97th Bombardment Wing  | |
|---|---|
 416th Bombardment Group A-26 Invader in 1945 | |
| Active | 1943–1945 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Size | Command of light bomber forces |
| Part of | Ninth Air Force |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
The 97th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with 9th Bombardment Division, at Camp Shanks, New York, where it was inactivated on 11 October 1945.
The wing was activated in late November 1943 at Marks Hall, England. It was assigned three Douglas A-20 Havoc groups in the spring of 1944 and conducted combat missions from April 1944 until VE Day. In late 1944 and early 1945, its groups converted to the more capable Douglas A-26 Invader. In October 1945 the wing returned to the United States and was inactivated. [1]
The 322d Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time.
The 398th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The 398 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time.
The 409th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE), which may activate or inactivate the group as needed at any time.
The 397th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last assigned to the 45th Air Division of Strategic Air Command at Dow Air Force Base, Maine, where it was inactivated on 25 April 1968.
The 490th Bombardment Group is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. The group was activated in October 1943. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations and participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany from 31 May 1944 to 20 April 1945, losing 22 aircraft while flying more than 5,000 sorties. Following V-E Day, the group returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in November 1945.
The 349th Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the US Air Force, part of the 22d Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. It operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.
The 450th Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the 322d Air Expeditionary Group. In 2008 it was converted to an expeditionary unit on provisional status for activation by Air Combat Command any time after 28 October 2008. Its current status is undetermined.
The 863rd Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was first organized as the 518th Bombardment Squadron in October 1942, when it replaced a National Guard unit participating in antisubmarine patrols off the Atlantic coast, becoming the 13th Antisubmarine Squadron in November. When the Navy took over the coastal antisubmarine mission in August 1943, the squadron moved to the western United States, where it formed the cadre for the 493rd Bombardment Group and was redesignated as the 863rd. It moved to England in the spring of 1944 and participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany until April 1945. It returned to the United States and was inactivated in August 1945.
The 98th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Force Reserve, based at Bedford Field, Massachusetts. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
The 848th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 703d Strategic Missile Wing at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1961. The squadron was first activated in 1943 as the 848th Bombardment Squadron during World War II. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operations and participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Following V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in November 1945. It was activated as an intercontinental ballistic missile squadron in 1960.
The 849th Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 703d Strategic Missile Wing at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1961 and its assets transferred to another squadron that was simultaneously activated.
The 712th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. In February 2001, the squadron was converted to provisional status and assigned to United States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. It was activated in 2008 for exercises with the Hungarian Air Force.
The 585th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 394th Bombardment Group, stationed at Bolling Field, District of Columbia. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946.
The 786th Air Expeditionary Squadron is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) to activate or inactivate as needed. USAFE has activated the squadron for short periods of contingency operations.
The 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit attached to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. It was last known to be stationed at Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, where it engaged in air refueling operations in support of United States Air Forces Central.
The 641st Bombardment Squadron was an inactive United States Air Force unit. After training with Douglas A-20 Havocs in the United States the squadron deployed to the European Theater of World War II, where it engaged in combat until the Surrender of Germany. It was last assigned to the 409th Bombardment Group at Westover Field, Massachusetts, where it was inactivated on 7 November 1945.
The 596th Bomb Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 2d Operations Group at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana on 1 October 1993.
The 644th Bomb Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 410th Bombardment Wing at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan, where it was inactivated on 21 November 1994.
The 597th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was activated at MacDill Field, Florida in April 1943. After training in the United States, it transferred to the European Theater of Operations, where it was a component of IX Bomber Command. The squadron served in combat from April 1944 until the end of World War II, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation for an attack on Ediger-Eller, Germany in December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge. Following V-E Day the squadron remained in France until December 1945, when it returned to the United States and was inactivated at Camp Shanks in January 1946.
The 872nd Bombardment Squadron is the former name of the 872nd Air Expeditionary Squadron, a provisional unit of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to United States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/ .
