72d Air Base Wing

72d Air Base Wing
	Official emblem
Active	21 August 1941–1 November 1943; 13 May 1947–27 June 1949; 16 June 1952–30 June 1971; 1 October 1994–
Country	United States
Branch	Air Force
Part of	Air Force Material Command ; Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center
Garrison/HQ	Tinker Air Force Base
Equipment	see "Aerospace vehicles" section below
Decorations	see "Lineage and honors" section below
Commanders
Current; commander	Colonel Christopher Azzano
Notable; commanders	Lucius D. Clay, Jr.

Last updated March 05, 2019

Cold War Emblem of the 72d Bombardment Wing 72d Bombardment Wing - B-36 - Emblem.png — Cold War Emblem of the 72d Bombardment Wing

The 72d Air Base Wing (72 ABW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Materiel Command Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC). It is stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Tinker.

The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.

Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF). AFMC was created on July 1, 1992, through the amalgamation of the former Air Force Logistics Command (AFLC) and the former Air Force Systems Command (AFSC).

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 City, Oklahoma.

Established in 1941, the 72d is a successor unit to the World War II 72d Reconnaissance Group (Special) combat organization that had earned Antisubmarine and American Theater campaign streamers. The 72d Bombardment Wing, Heavy was a component wing of Strategic Air Command's heavy bomber deterrent force throughout the Cold War. The wing earned two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards, flying RB-36, B-52 and KC-135 aircraft, before its inactivation on 30 June 1971 in Puerto Rico.

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries—including all the great powers—eventually formed two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. A state of total war emerged, directly involving more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. The major participants threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, marked by 50 to 85 million fatalities, most of whom were civilians in the Soviet Union and China. It included massacres, the genocide of the Holocaust, strategic bombing, premeditated death from starvation and disease, and the only use of nuclear weapons in war.

Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense (DoD) Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command (MAJCOM), responsible for Cold War command and control of two of the three components of the U.S. military's strategic nuclear strike forces, the so-called "nuclear triad," with SAC having control of land-based strategic bomber aircraft and intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs.

The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union with its satellite states, and the United States with its allies after World War II. A common historiography of the conflict begins with 1946, the year U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan's "Long Telegram" from Moscow cemented a U.S. foreign policy of containment of Soviet expansionism threatening strategically vital regions, and ending between the Revolutions of 1989 and the 1991 collapse of the USSR, which ended communism in Eastern Europe. The term "cold" is used because there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, but they each supported major regional conflicts known as proxy wars.

Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Eric A. Harmon.

History

Activated in June 1952 as a Strategic Air Command very long range reconnaissance unit at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, but not operational until it absorbed residual resources of 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing in October 1952 when the 55th was reassigned to the newly activated Forbes AFB, Kansas administratively. Redesignated as 72d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing and received 3 (60th, 73rd and 301st) squadrons of RB-36D/E/F/H Peacemaker bombers. Conducted global strategic reconnaissance 1953–1955, gradually shifting to a bombardment training mission beginning in 1954, being upgraded to B-36J and B-36J(III) Featherweights by 1955. Redesignated 72d Bombardment Wing and received a squadron of KC-135A tankers in 1958.

Puerto Rico, officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and briefly called Porto Rico, is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea, approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) southeast of Miami, Florida.

Kansas is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka and its largest city is Wichita, with its most populated county being Johnson County. Kansas is bordered by Nebraska on the north; Missouri on the east; Oklahoma on the south; and Colorado on the west. Kansas is named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the (south) wind" although this was probably not the term's original meaning. For thousands of years, what is now Kansas was home to numerous and diverse Native American tribes. Tribes in the eastern part of the state generally lived in villages along the river valleys. Tribes in the western part of the state were semi-nomadic and hunted large herds of bison.

With the phaseout of the B-36s in 1958, received B-52G Stratofortess intercontinental strategic bombers. It stood nuclear alert between 1959–1971 with the B-52G, was equipped with the AGM-28 Hound Dog cruise missile. Inactivated in 1971 due to a reduction of the number of B-52 wings, as part of a reduction/redirection of funding for combat operations in Vietnam and as ICBM wings took over an increased share of the nuclear alert duty. The wing earned two Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards, flying RB–36 [1952–1958], KC–135 [1958–1971] and B–52 [1959–1971] aircraft, before its inactivation.

The North American Aviation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, turbojet-propelled, air-launched cruise missile developed in 1959 for the United States Air Force. It was primarily designed to be capable of attacking Soviet ground-based air defense sites prior to a potential air attack by B-52 Stratofortress long range bombers during the Cold War. The Hound Dog was first given the designation B-77, then redesignated GAM-77, and finally as AGM-28. It was conceived as a temporary standoff missile for the B-52, to be used until the GAM-87 Skybolt air-launched ballistic missile was available. Instead, the Skybolt was cancelled within a few years and the Hound Dog continued to be deployed for a total of 15 years until its replacement by newer missiles, including the AGM-69 SRAM and then the AGM-86 ALCM.

The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force. It was established in 1954 and was the first independent Air Force decoration created. The Air Force Longevity Service Award would follow in 1957 with most of the standard Air Force awards established in the early to mid 1960s.

In 1972, SAC activated the 72d Strategic Wing, Provisional at Andersen AFB, Guam. Although assigned the same number, this wing is unrelated to the 72d Air Base Wing.

The wing was reactivated as a base host wing under Air Force Materiel Command in 1994.^[1] It provides services and support for the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex and other organizations at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

Lineage

72d Reconnaissance Group

Constituted as the 72d Observation Group on 21 August 1941

Activated on 26 September 1941

Redesignated 72d Reconnaissance Group (Special) on 25 June 1943

Disbanded on 1 November 1943

Reconstituted as the 72d Reconnaissance Group on 13 May 1947

Activated in the reserve on 12 June 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949^[2]

Consolidated with the 72d Bombardment Wing as the 72d Bombardment Wing on 31 January 1984^[1]

72d Air Base Wing

Constituted as the 72d Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Heavy on 4 June 1952

Activated on 16 June 1952

Redesignated 72d Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 1 October 1955

Inactivated on 30 June 1971^[3]

Consolidated with the 72d Reconnaissance Group on 31 January 1984
Redesignated 72d Air Base Wing on 16 September 1994

Activated on 1 October 1994^[1]

Assignments

2nd Air Service Command, 26 September 1941
Service Command, Caribbean Air Force (later, 6th Air Force Base Command; VI Air Force Base Command; VI Air Force Service Command), January 1942
VI Ground Support Command, 15 October 1942
VI Air Force Service Command, 21 August – 1 November 1943
325th Reconnaissance Wing (later, 325th Air Division, Reconnaissance), 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
Second Air Force, 16 June 1952
Eighth Air Force, 1 January 1959
823rd Air Division, 1 October 1962 – 30 June 1971
Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, 1 October 1994^[1] (attached to Air Force Sustainment Center after 10 July 2012)
Air Force Sustainment Center, 1 October 2012

Components

Squadrons

1st Observation (later, 1st Reconnaissance) Squadron: 26 September 1941 – 1 November 1943

Detached 10 April-c. 20 June 1942

4th Observation Squadron: 29 March 1942 – 1 June 1943

Detached 29 March 1942 – 1 June 1943

39th Observation Squadron: 7 March 1942 – 1 June 1943

Detached 6 August 1942 – 1 June 1943

60th Reconnaissance (later, 60th Strategic Reconnaissance, 60th Bombardment) Squadron: 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949; 16 June 1952 – 30 June 1971
73rd Fighter (later, 73rd Strategic Reconnaissance, 73rd Bombardment) Squadron: 1 August 1947 – 27 June 1949; 16 June 1952– 5 January 1959
108th Observation (later, 108th Reconnaissance): 26 September 1941 – 1 November 1943
124th Observation Squadron: 26 September 1941 – 12 March 1942
301st Strategic Reconnaissance (later, 301 Bombardment) Squadron: 16 June 1952 – 17 June 1959
915th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 September 1958 – 30 June 1971

Stations

Shreveport Municipal Airport, Louisiana, 26 September 1941
Adams Field, Arkansas, 2 October 1941
Marshall Field, Kansas, 11–27 December 1941
Howard Field, Panama Canal Zone, 18 January 1942 – 1 November 1943

Hamilton Field (later, Air Force Base), California, 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, 16 June 1952 – 30 June 1971
Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 1 October 1994 – present^[1]

Aircraft

North American O-47, 1941–1943;
Stinson O-49 Vigilant, 1941–1943;
Piper L-4 Grasshopper, 1942–1943;
Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1942–1943;

Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1943.
Convair RB-36 Peacemaker, 1952–1958;
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1958–1971
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, 1959–1971^[1]

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References

Notes

1 2 3 4 5 6 Kane, Robert B. (2 April 2010). "Factsheet 72 Air Base Wing (AFMC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
↑ Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 139. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
↑ Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 112–113. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.

Further Reading

Rogers, Brian. (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.

External links

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[72ABWfacts-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kane, Robert B. (2 April 2010). "Factsheet 72 Air Base Wing (AFMC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.

[Maurer72RG-2] Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 139. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.

[Ravenstein72BW-3] Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 112–113. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.