51st Operations Group The 51st Operations Group ( 51 OG ) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 51st Fighter Wing , stationed at Osan Air Base , South Korea . The group ' s World War II predecessor unit , the 51st Fighter Group . was activated in January 1941 , nearly a year before American entered World War II . It was one of the first groups deployed from the United States after the Attack on Pearl Harbor , traveling west to India via Australia and Ceylon . It has never returned to the United States . Later , during the Korean War , the group ' s aircraft were some of the first United States Air Force fighters to engage in combat operations over South Korea , frequently engaging enemy fighters in air - to - air combat . Overview . The 51st Operations Group is the most forward deployed USAF Operations Group in the world , providing combat ready aircraft for the close air support , air strike control , counter air , interdiction , theater airlift , and communications in the defense of the Republic of Korea . Assigned Units . The 51 OG ( Tail Code : OS ) consists of the following squadrons : History . World War II . During 1941 , trained in the United States for fighter operations . After the Pearl Harbor attack on 7 December , the 51st served as part of the defense force for the west coast . Operational squadrons of the group were the 16th , 25th , 26th and 449th . The group was deployed to India via Australia and Ceylon beginning in January 1942 and arriving in March , serving in the China Burma India Theater of World War II . It was assigned to Tenth Air Force and equipped with Curtiss P - 40 Warhawks and Lockheed P - 38 Lightnings . The group defended the Indian terminus of the " Hump " airlift route over the Himalaya Mountains between India and China and airfields in that area . The group flew strafing , bombing , reconnaissance , and patrol missions in support of Allied ground troops during a Japanese offensive in northern Burma in 1943 . After moving to China in October 1943 the 51st FG was assigned to the 69th Composite Wing of Fourteenth Air Force . The group defended the Chinese end of the Hump route and air bases in the Kunming area . Attached Japanese shipping in the Red River delta of Indochina and supported Chinese ground forces in their late 1944 drive along the Salween River . The group was reequipped with North American P - 51D Mustangs in 1945 to defend the eastern end of the route over the Hump , and to guard air bases in the Kunming area . The 51st Fighter Group returned to India in the fall of 1945 and sailed for the United States in November . The group was inactivated on 13 December 1945 . The group was reactivated at Yontan Air Base Okinawa in 1946 and moved to Naha AB when Yontan closed in 1947 . The group was assigned to the Twentieth Air Force , 301st Fighter Wing . The group served as part of the occupation force and provided air defense for Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands until 1950 . Korean War . With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 , elements of the 51st were dispatched first to Japan , then to South Korea . 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 U . S . Eighth 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 - 15 s ; 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 . Cold War . On 1 August 1954 , the 51 FIW returned to Naha Air Base to resume air defense coverage of the Ryukyu Islands . Operational squadrons were the 16th , 25th 26th FISs . At the same time , the wing demonstrated its mobility readiness in response to three regional crises . The group was inactivated on 25 October 1957 when the group ' s parent wing adapted the Tri - Deputate organization and the operational fighter squadrons were assigned directly to the wing . Modern era . Since 1990 , trained and took part in a series of exercises to maintain combat readiness for the air defense of South Korea .