102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Around 8:30 on the morning of 11 September 2001, the Otis Air Base Operations Center received a call from the Federal Aviation Administration's Cape Cod Facility Calls Operations Center that it might be receiving a call from the North American Aerospace Defense Command's Northeast Air Defense Sector. The manager of the Cape Cod facility then called the 102nd at Otis Air National Guard Base as they figured "...a call [to Otis Air Base] will be coming from NEADS soon and a scramble order is likely." He called the base because he figured that the pilots would appreciate the heads up.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
When he called the Otis operations center, the superintendent of aviation management, Mark Rose, answered. He was initially confused by the call as no identification was given. Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Duffy was then handed the phone and alerted of the situation. On his radio, he called pilot Major Daniel Nash, the pilot who was sharing alert duty, and told him to get ready for a coming alert call. He also told him to suit up and get ready for a scramble call.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Soon after, the commander of the 101st Fighter Squadron phoned the Northeast Air Defense Sector and asked for permission to launch the fighter jets. The sector in turn responded by ordering the commander of the weapons team which controlled the jets, Major Kevin Naspany, to place the fighters on "battle stations." This resulted in a warning siren sounding at Otis and the pilots scrambled to their jets. Four to five minutes later, the scramble order was received and the jets took off. Officially, this occurred at 8:46 am, with a six-minute difference between the official and unofficial accounts. Duffy radioed his command post for guidance and was told among other things that American Airlines Flight 11 was a Boeing 737, when in reality it was a 767. Once in the air, their radar kicked in, allowing them to effectively intercept the plane.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Difficulties in accurately locating Flight 11 caused a delay of five minutes, to 8:43 am, before the scramble order was given and pilots Duffy and Nash could respond. When Flight 11 hit the North Tower at 8:46, the two jets were still readying for flight and did not take off until 8:52 am.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Major Naspany was then asked what to do with the fighters and he responded by saying, "Send 'em to New York City still. Continue! Go! This is what I got. Possible news that a 737 just hit the World Trade Center. This is a real-world...Continue taking the fighters down to the New York City area, JFK [International Airport] area, if you can. Make sure that the FAA clears it—your route all the way through...Let's press with this."


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Unsure of their target, they were directed to a holding pattern in military-controlled airspace Whiskey 105 off of Long Island to avoid New York area air traffic. At 9:03 am, United Airlines Flight 175 hit the South Tower as the fighters were progressing to their holding position. The Northeast Air Defense Sector was not advised of this hijacked aircraft until 9:03.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Between 9:09 and 9:13, the jets stayed in a holding pattern. Soon after, they headed toward Manhattan and arrived at 9:25, where they established a Combat Air Patrol over the city.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
While all of this was going on, senior battle staff at Otis were watching the news when United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. This immediately caused one commander to shout out, "We need to go to battle staff!" This order caused senior commanders to disperse and head towards nearby operations buildings. Inside, the gathered together in the battle cab of the installation operations center. Soon after, a voice came over the base's loudspeakers: "The commander has ordered the 102nd core battle staff to assemble. Please report to the operations building immediately."


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Mobilization of the wing began to occur after this time. At the time of the order, eighteen planes were ready for flight and commanders began to prepare based on what they anticipated they would be asked to do. Most of these actions were guessing because there had never been an attack on the country before. Knowing that they couldn't await on guidance from the North American Aerospace Defense Command, the recalled all training flights and began loading fuel and weapons onto all available fighter jets.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
Meanwhile, at the battle cab, a maintenance squadron officer was told, "Listen, I want you to generate as many airframes [i.e. fighter jets] as you can!" This immediately caused all personnel to be called back and they were ordered to work on the remaining jets. This rush involved the placement of missiles on all jets, including some newer missiles which were rarely pulled out. Six jets which were on a training mission were traversing through the Whiskey Airspace when they were told by the Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center to head back to Otis immediately. Once landed, the pilots were told to park their jets but leave the engines running. Finally, the first planes took off at 10:20 in the morning.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
After a while, an order was received to launch all available fighters. Pilots were briefed on the national emergency and the potential that they might have to take out an aircraft. At this point, someone then ran into the room and said that there had been an order that was received from the Northeast Air Defense Sector that all available jets must launch. The pilots then ran out to their aircraft with speaker Treacy saying "Go, go, go!"


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
In the haste that the morning had become, not all the jets had been refueled and a majority of the jets were still unarmed. The handful of jets that were armed were sent up with one or two missiles. The standard missile load involves at least two missiles at launch. This is after the handlers had worked at a "furious pace" and "hurried to fix all available jets with live weapons." Arming of the jets even began fifteen minutes after the South Tower had been hit. This fact would later lend credence to the theory that there was an idea floating around to ram the hijacked planes with a jet. Starting around 10:30 and ending at six that night, all twenty one planes were put into the air.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
After the initial shock of the attacks had passed, questions arose about how the military handled the hijacking and subsequent response with the jets. Some thought that the jets had been purposely kept from flying immediately to New York City. The questions arising from the response time of the jets come from the practice of Cold War era policies which prohibited the immediate response to an emergency like a hijacking.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Post-Cold War, 9/11 terrorist attacks
First responder and pilot Daniel Nash said that he could not recall being told that the North Tower was hit but he did remember seeing the smoke over 70-mile (110 km) away. It is also claimed by conspiracists that the calculations of North American Aerospace Defense Command were incorrect because according to their own calculations, the planes were flying at 24% of their maximum speed. This statement takes into account the time in which the planes were in a holding pattern over military airspace. The jets were also prohibited from going supersonic over land by Federal Aviation Administration rules. These rules are meant to prevent damage to buildings from the shock wave a sonic boom produces.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, Operation Noble Eagle
More than 600 wing members were mobilized for Operation Noble Eagle, and the wing began flying around-the-clock combat air patrol missions immediately thereafter. This continued until February 2002. On 22 December 2001 the wing escorted American Airlines Flight 63 as a direct result of Richard Reid trying to blow up a plane.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, Operation Noble Eagle
In the buildup to the invasion of Afghanistan, six F-15s and 161 personnel were sent to the Persian Gulf region. The wing also patrolled the skies of the Northeastern United States during this time period. The wing though never deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The wing converted from the F-15A/B to the F-15C/D in 2004. These planes came from Kadena Air Base.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, BRAC 2005
The Base Realignment and Closure 2005 commission originally planned to close Otis Air National Guard Base and dissolve the 102nd. Locals argued that this would leave a huge gap in the national air defenses. Commission officials, after visiting the base, decided to keep it open, but the 102nd would still lose its planes, only this time they were only going to the 104th Fighter Wing, based at Barnes Municipal Airport.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, BRAC 2005
In May 2006 it trained with the Israeli Air Force's 115 Squadron.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, BRAC 2005
The wing hosted the Cape Cod Air Show & Open House, its last air show with the F-15C Eagle at the end of Air Force Week in August 2007. The wing shared a commonality with the 101st Air Refueling Wing, the 103d Fighter Wing, and the 104th Fighter Wing, which due to commission decisions, also changed the type of planes that they flew. Beginning in 2007, the F-15s began moving to Barnes Municipal Airport. With the grounding of the F-15 Eagles, the 158th Fighter Wing, which is based in Vermont took over the role of patrolling the Northeast's skies earlier than expected. This interruption of the F-15's flight, coinciding with the transitioning of the fighter jets to the 104th Fighter Wing, created some issues.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, BRAC 2005
On 24 January 2008, the 102nd Fighter Wing flew its last patrol mission. The unit is wing commander, Colonel Anthony Schiavi, led the flight, accompanied by Major Daniel Nash, who was one of the first responders for 9/11. Fire trucks were on hand when the team landed a half-hour later, giving the planes and the pilots the customary ceremonial hose-down for the last time.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, New mission
When it was announced that the wing would be restructured and Otis Air National Guard Base would remain open, discussions began about the future of the 102nd. Staff of the 102nd and those at Massachusetts Air National Guard headquarters considered a plan centered on the idea that the wing could transition to an intelligence mission to support the growing War on Terror. The idea hit a roadblock when it was announced that the funds which the wing could use to convert into its new mission had been depleted.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, New mission
Eventually, Governor Deval Patrick announced that the wing would adopt an intelligence role as soon as the aircraft left.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, New mission
Original Base Realignment and Closure commission plans only hinted at a Distributed Common Ground System being created at Otis. These plans did not include the air guardsmen affected by the loss of their jobs. The issue was resolved when the Air Force announced its plans, right before the F-15s started to leave for Barnes.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, New mission
The 102nd Fighter Wing was formally re-designated the 102nd Intelligence Wing on 6 April 2008 and was planned to reach full operational capacity in 2010.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, New mission
Members of the wing had the option of moving with the F-15s to Barnes, but most decided to stay behind and train for new missions. The crash trucks went to Barnes, leaving the brush breakers of the Massachusetts Military Reservation behind. The buildings formerly occupied by the fighter wing, including the hangars, will be occupied by the intelligence mission.


102nd Intelligence Wing, History, Global War on Terror, New mission
On 6 November 2009, ground was broken on new facilities for the 102nd Intelligence Wing. The building will eventually replace the temporary facilities that the wing is now operating in.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
The 102nd Light Anti- Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, (102nd LAA Rgt) was an air defence unit of the British Army during World War II. Initially raised as an infantry battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment in 1940, it transferred to the Royal Artillery in 1941. It served with I Corps in the campaign in North West Europe, at times acting as infantry or administrative troops when the threat of air attack had diminished. It was disbanded after the war.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 7th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
The unit was originally formed in July 1940 at Tollerton Park, near Nottingham as 7th  Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, as part of the rapid expansion of the Army with wartime conscripts. On 10 October the battalion joined 205th Independent Infantry Brigade (Home), which was being organised by No 5 Infantry Training Group as a static defence formation. Initially it came under 1st Infantry Division, then North Midland Area, until Lincolnshire County Division was formed in March 1941 to defend the Lincolnshire coast.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 7th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
Late in 1941, Lincolnshire County Division began to be broken up and a number of its units and formations were converted to other roles. While 205th Bde was converted into a tank brigade, 7th Lincolns was selected to be retrained in the light anti-aircraft (LAA) role equipped with Bofors 40 mm guns. It left on 27 November 1941 and on 1 December it transferred to the Royal Artillery (RA) as 102nd LAA Regiment, comprising Regimental Headquarters and 336, 337 and 338 LAA Batteries.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery
After initial training the regiment joined Anti- Aircraft Command, but left in February 1942 before it had been allocated to a brigade. At first it formed part of the War Office Reserve, but by April it came under XI Corps District in East Anglia. In early October 1942 the regiment was joined by a Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) workshop sub-section for each battery, to be ready for mobile warfare. By mid-March 1943 the regiment left XI Corps District and joined I Corps in 21st Army Group, preparing for the Allied invasion of Normandy (Operation Overlord).


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Normandy
I Corps was one of the assault formations on D Day, landing two divisions, followed by the rest of the corps over succeeding days. The main role of a corps LAA regiment was to protect headquarters and gun areas from air attack. Attacks by formations of up to 20 Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter-bombers began from D + 1, but initially were mainly directed at the shipping and beaches, or against the bridgeheads over the River Orne and Caen Canal at Benouville, rather than the frontline formations.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Normandy
From D + 6 the Luftwaffe 's objectives included positions in front of Caen where I Corps was battling to take the city. In the first three weeks of the campaign, 22 hostile aircraft were shot down over I Corps, though the LAA gunners still showed their inexperience. As the AA defences increased and Allied fighters gained air superiority, air attacks on the beachhead area diminished.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Normandy
102nd LAA Regiment covered I Corps during Operation Epsom, and then in Operation Charnwood, which finally succeeded in taking Caen on 9 July. Since the Allies had achieved air superiority over the beachhead, there was little call for AA defence, and AA units became increasingly used to supplement the artillery to support ground operations. LAA units fired tracer to guide night attacks onto their objectives, and the Bofors guns were much in demand for infantry support.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Normandy
They could give useful close-range fire to help infantry working from cover to cover in the bocage; the Bofors' rapid fire was good for suppressing enemy heavy weapons, the 40 mm round's sensitive percussion fuze providing an airburst effect among trees. It was also used for 'bunker-busting', though the lack of protection made the gun detachment vulnerable to return fire. LAA units also provided 'refuge strips' for Air Observation Post aircraft spotting for the field guns: a Bofors troop deployed with Local Warning radar and ground observers could alert the pilot to the presence of enemy aircraft and provide protection for him.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Normandy
On 23 July I Corps was placed under First Canadian Army and as II Canadian Corps began driving south towards Falaise in Operation Totalize on 8 August, I Corps extended the eastern flank. Once the breakout from the beachhead was achieved in mid August and II Canadian Corps closed off the Falaise Pocket, I Corps began advancing eastwards along the coast. On 30 August it crossed the River Seine. While Second Army drove quickly to Brussels and Antwerp, First Canadian Army swung north to clear the coast, with I Corps capturing Le Havre in Operation Astonia (10–12 September). By now the Luftwaffe was almost absent, having lost heavily and been driven from its airfields.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Low Countries
The strategic requirement now was to clear the Scheldt Estuary and get the port of Antwerp into use as an Allied supply base. I Corps was moved to the east of  the port to assist. By early October it was fighting its way towards Roosendaal in Operation Pheasant with a collection of British, Canadian, Polish and US divisions.


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Low Countries
For 17 days in October, while these operations were proceeding, a 7,000 yards (6,400 m) length of  I Corps' front was held by 'Bobforce', led by 89th LAA Rgt of 49th (West Riding) Division with some armoured cars, anti-tank guns, two machine gun companies and a Belgian infantry battalion. The corps regiment, 102nd LAA, then joined Bobforce, acting as infantry. At the end of this spell, Bobforce advanced under covering fire from Bofors guns and drove the enemy rearguards back 3 miles (4.8 km).


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Low Countries
After this fighting died down I Corps held the River Maas front through the winter. Fears of a German incursion over the river in support of their Ardennes Offensive came to nothing. At the end of January 1945 I Corps carried out an operation against a German bridgehead at Kapelsche Veer (Operation Elephant) involving the whole of the corps artillery. By this stage of the campaign its was common for LAA guns together with mortars and anti-tank guns to join in 'Pepperpot' bombardments to saturate enemy positions before an infantry attack. I Corps continued its activities along the Maas in early 1945 to divert attention from First Canadian Army's main operations in the Reichswald (Operation Veritable).


102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, 102nd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Artillery, Low Countries
After 21st Army Group had crossed the Rhine, I Corps was replaced in First Canadian Army by a Canadian corps from Italy, and reverted to the command of Second Army on 2 April. However, it was given no role in the advance across Germany, remaining in the Netherlands where it became an administrative HQ, still with 102nd LAA Rgt under its command. After VE Day the regiment continued with occupation duties in NW Europe until it was disbanded on 4 February 1946.


102nd Logistic Brigade
102 Logistic Brigade is a logistic brigade of the British Army. Its role is to force generate and force prepare fighting elements, including the Headquarters, globally, for current operations and deliver capability to contingent forces as directed by 1st UK Division in order to support the delivery of operational success.


102nd Logistic Brigade, History
102 Logistic Brigade traces its origin to 102 Beach Sub-Area, Normandy, France. It was one of 3 such formations raised late in 1943 to run logistic support operations across JUNO Beach, from D-day until the Mulberry artificial harbours were operational. Once the Mulberry harbours were in use, there was no further requirement for the Beach Groups, which then dispersed to their original Lines of Communication roles. In 1993, 50 years after the original formation of 102 Beach Sub Area, Headquarters Combat Service Support Group (Germany) was established in Gütersloh, Germany.


102nd Logistic Brigade, History
In July 1999 the formation was re-titled 102 Logistic Brigade and in October 1999 the Halberd was officially adopted as the formation tactical recognition flash. The Halberd appears in Jeremiah as a symbol of strength, success and restoration. Its interpretation as a restorer of combat power following bloodshed, exhaustion and hunger reflects the operational role of 102 Logistic Brigade. The dual capability of the Halberd, both as a weapon and a hand tool represents the combination of artisan and technical skills, which complement the military training of Brigade personnel.


102nd Medium Battery, Royal Australian Artillery
The 102nd Medium Battery was an artillery battery unit of the Royal Australian Artillery. The battery was formed in 1957, known as the 102nd Field Battery and served in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and the Vietnam War before being disbanded in 1987.


102nd Medium Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
Formed in 1957 at Holsworthy Barracks, Sydney as the 102nd Field Battery as part of the 1st Field Regiment.


102nd Medium Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
The battery served during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation between May and August 1965 and while in Malaysia the battery provided fire support during the Kesang River incursion by Indonesian forces. While serving in North Borneo, equipped with L5 Pack Howitzer, the battery provided defensive support to the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Ghurkha, and British Regiments undertaking operations and also fire support for secret Claret operations in Indonesian territory.


102nd Medium Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
On 18 April 1966, the battery was transferred to the 12th Field Regiment with the 104th Field Battery. Arriving in Vietnam as part of Australia's commitment to the Vietnam War in March 1968, replacing the 106th Field Battery and was equipped with the 105mm M2A2 Howitzer. On the night of 12 May 1968, while at Fire Support Base Coral, a M2A2 howitzer was captured by North Vietnamese troops who temporarily overran part of the base, however the gun was recaptured shortly afterwards. The 102nd Field Battery was replaced in February 1969, and returned to Australia. During its tour of duty the battery had been positioned at 30 different Fire Support Bases, fired 60,000 rounds and received the following decorations: 1 MM, 2 MID, 1 MBE and 1 BEM.


102nd Medium Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, History
The battery became part of the 8th/12th Medium Regiment in November 1973 and in 1983 after being re-equipped with the M198 155mm howitzer was redesignated 102nd Medium Battery before being disbanded in 1987.


102nd Medium Battery, Royal Australian Artillery, Battle honours
102 Battery was awarded the Honour Title "Coral" in 1998 and is now designated as 102 (Coral) Battery.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento"
The 102nd Motorized Division "Trento" (Italian: 102ª Divisione motorizzata "Trento") was a motorized infantry division of the Royal Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in 1935 and named for the city of Trento, where its infantry and artillery regiments were based. The Trento served in the Western Desert Campaign and was destroyed in the Second Battle of El Alamein in November 1942.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, Founding
The division was raised as 1st Motorized Division "Trento" in 1935 in the city of Trento and consisted initially of the 115th Infantry Regiment "Treviso", 116th Infantry Regiment "Treviso", and the 46th Artillery Regiment, which was transferred from the 8th Infantry Division "Po". The division soon changed its number from 1st to 32nd, and in December 1935 deployed to Libya. In August 1936 it returned to Trento and on 1 November of the same year the 116th Infantry Regiment was disbanded and replaced by the 62nd Infantry Regiment "Sicilia" from the 8th Infantry Division "Po".


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, Founding
On 15 May 1937 the division transferred the 115th Infantry Regiment to the 62nd Infantry Division "Marmarica" and received the 61st Infantry Regiment "Sicilia" from the 8th Infantry Division "Po". On 11 November 1938 the division received the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment based in Bolzano. On 2 January 1939 the division changed its name to 102nd Motorized Division "Trento" and on the same date the 61st and 62nd infantry regiments, and the 46th artillery regiment changed their names to "Trento".


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II
After Italy entered World War II the division was initially held in reserve as part of the Army of the Po until February 1941, when it was sent to Libya. While the division was in Libya its regimental depots raised the infantry and artillery units of the 103rd Infantry Division "Piacenza", which was activated on 15 March 1942.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, North Africa
The Trento arrived in North Africa to reinforce the Italian Fifth Army following the Allied offensive Operation Compass, a counterattack by British and Commonwealth troops of the Western Desert Force in response to the Italian invasion of Egypt. The offensive resulted in the destruction of the Italian Tenth Army and the Allied occupation of the Italian province of Cyrenaica.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
The Trento took part in the Axis counterattack of March 1941 that forced the British and Commonwealth forces into retreat. While the Australian 9th Infantry Division fell back to the fortified port of Tobruk, British and other Commonwealth forces withdrew a further 100 miles (160 km) east to Sollum, on the Libyan–Egyptian border. These moves initiated the 240-day-long Siege of Tobruk, in which the Trento was involved.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
After the failure of an Axis attack on El Adem Erwin Rommel, the German officer commanding Axis forces in North Africa, decided to attack the western sector of the Australian perimeter at Tobruk on 15 April, around Ras el Madauar. Rommel used the 132nd Armored Division "Ariete" along with the 62nd Infantry Regiment "Sicily)" of the Trento division. The Australian 2/43rd Battalion War Diary reported that "The Italians attacked our 48 Battalion and whilst withdrawing [the Italian] were fired upon by German tanks believed to be supporting the attack."


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
The Australians sent out Bren-gun carriers to find and attack the Italian flank. The extra firepower stopped the Italians and firing ceased. Italian casualties were 24 dead, 112 wounded and 436 prisoners, including a colonel, who was furious at having his unit shot up by German tanks that he reportedly cooperated with Allied interrogators. Journalist Chester Wilmott, reporting on an Australian communiqué in the New York Times (17 April 1941) described the actions: "One of our patrols successfully penetrated an enemy position outside the defences of Tobruk capturing 7 Italian officers and 139 men.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
A further attack on the defences of Tobruk was repulsed by artillery fire. The enemy again suffered heavy casualties. During yesterdays operations a total of 25 officers and 767 of other ranks were captured. In addition over 200 enemy dead were left on the field. A subsequent intelligence assessment by the 2/43rd Battalion concluded that: "Reports from PW indicate that a large-scale attack was to have been launched on the Tobruk defences on or about 16 April 41. There appears to have been no co-ordination between enemy tanks and inf units.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
The ITALIANS appear to have been somewhat in the dark as to their actual objectives and the method of co-ordination by means of GERMAN liaison officers working with ITALIAN units has not been successful. PW also state that the spasmodic attacks in different sectors between 14 and 16 Apr, sometimes inf alone, sometimes tks alone sometimes both, were all intended to be a simultaneous assault which apparently went badly astray in its timing.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
Over the next few weeks, there were a series of minor victories for the Axis. On the night of 30 April, a strong Italo-German force attacked the Tobruk defences, and a force including the Ariete, 27th Infantry Division "Brescia", 8th Bersaglieri Regiment and XXXII Mixed Engineer Battalion capture seven Australian strongpoints (R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R8). When, on the night of 3 May, the Australians counterattack, the Italians in the form of the Trento and 17th Infantry Division "Pavia", repel them. and the attackers are only able to recapture one strongpoint from the defending Italian troops.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
On the night of 16 May, the Brescia Division attacked with the help of two platoons of the 32nd Combat Engineer Battalion and breached the defensive perimeter of the Australian 2/9th and 2/10th Battalions. With these obstacles removed, the Brescia troops involved, who brought flame-thrower parties and tanks, captured the S8, S9 and S10 strongpoints. The Australians fought back and the Commanding Officer of the XXXII Mixed Engineer Battalion, Colonel Emilio Caizzo was killed in a satchel attack and wins a posthumous Gold Medal of Military Valour.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
Although the Australian Official History admits losing three positions, it claims the attackers were 'Germans'. Australian military historian Mark Johnston states there was an "unwillingness to acknowledge reverses against Italians" in Australian official accounts. An Italian account records: "With great skill and speed the XXXII Mixed Engineer Battalion opened three lanes in the mines and obstacles to let the Brescia's infantry through. Side by side with the Brescia assault troops they inflicted heavy losses on the enemy and take out further strong points with explosives and flamethrowers."


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
The Australian commander, Major-General Leslie Morshead was furious at the loss of the strongpoints, and ordered the Australians to be far more vigilant in the future. Among the objectives initially selected during the planning of Operation Brevity was the recapture of strongpoints S8 and S9, but this was abandoned under the belief that the Australians had, or would soon, recover them. On 24 May, the Brescia Division which has taken over the western front of Tobruk, repealed an attacking infantry force, supported by tanks.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Siege of Tobruk
On 2 August, an Australian attack was launched to recover the lost strongpoints, but the attacking 2/43rd Battalion and 2/28th Battalions were defeated. The Trento in the form of its 7th Bersaglieri Regiment soon arrived to replace the weary Italian forces defending the captured strongpoints, and the Australians continue to fight hard to recover them. On 2 August, the Australian 2/43rd and 2/28th Battalions, in a final attempt to recover the lost strongpoints, carried out a determined attack, but were repulsed with heavy loss of life. After much fierce fighting, the Bersaglieri troops are finally ordered to move back to Gazala to rest and refit.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Operation Brevity and Battleaxe
The British XIII Corps launched Operation Brevity on 15 May 1941. The objective of the operation was to clear the Halfaya Pass and secure several footholds to create advantageous conditions from which to launch Operation Battleaxe.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Operation Brevity and Battleaxe
The principle Axis opposition was Kampfgruppe von Herff, positioned on the desert plateau, which included up to 50 German tanks and the V Battalion/ 62nd Infantry Regiment "Trento", as well as supporting arms. The front line area around Halfaya Pass was defended by two companies of Bersaglieri with artillery support.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Operation Brevity and Battleaxe
After a day of inconclusive fighting the operation was abandoned and British forces took control of the pass. Total Italian casualties during the operation are unknown, though at least 347 men were taken prisoner during the operation. On 5 August 1941, Colonel von Herff praised the Bersaglieri, who he said had defended Halfaya Pass "...with lionlike courage until the last man against stronger enemy forces. The greatest part of them died faithful to the flag."


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Operation Brevity and Battleaxe
The division next saw action during the Allied attack codenamed Operation Battleaxe in mid-June 1941. The division was deployed forward with three infantry battalions and one artillery regiment stationed in the Sollum-Musaid-Capuzzo area. The rest of the division was located at Bardia.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Operation Crusader
Operation Crusader was launched by the British Eighth Army between 18 November–30 December 1941, with the objective of relieving the siege of Tobruk. Trento was now part of the XXI Army Corps with the 17th Infantry Division "Pavia", the 25th Infantry Division "Bologna", and the 27th Infantry Division "Brescia". The attacks of the British 70th Division were checked for a time by the Trento, but the attackers were able to lift the siege of Tobruk on 10 December.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Battle of Gazala
The Battle of Gazala was fought May–June 1942. The plan was for the armored and motorized divisions to perform a right flanking attack while the XXI Army Corps and the X Army Corps, which included the Trento, would advance parallel to the coast road. The Trento played an important role in the capture of 6,000 prisoners at Gazala on June 16.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Battle of Mersa Matruh
During the Battle of Mersa Matruh on 26–30 June 1942 the Trento played an important part in the capture of 6,000 defenders of the X British Corps, along with large quantities of supplies.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, First Battle of El Alamein
During the First Battle of El Alamein, elements of the Trento put up a tenacious defense on Miteiriya Ridge, delaying the Allied advance for several hours and allowing an Italian armored reconnaissance force to launch a devastating counterattack.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Second Battle of El Alamein
Before the start of the Second Battle of El Alamein the Trento was positioned along the Miteirya Ridge. On 24 October they came under attack from the 2nd New Zealand Division supported by 10th Armoured Division. By 25 October the Allies had broken through the minefields and were positioned on top of the Miteiriya Ridge. Italian casualties from incessant artillery and air attack had been heavy, particularly in the north. The Trento had lost half its infantry and most of its artillery.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", History, World War II, Second Battle of El Alamein
According to author Walter S. Zapotoczny (a graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeant Majors' Academy), the 61st and 62nd Infantry Regiments of the Trento Division had fought well, including the anti-tanks gunners of Captain Vigano and engineers of Colonel Randi that were attached to the division. On 2 November Rommel ordered the X and XXI Italian Corps and 90th Light Afrika Division to stand firm while the Afrika Korps would withdraw approximately six miles west during the night of 3 November, with XX Italian Corps and the Ariete Division conforming to their position.


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", Organization
During the Second Battle of El Alamein the following units were attached to the division:


102nd Motorized Division "Trento", Military honors
For its conduct during the Western Desert campaign the President of Italy awarded on 7 April 1949 to the 7th Bersaglieri Regiment Italy's highest military honor, the Gold Medal of Military Valour.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment
The 102nd New York Infantry Regiment ("Van Buren Light Infantry") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment played a prominent part in numerous key battles in both the Eastern and Western theaters of the war, most notably the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of Lookout Mountain, and the Atlanta Campaign.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 102nd New York Infantry was organized at New York City beginning November 1, 1861 and mustered in for a three-year enlistment March 5, 1862 under the command of Colonel Thomas B. Van Buren.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment, Service
The 102nd New York Infantry mustered out of service on July 21, 1865.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Left New York for Washington, D. C, March 10, 1862. Duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C., until May 1862. Moved to Harpers Ferry, Va., May. Defense of Harpers Ferry against Jackson's attack May 28–30. Operations in the Shenandoah Valley until August. Battle of Cedar Mountain August 9. Pope's Campaign in northern Virginia August 16-September 2. Guard trains during the campaign. Maryland Campaign September 6–22. Battle of Antietam September 16–17. Duty at Bolivar Heights until December. Reconnaissance to Rippon, Va., November 9. Expedition to Winchester December 2–6. March to Fredericksburg, Va., December 9–16. At Fairfax Station until January 20, 1863.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
"Mud March" January 20–24. Regiment detached in New York on special duty March 10-April 4. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Battle of Chancellorsville May 1–5. Gettysburg Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 1–3. Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va., July 5–24. Duty on line of the Rappahannock until September. Movement to Bridgeport, Ala., September 24-October 3. Reopening Tennessee River October 26–29. Guarding railroad until November. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23–27. Battle of Lookout Mountain November 23–24. Battle of Missionary Ridge November 25. Battle of Ringgold Gap, Taylor's Ridge, November 27. Duty in Lookout Valley until May 1864.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Atlanta Campaign May 1-September 8. Demonstrations on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8–11. Battle of Resaca May 14–15. Near Cassville May 19. Advance on Dallas May 22–25. New Hope Church May 25. Battles about Dallas, New Hope Church, and Allatoona Hills May 26-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Pine Hill June 11–14. Lost Mountain June 15–17. Gilgal or Golgotha Church June 15. Muddy Creek June 17. Noyes Creek June 19. Kolb's Farm June 22. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5–17. Peachtree Creek July 19–20.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Operations at Chattahoochie River Bridge August 26-September 2. Occupation of Atlanta September 2-November 15. Expedition from Atlanta to Tuckum's Cross Roads October 26–29. Near Atlanta November 9. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Near Davidsboro November 28. Siege of Savannah December 10–21. Carolinas Campaign January to April 1865. Battle of Bentonville, N.C., March 19–21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 9–13. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20. Grand Review of the Armies May 24. Duty at Washington, D.C., until July.


102nd New York Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 155 men during service; 7 officers and 66 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 82 enlisted men died of disease.


102nd New York State Legislature
The 102nd New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 7 to May 22, 1879, during the third year of Lucius Robinson's governorship, in Albany.


102nd New York State Legislature, Background
Under the provisions of the New York Constitution of 1846, 32 Senators and 128 assemblymen were elected in single-seat districts; senators for a two-year term, assemblymen for a one-year term. The senatorial districts were made up of entire counties, except New York County (five districts) and Kings County (two districts). The Assembly districts were made up of entire towns, or city wards, forming a contiguous area, all within the same county.


102nd New York State Legislature, Background
At this time there were two major political parties: the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Prohibition Party and the Greenback Party also nominated tickets.


102nd New York State Legislature, Elections
The New York state election, 1878 was held on November 5. The only statewide elective office up for election was carried by a Republican. The approximate party strength at this election, as expressed by the vote for Judge of the Court of Appeals, was: Republican 391,000; Democratic 356,000; Greenback 75,000; and Prohibition 4,000.


102nd New York State Legislature, Sessions
The Legislature met for the regular session at the State Capitol in Albany on January 7, 1879; and adjourned on May 22.


102nd New York State Legislature, Sessions
On January 7, senators and assemblymen met at the Old Capitol and then marched together to the New Capitol, taking officially possession of the new accommodations. The New Capitol was then still under construction, being finished only in 1899; and the Senate met for the time being in the Court of Appeals chamber. Due to heavy snowfall, many members had not arrived yet from the Western parts of the State, and the Legislature adjourned.


102nd New York State Legislature, Sessions
On January 9, Thomas G. Alvord (R) was again elected Speaker, with 94 votes against 24 for Erastus Brooks (D).


102nd New York State Legislature, Sessions
On January 21, the Legislature re-elected U.S. Senator Roscoe Conkling (R) to a third six-year term, beginning on March 4, 1879.


102nd New York State Legislature, Sessions
On April 23, the Legislature re-apportioned the Senate districts; and the Assembly seats per county. Columbia, Delaware, Madison, Oneida, Ontario and Oswego counties lost one seat each; Kings and New York counties gained three seats each.


102nd New York State Legislature, State Senate, Districts
Note: There are now 62 counties in the State of New York. The counties which are not mentioned in this list had not yet been established, or sufficiently organized, the area being included in one or more of the abovementioned counties.


102nd New York State Legislature, State Senate, Members
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued in office as members of this Legislature.


102nd New York State Legislature, State Assembly, Assemblymen
The asterisk (*) denotes members of the previous Legislature who continued as members of this Legislature.


102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment
The 102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 102nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry (or 102nd OVI) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 102nd Ohio Infantry was organized at Mansfield, Ohio, and mustered in for three years service on August 18, 1862, under the command of Colonel William Given. (The regiment is also recorded as having mustered in at Covington, Kentucky, on September 6, 1862.)


102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was attached to 38th Brigade, 12th Division, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862. District of Western Kentucky, Department of the Ohio, to December 1862. Clarksville, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to June 1862. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Reserve Corps, Department of the Cumberland, to October 1863. Unattached, District of Nashville, Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland, to January 1864. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XII Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to April 1864. 1st Brigade, 4th Division, XX Corps, Department of the Cumberland, to April 1865. District of North Alabama, Department of the Cumberland, to June 1865.


102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Service
The 102nd Ohio Infantry mustered out of service at Decatur, Alabama, on June 12, 1865.


102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Moved to Covington, Ky., September 4. Duty in the defenses of Cincinnati, Ohio, until September 22. Moved to Louisville, Ky., September 22, and duty there until October 5. Train guard to Shelbyville October 5–6. Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 6–15. March to Bowling Green, Ky., and duty there guarding railroad to Nashville, Tenn., until December 19. Moved to Russellville December 19, then to Clarksville, Tenn. Duty there and in the vicinity, building bridges, forwarding supplies, etc., until September 23, 1863. Movements to repel Wheeler's Raid September 26-October 30. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., and duty there until April 26, 1864.


102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Guard duty on Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad from Normandy to Dechard until June 6. Engaged in the defense of the line of the Tennessee River from Stevenson to Seven Mile Island June 10-September 1. Duty on cars protecting Tennessee & Alabama Railroad from Decatur, Ala., to Columbia, Tenn., September 1–15. Action at Athens September 23–24. Operations on the Tennessee River in rear of Hood's army October to December. Siege of Decatur October 26–29. Evacuation of Decatur November 25. March to Stevenson, Ala., November 25-December 2, and duty there until May 1865. Moved to Decatur, Ala., May 23, and duty there until June 30.


102nd Ohio Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 262 men during service; 2 officers and 11 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 247 enlisted men died of disease.


102nd Panzer Brigade
The 102nd Panzer Brigade was a Panzer Brigade that fought in World War II.


102nd Panzer Brigade, History
Ordered to be formed on 20 July 1944, it was not formed until 15 August 1944. The brigade was deployed on the Eastern Front and was involved in the Battle of Gumbinnen. The brigade was disbanded on 27 November 1944 and absorbed to the 7th Panzer Division.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
The 102nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Service
The 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August 1861 and mustered in for a three-year enlistment under the command of Colonel Thomas Algeo Rowley.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Service
The regiment was attached to Peck's Brigade, Couch's Division, Army of the Potomac, October 1861 to March, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, Army of the Potomac, to July 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, Army of the Potomac, to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, VI Corps, Army of the Potomac, to October 1862. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, VI Corps, to January 1864. Wheaton's Brigade, Department of West Virginia, to March 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VI Corps, Army of the Potomac and Army of the Shenandoah, to June 1865.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Service
The 102nd Pennsylvania Infantry mustered out of service June 28, 1865.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Five companies left Pennsylvania for Washington, D.C., August 21, 1861. Duty in the defenses of Washington, D. C, until March 1862. Advance on Manassas, Va., March 10–15. Moved to the Peninsula March 28. Siege of Yorktown April 5–May 4. Battle of Williamsburg May 5. Operations about Bottoms Bridge May 20–23. Battle of Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, May 31 – June 1. Seven Days before Richmond June 25 – July 1. Malvern Hill July 1. At Harrison's Landing until August 16. Movement to Alexandria, then to Centreville August 16–30. Covered Pope's retreat to Fairfax Court House August 30 – September 1.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Chantilly September 1 (reserve). Maryland Campaign September 6–27. Battle of Antietam September 16–17. At Downsville, Md., September 23 to October 20. Movement to Stafford Court House October 20 – November 18, and to Belle Plains December 5. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12–15. Burnside's 2nd Campaign, "Mud March," January 20–24, 1863. At Falmouth until April. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27 – May 6. Operations at Franklin's Crossing April 29 – May 2. Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg, May 3. Salem Heights May 3–4. Banks' Ford May 4. Gettysburg Campaign June 13 – July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 2–4.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Pursuit of Lee July 5–24. Duty on line of the Rappahannock until October. Bristoe Campaign October 9–22. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7–8. Rappahannock Station November 7. Mine Run Campaign November 26 – December 2. Rapidan Campaign May 4–June 12, 1864. Battles of the Wilderness May 5–7; Spotsylvania May 8–21. Assault on the Salient May 12. North Anna River May 23–26. On line of the Pamunkey May 26–28. Totopotomoy May 28–31. Cold Harbor June 1–12. Before Petersburg June 17–18. Jerusalem Plank Road June 22–23. Siege of Petersburg until July 9. Moved to Washington, D.C., July 9–11.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Detailed service
Repulse of Early's attack on Washington July 11–12. Pursuit of Early to Snicker's Gap July 14–18, Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August to December. Charlestown August 21–22. Demonstration on Gilbert's Ford, Opequan Creek, September 13. Strasburg September 21. Battle of Opequan, Winchester, September 19. Fisher's Hill September 22. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty in the Shenandoah Valley until December. Ordered to Petersburg December 9–12. Siege of Petersburg December 1864 to April 1865. Fort Stedman, Petersburg, March 25, 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28 – April 9. Assault on and fall of Petersburg April 2. Pursuit of Lee April 3–9. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. March to Danville April 23–27, and duty there until May 23. Moved to Richmond, then to Washington, D.C., May 23 – June 3. Corps review June 8.


102nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 263 men during service; 10 officers and 171 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 81 enlisted men died of disease.


102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers
The 102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It could trace its origins to 1796, when it was raised as the 13th Battalion, Bombay Native Infantry.


102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers
The Grenadiers were part of the Indian army which was sent to Egypt in 1801, to fight against the Napoleonic Campaign in Egypt in the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1818, the regiment's soldiers fought in the Peshwa Wars, distinguishing themselves at the Battle of Koregaon in the Third Anglo-Maratha War.


102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers
In 1824 when it became a regiment in its own right, when it was named the 2nd or Grenadier Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry.


102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers
In 1840, it took part in the First Afghan War and then the 1868 Expedition to Abyssinia which was a punitive expedition carried out by armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia. In 1880, the unit took part in the Battle of Maiwand during the Second Afghan War. The regiment was stationed in Mhow, when in October 1902 it was order to go to Berbera, to fight in the Somaliland Campaign.


102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers
World War I began with it being stationed at Muscat, Oman and served in the Mesopotamia Campaign with the 14th Indian Division, taking part in the Second Battle of Kut and the Fall of Baghdad (1917). A second battalion was raised in 1917 that served in the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.


102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers
After World War I the Indian government reformed the army, moving from single battalion regiments to multi-battalion regiments. In 1922, the 102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers became the 2nd Battalion, 4th Bombay Grenadiers. After independence it is Mahar regiment of the Indian Army.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček
The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček (Czech: 102. průzkumný prapor generála Karla Palečka) is a reconnaissance battalion in the Czech Army based in Prostejov. It falls under the command of the 53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, Mission and training
The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion is the sole reconnaissance battalion in the Czech Army. It is capable of conducting long-range ground reconnaissance, aerial reconnaissance, human intelligence as well as observing and eliminating organized resistance. It forms the basis of an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance task-force unit.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, History, Formation
The battalion was formed in 2003 after a merger of four different reconnaissance battalions - the 2nd, 4th, 7th and 11th Reconnaissance Battalions. The battalion was activated on 1 December in Prostejov. Part of Joint Forces Command, it became the only reconnaissance battalion in the Czech Army and since 2011 has come under the command of the 53rd Regiment of Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, History, Reconnaissance Patrol Competition
The Reconnaissance Patrol Competition is a national military patrolling exercise that makes its participating units cover more than 100 kilometers in three days while performing numerous types of military tasks. It is a test of leadership, self-discipline, courage, physical endurance, determination and knowledge of wide range of reconnaissance skills.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, History, Reconnaissance Patrol Competition
The history of this event which is organized uniquely by the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion reaches back to 2006. The initial idea was to compare the level of skills and readiness of reconnaissance troops within the battalion but it was the year later when the competition was opened to other units of the Czech Army. This event usually takes place at the end of August. Due to its demanding nature, severe condition and physical challenge only two thirds of contestants usually finish this competition.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, History, Charity events
Charity events have been organized annually by the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion since 2009 in order to raise money for children in need. Handing over of the charity voucher is usually connected with sport activities and social events organized for service members, their families and guests.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, History, Visitors' and Presentation Day
Visitors' and Presentation Day of the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion has been annually organized for children from Prostejov as well as for service members and their families. The program usually includes a presentation of military vehicles, weapons and equipment. Visitors can also watch a training display of parachute jumps, a demonstration of the MUSADO military combat system, or a simulated ambush. This event takes place in June.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, Heraldry, Insignias
The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion Patch has a circular shape depicting several objects which have symbolic meaning relating closely to the battalion, its sub-units or history. A white parachute represents the airborne-reconnaissance units, a pair of yellow wings represents the ability to conduct an aerial reconnaissance, a pair of yellow bolts used to represent Electronic Warfare unit which used to be a part of the 11th Reconnaissance Battalion, and nowadays it represents the ability to pass the information quickly from the battlefield and finally the assault knife which is a symbol of a long-range reconnaissance unit.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, Heraldry, Insignias
The dark green color of the background of the patch represents the color of reconnaissance units in general as well as the color of scout's berets, while the dark red edge of the circle represents the color of paratrooper forces and their berets. The battalion motto is Latin: Spem retine – spes una hominem nec morte relinquit (Cato) – ("Keep hold of hope; hope alone does not desert a person even in death").


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, Heraldry, Combat Flag and Commemorative Ribbons
The 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion gained its Combat Flag on the 5 May 2005 on the occasion of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, Heraldry, Combat Flag and Commemorative Ribbons
Commemorative Ribbons awarded to the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion and designed to be displayed together with the Combat Flag:


102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček, Honorary name and patron
Honorary name was awarded to 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion in 2006 and since then the full name of the battalion has been the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion of General Karel Paleček. General Karel Paleček, the patron of the 102nd Reconnaissance Battalion, was a Czech legionary, active military member during World War I and World War II, and the founder of the first Czechoslovak parachute units.


102nd Regiment of Foot (1781)
The 102nd Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army between 1781 and 1785.


102nd Regiment of Foot (1781), History
The regiment was raised in 1781. The regiment fought in India during the Second Anglo-Mysore War and lost its king's colour and regimental colour on 3 May 1783 during the Siege of Bednore when the fortress fell to Mysore forces. The regiment was disbanded in 1785.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Irish Rangers)
The 102nd Regiment of Foot was a short-lived regiment of the British Army raised in 1793 and disbanded in 1795.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Irish Rangers)
The regiment was raised in Ireland on 31 October 1793 as Trench's Regiment of Foot, and was informally known as the "Irish Rangers". The Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant was Eyre Power Trench. The regiment was numbered as 102nd Regiment of Foot in October 1794, and in 1795 was stationed in Guernsey. The regiment was disbanded at Nursling in 1795 and its personnel transferred to the 3rd (the East Kent) Regiment of Foot at Southampton.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers)
The 102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers) was a regiment of the British Army raised by the Honourable East India Company in 1742. It transferred to the command of the British Army in 1862. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 103rd Regiment of Foot in 1881 to form the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers), History, Formation
The regiment was raised by the Honourable East India Company as the Madras Europeans from independent companies in 1742 – "European" indicating it was composed of British soldiers, not Indian sepoys. It saw action at the siege of Arcot in autumn 1751 during the Second Carnatic War and went on to fight at the Battle of Plassey in June 1757, the Battle of Condore in December 1758 and the Battle of Wandiwash in January 1760 during the Seven Years' War. It also fought at the siege of Pondicherry in September 1760 during the Third Carnatic War.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers), History, Formation
It became the 1st Madras Europeans, on formation of the 2nd and 3rd Madras Europeans, in 1766. It went on to become the 1st Madras European Regiment in 1774. After that it took part in the siege of Nundydroog in October 1791 and the siege of Seringapatam in February 1792 during the Third Anglo-Mysore War.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers), History, Early nineteenth century
The regiment next took part in expedition to the Dutch East Indies seeing action at the capture of Amboyna in February 1796 and its recapture in February 1810, the capture of Ternate in April 1801 and its recapture in August 1810 and the capture of Banda in March 1796 and its recapture in August 1810.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers), History, The Victorian era
The regiment returned to India in 1816 and took part in the Battle of Mahidpur in December 1817 during the Third Anglo-Maratha War. It was deployed to Burma in 1824 for service in the First Anglo-Burmese War: it formed part of an army which advanced up the River Irrawaddy to the Kingdom of Ava. It returned to India arriving in Madras in 1826. It transferred to Malacca in 1835 and became the 1st Madras (European) Fusiliers in 1843. After returning to India in early 1852 it was deployed to the Province of Pegu in April 1852 during the Second Anglo-Burmese War.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers), History, The Victorian era
The regiment fought at the siege and relief of Lucknow in November 1857 during the Indian Rebellion. Three members of the regiment were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions during the siege. After the Crown took control of the Presidency armies in the aftermath of the Rebellion, the regiment became the 1st Madras Fusiliers in July 1858 and then the 1st Royal Madras Fusiliers in May 1861. It was then renumbered as the 102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers) on transfer to the British Army in September 1862. The regiment embarked for England in 1870 and was then deployed to Gibraltar in April 1876 and to Ceylon in 1879.


102nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Madras Fusiliers), History, The Victorian era
As part of the Cardwell Reforms of the 1870s, where single-battalion regiments were linked together to share a single depot and recruiting district in the United Kingdom, the 102nd was linked with the 103rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Bombay Fusiliers), and assigned to district no. 66 at Naas Barracks in County Kildare. On 1 July 1881 the Childers Reforms came into effect and the regiment amalgamated with the 103rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Bombay Fusiliers) to form the Royal Dublin Fusiliers.


102nd Rescue Squadron
The 102nd Rescue Squadron (102 RQS) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing stationed at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base, Westhampton Beach, New York. The 102nd is equipped with the HC-130J Combat King II transport aircraft.


102nd Rescue Squadron
The squadron is a descendant organization of the World War I 102nd Aero Squadron, established on 23 August 1917. Its origins begin however, on 30 April 1908 as the 1st Aero Company, a pre-World War I independent unit of the New York National Guard. After the war, the unit was reformed on 7 November 1921 as the 102nd Observation Squadron, and is one of the 29 original National Guard Observation Squadrons of the United States Army National Guard formed before World War II.


102nd Rescue Squadron
The 102nd Rescue Squadron is the oldest unit of the Air National Guard, with over a century of service to the state of New York and the United States.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, Origins
On 30 April 1908, 1st Lt . Frank P. Lahm reported to New York City along with 1st Lt . Thomas Selfridge and civilian balloonist Leo Stevens to familiarize 25 members of the First Company, Signal Corps, a unit of the 71st New York Infantry, in the use of hydrogen-filled observation balloon. The company was organized to provide the New York National Guard with an "aeronautical corps" for balloon observation, commanded by Major Oscar Erlandean. By 1910 it had acquired a home-made aircraft using private funds and transported it to summer maneuvers, but it was not flown.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, Origins
The aircraft was destroyed in a crash but an airplane owned by Glenn Curtiss was flown during the 1912 summer maneuvers in Connecticut by Private Beckworth "Becky" Havens, a salesman for Curtiss Aeroplane Company. This group sometimes referred to itself as the "1st Aero Company" but was never authorized or officially recognized by either the State of New York nor the U.S. Army.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, 1st Aero Company
The 102nd traces its official lineage back to the 1st Aero Company, authorized by the governor of New York in October 1915 and organized in November by 1st Lieutenant Raynal Bolling as a detachment of the 1st Battalion Signal Corps, New York National Guard, for aviation training at Mineola on Long Island.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, 1st Aero Company
The 1st Aero Company was provisionally recognized by the federal government in June 1916 and called to active duty between 13 July 1916, and 15 November 1916, to continue training with the purpose of joining the 1st Aero Squadron, a Regular Army unit deployed to Mexico with the Punitive Expedition. The 1st Aero Company, however, never left Long Island and was disbanded on 23 May 1917, shortly after the United States entered World War I, when the Army decided not to use National Guard aviation units in the war effort. Its history and lineage were bestowed on the 102nd Observation Squadron.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, 102nd Aero Squadron
The Air Service 102nd Aero Squadron was organized at Kelly Field, Texas, on 23 August 1917. The men engaged in construction activities, drilling, digging ditches, making roads, and putting up tents for new recruits arriving at the field. When athletics were started at the camp, the 102nd organized a baseball team which was runners-up for the championship at the field. Once basic indoctrination training was completed, the 102nd was ordered for overseas duty, being ordered to report to the Aviation Concentration Center, Garden City, Long Island.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, 102nd Aero Squadron
It arrived at Mineola Field on 3 November 1917 where it was prepared and equipped for overseas duty. On 23 November, the squadron, along with the 103d, 104th, and 105th Aero Squadrons were ordered to report to the Port of Embarkation, Hoboken, New Jersey for boarding on the former White Star Liner RMS Baltic for transport. After an uneventful Atlantic crossing, it arrived at Liverpool, England on 8 December 1917.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, 102nd Aero Squadron
After a few days at a Rest Camp near Winchester, England, the squadron moved to Le Havre, France, and then traveled by train to the Replacement Concentration Center, AEF, St. Maixent Replacement Barracks, France, arriving on 18 January 1918. At St. Maixent, the 102nd was used as a station squadron, as well as being trained in hiking, fatigue duty and guard duty. On 1 March, the squadron was ordered to report to the Second Aviation Instructional Center at Tours Aerodrome, in central France.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, 102nd Aero Squadron
The men were assigned to nearly every department at the field, in the machine shops working on aircraft to the transportation department where the men drove trucks and all manner of vehicles. The squadron remained at Tours until after the Armistice with Germany in November 1918, then returned to the United States in April 1919. It arrived at Mitchel Field, New York, where the squadron members were demobilized and returned to civilian life.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York National Guard
Constituted in 1920 as the 102nd Squadron (Observation), the squadron was assigned to the 27th Division, allotted to the state of New York, as its divisional aviation. The unit was organized in November 1921 from personnel of the Observation Squadron, New York National Guard, which had been organized on 22 March 1921 at Hempstead, New York, with personnel from K Company, 14th Infantry, New York National Guard. It was organized and federally recognized in November 1922 at Miller Field on Staten Island and redesignated as the 102nd Observation Squadron in January 1923.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York National Guard
During the inter-war years, the 102nd Observation Squadron flew a variety of aircraft but continued to serve as the aerial eyes for the commander of the 27th Infantry Division. One of America’s leading aces of the First World War, George A. Vaughan (9.5 victories) became one of the squadron's first commanders. He eventually became the 27th Division's Air Officer. In 1929, in a reorganization of the Army, the squadron was relieved from assignment to the 27th Division but remained attached to it for command and control purposes. In October 1933 it was assigned to an observation group for mobilization in case of war.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York National Guard
Its operations were primarily air transportation and aircraft repair and maintenance. However, squadron elements were called up periodically by the state of New York to perform emergency duties that included reconnaissance for the United States Department of the Treasury of vessels conducting illegal liquor trade off the New York-New Jersey coast in the 1920s; support of flood relief efforts in Vermont 6–16 November 1927; aid to civil authorities during a prison break from the maximum security Auburn Prison, 11–12 December 1930; and flood relief efforts in upstate New York 11–13 July 1935.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York National Guard
The squadron conducted summer training annually at Pine Camp, New York, during the years 1921–40 where it generally supported the training of the 52nd Field Artillery Brigade, and performed other training at Miller Field and at Mitchel Field on Long Island.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York National Guard
In 1936 it was consolidated with the demobilized 102nd Aero Squadron.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, World War II
In October 1940 the 102nd was inducted into active federal service at Miller Field as part of the United States Army Air Corps, relieved from assignment to its parent group, and assigned directly to the VII Corps. The Army relocated it to Fort McClellan, Alabama, shortly after its call up, then assigned it a year later to the 71st Observation Group. Initially it was assigned to antisubmarine patrols over the Gulf of Mexico. After the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron was moved to Southern California, flying antisubmarine patrols over the Los Angeles coast until November 1942.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, World War II
It returned to Third Air Force control in late 1943, becoming a reconnaissance training unit for Army ground forces at Fort Hood, Texas and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Moved to the Desert Training Center in southern California in early 1944, continuing supplying reconnaissance training for Army units engaged in desert warfare training until April 1944 when the DTC was closed and the squadron was disbanded.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard
As part of the formation of the Air National Guard after World War II, the unit was reconstituted on 21 June 1945. The wartime 102nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was redesignated the 102nd Bombardment Squadron, Light, and was allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Floyd Bennett Field, Brooklyn, New York, and was extended federal recognition 21 March 1947 and activated by the National Guard Bureau. The squadron was equipped with Douglas B-26 Invader light bombers and was assigned to the 106th Bombardment Group and operationally gained by Tactical Air Command.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard
The mission of the squadron was proficiency in tactical bombing. Parts were no problem and many of the maintenance personnel were World War II veterans so readiness was quite high and the planes were often much better maintained than their USAF counterparts. In some ways, the postwar Air National Guard was almost like a flying country club and a pilot could often show up at the field, check out an aircraft and go flying. However, the unit also had regular military exercises that kept up proficiency and in gunnery and bombing contests they would often score at least as well or better than active-duty USAF units, given the fact that most ANG pilots were World War II combat veterans.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Korean War activation
With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was placed on active duty on 1 February 1951. The 102nd's B-26 light attack bombers were sent to Fifth Air Force in Japan for use in the Korean War, and the 106th Group was federalized and assigned to Strategic Air Command. On 28 March 1951, the Group moved less equipment to March Air Force Base, California.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Korean War activation
The 102nd was re-equipped with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses and given the mission to train reservist crewmen to back-fill rotating B-29 combat crews serving in Korea. While the air guardsmen were undergoing training they were paid on the lesser reserve pay scale. When its active duty tour came to an end, the squadron was inactivated in December 1952 and its personnel and equipment at March were transferred to the 441st Bombardment Squadron and the squadron returned to New York state control.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
With its return to New York state control in 1953, the 102nd was again equipped with B-26 Invaders, the aircraft being returned from combat duty in Korea. The 102nd trained in proficiency with the attack bomber until the removal of the B-26 from bombing duties in 1956 as neared the end of their service lives.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
The 106th was transferred from Tactical Air Command to Air Defense Command (ADC) and assumed an air defense mission over Long Island and New York City, entering the Jet Age with the limited all-weather Lockheed F-94B Starfire interceptor. With the Starfire, the 102nd began standing end of runway air defense alert, ready to launch interceptors if ADC Ground Intercept Radar picked up an unidentified target. The squadron stood air defense alert from one hour before sunrise until one hour after sunset every day, 365 days a year. In 1957, ADC upgraded the 102nd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron to the all-weather North American F-86D Sabre. With the receipt of the F-86D, the alert mission was extended to 24 hours a day/7 days a week/365 days a year.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1956, Lt. Col. Norma Parsons made military and National Guard history when she became the first woman member of the National Guard, the first woman member of the Air National Guard, and the first woman to be commissioned in the Air National Guard.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1958, the squadron was reassigned to Military Air Transport Service (MATS), trading in its Sabres for 4-engined Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter transports, being gained by the MATS' Eastern Transport Air Force. The 102nd worked closely with the 1st Aeromedical Evacuation Transport Group at Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, a regular Air Force unit.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
Initially equipped with specialized MC-119J Flying Boxcars configured for transport of wounded and injured, the 102nd Aeromedical Transport Squadron airlifted critically injured and sick personnel until 1964. With air transportation recognized as a critical wartime need, the 102nd was redesignated the 102nd Air Transport Squadron, Heavy in January 1964 and equipped with C-97 Stratofreighter heavy transports. With the C-97s, the 102nd augmented MATS airlift capability worldwide in support of the Air Force's needs in Europe. It also flew scheduled MATS transport missions to Europe, Africa the Caribbean and South America.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
With the acquisition of KC-97 Stratotankers from Strategic Air Command, the 104th was transferred back to Tactical Air Command in September 1969 and the 102nd became an air refueling squadron. Its mission was to provide air refueling to tactical fighters. With the KC-97 being a variant of the C-97 Stratofreighter the conversion of the unit from transports to refueling aircraft was easily accomplished, the squadron receiving the KC-97Ls with addition of jet engine pods mounted to the outboard wings.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
It rotated personnel and aircraft to West Germany as part of Operation Creek Party, a continuous rotational mission flying from Rhein Main Air Base, West Germany, providing air refueling to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) tactical aircraft. The success of this operation, which would continue until 1972, demonstrated the ability of the Air National Guard to perform significant day-to-day missions without being mobilized.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Cold War
In 1969, the Air Force closed Suffolk County Air Force Base and the NYANG relocated there. The 102nd Air Refueling Squadron returned to ADC in 1972 and again became an air defense unit. The 102nd was re-equipped with the Convair F-102A Delta Dagger, which was being replaced in the active duty interceptor force by the Convair F-106 Delta Dart. The Mach 2 "Deuce", still a very potent interceptor, served with the 102nd until June 1975, when Aerospace Defense Command was reducing the USAF interceptor force as the threat of Soviet bombers attacking the United States was deemed remote.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
The 102nd converted to an Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron in 1975, flying Sikorsky HH-3E rescue helicopters and Lockheed HC-130 Hercules tankers for in-flight refueling. The squadron's base on Long Island enables it to act as the only Air Force rescue organization in the northeastern United States. It upgraded its inventory to provide a capability for long range over-water missions using the air refueling capabilities of the HC-130s and Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk rescue helicopters.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
After the midair explosion of the Space Shuttle "Challenger" in 1986, the 106th Rescue Wing and its squadrons were designated to provide support for every shuttle launch thereafter.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
In October 1991, an HH-60 and a tanker flew to an endangered sailboat about 250 miles south of its base. The Pave Hawk and HC-130 dropped survival gear to the vessel, which was riding out the storm, and began their return to base. Both aircraft encountered severe weather conditions and the helicopter was unable to take on fuel.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
The HH-60 was forced to ditch in the Atlantic Ocean about 60 miles south of the base in what would later become known as "the Perfect Storm", and all but one member of the crew were saved by the crew of the United States Coast Guard cutter USCGC Tamaroa. TSgt Alden Smith, a pararescueman (PJ), lost his life fulfilling the squadron's motto That Others May Live. The mission was recounted in both a best selling book and major motion picture.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
From 1991 to 2002, the 102nd deployed personnel and aircraft to support Operation Northern Watch in Turkey and Operation Southern Watch in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. While supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, the squadron made its first two combat rescues on 2 November 2003 by using a hydraulic rescue tool to extricate two injured soldiers trapped in the burning wreckage of an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter shot down near Fallujah.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
The 102nd received international recognition when two aircrews and PJs of the squadron successfully completed the "longest over-water rescue with a helicopter in aviation history" in December 1994, a mission in which a pair of HH-60s flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then 750 miles out over the Atlantic Ocean to search for survivors of the Ukrainian cargo ship Salvador Allende. A search of the area located the last survivor, and a pararescue, TSgt James Dougherty, jumped into the ocean to effect the rescue. During the 15-hour mission, the two helicopter crews were refueled in flight 10 times by HC-130s.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
The 106th Rescue Wing has assisted the state in battling the 1995 "Sunrise Wildfires" in the Hamptons, they were first on the scene after the crash of TWA Flight 800, and the recovery of the wreckage from the plane flown by John F. Kennedy Jr., which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 1999. The squadron located the transponder of the wreckage of the plane underwater. After June 1996, some components of the squadron have been designated the 102nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron when deployed overseas as part of Air and Space Expeditionary forces.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
In 1998, the wing carried out the longest over-water rescue mission in an HH-60, saved one soul, made famous by the book: Pararescue, The Untold Story of a rescue and the heroes that pulled it off, written by Michael Hirsh. On 11 September 2001, the first ANG personnel on scene at World Trade Center were those of the 106th Rescue Wing.


102nd Rescue Squadron, History, New York Air National Guard, Rescue mission
In 2004, Air Force Special Operations Command reorganized Air National Guard rescue wings, establishing separate squadrons for fixed-wing, helicopter and pararescue. The squadron transferred its HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters to the 101st Rescue Squadron; its pararescue personnel to the 103d Rescue Squadron.


102nd Rescue Squadron, References, Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website .


102nd Rifle Division
The 102nd Rifle Division was an infantry division of the Red Army which participated in the Second World War. It was formed three times. Its first formation was listed as part of the active army from 2 July to 19 September 1941. Its third formation was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner, and the Order of Suvorov, 2nd class.


102nd Rifle Division, History
The division was formed in the summer of 1939 at Kachinskoye in the Siberian Military District. In March 1940, the 67th Rifle Corps was formed in the Kharkov Military District. The corps consisted of the 102nd, 132nd, and 151st Rifle Divisions, the 194th Separate Sapper Battalion and 207th Separate Communications Battalion. Corps headquarters was stationed in Poltava.


102nd Rifle Division, History
In June 1941, the 102nd Rifle Division received 5,450 more personnel.


102nd Rifle Division, History
On 22 June 1941, the division was stationed in Kremenchug. It was ordered on June 28 to march to Chernigov. On 1 August 1941, BSSA lists the division as part of the 67th Rifle Corps, 21st Army, part of the Bryansk Front. In August, the division was surrounded and destroyed in the Gomel area.


102nd Rifle Division, History
The division was recreated at Chimkent in the Central Asian Military District in January 1942. James Goff writes that the new division was reformed from the briefly active 462nd Rifle Division, which was only active from 22 December 1941 to 1 February 1942 before being re-designated the 102nd Rifle Division (Second Formation).


102nd Rifle Division, History
The division was again reformed from Far East NKVD Division at Khabarovsk in June 1942 and joined the 70th Army. It fought at the Battle of Kursk, Operation Kutuzov, Operation Bagration, the East Prussian Offensive, and the East Pomeranian Offensive. It was with the 48th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front in May 1945.


102nd Rifle Division, History
Postwar, it became the 9th Separate Rifle Brigade at Armavir with the 29th Rifle Corps. The brigade disbanded in March 1947.


102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion
The 102nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion (German: schwere SS-Panzerabteilung 102) was a German heavy tank battalion of the Waffen-SS during World War II. It fought as part of the II SS Panzer Corps during the Battle of Normandy and was nearly destroyed. Renumbered as 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion in late 1944, the unit was destroyed in the Halbe Pocket in Spring 1945.


102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion, Operational history
In April 1943, the Waffen-SS ordered the creation of a series of heavy tank battalions equipped with the new Tiger I tanks — for use in offensive actions on the Eastern Front. Each of the heavy tank battalions would be attached to a Corps of the Waffen SS. Upon formation, the 102nd was attached to the II SS Panzer Corps. Originally, each heavy tank battalion was composed of a single company of Tiger I's, attached to each respective SS Panzer Division in the Panzerkorps. By July 1943, the predecessor of the 102nd — SS Panzer Regiment 2 of the SS Division Das Reich — was equipped with 14 Tiger I's.


102nd SS Heavy Panzer Battalion, Operational history
The battalion was sent to Normandy after the Allied D Day landings. The battalion was almost completely destroyed during the fighting in Normandy; in September 1944 it was pulled back to Germany to reform. Stationed in Sennelager the battalion was renumbered the 502nd Heavy SS Panzer Battalion. Equipped with Tiger II tanks, the battalion took part in the defense against the Red Army at the Oder front. During the Battle of Berlin, the battalion was encircled in the Halbe Pocket in 1945 and destroyed.


102nd Squadron (JASDF)
The 102nd Squadron (第102飛行隊 (dai-ichi-zero-ni-hikoutai)) was a squadron of the 3rd Air Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) based at Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was equipped with North American F-86D Sabre aircraft.


102nd Squadron (JASDF), History
On March 1, 1959 the squadron was formed at Komaki Air Base. It was the JASDF's first frontline all-weather fighter squadron, as the 101st Squadron was a training squadron for most of its existence.


102nd Squadron (JASDF), History
It was disbanded on December 1, 1967, on the same day as fellow Komaki unit, the 105th Squadron. At that time, the 101st through 105th Squadrons were F-86D squadrons.


102nd Squadron (Portugal)
102 Squadron "Panchos" (Esquadra 102) was an elementary flight training squadron of the Portuguese Air Force disbanded in 1992. Formed in 1962, the squadron administered air force training and performed at air shows throughout Portugal. Between 1963 and its disbandment in 1992, the squadron lost nine pilots.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History
The squadron's heritage began in the early 1960s when Basic Flight Instruction Squadron No. 2 (Portuguese: Esquadra de Instrução Básica de Pilotagem Nº 2, E.I.B.P. 2), "Os Panchos", was constituted at Air Base No. 1 (Portuguese: Base Aérea Nº 1, BA1), flying the Cessna T-37 Tweet entering service with the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF). Together with Basic Flight Instruction Squadron No. 1 (Portuguese: Esquadra de Instrução Básica de Pilotagem Nº 1, E.I.B.P. 1), which flew the North American T-6, formed the Basic Flight Training Group (Portuguese: Grupo de Instrução Básica de Pilotagem, G.I.B.P. ).


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History
The first twelve T-37C aircraft arrived in December 1962 as kits and were assembled at the OGMA workshops in February 1963. The remaining 18 aircraft arrived in batches of six, with the deliveries taking place in March 1964, June 1964, and the last six in January 1965.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History, Activation
The squadron (E.I.B.P. 2) was assigned the flight instruction of the aeronautic flight course's students of the Military Academy and was divided into two flights (Portuguese: esquadrilhas): Esquadrilha n° 1, "Feras" (Beasts), and Esquadrilha n° 2, "Águias" (Eagles). Later it was also assigned the role of instructing the basic flight courses, at first alongside E.I.B.P. 1, which was later transferred to Air Base No. 7 (Portuguese: Base Aérea Nº 7, BA7.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History, Activation
In 1964, the squadron formed and started to train a new air force flight demonstration team called the "Panchos" with the objective of performing a demonstration at a festival in Alverca in July of the same year. However, the demonstration was canceled and the team was inactivated after an accident during a training exercise resulted in the loss of an aircraft and the death of the pilot.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History, Activation
Upon reactivation the following year, the demonstration team continued its training and started to perform at air shows. In 1969, the team's name was changed to "Diabos Vermelhos" (Red Devils). The number of demonstrations was increased. In 1970 the team was inactivated during the Colonial War.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History, Activation
The flight demonstration team was temporarily reactivated in 1973, as "Os Panchos", to perform at the commemoration of the centennial birth of Alberto Santos-Dumont. In 1976 the team was reactivated and in 1977 the Portuguese Air Force officially established the flight demonstration team Asas de Portugal as the national aerobatic flying team.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History, Activation
In 1977 the squadron was re-designated as 102 Squadron and transferred to Air Base No. 11 (Portuguese: Base Aérea Nº 11, BA11) as part of the reorganization of the Air Force's operational structure of 1978 and became the only squadron to administer basic flight training.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History, Activation
The squadron was disbanded on August 8, 1992, when the T-37C was officially retired from service.


102nd Squadron (Portugal), History, Losses
On February 3, 1964, the first crash of a PoAF T-37C occurred, killing both pilots. Between November 10, 1964, and December 9, 1990, six more crashes took place and caused the loss of seven more pilots.


102nd Street chemical landfill
The 102nd Street chemical landfill, is a former chemical landfill located on the Niagara River in Niagara Falls, New York. It is almost immediately adjacent to the infamous Love Canal chemical landfill, which are split from each other by the LaSalle Expressway and Frontier Avenue. Hooker Chemical Company, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum, and Olin Chemical, who were the original owners of the site, were ordered to clean up the site and pay $16,500,000 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. It is a designated Superfund site, and is closed to the public.


102nd Street chemical landfill, Site description
The 102nd Street landfill consists of two parcels, one owned by Olin Corporation and one owned by Hooker Chemical & Plastics Corporation at an area of 22.1 acres (89,000 m2) total. Unlike Love Canal, which it is directly south of, the facility is still owned by Hooker (Occidental) and Olin, which are in the process of cleaning it up. It is part of the original canal excavation from which the Love Canal landfill takes its name. It currently appears to be a large field, as the chemicals are sealed off and buried underneath the soil. Griffon Park lies directly west, and currently, little residential development lies on either side of the area. The area is monitored with air and ground monitoring devices to measure the toxicity of the site.


102nd Street chemical landfill, Site description
At an unknown date, chemicals began seeping into the Niagara River. A concrete bulkhead has been constructed on the shore to stop the seepage of chemicals into the river. The area is fenced off on all sides.


102nd Street chemical landfill, History
The landfill takes its name from 102nd Street, a street that ran through the area before residents were evacuated and homes demolished.


102nd Street chemical landfill, History
The larger portion owned by Hooker was operated from 1943 until 1971. In that time period, 23,500 tons of mixed organic and/or inorganic compounds, solvents and phosphates, and related chemicals were dumped here including brine sludge, fly ash, electrochemical cell parts and related equipment plus 300 tons of hexachlorocyclohexane process cake, including lindane.


102nd Street chemical landfill, History
The smaller portion owned by Olin Corp. operated from 1948 to 1970. 66,000 tons of compounds and elements and an additional 20,000 tons of mercury brine and brine sludge, 1,000+ tons of hazardous chemicals, 16 tons of concrete boiler ash, fly ash and other residual materials were deposited.


102nd Street chemical landfill, History
Currently, according to the EPA, a wall has been built to keep this garbage from leaking into the Great Lakes. But thousands of tons of waste still reside at the site.


102nd Technical & Administrative Services Group (Reserve)
The 102nd Technical & Administrative Services Group, known officially as Selfless Service Group, is one of five TAS units of the 1st Technical and Administrative Services Brigade (Reserve) of the AFP Reserve Command, and is based in Quezon City.


102nd Technical & Administrative Services Group (Reserve)
The AOR of the 102nd TAS Group covers the entirety of Manila. It is primarily tasked to support maneuver units of the AFP Reserve Force operating within these areas.


102nd Technical & Administrative Services Group (Reserve), The Commissioned Officer Corps
Officers of the 102TASG, AFPRESCOM are directly commissioned through AFP Circular Nr. 4 and 6 and may come from any of the following professions:


102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment
The 102nd United States Colored Infantry was an African American infantry regiment of United States Colored Troops in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was organized as the 1st Michigan Colored Volunteer Infantry Regiment before being redesignated as the 102nd Regiment USCT.


102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment, History
The 1st Michigan Colored Infantry was formed on February 17, 1863, after an editorial and letter writing campaign by Henry Barns, an editor for the Detroit Tribune and Advertiser. Barns was commissioned the regiment's first colonel for his efforts; he maintained this post until voluntarily stepping down in favor of Henry L. Chipman. Lt . Colonel Newcomb Clark was his deputy and both were brevetted for Distinguished and meritorious conduct in the field.


102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment, History
The regiment was organized at Camp Ward, located on a farm in Detroit. Eight-hundred-forty-five men from Detroit, southern Michigan, and Upper Canada (now Ontario), volunteered for the regiment. Some of these early volunteers were escaped slaves from the Underground Railroad; 72 had been living in Canada where their status as free men was assured. While all were fighting against slavery, some were fighting to free actual family members who may have still been in slavery. For these early black volunteers particularly, to step into the spotlight by volunteering took enormous courage, not to mention the bravery of those who crossed back into the US to fight.


102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment, History
During training, a regimental band was formed which toured and performed to attract and recruit more volunteers. The regiment also had artillery and cavalry elements.


102nd United States Colored Infantry Regiment, History
The regiment was formed from August through September 1863, amidst that year's draft riots and protests against the war. Mustered in as the 102nd US Colored Troops on February 17, 1864 (or May 23, 1864), the unit was redesignated the 102nd Regiment United States Colored Troops. The 900-man unit left Detroit on March 28, 1864. The regiment, composed entirely of volunteers, lost almost 10 percent of its men during the nineteen months the regiment was in the field, campaigning throughout South Carolina, eastern Georgia and Florida.