1st Bombardment Wing

1st Bombardment Wing
Active	1918; 1919-1924; 1931-1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Role	Bomber Command and Control

The 1st Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Continental Air Forces, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 7 Nov 1945.

As the 1st Wing, the unit was one of the original wings of the GHQ Air Force on 1 March 1935.

History

Lineage

• Organized as 1st Pursuit Wing in France on 6 Jul 1918

Demobilized in France in Dec 1918.

• Reconstituted and consolidated (1936) with 1st Wing, which was organized in the US on 16 Aug 1919

Inactivated on 26 Jun 1924.

• Redesignated 1st Bombardment Wing in 1929

Activated on 1 Apr 1931

Redesignated 1st Pursuit Wing in 1933

Redesignated 1st Wing 1 Mar 1935

Redesignated 1st Bombardment Wing 19 Oct 1940

Redesignated 1st Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in Aug 1943

Redesignated 1st Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in Jun 1945

Inactivated On 7 Nov 1945

Assignments

• United States Army Air Service, 1918; 1919-1924
• United States Army Air Corps, 1 Apr 1931
• General Headquarters, Air Force, 1 Mar 1935
• Southwest Air District, 19 Oct 1940
• IV Bomber Command, 1 Sep 1941
• VIII Bomber Command, 19 Aug 1942
• 1st Bombardment Division, 13 Sep 1943

Redesignated: 1st Air Division: 19 Dec 1944-26 Aug 1945

• Continental Air Forces, 6 Sep-7 Nov 1945

Stations

• Toul, France, 6 Jul 1918
• Chaumont-Sur-Aire, France, c. 24 Sep 1918-unkn
• Kelly Field, Tex, 16 Aug 1919-26 Jun 1924
• March Field, Calif, Apr 1931
• Tucson, Ariz, 27 May 1941-Jul 1942

• Brampton Grange, England, c. 19 Aug 1942
• RAF Bassingbourn, England, Sep 1943
• RAF Alconbury, England, c. 26 Jun-c. 26 Aug 1945
• McChord Field, Wash, c. 6 Sep-7 Nov 1945.

Components

• 1st Pursuit Group, 1919-1922; 1933-1935
• 2d (formerly 1st) Bombardment Group, 1918; 1919-1922
• 2d Pursuit Group, 1918
• 3d Pursuit Group, 1918
• 3d Attack (formerly 1st Surveillance) Group, 1919-1924
• 7th Bombardment Group, 1931-1933, 1935-1941

• 8th Pursuit Group, 1933-1935
• 17th Bombardment Group, 1931-1941
• 19th Bombardment Group, 1935-1941
• 10th Pursuit Group, 1939-1941
• 35th Pursuit Group, 1940-1941
• 41st Bombardment Group, 1941

VIII Bomber Command

• 91st Bombardment Group, Sep 1942-23 Jun 1945

Attached to: 201st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, Feb-13 Sep 1943

• 92d Bombardment Group, Aug 1942-13 Sep 1943

Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May-13 Sep 1943

• 93d Bombardment Group, 6 Sep-6 Dec 1942
• 97th Bombardment Group*, Aug-9 Nov 1942
• 301st Bombardment Group*, 9 Aug-2 Sep 1942
• 303d Bombardment Group, 10 Sep 1942-13 Sep 1943

Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, Feb-May 1943

Attached to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May-13 Sep 1943

• 305th Bombardment Group, Sep 1942-13 Sep 1943

Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, Feb-13 Sep 1943

• 306th Bombardment Group, Sep 1942-13 Sep 1943

Attached to: 101st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, Feb-Jun 1943

Attached to: 102d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, Jun-13 Sep 1943

• 351st Bombardment Group, May 1943-1 Nov 1943

Attached to: 101st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May-13 Sep 1943

• 379th Bombardment Group, May-13 Sep 1943

Attached to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, May-13 Sep 1943

• 381st Bombardment Group, Jun 1943-1 Jan 1945

Attached to: 101st Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, Jun-13 Sep 1943

• 384th Bombardment Group, Jun-13 Sep 1943

Attached to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, Jun -13 Sep 1943

• 398th Bombardment Group, 22 Apr 1944-22 Jun 1945
• 482d Bombardment Group, 20 Aug 1943-24 June 45

* Note: Reassigned to Twelfth Air Force

Operations

Organized at Toul Airdrome, France, during World War I. Served in combat, Jul-Nov 1918. Operated first in the defensive sector near Toul. During the St Mihiel offensive in Sep, 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. During the Meuse-Argonne offensive (26 Sep-11 Nov 1918) bombardment aircraft continued their attacks behind the lines while pursuit ships concentrated mainly on large-scale counter-air patrols.

Reactivated in 1919. Engaged in border patrol activities until it became an advanced flying training wing in 1922. Inactivated in 1924. Reactivated in 1931 as part of GHQ Air Force and conducted much of the Army's pursuit, bombardment, attack, and observation activities in the western part of the US until 1941.

Moved to England, Jul-Aug 1942, and became a heavy bombardment wing of Eighth AF. Served in combat in the European theater from Aug 1942 until 25 Apr 1945, receiving a DUC for an attack on aircraft factories in Germany on 11 Jan 1944. Returned to the US in Aug 1945. Inactivated On 7 Nov 1945.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.