The 2nd Bomb Wing 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 Si ...

unit assigned to the

Air Force Global Strike Command Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides combat-ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global stri ...

and the

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 Forc ...

. It is stationed at

Barksdale Air Force Base Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AF ...

, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing was assigned to the

in February 2010 as part of the reassignment of Eighth Air Force. The 2 BW is one of only two

B-52H 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 ...

wings in the

, the other being the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. Its

2d Operations Group The 2d Operations Group (2 OG) is the flying component of the United States Air Force 2d Bomb Wing, assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. The group is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. 2 OG is one of t ...

is the oldest bomb group of the Air Force, having fought on 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 maj ...

as the 1st Day Bombardment Group during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, entering combat on 12 September 1918. After the war, it participated in Brigadier General

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

's 1921 off-shore bombing test. Active for over 60 years, the 2 BW was a component wing of

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 ...

(SAC)'s heavy bomber deterrent force throughout the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

. The 2d Bomb Wing is commanded by Colonel Michael A. Miller. The Command Chief Master Sergeant is Joshua W. Swanger.

Units

Today, as the largest bomb wing in

and as a part of the historic "Mighty Eighth" Air Force, the wing continues to reflect the heritage of its motto Libertatem Defendimus: "Liberty We Defend." * 2nd Maintenance Group : 2nd Maintenance Squadron : 2nd Maintenance Operations Squadron : 2nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron : 2nd Munitions Squadron * 2nd Medical Group *

2nd Operations Group The 2d Operations Group (2 OG) is the flying component of the United States Air Force 2d Bomb Wing, assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. The group is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. 2 OG is one of ...

: 2nd Operations Support Squadron ("Posse") :

11th Bomb Squadron The 11th Bomb Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force, 2d Operations Group, 2d Bomb Wing located at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The 11th is equipped with the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress. The 11th is one of the oldest units in ...

("Jiggs Squadron") :

20th Bomb Squadron The 20th Bomb Squadron is a unit of the 2d Operations Group of the United States Air Force located at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The 20th is equipped with the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress. Formed in May 1917 as the 20th Aero Squadron, ...

("Buccaneers") :

96th Bomb Squadron The 96th Bomb Squadron is a unit of the United States Air Force 2d Operations Group located at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The 96th is equipped with the Boeing B-52H Stratofortress. Formed in August 1917, the 96 BS saw combat on the W ...

("The Devil's Own") * 2nd Mission Support Group : 2nd Contracting Squadron : 2nd Communications Squadron : 2nd Civil Engineer Squadron : 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron : 2nd Mission Support Squadron : 2nd Security Forces Squadron : 2nd Services Squadron

History

Medium bomber era

The 2d Bombardment Wing was activated by the

on 5 November 1947, though it initially had no headquarters or home station of its own. Its assigned

2d Bombardment Group 002, 0O2, O02, OO2, or 002 may refer to: Airports *0O2, Baker Airport *O02, Nervino Airport Astronomy *1996 OO2, the minor planet 7499 L'Aquila *1990 OO2, the asteroid 9175 Graun Fiction *002, fictional British 00 Agent *'' 002 Operazione Lu ...

was attached to the

43rd Bombardment Wing The 43rd Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last stationed at Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where it was inactivated in March 2011. The wing performed en route operations support at Pope Field to include ...

at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, all assigned to the

. A debate over where to station the new wing ended with the selection of

Chatham Air Force Base Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is a commercial and military-use airport in Savannah, Georgia, Savannah, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Savannah/Hilton Head International provides travelers with access to Savannah, G ...

, Georgia, a

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 ...

training airfield. Located about 10 miles northwest of

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, Chatham had an adequate airfield for B-29 operations, but the base's cantonment area was in extremely poor condition. Its buildings had been built to last for five years, were heated with potbellied stoves and had only outdoor latrines. After these facilities were upgraded, wing headquarters were stood up 1 January 1949 at Chatham. The 2d Bomb Wing assumed the assets of the 307th Bombardment Group, which had been deployed to the base from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; and the 2d Bombardment Group, which had returned from a deployment to RAF Lakenheath, England. Equipped with

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 ...

es, the wing's primary mission was training for strategic bombardment operations. In early 1949, the B-29s began to be replaced by the

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 ot ...

, a B-29 derivative designed for atomic warfare with more powerful engines, a higher top speed, and a higher ceiling. Air Force leaders remained dissatisfied with Chatham's facilities, and made plans to move the wing to better ones. The city of Savannah, however, offered the USAF the former Hunter Army Airfield, which was closer to the city (5 miles NW), along with 3,500 acres (14 km²) of adjacent land for base expansions.

Hunter Field Hunter Army Airfield , located in Savannah, Georgia, United States, is a military airfield and subordinate installation to Fort Stewart located in Hinesville, Georgia. Hunter features a runway that is 11,375 feet (3,468 m) long and an aircr ...

was built in 1929 as Savannah Municipal Airport and in 1940 the Air Corps received approval to build a permanent base at the site. During World War II it was used both as a training base as well as an antisubmarine airfield during the war. In June 1946, the airfield was returned to the City of Savannah. In addition, Headquarters,

was established in Savannah in January 1942, and there was a strong desire to have an Eighth Air Force wing be stationed in the area. On 29 September 1950, the 2d Bomb Wing moved to the reopened Hunter Air Force Base and Chatham was turned over to the City of Savannah, where it was redeveloped into a regional airport. Lockheed B-47E-50-LM Stratojet 52-3363

B-50 Superfortress operations continued until November 1953, when the 2 BW began receiving jet-powered B-47E Stratojet medium bombers. The B-47 was a fast bomber that relied on speed to penetrate the air defenses of the Soviet Union. Produced in large numbers, it became the SAC's main medium bomber throughout the 1950s. The wing participated in SAC REFLEX deployments to North Africa and England. Beginning in 1958, the B-47 was becoming obsolete, as the air defenses of the Soviet Union improved. The Stratojet was phased out of SAC beginning in 1960. Plans were made to upgrade the wing to the

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 ...

. However, although adequate for B-47 operations, the runway at Hunter was inadequate for B-52 operations when tested in the early 1960s. In addition, during the 1950s the urban area of the City of Savannah was expanding and encroaching on the airfield, making Hunter unsuitable for heavy nuclear-equipped bomber operations over the urbanized area. A

1958 Tybee Island B-47 crash The Tybee Island mid-air collision was an incident on February 5, 1958, in which the United States Air Force lost a Mark 15 nuclear bomb in the waters off Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia, United States. During a practice exercise, an F-86 ...

in which a Mark 15 hydrogen bomb was lost in the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

just off the coast of Savannah was another reason in the decision by SAC to move the Wing to a non-urban area. In early 1963 the wing began to send its B-47s to storage at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The 2d Bombardment Wing would be moved, and Hunter AFB was reassigned to

Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NA ...

(MATS). MATS closed its facilities at Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina and reassigned the 63rd Troop Carrier Wing to Hunter, using the base for

Douglas C-124 Globemaster II The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (U ...

intercontinental cargo aircraft operations to points around the world.

B-52 Stratofortress

The 2d Bombardment Wing moved to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana on 1 April 1963 where it assumed the existing B-52F Stratofortress heavy bombers and personnel of 4238th Strategic Wing (SW). The wing has been stationed at Barksdale continuously for over 50 years. 4238th Strategic Wing B-52 operations at Barksdale can be traced to 1 March 1958 when SAC established the 4238th SW. and assigned it to the

4th Air Division The 4th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. It was inactivated on 23 August 1988. As the 4th Bombardment Wing, the u ...

as part of SAC's plan to disperse its

heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The 4238th was initially assigned only three maintenance squadrons, but on 15 April, the 4238th Air Base Group was activated under the wing as the host organization for Barksdale when the 805th Air Base Group and the

301st Bombardment Wing The 301st Air Refueling Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force being last assigned to the Strategic Air Command at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, where it was inactivated on 1 June 1992. History : ''See the 301st Operation ...

were inactivated. The 301st and 376th Air Refueling Squadrons, flying

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 ...

s were transferred to the wing from the 301st while the 20th Aviation Depot Squadron was transferred from the 805th to oversee the wing's special weapons. In June, the 913th Air Refueling Squadron, flying

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 trans ...

s was activated in anticipation of the arrival of the

. The two KC-97 units were inactivated or transferred from Barksdale by 1962. The wing gained its fourth operational squadron on 1 August when the

436th Bombardment Squadron 436th may refer to: *436th Airlift Wing The 436th Airlift Wing is an active United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force, and is based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. Known as the "Eagle Win ...

(BS), consisting of 15

es moved to Barksdale from Carswell AFB, Texas where it had been one of the three squadrons of the 7th Bombardment Wing. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. The 4238th (and later the 2d) continued to maintain an alert commitment until the end of the

. In 1962, the wing's

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

s began to be equipped with the

GAM-77 Hound Dog The North American Aviation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, turbojet-propelled, nuclear armed, air-launched cruise missile developed in 1959 for the United States Air Force. It was primarily designed to be capable of attacking Soviet groun ...

and the GAM-72 Quail air-launched

cruise missiles A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...

, The 4134th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was activated in November to maintain these missiles. 2d Bombardment Wing, Heavy Defense

In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of bombardment units with illustrious

records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its Major Command controlled (MAJCON) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and replace them with Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, which could carry a lineage and history. Rather than inactivate the 2d Bombardment Wing when Hunter closed, SAC moved it to replace the 4238th SW.Ravenstein, ''Combat Wings, pp. 7–9 and assume its mission, personnel, and equipment. In the same way, the 20th Bombardment Squadron, one of the unit's historical bomb squadrons, replaced the 436th BS. The 855th Medical Group, 20th Munitions Maintenance Squadron and the 913th Air Refueling Squadron were reassigned to the 2d. The 4238th's support group and maintenance squadrons were replaced by ones with the 2d numerical designation. Each of the new units assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of its predecessor. At Barksdale, 2 BW supported Second Air Force's post-attack command and control system from April 1963 until March 1970. It conducted bombardment training and air refueling operations from April 1963 except for periods when all aircraft and crews were on loan to SAC organizations involved in combat operations in Southeast Asia. It began supporting SAC operations in Southeast Asia with aircraft and personnel in 1965, and increasingly supported these operations in 1966 and 1967. On 15 April 1968, gained a second B-52 and a second KC-135 squadron, again becoming a SAC "super" wing. From late May 1972 until 26 October 1973, it loaned all wing B-52 resources to SAC organizations in the Far East and Southeast Asia. From May 1972 to early November 1972 the wing loaned all but four of the wing's KC-135s and a few aircrews to other SAC units. After the return of combat resources, the wing continued supporting SAC operations in Southeast Asia into 1975, on a reduced scale. Gained KC-10 tankers in November 1981 to augment refueling operations for the USAF, AFRES, and ANG. Provided air refueling for rescue efforts in Grenada, October–November 1983, the attack on Libya, April 1986, and the invasion of Panama, December 1989 – January 1990. Presented the Omaha Trophy for "the Outstanding Wing in the Strategic Air Command" f2. Deployed B-52, KC-135, and KC-10 aircraft, aircrews, and support personnel to several locations in support of operations in Southwest Asia, 7 August 1990 – 17 April 1991.

1991 Gulf War

Operations

Desert Shield The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

and

Desert Storm The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases ...

brought Barksdale warriors into the spotlight again with their efforts to liberate Kuwait. The 596th Bomb Squadron, 2d Bomb Wing flew what was then the longest combat mission in the history of military aviation at the start of Desert Storm in 1991. Seven B-52s flew a 35.4-hour mission on 16–17 January 1991 and, for the time in U.S. Air Force history, fired a devastating barrage of conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (CALCMs). The official name of this mission was SENIOR Surprise, unofficially it was referred to as Secret Squirrel. The 2d Bomb Wing delivered one-fourth of all U.S. Air Force bombs during Desert Storm. The 2d Bomb Wing KC-135s and KC-10s provided more than 1,000 of the 13,700 coalition refueling missions.

Post Cold War (1991 – present)

December 1992, saw the last B-52G leave Barksdale for long-term storage in Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. and replaced with newer B-52H bombers. Also in December, the wing reclaimed the name of one of its original World War I bomb squadrons: the 20th Bomb Squadron. On 1 October 1993 the wing was renamed the 2d Bomb Wing and transferred its KC-135A Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders to Air Mobility Command's 458th Operations Group at Barksdale AFB. On 1 August 1994 B-52H bombers two of the 2nd Bomb Wing flew the first-ever around-the-world bombing mission. The trip lasted 47.2 hours, the longest jet flight ever. Two 2d Bomb Wing B-52s conducted a missile strike against surface-to-air missile sites and air defense radars in Iraq in September 1996. Desert Strike was ordered in response to Iraqi attacks on Kurds in northern Iraq. The mission earned the wing the prestigious 1996 Mackay Trophy as the most meritorious flight of the year. The 2d Bomb Wing took part in Operation Southern Watch, Desert Fox and

Allied Force An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

throughout the late 1990s. On 19 September 2001, wing elements deployed to

Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands of ...

and on 7 October flew early attacks on targets in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...

to rid that country of terrorist bases and its extremist

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

rulers and

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

militants; later flew airborne alert missions and, in

Operation Anaconda Operation Anaconda was a military operation that took place in early March 2002 as part of the War in Afghanistan. CIA paramilitary officers, working with their allies, attempted to destroy al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. The operation took plac ...

, flew bombing missions against targets in eastern Afghanistan, 1–18 March 2002. In the

2003 Invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including ...

, flew missions on 21 March in "

shock and awe Shock and awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is a military strategy based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight. Though ...

" strikes against command and control targets. 21 March 2013 saw the first successful live run with a Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod marking the start of fleetwide integration for the B-52H. The pod gives the bomber a much needed precision strike capability. The 2d Bomb Wing has also participated in deployments to Qatar as part of operations to combat ISIS. The U.S. Pacific Command's (PACOM) Continuous Bomber Presence (CBP) mission is supported with regular deployments to

Andersen AFB Andersen Air Force Base (Andersen AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located primarily within the village of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam. The host unit at Andersen AFB is the 36th Wing (36 WG), assigned to the Pacific ...

, Guam by the 2d Bomb Wing.

"Wise Guy" restoration

"Wise Guy" 60-034 is the second B-52 to be regenerated from the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona. On Tuesday 14 May 2019 "Wise Guy" took to the skies once again with Col. Robert Burgess, CO of the 307th Operations Group, 307th Bomb Wing, flew the bomber back to Barksdale AFB. "Wise Guy" 60-034 had served with the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB and was flown to the Bone Yard in 2008. It is scheduled to go for a full overhaul at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center at

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, origina ...

in Oklahoma in February 2020. The B-52 will serve as a replacement for another one of Barkdale's 2nd Bomb Wing B-52H bombers that was destroyed in an accident at Anderson AFB, Guam on 19 May 2016.

Lineage

* Established as 2d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 15 October 1947 : Organized on 5 November 1947 : Redesignated: 2d Bombardment Wing, Medium on 12 July 1948 : Redesignated: 2d Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 1 April 1963 : Redesignated: 2d Wing on 1 September 1991 : Redesignated: 2d Bomb Wing on 1 October 1993.

Assignments

, 5 November 1947 : Attached to

, 17 November 1947 – 31 December 1948 *

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 ...

, 1 April 1950 : Attached to

7th Air Division The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way. History Hawaii As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...

, 4 May-31 August 1951 * 38th Air Division, 10 October 1951 : Attached to

, 10 September-4 December 1952 : Attached to 5th Air Division, 4 August- 20 September 1954; 6 July-26 August 1956 *

6th Air Division The 6th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Thirteenth Air Force, based at Clark Air Base, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 December 1969. Heraldry On a shield per chevron argent and ...

, 1 November 1959 * 823rd Air Division, 1 April 1961 *

, 1 April 1963 * 19th Air Division, 1 September 1964 *

42d Air Division The 42nd Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991. History Activated in 1943 as the 4 ...

, 1 July 1965 * 19th Air Division, 2 July 1969 * 42d Air Division, 1 December 1982 *

, 16 June 1988 – present

Components

Groups * 2d Bombardment (later, 2d Operations): 5 November 1947 – 16 June 1952 (detached 17 November 1947 – 31 December 1948 and 18 February – 16 May 1950); 1 September 1991–present Squadrons *

2d Air Refueling Squadron The 2nd Air Refueling Squadron, sometimes written as 2d Air Refueling Squadron, is a unit of the United States Air Force. It is part of the 305th Air Mobility Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The 2nd Air Refueling Squadro ...

: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 1 April 1963; assigned 3 January 1989 – 1 September 1991 *

: 1 July 1994–present *

: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 June 1965 * 32d Air Refueling Squadron: 1 November 1981 – 1 September 1991 * 49th Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 1 April 1963 * 62d Bombardment Squadron: 25 June 1965 – 1 September 1991 * 71st Air Refueling Squadron: 15 April 1968 – 1 September 1991 * 96th Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 1 April 1963 * 308th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 July 1959 – 1 March 1960 * 429th Bombardment Squadron: 1 October 1958 – 1 January 1962 * 596th Bombardment Squadron: 15 April 1968 – 1 September 1991 * 913th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 April 1963 – 1 November 1981. (Active 15 March 1958 – 1 November 1981)

Stations

* Davis-Monthan Field (later Davis-Monthan Air Force Base), Arizona, 5 November 1947 *

, Georgia, 1 April 1949 *

Hunter Air Force Base Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

, Georgia, 22 September 1950 : Deployed at RAF Mildenhall, England, May–August 1951 : Deployed at RAF Upper Heyford, England, September–December 1952 : Deployed at

Sidi Slimane Air Base Sidi Slimane Air Base was a military air base in Sidi Slimane, a city in the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region in Morocco. It is also known as the Fifth Royal Air Force Base, operated by the Royal Moroccan Air Force. History Built in 1951 by Atlas Co ...

, French Morocco, August–September 1954 and July–August 1956. *

, Louisiana, 1 April 1963–present

Aircraft

, 5 November 1947 – 10 October 1951 *

, 5 November 1947 – 4 August 1954 *

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-Mon ...

, 1 April 1950 – 4 August 1954 * KC-97 Stratofreighter, 4 August 1954 – 1 April 1963 * B-47 Stratojet, 4 August 1954 – 1 April 1963 *

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 ...

, 1 April 1963 – *

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 trans ...

, 1 April 1963 – 1994 * Boeing EC-135, 1966–1971 * Boeing RC-135, 1977–1980 * KC-10 Extender, November 1981 – 1 June 1992

Awards and campaigns

''In addition to the following awards, the wing is entitled to display the 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 enem ...

s earned by the 2d Operations Group during World War II'' *

Mackay Trophy The Mackay Trophy is awarded yearly by the United States Air Force for the "most meritorious flight of the year" by an Air Force person, persons, or organization. The trophy is housed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museu ...

(for the "Most Meritorious Flight of the Year") 1996 * Omaha Trophy (for the "Outstanding Wing in the Strategic Air Command") (2): 1988, 1992, 2015 ''In addition to the following awards, the wing is entitled to display the 16 campaign streamers earned by the 2d Operations Group during World War I and World War II''

Emblem

Blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

: Or, in fess four aerial bombs descending bendwise sinister Azure garnished Argent on a chief engrailed Vert a

fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...

White between two pallets Sable, all within a diminished bordure of the first. The bombs signify original squadrons, the stripes represent major World War I offensives, and the white fleur de lis symbolizes the French location of the battles. Motto: LIBERTATEM DEFENDIMUS—Liberty We Defend.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

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Barksdale Air Force Base official web siteWW2 2nd Bomb Group Association website
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