The 75th Flying Training Wing was a flying training wing of the

United States Army Air Forces 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 ...

. At the time, a wing controlled several multi-squadron groups. It was last assigned to the

Army Air Forces Flying Training Command An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, and was disbanded on 15 June 1946 at

Buckingham Army Airfield Buckingham Army Airfield is an inactive United States Army Air Forces base, approximately 10 miles east of Fort Myers, Florida. It was active during World War II as an Army Air Forces Training Command airfield. It was closed on 30 Septembe ...

, Florida. There is no lineage between the United States Air Force

75th Air Base Wing The 75th Air Base Wing (75 ABW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Hill Air Force Base, Ogden Utah. It provides base operating support for the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, the 388th, 419th Fighter Wing, 84th Combat Sustainm ...

, established on 5 February 1942 as the 75th Observation Group at

Ellington Field Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is a joint installation shared by various active component and reserve component military units, as well as aircraft flight operations of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the aegis ...

, Texas and this organization.

History

The wing was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Command and Control organization, initially part of

Eastern Flying Training Command Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command (EFTC) was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to the Army Air Forces Training Command, stationed at Maxwell Field, Alabama. It was inactivated on 15 December 1945. Hist ...

. The mission of the wing was to train aerial gunners. Fixed gunnery training for air cadet pilots was carried out at Eglin Army Airfield, while flexible gunnery training for enlisted gunners was carried out both at Tyndall Army Airfield in northern Florida and Buckingham Army Airfield in Southwest Florida. As the men graduated from flexible gunnery school, they were assigned to combat crews either forming in the United States or as replacements to overseas combat units. As training requirements changed during the war, schools were activated and inactivated or transferred to meet those requirements.Manning, Thomas A. (2005), ''History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002''. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas

Lineage

* Established as 75th Flying Training Wing, on 14 August 1943 : Activated on 25 August 1943 : Disbanded on 16 June 1946.75th Flying Training Wing, lineage and history document Air Force Historical Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama

Assignments

* Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command, 25 August 1943 * AAF Western Flying Training Command, 15 December 1945 – 16 June 1946

Training aircraft

The schools of the wing flew two types of aircraft, gunnery trainers and gunnery targets. * The trainer used for fixed gunnery training for pilots was the North American AT-6 Texan. * The trainers used for flexible gunnery training for aerial gunners were the AT-18 Hudson and non-combat rated B-24 Liberators. * Aerial gunnery target tow planes were Vultee BT-13s. * Non-combat rated P-40s, P-39s and P-63s, modified for aerial targets, were also used.

Assigned Pilot Schools

;

Apalachicola Army Airfield Apalachicola Regional Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) west of the central business district of Apalachicola, a city in Franklin County, Florida, United States. It is included in the Na ...

, Apalachicola, Florida : AAF Flexible Gunnery School : Opened: September 1942, Closed: October 1945 (AT-6, AT-18, BT-13) : Operated AT-18 Hudsons for gunnery trainers; used modified AT-6s for aerial gunnery targets; Sub-base of Tyndall AAF ;

, Fort Myers, Florida : AAF Flexible Gunnery School : 37th Flexible Gunnery Training Group : Opened: March 1942, Closed: October 1945 (AT-6, AT-18, BT-13, B-24) : Operated AT-18 Hudsons and B-24 Liberators for gunnery trainers; used modified AT-6s for aerial gunnery targets; ;

Eglin Army Airfield Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The ...

, Valparaiso, Florida : AAF Fixed Gunnery School : Opened: October 1941, Closed: October 1945 (AT-6) : Fixed gunnery school operated AT-6s; also home of Proving Ground Command; now USAF Eglin Air Force Base ;

Naples Army Airfield Naples Airport , formerly known as Naples Municipal Airport, is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Naples, the most populous city and county seat of Collier County, Flo ...

, Naples, Florida : 714th Flexible Gunnery Training Squadron : Opened: January 1944, Closed: August 1945 (P-40, RP-39Q RP-63) : Sub-base of Buckingham AAF; operated modified single-engine fighters as aerial gunnery targets for flexible gunners in training at Buckingham AAF ;

Tyndall Army Airfield Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt. Frank Benjamin Tyndall. The base operating unit and host wing is the 325th Fighter Wing (3 ...

, Panama City, Florida : AAF Flexible Gunnery School : 37th Flexible Gunnery Training Group : Opened: August 1941, Closed: December 1945 (AT-6, AT-18) : Operated AT-18 Hudsons for gunnery trainers; used modified AT-6s for aerial gunnery targets; Now USAF Tyndall Air Force Base

Stations

* Buckingham Army Airfield, Florida, 25 August 1943 – 16 June 1946

References

{{Portal bar, Aviation, Military, World War II Training wings of the United States Army Air Forces Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1946