22d Operations Group The 22d Operations Group ( 22 OG ) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 22d Air Refueling Wing . It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base , Kansas , and is assigned to the Air Mobility Command ( AFGSC ) Eighteenth Air Force . The 22d OG primary mission is to provide global reach by conducting air refueling and airlift where and when needed . The group directs the 22d Refueling Wing ' s KC - 135R Stratotanker refueling and airlift operations in support of worldwide AMC , U . S . Transportation Command , Air Force , Department of Defense , and allied operations anywhere in the world . The group ' s World War II predecessor unit , the 22d Bombardment Group was one of the first U . S . Army Air Force units to be deployed into the Pacific Theater after Pearl Harbor with the Martin B - 26 Marauder medium bomber . It operated primarily in the Southwest Pacific Theater as a B - 25 Mitchell unit assigned to Fifth Air Force . It was awarded two United States Distinguished Unit Citation s and the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for its combat service in China ; Netherlands East Indies ; New Guinea ; the Bismarck Archipelago ; the Western Pacific ; Leyte and Luzon . During the early years of the Cold War , the group moved temporarily to Okinawa in July 1950 and attached to Far East Air Forces for duty in the Korean War . It began combat immediately , and until October 1950 attacked marshalling yards , bridges , highways , airfields , and industries and supported UN ground forces in Korea . Overview . The 22d Operations Group uses five squadrons and their assigned personnel to execute the wing ' s challenging and diverse refueling and airlift missions , from CONUS refueling support to unit deployments in support of theatre operations worldwide . History . Origins . The authorizing document was a letter issued by the Adjutant - General ' s Office titled " The Constitution and Activation of Certain Air Corps Units " . Lieutenant Colonel Ross F . Cole was the first Group Commander . The first elements of the Group included : The Group was located at Langley Field , Virginia . Its first aircraft were a few B - 18 Bolo bombers , with a few B - 25 Mitchell bombers allocated to the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron . In 1941 the Group transitioned to B - 26 Marauder bombers , a fast bomber with very specialized aerodynamic capabilities . These capabilities included short , stubby wings , which led the plane to be known as " The Flying Prostitute " ( no visible means of support ) . However its flying characteristics led to many crashes , which also led to the plane being known as " The Flying Coffin " . Throughout 1941 the 22d BG trained extensively , increasing in intensity in November 1941 . It was so combat ready that 16 hours after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 , the 44 planes of the 22d BG headed for the West Coast and on to the South West Pacific . World War II . The Group prepared itself at Muroc Army Air Field in the Mojave Desert in California from 15 December 1941 and began patrols of the west coast . A ground crew team left San Francisco on 31 January 1942 for Brisbane , Queensland in Australia . On 6 February 1942 , the Group ' s aircraft were shipped to Hickam Field ( arriving about a week later ) . They immediately commenced patrol duties . On 22 March 1942 , the first flight of the 22d air echelon arrived at Amberley Field . near Brisbane in Australia , and became the first fully armed Air Force Group to fly the Pacific en masse . They were warmly welcomed by the Australians who were concerned that , while the Japanese were threatening Australia , its troops were fighting the Germans in the Middle East . Shortly after arriving in Australia , the Group ( now under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Millard L . Haskin ) moved further North to the Townsville area : On 5 April 1942 , the 22d BG took off from Garbutt Field for its first combat action , an attack on Rabaul in New Britain ( North of New Guinea ) . In this attack on the Japanese Naval Base , the Group sunk a transport ship but lost a plane and the life of S / Sgt Bourne . Meanwhile , four B - 26 Marauder s , including two from the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron , left behind at Hawaii , saw action on 4 June 1942 as part of the air attack in the Battle of Midway , and were the first Army planes to make a torpedo attack . These planes , piloted by 1st Lieutenant Herbert C . Mayes and 1st Lieutenant James P . Muri attacked the Japanese Naval Invasion Force , focusing torpedo and strafing action on its aircraft carrier . Lt Muri ' s plane , badly damaged with over 500 bullet and shrapnel holes , crash landed . [ Lt Muri ' s account : http : / / www . youtube . com / watch ? v = CSm055a0394 ] In 1944 , the group converted from medium , twin engined B - 25 Mitchell and B - 26 marauder bombers to heavy four engined B - 24 Liberator bombers . Following its conversion to B - 24 Liberators , on 11 February 1944 the 22d Bomb Group was redesignated 22 Bomb Group , Heavy . Bombed Japanese airfields , shipping , and oil installations in Borneo , Ceram , and Halmahera . Began raiding the southern Philippines in September 1944 to neutralize Japanese bases in preparation for the invasion of Leyte . From December 1944 to August 1945 , struck airfields and installations on Luzon , supported Australian ground forces on Borneo , and bombed railways and industries in Formosa and China . Moved to Okinawa in August 1945 and flew some armed reconnaissance missions over southern Japan . Postwar era . The 22 BG ' s staff and aircraft were released and the Group moved to Clark Air Base in the Philippines in November 1945 . In April 1946 the 22 BG returned to Okinawa as the 22d Bombardment Group ( Very Heavy ) , and was remanned and assigned B - 29 Superfortress bombers , operating from Kadena Air Base . In May 1948 , moved to the United States to serve Strategic Air Command . Korean War . The 22d Bombardment Group deployed its B - 29 Superfortresses in early July 1950 to Kadena AB , Okinawa , where it came under control of FEAF Bomber Command ( Provisional ) . On 13 July , the group flew its first mission , against the marshalling yards and oil refinery at Wonsan , North Korea . By 21 October , it had amassed fifty - seven missions against the enemy , attacking bridges , factories , industrial targets , troop concentrations , airfields , marshalling yards , communications centers , and port facilities . During four months of combat , the group flew 335 sorties with only fourteen aborts and dropped over 6 , 500 tons of bombs . When the 22d returned to March AFB is late October or early November 1950 , 335 sorties had been flown . One plane , 44 - 62279 , was reported lost during operations from Okinawa . Combat components of the group were the 2nd , 19th and 33rd Bombardment Squadrons . It became a records unit in February 1951 , inactivated on 16 June 1952 . Modern era . After activation in 1991 , commenced air refueling missions . Using KC - 10 aircraft , the group airlifted humanitarian equipment and supplies to Somalia , 1992 – 1994 . Deployed group aircrews and aircraft on other contingency operations in many parts of the world , including Haiti in 1994 and Serbia in 1999 . The group also refueled aircraft enforcing no - fly zones over Bosnia - Herzegovina in the mid - 1990s and over northern and southern Iraq between 1992 and 2002 . After terrorist attacks in the United States in September 2001 , deployed crews and aircraft for operations in Afghanistan . External links . Personal Accounts . 2nd Squadron 19th Squadron 33rd Squadron