Community News
Osan 51st Fighter Wing celebrates 76 years of history
By
51st Fighter Wing August 16, 2024
Robert H. Clark, John A. Okonski
51st Fighter Wing August 16, 2024
(51st Fighter Wing)
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea -- August 18th marks a special day for members of the 51st Fighter Wing. It is the 76th anniversary of its activation on Aug. 18, 1948, at Naha Air Base, Okinawa. Since that date, thousands of Airmen and civilians assigned to the 51st FW have been key participants during nearly three generations of an illustrious history and share an outstanding heritage and legacy from its World War II namesake, the 51st Pursuit (later, Fighter) Group.
Less than one year after the U.S. Air Force became an independent military service, the 51st FW was one of several wings to be activated under the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) following significant changes in field structure and organizations Air Force wide. The 51st FW, replaced the 301st FW and then continued the Air Defense mission of Okinawa and the Ryuku Islands from Naha with the Lockheed F-80C Shooting Star aircraft.
On Feb. 1, 1950, the wing became the 51st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, a designation that lasted more than 21 years. Later that year, the 51st FIW entered combat in the Korean War when it first deployed to Itazuke AB, Japan, to provide close air support during the breakout of U.S. and United Nations forces from the Pusan Perimeter and landings at Incheon in September 1950. Over the next four years, the 51st FIW played vital ground support and air superiority roles in the defense of Republic of Korea despite moving to four different locations and operating under austere conditions.
The 51st FIW Korean War record was impressive. Wing pilots flew more than 45,000 sorties, shot down 312 MIG-15s, and produced 14 Air Aces, including the top U.S. Air Force Ace, Capt. Joseph McConnell, Jr. After the wing converted to the North American F-86E Sabre in November1951, its ratio of aerial victories to losses was 14 to one. These victories came at a cost, though. The wing lost 32 pilots; however, nine who became POWs were repatriated after the war. For its Korean War operations, the wing earned two ROK Presidential Unit Citations and nine campaign streamers.
On Aug. 1, 1954, the 51st FIW redeployed to Naha AB from Suwon AB, ROK, to resume its pre-war mission until May 31, 1971. During those years, the wing demonstrated its readiness during three regional crises to defend its Asian allies. In 1958, the wing deployed a force of North American F-86D Sabres to Nationalist Taiwan after Communist China shelled the Taiwan-held islands of Quemoy and Matsu. In 1964, the wing sent a force of Convair F-102A Delta Daggers to the Philippines and South Vietnam for air defense against possible North Vietnamese air attacks. In 1968, the 51st FIW deployed a force of F-102As to Suwon AB following the North Korean seizure of the USS Pueblo.
Despite an increase of forces in the ROK by the end of 1969, other force structure reductions in Pacific Air Forces led to an inactivation of the 51st FIW at Naha on May 31, 1971. The 51st designation was revived five months later, though, when PACAF activated the 51st Air Base Wing at Osan AB on Nov. 1, 1971. Activation of the 51st ABW began a new era in the wing’s history -one that has continued today on the Korean peninsula. Over the next 53 years, the 51st designation changed four more times to meet new mission requirements and organizational changes. The 51st ABW assumed host base responsibilities and support of deployable tactical forces at various bases throughout the ROK.
This mission changed on Sep. 30, 1974, with a redesignation to the 51st Composite Wing (Tactical). The wing was assigned the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron with North American OV-10A Broncos (until 1982) and the 36th Tactical Fighter Squadron and its McDonnell F-4E Phantom IIs. Mission changes continued during the next eight years, and by Jul. 1, 1982, the wing became the 51st Tactical Fighter Wing and given assignment of the 25th Tactical Fighter Squadron with Fairchild Republic A/OA-10 Thunderbolt IIs and the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron with F-4Es. In the late 1980’s, PACAF began the phase-out of the F-4E. During 1988-1989, the 36th TFS converted to the General Dynamics F- l 6C/D Fighting Falcon (Viper) with plans also to convert the 25th TFS to F-16s as the 497th TFS was inactivated. However, planning changed, and led to a brief inactivation of the 25th TFS in 1990. The squadron returned to the 51st in 1993, again with the A/OA-10.
In the meantime, the fall of the USSR as the primary Cold War adversary resulted in significant organizational changes throughout the U.S. Air Force under the Objective Wing. On Feb. 7, 1992, the 51st Tactical Fighter Wing became the 51st Wing. This designation lasted only 20 months. On Oct. 1, 1993, the wing returned to its original designation as activated 45 years earlier - the 51st Fighter Wing. Since then, the 51st FW has continued to carry out its multirole mission in the defense of the ROK.
By the numbers, the 51st FW has recorded one of the most impressive histories of today’s active-duty wings in the U.S. Air Force. Over the previous 76 years, the wing has earned 17 Air Force/Air and Space Outstanding Unit Awards, three ROK Presidential Unit Citations, and 12 WWII and Korean War campaign streamers. The wing has also experienced six name changes, has been located at six different bases, had assigned (or attached) 12 different types of fighter aircraft (not including five different support aircraft), had assigned six groups and more than 50 squadrons (many redesignated over the years), and had 67 commanders.
Although 51st FW members of today must focus on the mission at hand, they can be proud of the outstanding legacy of the Mustangs.