![388ogroup-f-16s-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/388ogroup-f-16s-2.jpg)
The 388th Operations Group (388 OG) is the flying component of the
388th Fighter Wing
The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
Units
388th Operations Group (388 OG)
*4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS)
...
, assigned to the
Air Combat Command 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 ...
. The group is stationed at
Hill Air Force Base,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
.
During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 388th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an
Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed at
RAF Knettishall
RAF Knettishall is a former World War II airfield in Suffolk. It was numbered as Station 136 by the United States Army Air Forces while home to the 388th Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic ...
(Station 136). The group earned four
Distinguished Unit Citations, flying over 300 combat missions (17 August 1943 – Regensburg; 26 June 1943 – Hanover; 12 May 1944 – Brux and 21 June 1944 on a shuttle mission to Russia). It also conducted Aphroditie radio-controlled B-24 Liberators as test guided bombs.
Overview
The 388th Operations Group is responsible for the readiness of a combat-capable fleet of 5th Generation F-35A Lightning II.
Operations squadrons of the group (Tail Code: HL) are:
*
4th Fighter Squadron
The 4th Fighter Squadron, "Fighting Fuujins" is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft, which replaced the unit's General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons in August ...
*
34th Fighter Squadron
The 34th Fighter Squadron is part of the United States Air Force's 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. On 2 August 2016, the Air Force announced that the 34th had become the first squadron to achieve initial operating capability w ...
*
421st Fighter Squadron
The 421st Fighter Squadron is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the most decorated fighter squadrons in the ...
* 388th Operations Support Squadron
History
: ''For additional history and lineage, see
388th Fighter Wing
The 388th Fighter Wing (388FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Fifteenth Air Force. The unit is stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
Units
388th Operations Group (388 OG)
*4th Fighter Squadron (4 FS)
...
''
World War II
![388thbombgroup-patch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/388thbombgroup-patch.jpg)
Activated on 24 December 1942 at Gowen Field in Idaho. Nucleus at Gowen moved to Wendover Field, Utah in early February 1943. Final training was conducted at Sioux City AAF SD from early May 1943 to 1 June 1943. The aircraft then began their overseas movement, taking the northern route via Newfoundland and Greenland, and finally from Iceland to Prestwick, Scotland. The ground unit left Sioux City on 12 June 1943 for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey and sailed on the Queen Elizabeth on 1 July 1943, arriving in Clyde on 7 July 1943. Assigned to the Eighth Air Force's 45th Combat Bombardment Wing. Its group tail code was a "Square-H".
The 388th BG began combat operations on 17 July 1943 by attacking an aircraft factory in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
. The unit functioned primarily as a strategic bombardment Organization until the war ended. Targets included industries, naval installations, oil storage plants, refineries, and communications centers in Germany, France, Poland, Belgium, Norway,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
, and the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
The group received a
Distinguished Unit Citation for withstanding heavy opposition to bomb a vital aircraft factory at
Regensburg on 17 August 1943. The 388th received another DUC for three outstanding missions: an attack against a tire and rubber factory in
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
on 26 July 1943; the bombardment of a synthetic oil refinery in
Brux on 12 May 1944; and a strike against a synthetic oil refinery at
Ruhland
( Sorbian: ''Rólany'') is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in Upper Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, 12 km southwest of Senftenberg.
Ruhland station is a major railway junction, fo ...
on 21 June 1944, during a shuttle raid from England to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
.
The unit attacked many other significant targets, including aircraft factories in
Kassel,
Reims, and
Brunswick; airfields in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...
, Paris, and Berlin; naval works at
La Pallice
La Pallice (also known as ''grand port maritime de La Rochelle'') is the commercial deep-water port of La Rochelle, France.
During the Fall of France, on 19 June 1940, approximately 6,000 Polish soldiers in exile under the command of Stanisła ...
,
Emden, and
Kiel
Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021).
Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
; chemical industries in
Ludwigshafen; ball-bearing plants in
Schweinfurt
Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban ag ...
; and marshalling yards in
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
,
Osnabrück
Osnabrück (; wep, Ossenbrügge; archaic ''Osnaburg'') is a city in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population ...
, and
Bielefeld
Bielefeld () is a city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 341,755, it is also the most populous city in the administrative region (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Detmold and the ...
. Operations also included support and interdictory missions. It helped prepare for the
invasion of Normandy by attacking military installations in France, and on D-Day struck coastal guns, field batteries, and transportation. Continued to support ground forces during the campaign that followed, hitting such objectives as supply depots and troop concentrations. Bombed in support of ground forces at
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô (, ; br, Sant Lo) is a commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy. in July 1944 and at
Caen in August. Covered the
airborne assault on the Netherlands in September 1944 by attacking military installations and airfields at
Arnhem
Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...
. Aided the final drive through Germany during the early months of 1945 by striking targets such as marshalling yards, rail bridges, and road junctions.
Altogether the 388th flew 331 raids to European targets including nineteen
Operation Aphrodite
Aphrodite and Anvil were the World War II code names of United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy operations to use Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated PB4Y bombers as precision-guided munitions against bunkers and other har ...
missions from nearby
RAF Fersfield
Royal Air Force Fersfield or more simply RAF Fersfield (originally known as RAF Winfarthing) is a former Royal Air Force station located southwest of Norwich, Norfolk, England.
History
Built in 1943/1944, the airfield was originally a satell ...
. After
V-E 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, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...
, the group flew food to the Netherlands to relieve flood-stricken areas.
Redeployed to the US from June to August 1945 . The aircraft left RAF Knettishall between 9 June 1945 and July 1945. The ground unit sailed on the Queen Elizabeth from Greenock on 5 August 1945 and arrived in New York on 11 August 1945. The group was established at Sioux Falls AAF, South Dakota, and was inactivated there on 28 August 1945.
Cold War
The unit was reactivated as a fighter-bomber group in 1953 and equipped with F-86s. It was deployed to France from
Clovis AFB
Cannon Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base, located approximately southwest of Clovis, New Mexico. It is under the jurisdiction of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The host unit at Cannon is the 27th Special Operation ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
in December 1954.
The mission of the 388th FBG was to train for and conduct tactical nuclear weapons delivery. Its secondary mission was to conduct non-atomic tactical air operations. Upon arrival of 388th Wing Headquarters at Etain, the construction delays and other problems seriously hampered the ability of the Wing to use the base for its flying operations. The 562nd FBS was forced to operate from
Spangdahlem Air Base, the 563rd from
Bitburg Air Base
Bitburg (; french: Bitbourg; lb, Béibreg) is a city in Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate approximately 25 km (16 mi.) northwest of Trier and 50 km (31 mi.) northeast of Luxembourg city. The American Spangdahlem A ...
and the 561st from
Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base was a United States Air Force installation near Lautzenhausen in Germany for over 40 years. The major unit was the United States Air Force's 50th Tactical Fighter Wing during most of the years it was active.
It was originally buil ...
in West Germany for the winter of 1954–55.
In April and May 1955, rotational deployments to
Wheelus Air Base
Wheelus Air Base was a United States Air Force base located in British-occupied Libya and the Kingdom of Libya from 1943 to 1970. At one time it was the largest US military facility outside the US. It had an area of on the coast of Tripoli. T ...
, Libya began for their first gunnery and bombing training since their arrival in Europe. In the fall, with enough facilities construction completed, the three flying squadrons were transferred from Germany and took up their home assignment at Étain.
On 22 November 1955, Det #1, 388th FBG was activated at Hahn Air Base to stand nuclear alert with the Wing's F-86's. Personnel and aircraft primarily came from the 561st FBS. In February 1956 the detachment was transferred to more spacious facilities at Spangdahlem Air Base. Rotational deployments of 8 F-86's and support personnel to Germany continued until the fall of 1957 when the 388th was inactivated.
In the fall of 1956 the 388th began planning for conversion to the
F-100D/F "Super Sabre" Due to the adverse flying conditions at Etain for conversion training, the new aircraft were deployed to
Nouasseur Air Base
Nouasseur Air Base near Casablanca in Morocco, was a United States Air Force base from 1951 to 1963. It was designed for B-36 and B-47 bombers but never came into use, and also housed repair units for a period. Today, Nouasseur AB is known as M ...
in Morocco, with the squadrons deploying their F-86's to Nouasseur, then returning to France or Spangdahlem in their new F-100s for Zulu Alert duties.
During this transition period, the 388th experienced a significant personnel crisis, with many of its officers and NCO's completing their two-year unaccompanied tour in France. The personnel problem became worse in the fall of 1957 with many single airmen completing their three years of overseas service and were rotating back to the United States (CONUS). The manning of the 388th fell to about 65 percent when on 8 December 1957 HQ USAFE inactivated the 388th FBG due to budgetary and personnel constraints. On 9 December the personnel and assets of the 388th were transferred to the
49th Fighter-Bomber Group
"Thank God for Mississippi" is an adage used in the United States, particularly in the South, that is generally used when discussing rankings of U.S. states. Since the U.S. state of Mississippi commonly ranks at or near the bottom of such rankings ...
.
Modern era
On 1 December 1991, the 388th Operations Group (388 OG) was activated as a result of the 388th Tactical Fighter Wing implementing the USAF objective wing organization. Upon activation, the 388th OG was bestowed the lineage and history of the 388th Tactical Fighter Group and all predecessor organizations. In addition, the 388th OG was assigned the flying squadrons of the redesignated 388th Fighter Wing.
The group had a continuing commitment of approximately six months per year to Operation Southern Watch, protecting the no-fly zone south of the 33rd parallel in Iraq. The 729th ACS also had a continuous presence in South America supporting the war on drugs.
The 388th OG flew the F-16's 5 millionth flying hour at Hill Air Force Base 4 December 1996.
In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations, DoD recommended to close Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. As a result, it would distribute the 27th Fighter Wing's F-16s to 388th OG at Hill AFB (six aircraft) and several other installations.
In September 2017 the group's last
F-16 Fighting Falcon departed for
Holloman Air Force Base
Holloman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base established in 1942 located six miles (10 km) southwest of the central business district of Alamogordo, and a census-designated place in Otero County, New Mexico, United States. Th ...
as the group completed the replacement of its F-16s with the new
F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
.
Lineage
* Established as the 388th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 December 1942
: Activated on 24 December 1942
: Redesignated 388th Bombardment Group, Heavy on 20 August 1943
: Inactivated on 28 August 1945
* Redesignated 388th Fighter-Bomber Group on 5 November 1953
: Activated on 23 November 1953
: Inactivated on 10 December 1957
* Redesignated 388th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
* Redesignated 388th Operations Group and activated on 1 December 1991
Assignments
*
II Bomber Command
The II Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command heavy bomber units assigned to Second Air Force. Following the entry of the United St ...
, 24 December 1942
*
Eighth Air Force, c. 6 July 1943
*
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 ...
, 10 July 1943
*
4th Bombardment Wing
: Attached to: 403 Provisional Combat Wing Bombardment, 13 July 1943
*
3d Bombardment Division
3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to:
Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality
* Three-dimensional space
** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data
** 3D film, a ...
, 13 September 1943
*
45th Combat Bombardment Wing
The 45th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989.
History
As the 45th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one ...
, 14 September 1943
*
20th Bombardment Wing, 18 June 1945
*
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, 13–28 August 1945
*
388th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 23 November 1953 – 10 December 1957
* 388th Fighter Wing, 1 December 1991 – present
Components
*
4th Fighter Squadron
The 4th Fighter Squadron, "Fighting Fuujins" is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft, which replaced the unit's General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons in August ...
: 1 December 1991–present
*
34th Fighter Squadron
The 34th Fighter Squadron is part of the United States Air Force's 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. On 2 August 2016, the Air Force announced that the 34th had become the first squadron to achieve initial operating capability w ...
: 1 December 1991 – 16 July 2010, 17 July 2015-
*
421st Fighter Squadron
The 421st Fighter Squadron is part of the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. It operates the Lockheed Martin F-35A aircraft conducting air superiority missions. The squadron is one of the most decorated fighter squadrons in the ...
: 1 December 1991–present
*
560th Bombardment (later, 560th Fighter-Bomber) Squadron: 24 December 1942 – 28 August 1945
*
561st Bombardment (later, 561st Fighter-Bomber) Squadron: 24 December 1942 – 28 August 1945; 23 November 1953 – 10 December 1957
*
562d Bombardment (later, 562d Fighter-Bomber) Squadron: 24 December 1942 – 28 August 1945; 23 November 1953 – 10 December 1957
*
563d Bombardment (later, 563d Fighter-Bomber) Squadron: 24 December 1942 – 28 August 1945; 23 November 1953 – 10 December 1957.
Stations
*
Gowen Field
Boise Airport (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field) is a joint civil-military airport in the western United States, south of downtown Boise in Ada County, Idaho. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation and is overse ...
, Idaho, 24 December 1942
*
Wendover Field
Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...
, Utah, 1 February 1943
*
Sioux City Army Air Base
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, Iowa, 29 April – 10 June 1943
*
RAF Knettishall
RAF Knettishall is a former World War II airfield in Suffolk. It was numbered as Station 136 by the United States Army Air Forces while home to the 388th Bombardment Group of the Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic ...
(AAF-136), England, c. 6 July 1943 – 4 August 1945
*
Sioux Falls Army Air Field
Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served a ...
, South Dakota, 13–28 August 1945
*
Clovis Air Force Base, New Mexico, 23 November 1953 – 28 November 1954
*
Étain-Rouvres Air Base, France, 12 December 1954 – 10 December 1957
*
Hill Air Force Base, Utah, 1 December 1991–present
Aircraft
*
B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1945
*
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...
, 1954–1956
*
F-100 Super Sabre, 1957
*
F-16 Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful ...
, 1991–2017
*
F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
, 2015–present
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Huntzinger, Edward J. ''The 388th at War''. San Angelo, Texas: Newsfoto Yearbooks, 1979.
*
*
* Uncredited. ''The History of the 388th Bomb Group''. San Angelo, Texas: Newfoto Publishing Company, 1946.
External links
388th Bomb Group DatabaseOfficial website of the 388th Bomb Group Association
{{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations in Utah
Operations groups of the United States Air Force