465th Bombardment Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 465th Bombardment Wing


caption= 465th Bombardment Wing Insignia
dates= 1943 - 1945, 1953 - 1957, 1962 - 1968
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role= Bombardment
size=
command_structure= Strategic Air Command
current_commander=
garrison= Robins AFB, Georgia
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=The 465th Bombardment Wing (465th BW) is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, being stationed at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It was inactivated on 21 July 1968.

History

Lineage

* Constituted as 465th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943: Activated on 1 Aug 1943: Inactivated on 31 Jul 1945.
* Redesignated 465th Troop Carrier Group (Medium) and activated on 1 Feb 1953
* Established as 465th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, on 21 Aug 1953: 465th Troop Carrier Group, Medium assigned as subordinate organization to wing: Wing activated on 25 Aug 1953
* Inactivated on 8 Jul 1957
* Redesignated 465th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, and activated, on 15 Nov 1962: Organized on 1 Feb 1963: Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jul 1968.

Assignments

* Fourth Air Force: IV Bomber Command, 1 Aug 1943 - 1 Feb 1944
* Fifteenth Air Force: 55th Bombardment Wing, Apr 1944-Jun 1945
* Air Transport Command, 15 Jun-31 Jul 1945
* Tactical Air Command: Eighteenth Air Force, 25 Aug 1953
* United States Air Force in Europe: Twelfth Air Force:: Attached to: 322d Air Division (Combat Cargo), 1 Apr 1954-31 Jul 1955:: (Remained assigned to Tactical Air Command):: 322d Air Division (Combat Cargo), 1 Aug 1955-8 Jul 1957
* Strategic Air Command, 15 Nov 1962: Eighth Air Force:: 822d Air Division, 1 Feb 1963 ::: Attached to 57th Air Division, 10 Aug-1 Sep 1966:: 57th Air Division, 2 Sep 1966-25 Jul 1968.

Stations

* Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico 1 Aug 1943
* Kearns, Utah Sep 1943
* McCook AAF, Nebraska c. 5 Oct 1943-1 Feb 1944
* Pantanella Airfield, Italy Apr 1944-Jun 1945
* Waller Field, Trinidad 15 Jun-31 Jul 1945
* Mitchel AFB, New York 25 Aug 1953-23 Mar 1954
* Toul-Rosières Air Base, France, 2 Apr 1954
* Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France, 23 May 1955-8 Jul 1957
* Robins AFB, Georgia 1 Feb 1963-25 Jul 1968.

Components

Groups
* 313th Troop Carrier: attached 25 Aug-30 Sep 1953
* 465th Troop Carrier: 25 Aug-26 Dec 1953:: Detached 25 Aug-30 Nov 1953; l Apr 1954-12 Mar 1957

Squadrons
* 39th Troop Carrier: Attached Dec 1956-11 Mar 1957: Assigned 12 Mar-8 Jul 1957
* 40th Troop Carrier: Attached 10 Apr-7 Jul 1957
* 41st Troop Carrier: Attached 15 Mar-7 Jul 1957
* 780th Bombardment (later Troop Carrier): 1943-1945, 1955-1957
* 781st Bombardment (later Troop Carrier, later Bombardment): 1943-1945, 1955-1957, 1963-1968
* 783d Bombardment (later Troop Carrier): 1943-1945, 1955-1957
* 912th Air Refueling 1963-1968

Aircraft Flown

* Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943-1945
* Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar", 1953, 1954-1957
* Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1963-1968
* Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1963-1968.

Operational History

465th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Constituted as 465th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on May 19, 1943, the Groupe was activated on August 1, 1943. Prepared for duty overseas with B-24's, it was moved to the Mediterranean theatre in 1944, where it received additional training in Tunisia before joining the ground echelon in Italy and was assigned to the 55th Bombardment Wing of Fifteenth Air Force. The Bombardment Group entered combat on May 5, 1944, and served primarily as a strategic bombardment organization until late in April of 1945. During this time, the Group attacked marshalling yards, dock facilities, oil refineries, oil storage plants, aircraft factories, and other objectives in Italy, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, and the Balkans. On two different missions - to marshalling yards and an oil refinery at Vienna on July 8, 1944 and to steel plants at Friedrichshafen on August 3, 1944 - the group bombed its targets despite antiaircraft fire and fighter opposition, being awarded a DUC for each of these attacks. Other operations included bombing troop concentrations and bivouac areas in May of 1944 to aid the Partisans in Yugoslavia; attacking enemy troops and supply lines to assist the drive toward Rome, in May to June of 1944; striking bridges, rail lines, and gun emplacements prior to the invasion of Southern France in August 1944; bombing rail facilities and rolling stock in Oct 1944 to support the advance of Russian and Romanian forces in the Balkans; and hitting troops, gun positions, bridges, and supply lines during Apr 1945 in support of Allied forces in northern Italy.

In June of 1945, the Group was moved to the Caribbean area and assigned to Air Transport Command. It was inactivated in Trinidad shortly after on July 31 of the same year.

465th Troop Carrier Wing

[
Rhein-Main Air Base West Germany. Later, it was converted to a GC-130A and used as a ground trainer] Established as the 465th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on August 21, 1953, it was activated August 25, 1953 at Mitchel AFB, NY. to replace the 313th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium. The 465th Troop Carrier Group operated under control of other wings from Aug through 30 Nov 1953, when it commenced an overseas movement. Meanwhile, the 465th Wing controlled the 313th Troop Carrier Group from 25 Aug to 30 Sep 1953 in normal troop carrier operations and training. From 1 Oct 1953 until the wing itself was relocated in Europe in early Apr 1954, no tactical operations were performed. The wing participated in numerous troop carrier and airlift operation's, tests, and exercises in the European area in support of USAFE and NATO, Apr 1954-Jul 1957.

The end of the 465th came on 8 July 1957 when it was deactivated and the 780th and 781st squadrons came under the command of the 317th Troop Carrier Wing. At this time, the two squadrons was directed to prepare their C-119s for return to Air Force Reserve Troop Carrier Wings in CONUS. By December, 37 C-119s departed. On 20 December the 782d squadron was deactivated.

On 6 January 1958, all the C-119s of the 317th TCW were transferred on paper to the 780th and 781st squadrons and they flew the aircraft back to CONUS. On 8 March 1958 they were also deactivated.

465th Bombardment Wing

The Wing was redesignated 465th Bombardment Wing, Heavy and activated November 15, 1962. It was organized on February 1, 1963 at Robins AFB, Georgia, where it assumed the resources of the 4137th Strategic Wing. It conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling operation.

Inactivated July 25, 1968

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* McAuliffe, Jerome J: "U.S. Air Force in France 1950-1967" (2005), Chapter 12, Evreux-Fauville Air Base.
* Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977, Office of Air Force History, 1984
* Endicott, Judy G., USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Office of Air Force History
* [http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0465sw.htm 465th Bombardment Wing @ strategic-air-command.com]

External links