The 40th Air Division is an inactive

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 Signal ...

unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force at

Malmstrom Air Force Base Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. ...

, Montana. It was inactivated on 14 June 1991. As the 40th Bombardment Wing, the unit 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 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 ...

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 ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

The 40th Bomb Wing was established on 15 January 1943 and officially activated on 21 January 1943. In May of that year, the Wing deployed to

Brampton Grange The Brampton Grange in Brampton, Cambridgeshire, England, is a historic building that dates back to 1773. The building was once vital to the planning and bombing of Germany as the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 1st Bombardment Division, pa ...

, England. During the war, the wing went through a succession of name changes starting on 3 May 1943 when they were redesignated the 40 Bombardment Wing (Heavy). This was quickly followed by another change on 30 August 1943 when they were redesignated the 40 Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy). In September 1943, the wing received three bombardment groups and began combat operations against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, striking such targets as

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

, and

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

. Its units participated in a mission to

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 agg ...

on 14 October 1943 that resulted in the loss of over half of the aircraft dispatched. The final name change came on 13 August 1943 when they became 40 Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy. For the remainder of World War II, the wing flew numerous missions against military targets throughout occupied Europe and Germany. Following the end of the war the Wing was inactivated on 25 December 1946. "Redesignated the 40th Air Division in March 1951, it assumed a supervisory role over assigned units of the

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 ...

, ensuring that they were manned, trained, and equipped to conduct long range bombardment missions using either nuclear or conventional weapons. It also developed and maintained the capability for effective

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 ...

and

Minuteman II The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G Minuteman III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and re ...

(

intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...

) operations. In these roles the division conducted staff assistance visits and participated in numerous exercises such as Buy None, Buckskin Rider and Busy Player." "After July 1989, the 40th Air Division established policies to ensure support for wartime execution of a strategic ICBM wing and a strategic air refueling wing in accordance with the

Single Integrated Operational Plan The Single Integrated Operational Plan (SIOP) was the United States' general plan for nuclear war from 1961 to 2003. The SIOP gave the President of the United States a range of targeting options, and described launch procedures and target sets a ...

and

Joint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, that advises the president of the United States, the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council and the ...

directed conventional war-fighting commitments."

Lineage

* Established as the 40th Bombardment Wing on 15 January 1943 : Activated on 21 January 1943 : Redesignated: 40th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 3 May 1943 : Redesignated: 40th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 30 August 1943 : Redesignated: 40th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 13 August 1944 : Redesignated: 40th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 9 June 1945 : Inactivated on 25 December 1946 * Redesignated 40th Air Division on 2 March 1951 : Organized on 14 March 1951 : Discontinued on 1 July 1952 * Activated on 1 July 1952The simultaneous discontinuation and activation in 1952 represents a change between a Table of Distribution unit and a Table of Organization unit : Inactivated on 1 April 1957 * Activated on 1 July 1959 : Inactivated on 8 June 1988 * Activated on 7 July 1989 : Inactivated on 14 June 1991

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 ...

, 21 January 1943 *

, 6 June 1943 *

, 8 June 1943 * 1st Bombardment Division (later 1 Air Division), 13 September 1943 *

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

, c. 31 October 1945 * European Air Materiel Command, 20 – 25 December 1946 *

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 defended ...

, 14 March 1951 – 1 April 1957 * Second Air Force, 1 July 1959 * Eighth Air Force, 1 January 1975 – 8 June 1988 * Fifteenth Air Force, 7 July 1989 – 14 June 1991

Components

Wings * 17th Bombardment Wing: 1 February – 1 July 1963; 1 July 1971 – 1 July 1973 *

31st Fighter-Escort Wing The 31st Fighter Wing (31 FW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe major command and the Third Air Force. It is stationed at Aviano Air Base, Italy, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) base ...

(later 31st Strategic Fighter Wing): 14 March 1951 – 1 July 1952; 1 July 1952 – 1 April 1957 (detached 10 July – 11 October 1952 and 10 November 1953 – 12 February 1954) * 108th Fighter Wing: 14 March – 16 November 1951 * 146th Fighter Wing: 17 April – c. 1 September 1951 * 301st Air Refueling Wing: 2 July 1966 – 31 March 1970; 1 July 1973 – 1 July 1975; 7 July 1989 – 14 June 1991 *

305th Air Refueling Wing 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 ...

: 1 July 1973 – 1 December 1982 * 341st Strategic Missile Wing: 7 July 1989 – 14 June 1991 * 351st Strategic Missile Wing: 1 July 1973 – 1 December 1982 *

379th Bombardment Wing 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 ...

: 9 January 1961 – 8 June 1988 * 410th Bombardment Wing: 1 February 1963 – 1 September 1964; 31 March 1970 – 8 January 1988 * 416th Bombardment Wing: 30 June 1971 – 1 July 1973; 1 December 1982 – 8 June 1988 * 449th Bombardment Wing: 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1977 * 499th Air Refueling Wing: 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1977 *

500th Air Refueling Wing 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

: 1 July 1963 – 15 December 1964 * 508th Fighter-Escort Wing (later 508 Strategic Fighter Wing): 1 July 1952 – 11 May 1956 (detached c. 8 February -c. 13 May 1953 and 12 February-c. 7 May 1954) * 4026th Strategic Wing: 1 July 1959 – 9 January 1961 *

4042d Strategic Wing The United States Air Force's 410th Air Expeditionary Wing (410 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command (ACC) It may be activated or inactivated at any time. The unit was known to be active during the ...

: 1 July 1959 – 1 February 1963 * 4043d Strategic Wing: 1 July 1959 – 1 February 1963 * 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing: 1 May 1956 – 1 April 1957 * 4239th Strategic Wing: 1 July 1959 – 1 February 1963 Groups * 2d Bombardment Group, 15 December 1945 – 28 February 1946 *

92d Bombardment Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

, 13 September 1943 – 28 February 1946 * 305th Bombardment Group, 13 September 1943 – 16 May 1945; 31 December 1945 – 25 December 1946 *

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 ...

, 13 September 1943 – 16 May 1945; 16 December 1945 – 25 December 1946 *

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 ...

, 31 May 1945 – 28 February 1946 * 492d Bombardment Group, by 31 October 1944-c. May 1945 Squadron * 100th Air Refueling Squadron: 20 January – 23 May 1953; 24 – 25 November 1953

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), assig ...

, Florida, 21 January–May 1943 * Brampton Grange (AAF-103), England, 6 June 1943 *

RAF Thurleigh Royal Air Force Thurleigh or more simply RAF Thurleigh is a former Royal Air Force station located north of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942 ...

(AAF-111), England, c. 16 September 1943 * Istres-Le Tubé Airfield (Y-17), France, 26 June 1945 * AAF Station Erlangen, Germany, 15 November 1945 – 25 December 1946 *

Turner Air Force Base Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turnin ...

, Georgia, 14 March 1951 – 1 July 1952; 1 July 1952 – 1 April 1957 *

Wurtsmith Air Force Base Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan. It operated from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. On January 18, 1994 it was listed as a Superfund due to extensive groundwater contaminatio ...

, Michigan, 1 July 1959 – 8 June 1988 *

, Montana, 7 July 1989 – 14 June 1991

Aircraft and Missiles

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 Theater ...

, 1943–1946 *

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

, 1944–1945 *

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

, 1944–1945 *

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

, 1945 *

North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team ...

, 1945 *

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

, 1945 *

Republic F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...

, 1951–1957 *

Boeing KB-29 Superfortress The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P. The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Month ...

, 1953–1956 *

Martin B-57 Canberra The Martin B-57 Canberra is an American-built, twin-engined tactical bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1953. The B-57 is a license-built version of the British English Electric ...

, 1956–1957 *

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, 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 United States Air ...

, 1961–1988 *

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 transpo ...

, 1961–1988, 1989–1991 *

Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developm ...

, 1963–1964 * Minuteman-II (LGM-30F), 1973–1988, 1989–1991 * Minuteman-III (LGM-30G), 1989–1991

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II 040 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command Bombardment units and formations of the United States Air Force

History

Lineage

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft and Missiles

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography