301st Operations Group The 301st Operations Group ( 301 OG ) is a flying component of the 301st Fighter Wing , assigned to the United States Air Force Reserve Tenth Air Force . The group is stationed at Carswell Field , Texas . During World War II , the groups predecessor unit , the 301st Bombardment Group was a highly decorated group flying B - 17 Flying Fortress es that served primarily in North Africa and Italy . It operated as part of Eighth , Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Force s . In the postwar era , the 301st Bombardment Group was one of the first USAAF units assigned to the Strategic Air Command on 4 August 1946 , prior to the establishment of the United States Air Force . The group was activated as a redesignation of the 467th Bombardment Group due to the Air Force ' s policy of retaining only low - numbered groups on active duty after the war . The group was inactivated in 1952 when the parent wing adopted the Tri - Deputate organization and assigned all of the groups squadrons directly to the wing . Reactivated as the 301st Operations Group in 1991 when the 301st Air Refueling Wing adopted the USAF Objective organization plan . Overview . The 301st Operations Group ( Tail Code : TX ) is equipped with the F - 16C + Fighting Falcon . It commands the operational fighter squadrons of the 301st Fighter Wing . The group has a rich tradition of leadership in the reserve component of the Air Force dating back to mid - 1940s and continues to make history . Components . The group consists of the following squadrons : History . World War II . After activation in February 1942 , trained with B - 17s . Air echelon operated 5 – 15 June 1942 from Muroc Dry Lake , CA , and performed anti - submarine patrols off the California coast . Reunited with ground echelon after arrival in England in August 1942 . Entered combat with Eighth Air Force in September 1942 . Began combat in September 1942 , attacking submarine pen s , airfields , railroads , bridges , and other targets on the Continent , primarily in France . Reassigned to Twelfth Air Force and moved to North Africa in November 1942 . Bombed docks , shipping facilities , airdromes , and railroad yards in Tunisia , Sicily , and Sardinia . Attacked enemy shipping between Tunisia and Sicily . Received a Distinguished Unit Citation for action on 6 April 1943 when the group withstood intense antiaircraft fire from shore defenses and nearby vessels to attack a convoy of merchant ships off Bizerte and thus destroy supplies essential to the Axis defense of Tunisia . Assaulted gun positions on Pantelleria during May – June 1943 . Flew numerous missions to Italy , July – October 1943 . Assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in November 1943 , moved to Italy in December , and afterward directed most of its attacks against European Theatre of World War II strategic targets such as oil centers , communications , and industrial areas . Received another DUC for a mission to Germany on 25 February 1944 when , in spite of vicious encounters with enemy fighters , the group bombed aircraft production centers at Regensburg . In 1944 – 1945 , supported ground forces in the Anzio and Cassino areas during the invasion of Southern France , knocked out targets to assist the Russian advance in the Balkans , and aided the Allied drive through the Po Valley . Returned to the US in July 1945 . Redesignated 301st Bombardment Group ( Very Heavy ) in August and prepared for transition to B - 29 Superfortress es and a move to the Southwest Pacific . Inactivated on 15 October 1945 . Flew 478 combat missions ; 132 aircraft lost . Cold War . Activated on 4 August 1946 but probably not manned until August 1947 . Assigned to Strategic Air Command . Equipped with B - 29 Superfortress es for bombardment operations . Deployed to Furstenfeldbruck AB , Germany , July – August 1948 ; to RAF Station Scampton , England , October 1948 – January 1949 ; and to RAF Stations Lakenheath and Sculthorpe , May – November 1950 . Reassigned to Barksdale AFB , Louisiana in 1949 and added an air refueling mission . The 301st was one of the first units to conduct aerial refueling operations with the KB - 29 tanker version of the Superfortress . In February 1950 , rotated squadrons to Goose Bay , Labrador , for air refueling training in cold climates . Reduced to " paper " strength in February 1951 and inactivated in June 1952 as a result of the Air Force tri - deputate reorganization . Modern era . Refueled aircraft in CONUS and provided tankers and crews for various Tanker Task Forces in Saudi Arabia , September 1991 – May 1992 . After activation in the Reserve on 1 August 1992 , trained for possible worldwide deployment for counter - air , interdiction and close air support missions . Supported Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia - Herzegovina , deploying F - 16 aircraft and crews to Aviano AB , Italy , 1 December 1993 – 2 January 1994 . Elements deployed again to Aviano , 2 January - 9 March 1996 to enforce a no - fly zone over Bosnia . Deployed aircraft and personnel to Karup AS , Denmark , for a combined force exercise , 24 May – June 1997 . See also . 530th Air Service Group Support organization for the group at Foggia and Pyote AAF