1st Operations Group - Post-war Air Defense Role

Post-war Air Defense Role

The 1st Fighter Group was inactivated 16 October 1945. In the post-war reorganization of the Army Air Forces, the group was reactivated as a replacement for the P-80 Shooting Star-equipped 412th Fighter Group at March Field, California, on 3 July 1946.

The Air Force became an independent service on 18 September 1947, and the 1st Fighter Group became part of the newly created 1st Fighter Wing. (See 1st Fighter Wing for command assignments.) During the summer of 1947, the Army Air Force implemented the "Wing-Base" (Hobson) plan on a test baseis, creating a self-sufficient wing at each base. As a result, on 15 August 1947, the 1st Fighter Wing was activated at March Field, California, and the 1st Fighter Group was assigned as its combat group. Administrative, maintenance and support, and medical functions were the responsibility of separate support groups. The test proved satisfactory and the Air Force implemented it for all its tactical wings.

The 1st Fighter Wing was re-equipped with F-86 fighters in 1949 and the group was redesignated 1st Fighter-Interceptor Group (FIG) in April of the following year. In January 1950, while stationed at George Air Force Base, California, the 1st Group formed an aerial demonstration team, the "Sabre Dancers." The team, composed of five pilots of the 27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS), flew their most distinguished show on 22 April 1950, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, for an audience that included President Harry S Truman.

During the Korean War, the 1st Group served in an air defense role while the Wing's elements divided to provide defense for both coasts. The 1st FIG Headquarters, and the 27th and 71st FIS were temporarily detached to the Eastern Air Defense Force, while the Wing headquarters and the 94th Fighter Interceptor Squadron were assigned as part the Western Air Defense Force. The group was inactivated on 6 February 1952, in a general reorganization of all ADC units responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage. and its squadrons reassigned to other ADC headquarters.

In April 1955, the group's designation was changed to 1st Fighter Group (Air Defense) and it was reactivated in August as part of Air Defense Command. It replaced ADC's 575th Air Base (later Air Defense) Group which had been the USAF host for Selfridge AFB since 1 February 1952 and had commanded the fighter squadrons at Selfridge effective 13 February 1953. The 575th group replacement was part of "Project Arrow", an ADC program to reactivate historic units. Equipped first with radar equipped and rocket armed F-86D fighters, the group's 94th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (FIS) upgraded to data link equipped F-86Ls for interception control through the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment system in 1956, followed by the 71st FIS in 1957. The 71st FIS transitioned to F-102 Delta Dagger aircraft the following year. The 71st retained its F-102s for only a year before converting to F-106 Delta Darts, while the 94th FIS retained its Sabres until converting directly to the F-106 in 1960. Until it was reassigned to the 1st Fighter Wing in 1956, it also served as the host organization for Selfridge AFB and was assigned a number of support organizations to fulfill this task. The group served as part of the 30th Air Division and the Detroit Air Defense Sector, based at Selfridge Air Force Base, before being reassigned as part of the 1st Fighter Wing (Air Defense) in 1956 and being inactivated on 1 February 1961.