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The 97th Operations Group (97 OG) is a
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...
unit assigned to the
97th Air Mobility Wing The 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW) is a United States Air Force (USAF) unit assigned to Nineteenth Air Force of Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus. I ...
of
Air Education and Training Command Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Trainin ...
. It is stationed at
Altus Air Force Base Altus Air Force Base (Altus AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-northeast of Altus, Oklahoma. The host unit at Altus AFB is the 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW), assigned to the Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF ...
, Oklahoma. Col. Cornelius Walter "Connie" Cousland served as the first commander of the 97th Bombardment Group once activated on 3 February 1942 at
MacDill Field MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assi ...
in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough C ...
through 29 July 1942 at Polebrook Field in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
; and was replaced by Col. Frank Alton Armstrong, Jr. on 31 July 1942. During
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 ...
the 97th Bombardment Group flew its first mission on 17 August 1942. It was the first
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theat ...
bombardment group to fly a mission from the United Kingdom against a European target, the
marshalling yard A classification yard ( American and Canadian English ( Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard ( British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English ( Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a ra ...
s at
Sotteville-lès-Rouen Sotteville-lès-Rouen (, literally ''Sotteville near Rouen'') is a commune and railway town in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography It is the largest suburb of the city of Rouen and adjacent to it, ...
in France. In late 1942 the group moved to the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...
, where it earned two
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 ene ...
s for missions against
Steyr Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd ...
, Austria and
Ploiești Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest. The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commun ...
, Romania. The group was inactivated in Italy on 29 October 1945. In the postwar era, the 97th was assigned to
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile c ...
(SAC) in August 1946, assuming the personnel and
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
es of the
485th Bombardment Group 485th may refer to: *485th Aero Construction Squadron, part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico *485th Air Expeditionary Wing, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command *485th B ...
at
Smoky Hill Army Air Field Salina Regional Airport , formerly Salina Municipal Airport, is three miles southwest of Salina, Kansas, United States. The airport is owned by the Salina Airport Authority. It is used for general aviation, with service by one passenger airline, ...
, Kansas. Following a four-month deployment to Alaska, the group moved to
Biggs Air Force Base Biggs Army Airfield (formerly Biggs Air Force Base) is a United States Army military airbase located on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, Texas. History Biggs Field/Biggs Army Airfield (1916–47) On 15 June 1919, following an attack ...
, Texas, where it converted to the improved
Boeing B-50 Superfortress The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and o ...
. The group became non-operational in February 1951 and was inactivated in June 1952 when its squadrons were assigned directly to its parent, the 97th Bombardment Wing, as SAC reorganized from the wing base organization to the dual deputy wing organization. The group was redesignated the 97th Operations Group and activated at
Eaker Air Force Base Blytheville Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base from 1942, until it closed in 1992. In 1988, the facility was renamed Eaker Air Force Base in honor of World War II General of the Eighth Air Force, Ira C. Eaker. It was located nor ...
, Arkansas on 1 September 1991 when the 97th Wing adopted the USAF Objective Wing organization plan. Under SAC, the group operated
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...
bombers until January 1992 and
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpor ...
s until inactivating in April 1992. The group was activated in October 1992, absorbing the personnel and aircraft of the 443d Operations Group at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The unit was assigned to the 97th Air Mobility Wing. At Altus, the group became the
airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distan ...
and
air refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
training group for
Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from eleme ...
. In 1993, it transferred to the Air Education and Training Command, continuing the same mission.


Overview

The 97th Operations Group is the flying component of the 97th Air Mobility Wing. It plans and executes C-17, KC-46, and KC-135 formal-school initial and advanced specialty training programs for up to 3,000 students annually. It also sustains C-17, KC-46, and KC-135 airland, airdrop and air-refueling mobility forces providing global reach for combat and contingency operations as well as providing air traffic control and weather forecasting for flying operations.


Units

The 97th Operations Group ( tail flash "Altus") consists of the following squadrons: * 97th Operations Support Squadron : Activated as the 1709th Training Squadron under the 1707th Air Transport Group in September 1952 at
Palm Beach AFB Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae **List of Arecaceae genera * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music * Palm (b ...
, Florida. Currently, the squadron provides direct mission support to all operational units assigned to the 97th Air Mobility Wing. Provides air traffic services, weather, airfield management, intelligence, life support, tactics, flight records, scheduling, and current operations services. Manages and provides administrative support for active duty, reserves, and international students at the command's airlift and tanker training center. * 97th Training Squadron : Manages the 97th Air Mobility Wing's $1.01-billion contracted aircrew training program for more than 350-plus assigned instructors and as many as 2,100 C-17 and KC-135 students. *
54th Air Refueling Squadron The 54th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling training. History Airlift operations The 54th Transport Squ ...
(KC-135R) : Provides KC-135R initial and advanced flight qualification *
56th Air Refueling Squadron The 56th Air Refueling Squadron is an active unit of the United States Air Force. It is part of the 97th Operations Group at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates Boeing KC-46 Pegasus aircraft, conducting initial and advanced aircrew tr ...
(KC-46) : Provides KC-46 initial and advanced flight qualification *
58th Airlift Squadron The 58th Airlift Squadron is part of the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft training pilots for airlift and airdrop operations. Mission The 58 AS is responsible for providing pilo ...
(C-17) : The nation's only formal C-17 combat crew training school, providing pilot and loadmaster initial qualification and advanced upgrades for all United States active duty, reserve, and guard units.


History

: ''For related history and lineage, see
97th Air Mobility Wing The 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW) is a United States Air Force (USAF) unit assigned to Nineteenth Air Force of Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus. I ...
''


World War II

The group was established early in 1942 and initially trained
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
crews in Florida and flew antisubmarine patrols. It deployed to England as part of
Operation Bolero Operation Bolero was the commonly used reference for the code name of the United States military troop buildup in the United Kingdom during World War II in preparation for the initial cross-channel invasion plan known as Operation Roundup, to be ...
and became the first operationally-ready Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress group. Combat operations by the group began on 17 August 1942, when the 97th Bomb Group flew the first Eighth Air Force heavy-bomber mission of the war, attacking the railway marshalling yards at
Sotteville-lès-Rouen Sotteville-lès-Rouen (, literally ''Sotteville near Rouen'') is a commune and railway town in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography It is the largest suburb of the city of Rouen and adjacent to it, ...
in France. The mission included 18 bombers - 12 to attack the yards and six to fly a diversion along the coast. The lead aircraft of the first flight group, ''Butcher Shop'', was copiloted by the group commander, Colonel Frank A. Armstrong, and piloted by 340th squadron commander, Captain
Paul W. Tibbets Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (23 February 1915 – 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. He is best known as the aircraft captain who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the ''Enola Gay'' (named after his m ...
, who later flew the ''
Enola Gay The ''Enola Gay'' () is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, piloted by Tibbets and Robert A. Lewis during the final stages of World War II, it be ...
'' to Hiroshima, Japan, on the first
atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
ing mission. In the lead aircraft of the second flight group, ''Yankee Doodle'', flew General
Ira C. Eaker General (Honorary) Ira Clarence Eaker (April 13, 1896 – August 6, 1987) was a general of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Eaker, as second-in-command of the prospective Eighth Air Force, was sent to England to form an ...
, the commanding general of the Eighth Air Force Bomber Command, piloted by 414th squadron commander Captain Rudolph Emil Flack, who was the
Grafton Underwood Grafton Underwood is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 134 people, increasing to 146 at the 2011 census. The village was used in Helen Fielding's Bridget ...
base commander and mission commander. The RAF supplied a heavy fighter escort: four squadrons of Spitfires escorted the 12 B-17s to the target while five more covered the withdrawal. About half of the bombs landed in the target area.''The Army Air Forces in WWII'' Chapter 18 p661-664 The 97th Bomb Group conducted a total of 16 missions from
Grafton Underwood Grafton Underwood is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was 134 people, increasing to 146 at the 2011 census. The village was used in Helen Fielding's Bridget ...
and
Polebrook Polebrook is a village in Northamptonshire, England. The population (including Armston) at the 2011 census was 478. History There is evidence that Polebrook as a settlement dates back to 400 BC, where the village consisted of many farms. The fa ...
, attacking airfields, railroad marshalling yards, war industries, naval installations, and other
Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
targets in France and the Low Countries. The group
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warf ...
d 247 aircraft, dropped 395 tons of bombs on Nazi-controlled territory, and lost 14 aircraft. On 21 October 1942, a month earlier than its previously scheduled movement as part of Operation Torch, and because of delays in the movement of medium-bombardment forces, the 97th Bomb Group was transferred to the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...
theater upon the availability of bases in North Africa. The unit was assigned first 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 ...
and later (November 1943) to Fifteenth Air Force. From 16 November 1942 through May 1943, B-17s struck shipping in the Mediterranean Sea as well as airfields, docks, harbors, and marshalling yards in North Africa, Southern France, Sardinia, Sicily, and the southern Italian mainland in a campaign to cut supply lines to German forces in North Africa. Helped force the capitulation of Pantelleria Island in June 1943. Bombed in preparation for and in support of the invasions of Sicily and southern Italy in the summer and fall of 1943. From November 1943 to April 1945, the unit attacked targets in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, and Greece, attacking oil refineries, marshalling yards, aircraft factories, and other strategic objectives. The unit earned a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for leading a raid against an aircraft factory at Steyr on 24 February 1944 during "Big Week," the intensive air campaign against the German aircraft industry. The unit participated in first shuttle-bombing mission to Russia (Operation Frantic) in June 1944. The group earned a second DUC for a devastating raid against one of the Ploiești oil refineries in Rumania on 18 August 1944. The unit supported Allied forces at Anzio and Cassino by bombing enemy communications, transportation targets, and airfields. The unit bombed coastal defenses in preparation for the invasion of Southern France and assisted the American Fifth and British Eighth armies in their advance through the Po Valley of Northern Italy until the German surrender in May 1945. The 97th Bomb Group flew 467 combat missions, in which 110 aircraft were lost.


Cold War

The unit was redesignated as the 97th Bombardment Group (very heavy) and was reactivated at Smoky Hill AAFld (later, Smoky Hill AFB),
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
on 4 August 1946. It was assigned to
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile c ...
(SAC) and was equipped with B-29 Superfortresses. The operational squadrons of the 97th Bomb Group were the 340th, 341st and 342d bomb squadrons. The group participated in numerous exercises, operational readiness inspections, and overseas deployments. Deployed to
Mile 26 Field The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
, northern
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
(winter of 1947–1948), to provide a strategic-bombing force east of the Bering Straits. The group was assigned to the newly established 97th Bombardment Wing on 1 December 1947. The group deployed twice to the United Kingdom as part of SAC's forward rotation of B-29 groups to Europe. The group was left unmanned from 10 February 1951 to 16 June 1952 after its second forward deployment to England. The group was inactivated on 16 June 1952 as SAC reorganized its wings into the dual deputy system.


Modern era

On 29 August 1991, the 97th Bombardment Wing was redesignated as the 97th Wing under the "objective wing" concept adopted by the air force as the lines between tactical and strategic forces blurred. The flying components of the former 97th Bombardment Wing were reassigned to the newly established 97th Operations Group. Upon activation, the 97th Operations Group was bestowed the history, lineage and honors of the 97th Bombardment Group from the 97th Wing. Between September 1991 and April 1992, the 97th Operations Group flew aerial-refueling missions for Strategic Air Command. Reassigned to Air Mobility Command between October 1992 and July 1993, the group flew strategic-airlift and aerial-refueling training missions. After 1 July 1993, supported Air Education and Training Command by training flying crews with strategic-airlift and air-refueling aircraft.


Lineage

* Constituted as 97th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942 : Activated on 3 February 1942 : Redesignated 9th Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 30 September 1944 : Inactivated on 29 October 1945 * Redesignated 97th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 15 July 1946 : Organized and activated on 4 August 1946 from the personnel and equipment of the
485th Bombardment Group 485th may refer to: *485th Aero Construction Squadron, part of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico *485th Air Expeditionary Wing, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command *485th B ...
(inactivated) : Redesignated 97th Bombardment Group, Medium, on 12 July 1948 : Inactivated on 16 June 1952 * Redesignated 97th Operations Group on 29 August 1991 : Activated on 1 September 1991 : Inactivated on 1 April 1992 * Activated on 1 October 1992


Assignments

*
Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in E ...
, 3 February 1942 *
VIII Bomber Command 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...
, 20 May 1942 * First Bombardment Wing, August 1942 *
XII Bomber Command XII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with the Twelfth Air Force, based in Corsica, France. It was constituted on 26 February 1942, activated on 13 March 1942, and inactivated on 10 J ...
, 14 September 1942 * Fifth Bombardment Wing, January 1943 – c. 29 October 1945 *
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
, 4 August 1946 : Attached to Yukon Sector,
Alaskan Air Command Alaskan Air Command (AAC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces. Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise dire ...
, c. 2–30 November 1947 * 97th Bombardment Wing, 4 November 1948 – 15 February 1949 : Attached to: Third Air Division, c. 27 July 1950 – 9 February 1951 : Not operational, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952 *
97th Wing The 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW) is a United States Air Force (USAF) unit assigned to Nineteenth Air Force of Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus. It ...
, 1 September 1991 – 1 April 1992 *
97th Air Mobility Wing The 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW) is a United States Air Force (USAF) unit assigned to Nineteenth Air Force of Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus. I ...
, 1 October 1992 – present


Components

Groups *
401st Bombardment Group The 401st Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe to be activated or inactivated at any time as needed. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The group was fir ...
: attached 27 June 1949 – 10 February 1951 Squadrons *
11th Air Refueling Squadron The 11th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 340th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at Altus AFB, Oklahoma. It was inactivated on 1 October 1994. History During World War II the squadr ...
: 1 October 1992 – 1 July 1993 *
54th Air Refueling Squadron The 54th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling training. History Airlift operations The 54th Transport Squ ...
: 16 January 1998 – present * 55th Air Refueling Squadron: 28 October 1994 – March 2009 *
97th Air Refueling Squadron The 97th Air Refueling Squadron is an active unit of the United States Air Force, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was most recently activated on 1 October 2019 and assigned to the 92nd Operations Group, 92nd Air Refueling W ...
: 1 March 1949 – 16 June 1952 (not operational 1 March 1949 – 23 January 1950; detached 12 July 1950 – 16 June 1952); 1 September 1991 – 1 April 1992 * 306th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 October 1992 – 1 July 1993 * 56th Airlift Squadron (later, 56th Air Refueling): 1 October 1992 – 30 September 2008, 1 August 2016 – present * 57th Airlift Squadron: 1 October 1992 – 30 September 2001 *
58th Airlift Squadron The 58th Airlift Squadron is part of the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft training pilots for airlift and airdrop operations. Mission The 58 AS is responsible for providing pilo ...
: 30 January 1996 – present * 24th Reconnaissance later, 414th Bombardment Squadron: 3 February 1942 – 29 October 1945 *
340th Bombardment Squadron 34 may refer to: * 34 (number), the natural number following 33 and preceding 35 * one of the years 34 BC, AD 34, 1934, 2034 * ''34'' (album), a 2015 album by Dre Murray * "#34" (song), a 1994 song by Dave Matthews Band * "34", a 2006 song by Sa ...
(later, 340th Bomb): 3 February 1942 – 29 October 1945; 4 August 1946 – 16 June 1952 (detached, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952); 1 September 1991 – 7 January 1992 *
341st Bombardment Squadron The 341st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4038th Strategic Wing. It was last stationed at Dow Air Force Base, Maine, where it was inactivated on 1 February 1963. The squadron wa ...
: 3 February 1942 – 29 October 1945; 4 August 1946 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952) *
342d Bombardment Squadron The 342d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4137th Strategic Wing. It was last stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia and was inactivated on 1 February 1963. During World War ...
: 3 February 1942 – 29 October 1945; 4 August 1946 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952)


Stations

*
MacDill Field MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assi ...
, Florida, 3 February 1942 * Sarasota Army Airfield, Florida, 29 March – c. 16 May 1942 *
RAF Polebrook Royal Air Force Station Polebrook or more simply RAF Polebrook is a former Royal Air Force station located east-south-east of Oundle, at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, England. The airfield was built on Rothschild estate land starting in August ...
(USAAF Station 110), England, c. 13 June – : c. 9 November 1942 *
Maison Blanche Airport Houari Boumediene International Airport ( ar, مطار هواري بومدين الدولي, Maṭār Hawwārī Būmadyan al-Duwaliyy) , also known as Algiers Airport or Algiers International Airport, is the main international airport serving ...
, Algiers, Algeria, c. 13 November 1942 *
Tafaraoui Airfield Oran Tafaraoui Airport is a joint civil/military airport in Oran Province, Algeria . History During World War II, it was a primary mission objective of the United States Army 34th Infantry Division during the Allied Operation Torch landings on ...
, Algeria, c. 22 November 1942 * Biskra Airfield, Algeria, c. 25 December 1942 *
Chateau-dun-du-Rhumel Airfield Chateaudun-du-Rhumel (Chateaudun Du Rhumel) Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Algeria, located about 6 km north-northwest of Chelghoum el Aid, in Mila province, about 47 km southwest of Constantine. Overview During World ...
, Algeria, c. 8 February 1943 *
Pont du Fahs Airfield Pont du Fahs Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia, which was located approximately 6 km west-southwest of El Fahs, and 55 km southwest of Tunis. A Luftwaffe-held airfield prior to the Operation Torch landings, it wa ...
, Tunisia, c. 1 August 1943 *
Depienne Airfield Depienne Airfield is a World War II airfield in Tunisia, located approximately 12 km northeast of El Fahs, and 53 km southwest of Tunis. The airfield was first used by the German Luftwaffe in 1941 and 1942, and was captured by the Brit ...
, Tunisia, c. 15 August 1943 *
Cerignola Airfield The Foggia Airfield Complex was a series of World War II military airfields located within a radius of Foggia, in the Province of Foggia, Italy. The airfields were used by the United States Army Air Force Fifteenth Air Force as part of the strat ...
, Italy, c. 20 December 1943 *
Amendola Airfield Amendola Air Base (ICAO: LIBA) is a military airfield of the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare). It is the home of 32nd Wing. Overview Amendola Air Base was primarily a training base for pilots of the AMX International AMX ground attac ...
, Italy, 16 January 1944 *
Marcianise Airfield Marcianise Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in southeast Italy, which is located approximately 10 km north-northwest of Marcianise in the province of Caserta, Campania; about 32 km north-northwest of Naples. Bu ...
, Italy, c. 1 – 29 October 1945 * Smoky Hill AAFld (later, Smoky Hill AFB),
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to ...
, 4 August 1946 : Deployed at Mile 26 Air Field ater, Eielson AFB,
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S ...
, 2 November 1947 – 13 March 1948 * Biggs AFB, Texas, 17 May 1948 – 16 June 1952 : Deployed at
RAF Marham RAF Marham is a Royal Air Force station and military airbase near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia. It is home to No. 138 Expeditionary Air Wing (138 EAW) and, as such, is one of the RAF's "Main Operating ...
, England, 4 November 1948 – 15 February 1949 : Deployed at
RAF Sculthorpe The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, England, c. 27 July 1950 – 9 February 1951 * Eaker AFB, Arkansas, 1 September 1991 – 1 April 1992 * Altus AFB, Oklahoma, 1 October 1992 – present


Aircraft

* B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945 * B-29 Superfortress, 1946–1950 * KB-29 Superfortress (tanker), 1950–1951 *
B-50 Superfortress The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and o ...
, 1950–1951 *
KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter, C-135 Strat ...
, 1991–1992; 1992–1993; 1994–present *
C-141 Starlifter The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a retired military strategic airlifter that served with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), its successor organization the Military Airlift Command (MAC), and finally the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of th ...
, 1992–2001 *
C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-ran ...
, 1992–2007 *
C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft that was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of tw ...
, 1996–present *
KC-46 Pegasus The Boeing KC-46 Pegasus is an American military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft developed by Boeing from its 767 jet airliner. In February 2011, the tanker was selected by the United States Air Force (USAF) as the ...
, 2019–present


See also

519th Air Service Group The 519th Air Defense Group is a disbanded United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 4709th Air Defense Wing, stationed at Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated in 1955. The group was orig ...
Support unit for the group before being replaced upon implementation of the
Hobson Plan The Hobson Plan was an organizational structure established by the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1948, following experimental organization in 1947. Known as the "Wing-Base Organization," it replaced the organization used by the United States A ...


References


Notes


Bibliography

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . * Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. . {{Navboxes , list = {{USAF Air Mobility Command {{Strategic Air Command {{USAAF 15th Air Force World War II {{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II {{USAAF 8th Air Force UK {{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II 097 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command