It was redesignated as the 20th Pursuit Group in 1929 and activated on 15 November 1930 at Mather Field, California and consisted of the 71st Service Squadron (the administrative and support element of the group) and initially two flying squadrons: The 20th flew Boeing P-12 single-seat, biplane fighters which featured two .30 caliber machine guns, an open cockpit, a 500 horsepower (370 kW) Pratt and Whitney engine, and a top speed of 180 miles per hour.

On that date an advance party of more than 200 officers, enlisted men, and their dependents, under the command of Captain Thomas Boland, sailed from San Francisco aboard the USAT U. S. Grant.

Deployed flights spent the first part of 1941 at Muroc Lake, California, and Esler Field, Louisiana, conducting maneuvers.

The group would receive new personnel, train them, and then they would be transferred out in mass to form a new unit, leaving only a small cadre behind to start the process over again.

The five-day trip across the Atlantic was reported as uneventful, except for long chow lines (two meals per day) and frequent boat drills.

This aircraft was a formidable match for the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) fighters in air-to-air combat but lacked one important feature—range.

That problem was perhaps best illustrated on 14 October 1943 when 60 of 293 unescorted bombers (20 percent), dispatched against the ball-bearing works in Schweinfurt failed to return from their mission.

With the arrival in Europe of the Lockheed P-38, the long range escort mission of the Eighth Air Force began in earnest.

One of the early highlights of the group's World War II exploits entailed the escort of a bombing mission into the Bordeaux area of France on 31 December 1943.

That distance, in fact, stretched the P-38s beyond their operational limits, forcing 17 of 31 aircraft to land at other bases due to insufficient fuel.

The P-38 was ill-equipped to deal with the extreme cold and high moisture conditions that prevailed at the operating altitudes of 20,000 to 33,000 feet over Northern Europe.

Thrown rods, engine explosions and unexpected power reduction during flight were all fatal flaws that the Axis aircraft exploited.

Despite the shortcomings of its aircraft, the 20th earned a healthy reputation based on its escort of successful bombing raids and its secondary mission of ground strafing.

From the outset of its World War II operations, the 20th's mission concentrated on escorting medium and heavy bombers to targets on the continent.

Its escort missions completed, however, the group began to routinely strafe targets of opportunity while en route back to England.

It received a Distinguished Unit Citation for its performance on 8 April 1944 when it struck airfields in central Germany and then, after breaking up an attack by enemy interceptors, proceeded to hit railroad equipment, oil facilities, power plants, factories, and other targets.

The squadrons strafed and dive-bombed airfields, trains, vehicles, barges, tugs, bridges, flak positions, gun emplacements, barracks, radio stations, and other targets in France, Belgium, and Germany.

The invasion of Normandy in early June 1944 featured 20th FG daylight escort operations in support of Allied fleet movements.

The P-38 was specifically chosen for the task due to its distinctive shape (dual-boom fuselage) and the ease with which fleet anti-aircraft gunners could distinguish it from enemy aircraft.

On 19 July, Lieutenant Colonel Cy Wilson, the Group Commander, led 49 Lightnings on a bomber escort mission into Southern Germany.

The 20th FG converted to P-51s in July 1944 and continued to fly escort and fighter-bomber missions as the enemy retreated across France to the Siegfried Line.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert P. Montgomery led the 20th's assault, destroyed three aircraft himself and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his performance.

Although not a great threat in air-to air combat, (they lacked maneuverability), these aircraft proved almost impossible to stop when they attacked the heavy bombers.

The group flew patrols to support the airborne attack across the Rhine in March 1945, and carried out escort and fighter-bomber missions as enemy resistance collapsed in April.

On 10 April 1945, during airfield attacks around Potsdam and Brandenburg, 20th pilots destroyed five Me262s in individual encounters, while the group as a whole eliminated a total of 55 German fighters (mostly on the ground) without a single loss.

The 20th would then continue on its movement without Soviet action via Goose Bay AB, Labrador; Bluie West One, Greenland; Keflavík Air Base, Iceland; Kinross, Scotland and finally to RAF Manston, England.

In October the provisional Air Division was inactivated and the 363rd TRW became the parent organization at Shaw; the 20th FBW holding tenant status briefly.

The mission of these aircraft were to carry small nuclear bombs and were designed, if necessary to deliver these weapons on Soviet forces if they invaded West Germany.

Due to restricted space at Wethersfield, the 55th and 77th Fighter Bomber Squadrons along with wing headquarters were based there while the 79th FBS was moved to nearby RAF Woodbridge, three miles southeast of Bentwaters.

The wing also flew combat air patrols in the aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.