U.S. 20th Air Base Group

20th Air Base Group
Nichols Field in 1930
Active	1918, 1921-1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Corps
Type	Support
Role	Maintenance and Base Administration
Part of	Far East Air Force
Engagements	Southwest Pacific Theater
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
Base Headquarters & 20th Air Base Sq emblem

This article is about the 20th Air Base Group which fought in the Philippines in early World War II. It should not be confused with the 20th Mission Support Group, which was activated as the 20th Air Base Group in 1948 and has provided support for the 20th Fighter Wing since then.

The 20th Air Base Group is a disbanded unit of the United States Air Force. It was part of the Far East Air Force, during World War II. The group was based at Nichols Field, in the Philippines. It surrendered to the Japanese in the spring of 1942, but was kept on the rolls as an active unit until April 1946. It was disbanded in 1984.

The Unit's first predecessor, the 66th Aero Squadron served at a training base during World War I. It was consolidated with the 66th Service Squadron, which had provided maintenance support at Nichols Field since 1921. In the late 1930s, the unit assumed administrative support functions as well and was expanded to a group.

The first predecessor of the group was the 66th Aero Squadron, which was organized in April 1918 at Kelly Field, Texas. As soon as the squadron was organized it moved to Eberts Field, Arkansas to join the flying school there. In the summer of 1918, the Air Service reorganized its units at its flying schools as lettered squadrons and the squadron became Squadron A, Eberts Field. Shortly after the end of the World War I, the squadron was demobilized and its personnel were absorbed by the Flying School Detachment at Eberts Field.

In June 1921, Air Park No. 11 was organized at Clark Field, Philippines, moving to what became Nichols Field before the end of the year. In 1923, the Air Service renamed its air parks as service squadrons and the unit became the 66th Service Squadron, with the mission of providing second level maintenance for the aircraft of the 4th Composite Group at Nichols. Due to post-war shortages in officers, garrison units in the Philippines were manned assigned only 50% of their authorized officer personell through the first half of the 1920s.