The 1st Bombardment Wing is a disbanded United States Army Air Force unit. It was initially formed in France in 1918 during World War I as a command and control organization for the Pursuit Groups of the First Army Air Service. 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, 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 on 1 March 1935. During World War II, it was one of the primary

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 ...

heavy strategic bombardment wings of VIII Bomber Command 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 Force ...

. Its last assignment was with the Continental Air Forces, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945.

History

World War I

Organized at Croix de Metz Aerodrome, Toul Sector, France, during World War I as the 1st Pursuit Wing on 6 July 1918, it was a command and control organization in the First Army Air Service for several pursuit groups in the American Sector of the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

in France. Served in combat on the St. Mihiel offensive 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 entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, 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 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 was piloting. In ...

, Texas. Provided command and control of all United States Army Air Service units conducting patrol duties 1919–22 along the Mexican Border from

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...

, 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, 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, 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 (CCC) District, 1933–34. Re-designated Headquarters, 1st Wing on 1 March 1935 and assigned to the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF). Transferred on 27 May 1941 to Tucson Municipal Airport, later Tucson Army Air Field, Arizona, under

IV Bomber Command The IV Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force headquarters. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command bomber units assigned to 4th Air Force. Following the entry of the United State ...

World War II

After the Pearl Harbor Attack, initially supervised Heavy Bomber Operational Training at Tucson AAF. Re-designated as 1st Bombardment Wing and reassigned to VIII Bomber Command and deployed to England 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 in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...

, receiving operational orders from VIII BC headquarters and mobilizing subordinate groups for strategic bombardment attacks on enemy targets in Occupied Europe. Operated primarily from RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire. Served in combat in the

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

(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 enem ...

(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

* First Army Air Service, 6 July – 17 December 1918 * United States Army Air Service, 16 August 1919 * United States Army Air Service, 14 March 1921 * Advanced Flying School, Kelly Field, Texas, 19 July 1922 – 26 June 1924 * United States Army Air Corps, 1 April 1931 * General Headquarters Air Force, 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 Res ...

, 19 October 1940 *

, 1 September 1941 * VIII Bomber Command, 19 August 1942 *

1st Bombardment Division First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, 13 September 1943 : Re-designated:

1st Air Division First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

: 19 December 1944 – 26 August 1945 * Continental Air Forces, 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 * March Field, California, April 1931 * Tucson Municipal Airport, Arizona, 27 May 1941 – July 1942 * Brampton Grange (AAF-103), England, c. 19 August 1942 * RAF Bassingbourn (AAF-121), England, September 1943 * RAF Alconbury (AAF-102), England, c. 26 June – c. 26 August 1945 * McChord Field, Washington, c. 6 September – 7 November 1945.

Components

;; World War I *

1st Pursuit Group First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

, 6 July 1918 – 17 December 1918 *

2d Pursuit Group The 2nd Pursuit Group was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. It was demobilized in France on 10 April 1919. There is no modern United ...

, 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 ac ...

, 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, 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 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

, 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 Jul ...

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

91st Bombardment Group The 91st Bomb 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 B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft and was known unofficially as "The Ragg ...

, September 1942 – 23 June 1945 : Attached to: 201st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, February – 13 September 1943 * 92d Bombardment Group, 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 or cultural significance in many societie ...

*, 9 August – 2 September 1942 * 303d Bombardment Group, 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 or cultural significance in many societie ...

, 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 or cultural significance in many societie ...

, 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 st ...

, 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 ass ...

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

381st Bombardment Group 381st may refer to: * 381st Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 381st Fighter Squadron or 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, squadron of the United States Air Force *381st Intelligence Squadron, intelligence unit located at Joi ...

, 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 Operatio ...

, 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 K ...

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

References

{{USAAF 8th Air Force UK

001 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 0001 Military units and formations of the United States Army Air Corps