The 1st Bombardment Wing is a disbanded

United States Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

unit. It was initially formed in France in 1918 during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a command and control organization for the Pursuit Groups of the

First Army Air Service The First Army Air Service was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. The First Army Air Service was the larg ...

. Demobilized after the Armistice in France, it was re-established in the United States as the first wing formed in the reorganized

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

, created in August 1919 to control three groups patrolling the border with Mexico after revolution broke out there. As the 1st Wing, the unit was one of the original wings of the

GHQ Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

on 1 March 1935. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was one of the primary

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

heavy strategic bombardment wings of

VIII Bomber Command 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

and later,

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

. Its last assignment was with the

Continental Air Forces Continental Air Forces (CAF) was a United States Army Air Forces major command, active 1944–1946. It was tasked with combat training of bomber and fighter personnel, and for Continental United States (CONUS) air defense after the Aircraft Wa ...

, based at

McChord Field McChord Field (formerly and still commonly known as McChord Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945.

History

World War I

Organized at Croix de Metz Aerodrome, Toul Sector, France, during

as the 1st Pursuit Wing on 6 July 1918, it was a command and control organization in the

for several pursuit groups in the American Sector of the Western Front in France. Served in combat on the

St. Mihiel offensive The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12 to 15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States agains ...

in September, flew reconnaissance sorties, protected observation aircraft, attacked enemy observation balloons, strafed enemy troops, flew counter-air patrols, and bombed towns, bridges, and railroad stations behind the enemy's lines. Moved to

Chaumont-Sur-Aire Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entry into World War I, United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a bra ...

, and during the Meuse-Argonne offensive (26 September – 11 November 1918) bombardment aircraft continued their attacks behind the lines while pursuit ships concentrated mainly on large-scale counter-air patrols. Demobilized in France, December 1918.Clay, Steven E. US Army Order of Battle, Volume 3, The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops, 1919–41, Combat Studies Institute Press US Army Combined Arms Center Fort Leavenworth, KSMaurer, Maurer (1978) The US Air Service in World War I, Volume I, The Final Report and a Tactical History, The Office of Air Force History Headquarters USAF Washington]

Inter-War Period

Authorized in the Regular Army on 15 August 1919 as the 1st Wing Headquarters. Organized on 16 August 1919 at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-use airport, Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he ...

, Texas. Provided command and control of all

units conducting patrol duties 1919–22 along the Mexican Border from

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

, to the California-Arizona border, Assigned to the GHQ, US Army in 1921. Reorganized 19 July 1922 as 1st Wing (Provisional) Headquarters and assigned responsibility to perform duties as the headquarters for the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field. Inactivated on 26 June 1924. Allotted to the Eighth Corps Area on 29 February 1927.

Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a United States Army, U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam", it is named for the first president o ...

, Texas, designated as headquarters on organization, but the unit was never organized at that location. Designated headquarters location changed on 14 September 1928 to

. Re-designated as Headquarters, 1st Bombardment Wing on 8 May 1929. Activated on 1 April 1931 at

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 m ...

, California. Re-designated as Headquarters, 1st Pursuit Wing on 18 August 1933. Was responsible for the supervision and administration of twenty-five camps in the southern California

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

(CCC) District, 1933–34. Re-designated Headquarters, 1st Wing on 1 March 1935 and assigned to the

General Headquarters Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

(GHQAF). Transferred on 27 May 1941 to Tucson Municipal Airport, later Tucson Army Air Field, Arizona, under IV Bomber Command.

World War II

After the

Pearl Harbor Attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the ti ...

, initially supervised Heavy Bomber Operational Training at Tucson AAF. Re-designated as 1st Bombardment Wing and reassigned to

and deployed to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

July–August 1942.Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . In England, mission was command and control of

bombardment groups stationed in

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

, receiving operational orders from VIII BC headquarters and mobilizing subordinate groups for strategic bombardment attacks on enemy targets in

Occupied Europe German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

. Operated primarily from

RAF Bassingbourn Royal Air Force Bassingbourn or more simply RAF Bassingbourn is a former Royal Air Force station located in Cambridgeshire approximately north of Royston, Hertfordshire and south west of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. During the Second ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

. Served in combat in the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

(ETO) from August 1942 until 25 April 1945, receiving a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...

(DUC) for an attack on aircraft factories in Germany on 11 January 1944. Returned to the United States in August 1945. Inactivated on 7 November 1945.

Lineage

; 1st Pursuit Wing * Organized as the 1st Pursuit Wing on 6 July 1918 * Demobilized in France, 17 December 1918 * Reconstituted and consolidated with 1st Wing as the 1st Wing on 14 October 1936 ; 1st Bombardment Wing * Authorized as the 1st Wing on 15 August 1919 : Organized and activated on 16 August 1919 * Redesignated: 1st Wing (Provisional) on 19 July 1922 : Inactivated on 26 June 1924. * Redesignated 1st Bombardment Wing on 8 May 1929 : Activated on 1 April 1931 : Redesignated 1st Pursuit Wing on 18 August 1933 : Redesignated 1st Wing on 1 March 1935 * Consolidated with the 1st Pursuit Wing on 14 October 1936 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Wing on 19 October 1940 : Redesignated 1st Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in August 1943 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in June 1945 : Inactivated on 7 November 1945 * Disbanded on 15 June 1983Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 498q, 15 September 1983, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units

Assignments

, 6 July – 17 December 1918 *

, 16 August 1919 *

, 14 March 1921 * Advanced Flying School, Kelly Field, Texas, 19 July 1922 – 26 June 1924 *

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

, 1 April 1931 *

, 1 March 1935 *

Southwest Air District The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reserv ...

, 19 October 1940 * IV Bomber Command, 1 September 1941 *

, 19 August 1942 *

1st Bombardment Division First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, 13 September 1943 : Re-designated:

1st Air Division First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

: 19 December 1944 – 26 August 1945 *

, 6 September – 7 November 1945

Stations

* Croix de Metz Aerodrome, Toul, France, 6 July 1918 * Chaumont, France, c. 24 September 1918 – 17 December 1918 *

, Texas, 16 August 1919 – 26 June 1924 *

, California, April 1931 * Tucson Municipal Airport, Arizona, 27 May 1941 – July 1942 *

Brampton Grange Brampton Grange in Brampton, Cambridgeshire, England, is a historic building that dates to 1773. Used as a school in the 19th century, the building was later vital to the planning and execution of a bombing campaign against Germany during the Sec ...

(AAF-103), England, c. 19 August 1942 *

(AAF-121), England, September 1943 *

RAF Alconbury Royal Air Force Alconbury, or more simply RAF Alconbury, is an active Royal Air Force station near Huntingdon, England, that for many years was used by the USAF. The airfield is in the civil parish of The Stukeleys, close to the villages of G ...

(AAF-102), England, c. 26 June – c. 26 August 1945 *

, Washington, c. 6 September – 7 November 1945.

Components

;; World War I *

1st Pursuit Group First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

, 6 July 1918 – 17 December 1918 * 2d Pursuit Group, 6 July 1918 – 17 December 1918 *

3d Pursuit Group The 3rd Pursuit Group was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the First United States Army. Formed in France in July 1918, the group was assigned to the 1st Pursuit Wing and saw a ...

, 6 July 1918 – 17 December 1918 ;; Inter-War period *

, 1919–1922; 1933–1935 * 2d (formerly 1st) Bombardment Group, 1918; 1919–1922 * 3d Attack (formerly 1st Surveillance) Group, 1919–1924 * 7th Bombardment Group, 1931–1933, 1935–1941 *

8th Pursuit Group The 8th Operations Group (8 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing. It is stationed at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea, and is a part of Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). The group is a direct su ...

, 1933–1935 *

17th Bombardment Group The 17th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The group was last stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The Group is a direct successor to the 17th Pursuit Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the ...

, 1931–1941 *

19th Bombardment Group 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics Nineteen is the eighth prime number. Number theory 19 forms a twin prime with 17, a cousin prime with 23, and a sexy prime with 13 ...

, 1935–1941 * 10th Pursuit Group, 1939–1941 *

35th Pursuit Group Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...

, 1940–1941 * 41st Bombardment Group, 1941 ;; World War II (VIII Bomber Command) *

91st Bombardment Group The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. Classified as a heavy bombardment group, the 91st operated Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft and was known unofficial ...

, September 1942 – 23 June 1945 : Attached to: 201st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, February – 13 September 1943 *

92d Bombardment Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

, August 1942 – 13 September 1943 : Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May – 13 September 1943 * 93d Bombardment Group, 6 September – 6 December 1942 * 97th Bombardment Group*, August – 9 November 1942 *

301st Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

*, 9 August – 2 September 1942 *

303d Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cul ...

, 10 September 1942 – 13 September 1943 : Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, February–May 1943 : Attached to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May – 13 September 1943 *

305th Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

, September 1942 – 13 September 1943 : Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, February – 13 September 1943 *

306th Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

, September 1942 – 13 September 1943 : Attached to: 101st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, February – June 1943 : Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, June – 13 September 1943 *

351st Bombardment Group The 351st Missile Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit, which was last based at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. Assigned to Strategic Air Command for most of its existence, the wing maintained LGM-30F Minuteman II ICBMs in a s ...

, May 1943 – 1 November 1943 : Attached to: 101st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May – 13 September 1943 *

379th Bombardment Group 379th may refer to: * 379th Aero Squadron, training unit assigned to Benbrook Field, former World War I military airfield, 0.5 miles north of Benbrook, Texas *379th Air Expeditionary Wing (379 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assi ...

, May – 13 September 1943 : Attached to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May – 13 September 1943 * 381st Bombardment Group, June 1943 – 1 January 1945 : Attached to: 101st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, June – 13 September 1943 *

384th Bombardment Group 384th may refer to: * 384th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command * 384th Air Expeditionary Wing, inactive unit of the United States Air Force *384th Air Refueling Squadron (384 ARS) is ...

, June – 13 September 1943 : Attached to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, June – 13 September 1943 *

398th Bombardment Group 398th may refer to: *398th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe *398th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit last assigned with the 92d Operations ...

, 22 April 1944 – 22 June 1945 *

482d Bombardment Group 48 may refer to: * 48 (number) * one of the years 48 BC, AD 48, 1948, 2048 * ''48'' (novel) * ''48'' (magazine) * "48", a song by Tyler, the Creator from the album ''Wolf'' * 48, a phone network brand of Three Ireland * "Forty Eight", a song by ...

, 20 August 1943 – 24 June 1945 * Note: Reassigned to

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to U ...

References

{{USAAF 8th Air Force UK 001 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 0001 Military units and formations of the United States Army Air Corps