The 97th Bombardment Wing is an inactive

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 ...

unit. Its last assignment was with 9th Bombardment Division, at

Camp Shanks Camp Shanks was a United States Army installation in the Orangeburg, New York area. Named after Major General David C. Shanks, it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. The camp was the largest U.S. Army embark ...

, New York, where it was inactivated on 11 October 1945.

History

The wing was activated in late November 1943 at

Marks Hall Marks Hall was a Jacobean architecture, Jacobean country house some north of Coggeshall in Essex, England. Previously a timber manor house, the 17th-century brick building was demolished in 1950. History In 1163 the manor house and estate of ...

, England. It was assigned three

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

groups in the spring of 1944 and conducted combat missions from April 1944 until

VE Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

. In late 1944 and early 1945, its

groups A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

converted to the more capable

Douglas A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and attack aircraft, ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during ...

. In October 1945 the wing returned to the United States and was inactivated.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 413

Lineage

* Constituted as the 97th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) on 2 November 1943 : Activated on 12 November 1943 : Redesignated 97th Combat Bombardment Wing, Light in July 1944 : Redesignated 97th Bombardment Wing, Medium in June 1945 : Inactivated on 11 October 1945

Assignments

* 9th Bombardment Division, 12 November 1943 – 11 October 1945

Stations

* Marks Hall, England (Station 160),Station number in Anderson 12 November 1943 *

RAF Little Walden Royal Air Force Little Walden, or more simply RAF Little Walden, is a former Second World War-era Royal Air Force station, located north of Saffron Walden, Essex, England. Construction began in 1942, with the site initially assigned to the Eig ...

(AAF-165), England, 13 March 1944 *

Voisenon Voisenon () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. A little village, located 39 kilometers south-east from the center of Paris, Voisenon was mainly known for its 12th century abbey, ...

, France, 13 September 1944 *

Marchais, Aisne Marchais () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It takes its name from the Latin 'mercasius' or marshland. The 16th century Chateau de Marchais is a private residence of the Princes of Monaco, since bei ...

, France, 13 February 1945 *

Arrancy Arrancy () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Aisne in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. Geography Arrancy is located some 15 km southeast of Laon and 40 km northwest of Reims. It ...

, France, 25 April 1945 *

Sandaucourt Sandaucourt () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories inclu ...

, France, 24 May – 1 October 1945 *

, New York, 10–11 October 1945

Components

409th Bombardment Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

: 7 March 1944 – 15 August 1945Warnock, A. Timothy, (1 January 2013) Lineage and Honors History of the 409 Air Expeditionary Group (USAFE), Air Force Historical Research Agency, Maxwell AFB, AL (partly updated by Haulman, Daniel L.) *

410th Bombardment Group 41 may refer to: * 41 (number) * one of the years 41 BC, AD 41, 1941, 2041 Art and entertainment * ''41'' (film), a 2007 documentary about Nicholas O'Neill, the youngest victim of the Station nightclub fire * ''41'', an Australian award-winnin ...

: 4 April 1944 – June 1945 *

416th Bombardment Group 416th may refer to: *416th Air Expeditionary Operations Group, provisional unit assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command *416th Bombardment Wing, inactive United States Air Force unit *416th Engineer Command (TEC), US Army Reser ...

: 4 February 1944 – 27 July 1945 4 (under the operational control of

99th Combat Bombardment Wing The 44th Air Division, Bombardment was redesignated as a division on 16 April 1948, when it was at Brooks Field (later, Brooks Air Force Base), Texas, under the 14th Air Force, then transferred to the 12th Air Force on 1 July 1948. History W ...

, until c. 20 March 1944, IX Bomber Command, 11 – 18 September 1944 and 99th Combat Bombardment Wing, 19 – 28 September 1944)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{USAAF 9th Air Force UK Military units and formations established in 1943 097