450th Electronic Warfare Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 450th Electronic Warfare Wing


caption= Patch of proposed 450th Electronic Warfare Wing
dates= 1 May 1943 - 1968
(Proposed 2008 Reactivation)
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type= Electronic Warfare
role= Electronic Attack
size=
command_structure=24th Air Force/Air Force Cyber Command
(Proposed)
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=|nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=


* World War II: European Campaign (1932-1945)
* Vietnam Service (1964-1968)
anniversaries=The 450th Electronic Warfare Wing (450 EWW) is a proposed United States Air Force unit to be part of Air Force Cyber Command. It is planned to be a part of Twenty-Fourth Air Force being stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Arizona. [http://www.afcyber.af.mil/units/ AF Cyber Command Organization Chart, July 2008]

Overview

The 450th Electronic Warfare Wing will consist of various electronic attack and protection units, and well as have operational input for the EC-130J Hercules and EA-6B Prowler aircraft and flying missions. Part of the EC-130J aircraft's mission is to essentially provide an electronic shield around ground forces that deny the enemy the ability to use many of their technological assets against them. The EA-6B aircraft has the ability to jam hostile radar and communications. [http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123090267 Officials detail scope, units of AFCYBER command, March 2008]

Units assigned (Proposed)

* 55th Electronic Combat Group - Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona: 41st Electronic Combat Squadron: 42d Electronic Combat Squadron: 43d Electronic Combat Squadron: 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron: 755th Operational Support Squadron
* 4th Space Control Squadron - Holloman AFB, New Mexico
* 16th Space Control Squadron - Peterson AFB, Colorado
* 18th Intelligence Squadron - Vandenberg AFB, California
* 76th Space Control Squadron - Peterson AFB, Colorado
* 388th Electronic Combat Squadron - NAS Whidbey Island

History

Lineage

* Constituted as 450th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 6 Apr 1943: Activated on 1 May 1943: Redesignated 450th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) on 26 Jul 1945: Inactivated on 15 Oct 1945
* Established as the 450th Fighter-Bomber Wing on March 23, 1953: Activated July 1, 1954: Redesignated: 450th Fighter-Day Wing on March 8, 1955: Redesignated: 450th Tactical Fighter Wing on July 1, 1958: Inactivated Dec. 18, 1958
* Redesignated 450th Bombardment Wing Heavy and activated November 15, 1962: Inactivated on July 25, 1968.
* Redesignated 450th Electronic Warfare Wing (Pending): Activated (Pending)

Assignments

* Second Air Force, 1 - 21 May 1943
* Fourth Air Force, 21 May - 20 Nov 1943
* Fifteenth Air Force: 47th Bombardment Wing (World War II) 20 Dec 1943 - 12 May 1945
* Continental Air Forces: Second Air Force, c. 26 Jul - 15 Oct 1945
* Tactical Air Command: Ninth Air Force, 1 Jul 1954: Eighteenth Air Force, 1 Oct 1957: Twelfth Air Force, 1 Jan-18 Dec 1958
* Strategic Air Command, 15 Nov 1962: 810th Strategic Aerospace Division, 1 Feb 1963-25 Jul 1968.

tations

* Gowen Field, Idaho, 1 May 1943
* Clovis AAB, New Mexico, c. 21 May 1943
* Alamogordo AAF, New Mexico, c. 8 Jul-20 Nov 1943
* Manduria, Italy, 20 Dec 1943-12 May 1945
* Harvard AAF, Nebraska, c. 26 Jul - 15 Oct 1945.
* Foster AFB, Texas July 1, 1954 - 18 Dec 1958
* Minot AFB, North Dakota 1963-1968
* Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona 2008 (Proposed)

Components

Groups
* 322d Bombardment: 1 Jul 1954-18 Nov 1957
* 450th Bombardment: 1 Jul 1954-11 Dec 1957

Squadrons
* 720th Bombardment: 1943-1945: 1 Jul 1954 - 18 Dec 1958: Feb 1, 1963 - July 25, 1968
* 721st Bombardment: 1943-1945: 1 Jul 1954 - 18 Dec 1958: Feb 1, 1963 - July 25, 1968
* 722d Bombardment: 1943-1945: 1 Jul 1954 - 18 Dec 1958: Feb 1, 1963 - July 25, 1968
* 723d Bombardment: 1943-1945: 1 Jul 1954 - 18 Dec 1958: Feb 1, 1963 - July 25, 1968
* 906th Air Refueling Squadron Feb 1, 1963 - July 24, 1968

Aircraft Assigned

* B-24 Liberator (1943-1945)
* B-29 Superfortress (1945)
* F-86 Sabre, 1954-1955
* F-100 Super Sabre, 1955-1958
* B-52 Stratofortress, 1963-1968
* KC-135 Stratotanker, 1963-1968
* EC-135, 1967-1968.
*EC-130 Compass Call (2008-Present)
*Counter Communications System (2008-Present)
*RAIDRS (2008-Present)World Airpower Journal. (1992). US Air Force Air Power Directory. Aerospace Publishing: London, UK. ISBN 1-880588-01-3

Operational History

World War II

The 450th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was constituted on 6 Apr 1943 and activated on 1 May 1943 at Gowan Field, Idaho. The new group was moved without personnel or equipment to a temporary station at Clovis AAB, New Mexico on 21 May 1943 where the command and headquarters of the group was assembled. On 5 July 1943, the group was reassigned to Alamogordo AAF, which was to house the Group for all phases of training with their B-24 Liberator bombers.

When the Group was finally assembled for the first time at Alamogordo, many of the key positions in both the Group and Squadrons had been filled. Both officers and men arrived daily and little by little all sections were built up to full strength. Crews were allotted in groups of eight, twelve and forty-six bringing the strength finally on August 24, 1943 to seventy or full strength.

Moved to Italy, arriving in Dec 1943. Began operations with Fifteenth AF in Jan 1944 and engaged chiefly in missions against strategic targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia,Hungary, and the Balkans until Apr 1945. Bombed aircraft factories, assembly plants, oil refineries, storage areas, marshalling yards, airdromes, and other objectives.

Contributed to the intensive Allied campaign against the enemy aircraft industry during Big Week (20-25 Feb 1944) by attacking factories at Steyr and Regensburg, being awarded a DUC for braving the hazards of bad weather, enemy fighters, and flak to bombard a Messerschmitt factory at Regensburg on 25 Feb.

Received second DUC for a mission on 5 Apr 1944 when the group fought its way through relentless attacks by enemy aircraft to bomb marshalling yards at Ploesti. Also struck such objectives as enemy defenses, troop concentrations, bridges, and marshalling yards in support of the invasion of Southern France, the advance of Russian troops in the Balkans, and the Allied effort in Italy.

Returned to the US in May 1945. Redesignated 450th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy). Trained with B-29's. Inactivated on 15 Oct 1945.

Cold War

Replaced 3580th Pilot Training Wing in Jul 1954. Trained with F-86 and later F-100 aircraft to main¬tain tactical proficiency for combat op¬erations. Phased down for inactivation in Jul 1958. During final months, active in closing Foster AFB, Texas.

Replaced 4136th Strategic Wing in Feb 1963. Trained in global bombardment and air refueling operations. Added post attack command and control system (PACCS)/ airborne launch control system (ALCS) missions in 1967 and began active PACCS/ALCS missions in Feb 1968. Supported SAC combat operations in Southeast Asia by furnishing KC-135 aircraft and crews, Dec 1964—Jul 1968, and B-52 crews, Jun—Jul 1968.

Replaced by 5th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, in Jul 1968.

Air Force Cyberspace Command

If the Cyperspace Command's establishment plan is approved by HQ USAF, the 450th Wing will be reactivated in the course of 2008.

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.

External links

* [http://www.afcyber.af.mil/ Air Force Cyber Command Website]
* [http://thesop.org/index.php?article=10755 AFCYBER works to define scope of new 450th Electronic Warfare Wing]