eberts Field.

Interwar years in the Philippines

In June 1921, Air Park No. 11 was organized at Clark Field, Philippines, moving to what became

before the end of the year. In 1923, the Air Service renamed its air parks as service squadrons and the unit became the 66th Service Squadron, with the mission of providing second level maintenance for the aircraft of the

4th Composite Group The 4th Composite Group is an inactive United States Army Air Corps unit. It was last was assigned to the United States Army Philippine Department at Nichols Field, Commonwealth of the Philippines. It was disbanded on 1 November 1941.4th Composi ...

at Nichols. Due to post-war shortages in officers, garrison units in the Philippines were manned assigned only 50% of their authorized officer personnel through the first half of the 1920s. In 1936 the Air Corps consolidated many of its World War I Aero Squadrons with units formed after the war but bearing the same number, and the old 66th Aero Squadron was consolidated with the post-war 66th Squadron. In 1938, the Air Corps reorganized its support units and the 66th was consolidated with the Station Complement, Nichols Field as the Base Headquarters and 20th Air Base Squadron. In the fall of 1940, air base squadrons expanded into groups and were assigned materiel squadrons for maintaining aircraft and air base squadrons to provide administrative support, and the unit became the 20th Air Base Group.

Defense of the Philippines

The 20th Group's station at Nichols Field came under Japanese air attack as

began in the Pacific. Although Far East Air Force had built up to the largest American overseas force in terms of personnel, much of its equipment was en route when the Japanese attacked. As the war began, the group supported the 2d Observation Squadron,

17th Pursuit Squadron 17 (seventeen) is the natural number following 16 and preceding 18. It is a prime number. Seventeen is the sum of the first four prime numbers. In mathematics 17 is the seventh prime number, which makes seventeen the fourth super-prime, as s ...

and 34th Pursuit Squadron at Nichols. Three days after the start of the war, 10 December 1941, saw the first concentrated Japanese attacks on Nichols. By the end of the attack all observation airplanes at Nichols had been destroyed or rendered unserviceable. By 24 December, all

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

s had been flown to Australia and air force headquarters and all combat units except for a few

fighters Fighter(s) or The Fighter(s) may refer to: Combat and warfare * Combatant, an individual legally entitled to engage in hostilities during an international armed conflict * Fighter aircraft, a warplane designed to destroy or damage enemy warplan ...

soon followed. By the end of December, all American forces were being withdrawn to

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the enti ...

. Colonel Harold H. George, of

5th Interceptor Command The 5th Interceptor Command was a temporary organization of the United States Army Air Forces. It was wiped out in the Battle of the Philippines (1941–42). The survivors fought as infantry during Battle of Bataan and after their surrender, wer ...

assumed control of all Air Corps units remaining in the Philippines. With the flying mission being performed by a handful of fighter pilots, the bulk of the group's personnel were employed as infantry. By May 1942, resistance in the Philippines had ended and the group ceased to exist as an organized military formation.

Lineage

; Squadron A, Eberts Field * Organized on 26 April 1918 as 66th Aero Squadron : Redesignated Squadron A, Eberts Field c. 1 July 1918 * Demobilized 15 November 1918 : Reconstituted and consolidated with 66th Service Squadron on 16 October 1936 ; 20th Air Base Group * Authorized as Air Park No. 11 and organized on 2 June 1921 : Redesignated 66th Service Squadron on 25 January 1923 : Consolidated with Squadron A, Eberts Field on 16 October 1936 : Consolidated with Station Complement, Nichols Field as the Base Headquarters & 20th Air Base Squadron on 25 May 1938 : Redesignated Base Headquarters & 20th Air Base Squadron (1 Group) on 6 December 1939 : Redesignated Base Headquarters & 20th Air Base Squadron (Single) on 1 February 1940 : Redesignated Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron 20th Air Base Group (Reinforced) on 1 September 1940 : Inactivated on 2 April 1946 * Disbanded on 27 September 1984Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 575q, 27 Sep 1984, Subject: Disbandment of Units ; Station Complement, Nichols Field * Activated c. 1 March 1935 as Station Complement, Nichols Field : Consolidated with 66th Service Squadron as Base Headquarters & 20th Air Base Squadron on 25 May 1938

Assignments

* Primary Flying School, Eberts Field, 26 April 1918 – 15 November 1918 * 1st Group (Composite) (later 4th Composite Group), 2 June 1921 *

Philippine Department The Philippine Department (Filipino: ''Kagawaran ng Pilipinas/Hukbong Kagawaran ng Pilipinas'') was a regular United States Army organization whose mission was to defend the Philippine Islands and train the Philippine Army. On 9 April 1942, durin ...

, 1 September 1936 *

Philippine Department Air Force The Philippine Department Air Force was a military formation of the United States Army Air Forces. The command was officially established on 6 May 1941 as the Philippine Department Air Force at Nichols Field, Luzon, Philippines. Origins The U ...

(later Far East Air Force), 20 September 1941 * Far East Air Service Command (later 5th Air Force Base Command, 5th Air Force Service Command, V Air Force Service Command), 16 November 1942 – 2 April 1946

Stations

* Kelly Field, Texas, 26 April 1918 * Eberts Field, Arkansas, ''ca''. 1 May 1918 – 15 November 1918 * Clark Field, Philippines, 2 June 1921 * Camp Nichols (later Nichols Field), Philippines, 21 December 1921 – 1942

Components

* Air Base Squadron, 20th Air Base Group (later 19th Air Base Squadron), 1 September 1940 – 2 April 1946 * 1st Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group (later 27th Material Squadron), 1 September 1940 – 2 April 1946 * 2d Materiel Squadron, 20th Air Base Group (later 28th Material Squadron), 1 September 1940 – 2 April 1946 * 745th Ordnance Company, Aviation (Air Base), attached, c. May 1941 – 2 April 1946 * Air Corps Detachment, Weather, Philippines, 2 January–20 September 1941Markus, ''et al''., p. 114

Awards and campaigns

References

; Notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{USAAF 5th Air Force World War II

020 020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...

Military units and formations disestablished in 1984