158th Airlift Squadron The 158th Airlift Squadron ( 158 AS ) is a unit of the Georgia Air National Guard ' s 165th Airlift Wing ( 165 AW ) located at Savannah Air National Guard Base , Georgia . The 158th is equipped with the C - 130H Hercules and is operationally - gained by the Air Mobility Command ( AMC ) . Overview . 158th Airlift Squadron flies the C - 130H Hercules , which performs the tactical portion of the airlift mission . The aircraft is capable of operating from rough , dirt strips and is the prime transport for air dropping troops and equipment into hostile areas . History . World War II . Activated in late 1942 . Trained under First Air Force in northeastern United States with P - 40 Warhawk s , also performing Air Defense as part of Norfolk and Philadelphia Fighter Wing s . Deployed to European Theater of Operations , June 1943 , being equipped with P - 47 Thunderbolt s in England . Assigned as a heavy bomber escort squadron under VIII Fighter Command . Re - equipped with long - range P - 51D Mustang s , July 1944 , Thunderbolts being transferred to IX Fighter Command as tactical fighter - bombers supporting ground forces in France . Performed bomber escort missions until the end of the war in Europe , April 1945 . Squadron demobilized in England during the summer of 1945 , inactivated in United States as a paper unit , October 1945 . Became part of postwar Georgia Air National Guard in May 1946 . Georgia Air National Guard . The wartime 351st Fighter Squadron was re - activated and re - designated as the 158th Fighter Squadron , and was allotted to the Georgia Air National Guard , on 24 May 1946 . It was organized at Chatam Army Airfield ( Also known as Travis Field ) , Pooler , Georgia , and was extended federal recognition on 20 August 1946 by the National Guard Bureau . The 158th Fighter Squadron was entitled to the history , honors , and colors of the 351st Fighter Squadron . The squadron was equipped with F - 47N Thunderbolt s and was temporarily assigned to the 54th Fighter Wing on 20 August , then permanently to the 116th Fighter Group on 9 September 1946 . The 116th Fighter Group consisted of the 158th and the 128th Fighter Squadron at Marietta Army Airfield , near Atlanta . In March 1949 , the 158th moved to Hunter AFB , near Savannah . As part of the Continental Air Command Fourteenth Air Force , the unit trained for tactical fighter missions and air to air combat . Combat in Korean War . The 158th Fighter Squadron and its parent 116th Fighter Group were federalized on 10 October 1950 due to the Korean War . In November the units were assigned initially to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) and moved to George AFB , California where they were joined by the 159th Fighter Squadron ( Jet Propelled ) from the Florida ANG and the 196th Fighter Squadron ( Jet Propelled ) from the California ANG . On 11 November 11 the 116th was changed in status to become the 116th Fighter - Bomber Wing . At George the three fighter squadrons were equipped with F - 80C Shooting Star s and began operational training . After losing many of their F - 80 pilots to assignment to Far East Air Force ( FEAF ) as replacements , all three squadrons were forced to transfer pilots between themselves in order to maintain a balance of qualified pilots , and they were no longer individual squadrons of Georgia , Florida and California . In April 1951 116th FBW began receiving brand new F - 84E Thunderjet s directly from Republic . On 14 May the 116th FBW received a Warning Order for an impending transfer , and they expected to be transferred to Europe . With a Readiness Date of 25 June , the 116th FBW was ready to move , and by 1 July they had sent their seventy - five F - 84Es to the New York POE for shipment to France . However , on 3 July 1951 they received orders transferring them to Japan . Fifty - four F - 84Es had to be obtained from Bergstrom AFB , Texas and Langley AFB , Virginia as partial replacements for these Thunderjets . The 116th FBG with the 158th and 159th FBS ' s departed from San Diego on the transport aircraft carrier USS Windham Bay on 12 July , white the 196th FBS had preceded them by two days on the USS Sitkoh Bay . The USAF , having learned from the expensive previous experience with open air transportation of the F - 84 on an aircraft carrier deck , heavily protected their F - 84s this time with cosmoline and tarpaulins . The Wing off - loaded at Yokosuka Naval Base , Japan between 24 – 27 July , with their aircraft being barged to Kisarazu , Japan for cleaning and preparation for flight . Regardless of the care taken , thirty - three F - 84s suffered some degree of salt damage . Two squadrons , the 158th and 159th FBS ' s were then sent to Misawa Air Base , Japan while the 196th was established at Chitose Air Base , Japan . Their initial role was to serve as an augmentation of Japanese air defenses , and their op¬erational training began on 6 August . The 116th FBW remained on garrison duty in Japan into the Fall of 1951 . During this period they concentrated on providing air - to - ground support to Army units training in Japan as well as assisting in providing aerial defense of northern Japan as a supplement to the other air defense units . On 30 November 1951 the 159th FBS was alerted for a combat role , and on 2 December they dispatched sixteen F - 84Es to Taegu AB ( K - 2 ) , South Korea . The 159th FBS flew their first combat mission of twelve Thunderjets to rail targets at Wonsan in southeastern North Korea that morning . Three F - 84s suffered flak damage . They then returned again that afternoon . The following day they again returned to Wonsan two fly two more strikes . Further missions were flown on 4 and 5 December , and then on 6 December they sent twelve F - 84s to Sinanju and Sunchon , also in North Korea on a rail cutting mission , and then returned to Misawa AB . On 12 December the 1116th FBW pilots flew eighty - eight effective combat sorties . On 25 December 15 the 158th FBS was attacking a train when they were jumped by North Korean MiG - 15 s that attacked from 20 , 000 feet in pairs from the F - 84s Six O ' clock High position . Captain Paul Mitchel , flying as " Able 3 " saw two MiGs behind two F - 84s , so he came in behind them and closed to 100 feet , firing on the MiG leader ' s wingman . The MiG pilot bailed out , and his leader slowed down to see what was happening , so Mitchel fired on him , too , scoring some hits . Mitchel was credited with 1 - 0 - 1 , obtaining the last officially credited F - 84 MiG kill during the Korean War , and the only " kill " for the 116th FBW . The following day , 16 December the 158th FBS lost their only aircraft attributed to enemy action during the conflict . While strafing ox carts south of Pyongyang Captain David Mather , " George 3 , " was hit by antiaircraft fire and his F - 84 burst into flames . His wingman told him to bailout , and Mather ' s canopy was seen to come off , but the F - 84 crashed before he could get out . On 18 December the 158th FBS returned to Japan . The 196th FBS , started for Taegu AB ( K - 2 ) on 26 December for their turn , but didn ' t get there until December 28 , because of weather problems . The 196th FBS flew missions from K - 2 until January 3 , 1952 , mostly close air support , with a 70 % accuracy , and returned to Japan on 4 January 1952 . The 116th FBG returned to combat on 26 May 1952 . The first mission was with sixteen F - 84Es that flew from Misawa to Chitose AB for a pilot briefing , and then after arming with 500 pound General Purpose bombs , they took off for an attack against Sariwon , in southwestern North Korea . The F - 84s were refueled en route by KB - 29 Superfortress tankers near Taegu , South Korea upon their return from the target , which gave any aircraft unable to be aerial refueled an alternate landing spot . After refueling the mission landed at Johnson Air Base , Japan and resumed the air defense mission . On 10 June 1952 the 116th FBW was relieved from assignment to Tactical Air Command and reassigned to Far East Air Force without personnel . The Guardsmen were returned to the United States , the jets and equipment of the Wing were then re - designated as the 474th Fighter - Bomber Wing and assigned to Fifth Air Force . Air Defense Command . The 116th Fighter - Bomber Wing status was returned to a Group designation , and the unit was returned to the Georgia Air National Guard . At this time the Group was restructured to include the 128th at Dobbins AFB and the 158th Fighter Squadron was returned to Chatham AFB . Initially upon their return to State Control both squadrons were equipped with the long - range F - 51H Mustang and given an air defense mission . The 116th was assigned to Air Defense Command ( ADC ) , being assigned to the 35th Air Division with a mission of the air defense of the Southeastern United States . Commencing in July 1953 the 158th began conversion to F - 84D Thunderjet , yet most were not received until mid summer . On 1 July 1955 the 158th was re - designated as the 158th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron and converted the swept - wing F - 84F Thunderstreak in March 1957 . On 10 July 1958 the 165th Fighter Interceptor Group was activated at Savannah with the 158th FIS assigned as their flying unit . The 158th FIS then switched to the F - 86L Sabre Interceptor in 1958 , a day / night / all - weather aircraft designed to be integrated into the ADC SAGE interceptor direction and control system . In 1958 , the 116th implemented the ADC Runway Alert Program , in which interceptors of the 128th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron were committed to a five - minute runway alert . Airlift mission . Reorganization came in 1962 when the unit transitioned from a fighter mission to an airlift mission The 158th Fighter Squadron became 158th Air Transport Squadron on 1 July 1962 assigned to the 165th Air Group . They traded in its Sabre interceptors for 4 - engines C - 97 Stratofreighter transports . With air transportation recognized as a critical wartime need , the squadron was re - designated the 128th Air Transport Squadron ( Heavy ) . The 116th ATG was assigned to the MATS Eastern Transport Air Force , ( EASTAF ) , and the squadron flew long - distance transport missions in support of Air Force requirements , frequently sending aircraft to the Caribbean , Europe Greenland , and the Middle East in support of Air Force requirements . In 1966 MATS became the Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) and EASTAF became the MAC Twenty - First Air Force . The 116th ATG was upgraded to the C - 124 Globemaster II strategic heavy airlifter in 1967 . Due to requirements generated by the Vietnam War , missions were flown across the Pacific to Hawaii , Japan , the Philippines , South Vietnam , Okinawa and Thailand . On 8 August 1975 , the first of the C - 130E aircraft , aptly named " Hercules " , came to the City of Savannah at the international airport to replace the older C - 124 ' s . While the C - 124 ' s were being retired from the Air Force inventory , the C - 130 ' s were arriving at the 165th Tactical Airlift Group . The 158th received seven new C - 130H Hercules aircraft directly from the Lockheed Factory manufactured for the unit during September and October 1981 . On 15 April 1992 , the unit was redesignated the 165th Airlift Group . On 1 October 1995 , the unit received its current designation , the 165th Airlift Wing .