The 55th Fighter Wing is a disbanded unit of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, 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 ...

, last stationed at

Lockbourne Air Force Base Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation located near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is the home of ...

, Ohio. It was withdrawn from the

Ohio Air National Guard The Ohio Air National Guard (OH ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Ohio, United States of America. It is, along with the Ohio Army National Guard, an element of the Ohio National Guard. As state militia units, the units in the Ohio Air ...

and inactivated on 31 October 1950 when the Guard adopted the Wing Base organizational model and formed the cadre for the

121st Fighter Wing 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

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

, the wing served as the 55th Bombardment Wing in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, flying strategic bombardment missions against areas under Axis control.

History

World War II

The

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

was first activated as the 55th Bombardment Operational Training Wing in March 1943 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), assig ...

, Florida. Various

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

were attached to the wing for short periods for training, but none were permanently assigned.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 397-398 Assigned to Fifteenth Air Force, being stationed at Bari, Italy and was inactivated on 9 September 1945.

Air National Guard

Allocated to the

for command and control origination for units in the Ohio River Valley region of the United States. Extended federal recognition and activated on 21 August 1946. At the end of October 1950, the Air National Guard converted to the wing-base (

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 ...

) organization. As a result, the wing was withdrawn from the Ohio ANG and was inactivated on 31 October 1950. The

was established by the National Guard Bureau, allocated to the state of Ohio, recognized and activated 1 November 1950; assuming the personnel, equipment and mission of the inactivated 55th Fighter Wing.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 55th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Medium) on 17 March 1943 : Activated on 31 March 1943 : Redesignated 55th Bombardment Wing (Medium) in October 1943 : Redesignated 55th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in December 1943 : Inactivated 9 September 1945 * Redesignated 55th Fighter Wing and allotted to the National Guard on 21 August 1946 : Activated and extended federal recognition on 7 December 1947 : Inactivated on 31 October 1950 * Disbanded on 15 June 1983

Assignments

III Bomber Command The III 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 3rd Air Force. Following the entry of the United Sta ...

, 31 March 1943 * XV Bomber Command, March 1944 – 9 September 1945 *

, 7 December 1947 – 31 October 1950

Stations

* MacDill Field, Florida, 31 March 1943 – c. February 1944 *

Spinazzola 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, March 1944 * Bari Airfield, Italy, c. July – September 1945 *

, Ohio, 7 December 1947 – 31 October 1950

Components

World War II

460th Bombardment Group 46 may refer to: * 46 (number) * ''46'' (album), a 1983 album by Kino * "Forty Six", a song by Karma to Burn from the album '' Appalachian Incantation'', 2010 * One of the years 46 BC, AD 46 AD 46 ( XLVI) was a common year starting on Saturda ...

, c. 5 February 1944 – 15 June 1945 * 461st Bombardment Group, 5 February 1944 – 15 June 1945 * 464th Bombardment Group, 2 October 1943 – 31 June 1945 * 465th Bombardment Group, 1 April 1944 – 15 June 1945 * 485th Bombardment Group, 1 April 1944 May-15 May 1945

Ohio Air National Guard

* 121st Fighter Group, 26 June 1948 – 31 October 1950 * 122d Fighter Group, 7 December 1947 – 31 October 1950 (Indiana ANG) * 123d Fighter Group, 7 December 1947 – 10 October 1950 (Kentucky ANG) * 112th Bombardment Squadron (Light), 7 December 1947 – 31 October 1950 *

149th Fighter Squadron The 149th Fighter Squadron is a unit of the Virginia Air National Guard's 192d Fighter Wing located at Joint Base Langley–Eustis, Virginia. The 149th is the first Air National Guard fighter squadron to fly the F-22 Raptor. History World W ...

, 21 June 1947 – 31 October 1950 (Virginia ANG) *

162d Fighter Squadron The 162nd Attack Squadron (162 ATKS) is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard 178th Wing located at Springfield Air National Guard Base, Springfield, Ohio. The 162nd is equipped with the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper UAV. History World War II ...

, 7 December 1947 – 26 June 1948 * 164th Fighter Squadron, 20–26 June 1948 *

166th Fighter Squadron The 166th Air Refueling Squadron (166 ARS) is a unit of the Ohio Air National Guard 121st Air Refueling Wing located at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. The 166th is equipped with the KC-135R Stratotanker. History World Wa ...

, 10 November 1947 – 26 June 1948 * 167th Fighter Squadron, 7 March 1957 – 10 October 1950 (West Virginia ANG)

References

; Notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * {{Navboxes , list = {{USAAF 15th Air Force World War II 0055 European theatre of World War II World War II strategic bombing units Military units and formations in Ohio 055 Military units and formations disestablished in 1950 055