By 15 June 1942, under orders from Tenth Air Force, an advance cadre of pilots and aircraft had proceeded over the Hump to Kunming, China, for combat familiarization.

Five of Chennault's staff officers, five pilots[4] and 19 ground crewmen entered the United States Army Air Forces and became members of the 23rd Fighter Group.

Approximately 25 Flying Tiger pilots, still in civilian status, volunteered to extend their contracts for two weeks to train the new group following the disbanding of their organization.

[citation needed] Others from the ranks of the original Flying Tigers left China when their contracts expired,[4] although some returned to duty later with the Army Air Forces in the China-Burma-India Theater.

[citation needed] The next three years saw the 23rd Fighter Group involved in much of the action over southeast and southwest Asia.

It provided air defense for the Chinese terminus of the Hump route,[3] but its operations extended beyond China to Burma, French Indochina and as far as Taiwan.

Representative of the encounters undertaken by this small and often ill-equipped group was the defense against a major Japanese push down the Hsiang Valley in Hunan 17–25 June 1944.

[3] Ignoring inhibiting weather conditions and heavy ground fire, the 23rd Fighter Group provided air support for Chinese land forces and repeatedly struck at enemy troops and transportation.

[3][10] While stationed in Guam, the 23rd became a part of the United States Air Force (USAF) when it became a separate military service on 18 September 1947.

[14] In August 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the two world wars.

[5] In December 1992, Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft from the group's 2nd Airlift Squadron deployed to Mombasa, Kenya, to participate in Operation Provide Relief.

[citation needed] In September 1994, its C-130s participated in what was to be the largest combat personnel drop since World War II, Operation Uphold Democracy.

[citation needed] The first operational deployment of a composite wing happened in October 1994, when Iraqi troops began massing near the Kuwaiti Border.

Eventually, the 75th Fighter Squadron redeployed to Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, becoming the first U.S. fixed-wing aircraft to be stationed in that country since the end of the Gulf War.

[24] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency