72nd Fighter Wing

72d Fighter Wing
P-47 Thunderbolts as flown by the wing
Active	1943–1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Command of Fighter operational and replacement training units

The 72d Fighter Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to Second Air Force, stationed at Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado. It was inactivated on 9 April 1946. ^[1]

History

The wing was initially activated in August 1943 as the 72d Bombardment Operational Training Wing, a command organization for heavy bomber training. Ten days after activation, it was redesignated the 72d Fighter Wing and became single-engine fighter training organization for Second Air Force. ^[1] The wing had jurisdiction over fighter Operational Training Unit and Replacement Training Unit in the midwest.

Stations assigned to the wing included:^{[ citation needed ]}

Abilene Army Air Field, Texas Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico Bruning Army Air Field, Nebraska Casper Army Air Field, Wyoming Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas

DeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana Galveston Army Air Field, Texas Harding Field, Louisiana [2] Peterson Field, Colorado Pocatello Army Air Field, Idaho Scribner Army Air Field, Nebraska [3]

Lineage

• Constituted as 72d Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Heavy) on 12 August 1943

Activated on 20 August 1943

Redesigned 72d Fighter Wing on 1 September 1943

Inactivated on 9 April 1946 ^[1]

• Disbanded on 15 June 1983 ^[4]
• Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesigned 372d Electronic Warfare Group ^[5]
• Disbanded on 9 September 1992

Assignments

• Second Air Force, 12 August 1943 – 9 April 1946 ^[1]

Components

• 36th Fighter Group, 17 September 1943 – 4 April 1944 ^[3]
• 84th Fighter Group, 1 November 1943 – 1 April 1944 ^[6]
• 357th Fighter Group, 7 October – 9 November 1943
• 407th Fighter Group, 9 March 1943 – 21 March 1944
• 408th Fighter Group, 1 November 1943 – 1 April 1944
• 476th Fighter Group, 26 March – 1 April 1944
• 507th Fighter Group, 12 October 1944 – 24 June 1945
• 508th Fighter Group, 12 October 1944 – 6 January 1945 ^[1]

Stations

• Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, 20 August 1943
• Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado, 7 October 1943
• Peterson Field, Colorado, November 1943
• Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado, December 1945 – 9 April 1946 ^[1]

Aircraft

• Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943 – 1944 ^[3]

Campaign

Campaign Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
	American Theater without inscription	20 August 1943–2 March 1946	72md Bombardment Operational Training Wing (later 72nd Fighter Wing) [1]

References

Notes

1. Maurer, Combat Units, p. 406
2. Maurer, Combat Units, p. 150
3. Robertson, Patsy (11 June 2014). "36 Operations Group (PACAF)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
4. Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 498q, 15 June 1983, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units
5. Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations
6. Maurer, Combat Units, p. 406 (year only)

Bibliography

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

• 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. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016.