Bomb wing traces lineage back to World War II

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jeff Walston
  • 307th Bomb Wing Public Affairs Office
Barksdale AFB, La. --  The 307th Bomb Wing has a rich history that dates back to 1942 when it was activated as the 307th Bombardment Group (Heavy) by the Army Air Corps Combat Command after the attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust the United States into war with Japan.

In succeeding years, the 307th's participation in World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Cold War, and the Vietnam Conflict proved it to be one of the most renowned bombing units in military annals.

On April 15, 1942, the 307th began operations as a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber unit at Geiger Field, Wash. Its first mission--to guard the northwestern United States and Alaskan coasts against armed invasion.

After patrolling the American coastline for five months, the 307th's B-17s were replaced with the famous B-24 "Liberators."

The group's bombers received their first taste of combat Dec. 27, 1942. Twenty-seven of the group's aircraft were deployed from Oahu to Midway Island. From there, the B-24s staged their first attack against the Japanese during the war.

For the remainder of the war, the 307th aircraft continued to cripple the debilitated enemy. The group elements neutralized Japanese forces at Yap, Truk, and Palau Islands. Bombing strikes against Japanese shipping centers in the Philippines inhibited the enemy from gaining a further strong hold in the area. An unescorted attack by the group's aircraft against oil refineries at Balikapan, Borneo, Oct. 3, 1944, helped assure an allied victory in the South Pacific.

No longer needed, the highly decorated group returned to the United States in December 1945, and was subsequently deactivated.

The 307th Bombardment Group was reactivated Aug. 4, 1946, at MacDill Field, Fla., the group was equipped with huge B-29 Superfortresses and the wing was appropriately designated "Very Heavy."

The Strategic Air Command (SAC) then selected the 307th as its first anti-submarine unit in December 1946. Precursor to similar SAC units, the group acted as a "guinea pig" in the development of new anti-sub tactics and operational procedures.

In 1950, the group was temporarily assigned to Kadena Airfield on Okinawa. From there, the group bombers staged attacks against the rapidly advancing communist forces in South Korea.

Finished with its task in Korea, the 307th returned to the United States in 1954. Assigned to Lincoln Air Force Base, Neb., the group's B-29s were replaced with swept-winged B-47 Stratojets. The sleek new bombers were the first jet-propelled aircraft assigned to the wing. The wing was then designated as the 307th Bombardment Wing (Medium).

On July 1, 1955, the 307th Bomb Wing was placed under the command of the Eighth Air Force. There were 43 B-47s and 21 KC-97 type aircraft assigned to the Wing.

The 307th Bombardment Wing along with other units at Lincoln AFB, were realigned under the SAC's Second Air Force headquartered at Barksdale AFB, La., on Jan. 1, 1959.

During its tenure at Lincoln AFB, the wing set records that may never be equaled again. It won a SAC Bomb Competition and participated in the Cuban Missile crisis. On Oct. 1, 1959, the wing established a never broken SAC record for 2,327 consecutive sorties without deviation from the flying schedule, and they also won the SACs coveted "Fairchild Trophy."

May 1960 witnessed the transfer of the 307th Air Refueling Squadron to Selfridge AFB in Michigan. This was done as part of SAC's plan for aircraft dispersal and to position the tankers farther along the EWO routes of the egressing bombers. The ARS remained at Selfridge until deactivated in 1964. The unit was later reactivated in KC-135 tankers and served through the Persian Gulf War.

While at Lincoln, the 307th functioned as a Combat Ready Unit, conducting combat training missions and maintaining an alert force commitment, both at Lincoln and overseas bases, until its deactivation on March 25, 1965.

The 307th was formed again as a tanker wing for the "Vietnam Conflict," and later in the "Conflict" served as a "B-52 Wing" flying "Arc Light" missions. In the spring of 1967, the wing added strategic bombing to its mission. Equipped with the B-52D Stratofortresses and crews loaned from other wings, it began high altitude bombing of enemy targets in South Vietnam on April 11. Under the operational nickname "Arc Light," the wing bombers flew over 35,000 strikes against the communist enemy from 1967 to mid-1970.

After another brief retirement period, the 307th was reorganized from the 4258th Strategic Wing at U-Tapao Airfield, Thailand, to support the air war in the Republic of Vietnam. Designated the 307th Strategic Wing on 1 April 1970, the two-war veteran unit began operations as an aerial refueling wing. Equipped with KC-135 Stratotankers, the wing refueled Vietnam-bound fighters under the nickname "Young Tiger." From 1967 to mid-1970, the wing tankers flew over 50,000 sorties and were credited with 80 aircraft "saves."

The 307th Strategic Wing was selected as SAC's outstanding wing for 1972, and received the Omaha Award for its support of Southeast Asia (SEA) operations. It was deactivated on Sept. 30, 1975. The wing was awarded four Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with the Combat "V" Device, and twice was awarded the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross, with Palm.

During its brief history in Southeast Asia, the 307th received three Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards--two of which were with other Eighth Air Force Units--for their role in the Vietnam Conflict.