page_title: 113th Operations Group
section_title: Cold War
hierarchical_section_title: 113th Operations Group / History / District of Columbia Air National Guard / Cold War
caption_attribution_description: English: 121st Tactical Fighter Squadron - North American F-100C-1-NA Super Sabre 53-1727
context_page_description: The 113th Operations Group is a flying group of the United States Air Force. It provides air sovereignty forces to defend District of Columbia and also provides fighter, airlift and support forces capable of local, national and global employment.
  The group's primary mission is training of air combat and operational airlift crews for national defense. The group also provides a ready response force of fighters for the defense of the District of Columbia area. Members of the group also assist local and federal law enforcement agencies in combating drug trafficking in the District of Columbia on a case by case basis.
  Its predecessor, the 352nd Fighter Group, was one of the most highly decorated United States Army Air Forces Fighter Groups in World War II, producing many leading aces of the war. The 352d was composed of three squadrons. Once deployed to the European Theater of Operations, the group was eventually headquartered in RAF Bodney, England before being forward deployed to Belgium. It performed a variety of missions for the Eighth Air Force, but predominantly served as bomber escort.
context_section_description: With its return to District of Columbia control, the group was re-equipped with propeller-driven F-51H Mustangs.   It was not until 1954 that the 113th was upgraded to once again fly jets, receiving North American F-86A Sabres.  In August 1954 it began keeping two planes on air defense alert status at Andrews from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset. This ADC alert lasted until the end of October 1958 as the group received later model Sabres in 1955 (F-86E and 1957 (F-86H).
  In late 1958, the gaining command for the 113th was changed from ADC to Tactical Air Command (TAC) and the mission was changed to tactical air support, although air defense remained as a secondary mission.  The Sabres were phased out in 1960 with the receipt of relatively new North American F-100C Super Sabres.   The Super Sabre brought the group into the supersonic age.
  In January 1968 the Pueblo Crisis by North Korean forces brought the callup of the 113th to active duty. The group moved to Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina while the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. At Myrtle Beach the group was a paper unit, with its squadron assigned directly to the 113th Wing under the dual deputy organization used by TAC.
  The group returned to Andrews in June 1969, and transitioned into the Republic F-105D Thunderchief, which was beginning to be withdrawn from the active inventory. The 113th was one of four Air National Guard units to receive the F-105, a very large and complex aircraft.  The 113th was fortunate to have many Vietnam Veteran airmen in its ranks by 1970, many of whom had F-105 experience. In December 1974, the 113th Tactical Fighter Group was inactivated and its 121st Squadron was assigned directly to the 113th Tactical Fighter Wing.
  In the early 1990s the Air Force began implementing the Objective Wing organization, which again called for squadrons to be assigned to functional groups, rather than directly to the wing.  As a result, the group was once again activated as the 113th Operations Group.
caption: 121st Tactical Fighter Squadron F-100[note 7]
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