353d Fighter Group

116th Operations Group
116th Air Control Wing E-8C Joint STARS 96-0042
Active	1942–1945; 1946-1952; 1952-1974, 1992–present
Country	United States
Allegiance	Georgia (U.S. state)
Branch	Air National Guard
Role	Command and Control
Part of	Georgia Air National Guard
Garrison/HQ	Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
Nickname(s)	Slybird Group (WW II)
Motto(s)	Vincet Amor Patriae Latin Love of Country Shall Conquer
Tail Code	GA
Engagements	European Theater of Operations Korean War
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation
Insignia
116th Operations Group emblem (approved 6 June 1952
116th Tactical Fighter Group emblem
353d Fighter Group emblem

The 116th Operations Group is a Georgia Air National Guard unit assigned to the 116th Air Control Wing. The unit is stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. The 116th Group controls all operational Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint STARS aircraft of the 116th Air Control Wing. It was activated in 1992, when the Air Force implemented the Objective Wing organization, and was successively equipped with the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the Rockwell B-1 Lancer before converting to the E-8C in 2002.

The unit was first activated during World War II as the 353d Fighter Group, a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter unit assigned to VIII Fighter Command in Western Europe, which later converted to the North American P-51 Mustang. The group received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its air support during Operation Market Garden, the airborne invasion of the Netherlands.

Postwar, in 1946, the group was redesignated the 116th Fighter Group and became part of the Georgia Air National Guard. In 1950, the group was mobilized for the Korean War as the 116th Fighter-Bomber Group, and was deployed to Japan. In 1952, the group was returned to the Georgia Air National Guard and became the 116th Fighter-Interceptor Group. The group converted to transport aircraft in 1961 and was successively redesignated the 116th Air Transport Group and the 116th Air Mobility Group. After the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War, the group was converted back to fighters in 1973, but was inactivated a year later.

The group was organized as the 353d Fighter Group at Mitchel Field, New York, although it did not receive any pilots until it moved to Richmond AAB, Virginia. The group trained in the Mid-Atlantic states during 1942–1943 while also serving as an air defense organization. Its original squadrons were the 350th,351st, and 352d Fighter Squadrons. The group was equipped with Curtiss P-40N Warhawks that had been used by other units, but in February 1943, it began receiving Republic P-47B Thunderbolts.