20th Operational Weather Squadron - History

History

The 20th Weather Squadron activated at Cairo, Egypt, on April 15, 1943, and was assigned to the Ninth Air Force, but was soon thereafter disbanded on October 31, 1943.

The Army Air Forces again activated the 20th on December 6, 1944, on Biak Island in what was then known as the Netherlands East Indies, today’s Indonesia. The 20th absorbed the resources and mission of the 5231st Weather Squadron (Provisional). The 20th was assigned to the Far East Air Forces Weather Group (Provisional) at that time.

In May 1945 the squadron moved its headquarters by from Biak Island to Fort William McKinley near Manila, Philippines. By the close of July 1945, the squadron had grown to more than 700 men and the headquarters was overseeing the work of 34 weather stations, many of which were in isolated locations.

The Army Air Forces Weather Service assumed control of all weather organizations on July 1, 1945, and organized the 20th under the 1st Weather Group on September 20, 1945. Due to congested quarters at Fort William McKinley, the 20th’s headquarters moved again in August 1945 to nearby Nichols Field. While headquartered in the Philippines, the 20th lost two men to combat action.

Following the capitulation of Japan, the 20th began its long association with Japan. The squadron moved its headquarters to Tokyo on November 2, 1945, and accompanied Headquarters, Fifth Air Force to Nagoya on May 22, 1946.

War demobilization caused the 20th to lose personnel rapidly. To accomplish its growing mission, the 20th hired local nationals, employed non-weather officers to oversee some weather stations, and began on the-job schools to cross-train enlisted men into weather career fields.

By late-1946, the 20th was operating weather stations in Japan, China, and Korea. The 20th relinquished control of the China stations in 1947 and the last Korean station was closed in 1949. The squadron came under the leadership of the 2143d Air Weather Wing in 1949.

Within three days of North Korean troops crossing into South Korea in June 1950, a detachment of the 20th Weather Squadron was airlifted to Daegu, Korea. The leadership of the 20th Weather Squadron was soon burdened by the growth of detachments both in Korea and Japan to support the war effort. By early November 1950, the 20th was overseeing 27 detachments, eight of which were in Korea, where, on average, one of these detachments relocated every five days. The Air Force activated the 30th Weather Squadron to oversee Korean operations, but the 20th remained deeply involved in the war effort.

The 20th was assigned to the newly activated 1st Weather Wing in 1954. The squadron was inactivated on February 18, 1957, but emerged anew at Fuchu Air Station, Japan, on June 8, 1964, where it remained until1974 when it relocated to Yokota Air Base. Again, it was inactivated in 1976 as part of an Air Weather Service reorganization only to return at Yokota on January 1, 1985.

As part of the divestiture of Air Weather Service, the 20th was assigned to Pacific Air Forces in 1991. It relocated to Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, on April 1, 1992, and was inactivated on June 1. With the reengineering of the Air Force Weather Agency the 20th was redesignated an Operational Weather Squadron on July 13, 2000, and activated on October 1. It was assigned to Fifth Air Force and stationed again at Yokota Air Base, Japan.