| 1st Bombardment Wing | |
|---|---|
 92d Bombardment Group senior Pilots pose in front of Boeing B-17F 42-30455 at RAF Alconbury, England, after a successful mission toHülser Berg Germany in late June 1943. Equipped with radar, this aircraft flew several missions as the lead aircraft of the group. | |
| Active | 1918–1919; 1919–1924; 1931–1945 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Role | Bomber Command and Control |
| Part of | Eighth Air Force |
| Garrison/HQ | RAF Bassingbourn, England |
| Engagements |  World War I
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| Decorations |  Distinguished Unit Citation
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| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Thomas DeW. Milling Carl A. Spaatz Henry H. Arnold Laurence S. Kuter Haywood S. Hansell Frank A. Armstrong |
| Insignia | |
| 1st Bombardment Wing emblem |  |
The1st Bombardment Wing is a disbandedUnited States Army Air Force unit. It was initially formed in France in 1918 duringWorld War I as a command and control organization for the Pursuit Groups of theFirst Army Air Service.
Demobilized after the Armistice in France, it was re-established in the United States as the first wing formed in the reorganizedUnited States Army Air Service, created in August 1919 to control three groups patrolling the border with Mexico after revolution broke out there.
As the1st Wing, the unit was one of the original wings of theGHQ Air Force on 1 March 1935. DuringWorld War II, it was one of the primaryB-17 Flying Fortress heavy strategic bombardment wings ofVIII Bomber Command and later,Eighth Air Force. Its last assignment was with theContinental Air Forces, based atMcChord Field,Washington. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945.
Organized atCroix de Metz Aerodrome, Toul Sector, France, duringWorld War I as the1st Pursuit Wing on 6 July 1918, it was a command and control organization in theFirst Army Air Service for several pursuit groups in the American Sector of theWestern Front in France.
Served in combat on theSt. Mihiel offensive in September, flew reconnaissance sorties, protected observation aircraft, attacked enemy observation balloons, strafed enemy troops, flew counter-air patrols, and bombed towns, bridges, and railroad stations behind the enemy's lines. Moved toChaumont-Sur-Aire Aerodrome, and during theMeuse-Argonne offensive (26 September – 11 November 1918) bombardment aircraft continued their attacks behind the lines while pursuit ships concentrated mainly on large-scale counter-air patrols. Demobilized in France, December 1918.[1][2]
Authorized in the Regular Army on 15 August 1919 as the 1st Wing Headquarters. Organized on 16 August 1919 atKelly Field, Texas. Provided command and control of allUnited States Army Air Service units conducting patrol duties 1919–22 along the Mexican Border fromBrownsville, Texas, to the California-Arizona border, Assigned to the GHQ, US Army in 1921. Reorganized 19 July 1922 as 1st Wing (Provisional) Headquarters and assigned responsibility to perform duties as the headquarters for the Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field. Inactivated on 26 June 1924.[1][2]
Allotted to the Eighth Corps Area on 29 February 1927.Fort Sam Houston, Texas, designated as headquarters on organization, but the unit was never organized at that location. Designated headquarters location changed on 14 September 1928 toKelly Field. Re-designated as Headquarters, 1st Bombardment Wing on 8 May 1929. Activated on 1 April 1931 atMarch Field, California. Re-designated as Headquarters, 1st Pursuit Wing on 18 August 1933.[1]
Was responsible for the supervision and administration of twenty-five camps in the southern CaliforniaCivilian Conservation Corps (CCC) District, 1933–34. Re-designated Headquarters, 1st Wing on 1 March 1935 and assigned to theGeneral Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF). Transferred on 27 May 1941 toTucson Municipal Airport, later Tucson Army Air Field, Arizona, underIV Bomber Command.[1]
After thePearl Harbor Attack, initially supervised Heavy Bomber Operational Training at Tucson AAF. Re-designated as 1st Bombardment Wing and reassigned toVIII Bomber Command and deployed toEngland July–August 1942.[3][4]
In England, mission was command and control ofB-17 Flying Fortress bombardment groups stationed inEast Anglia, receiving operational orders from VIII BC headquarters and mobilizing subordinate groups for strategic bombardment attacks on enemy targets inOccupied Europe. Operated primarily fromRAF Bassingbourn,Cambridgeshire. Served in combat in theEuropean Theater of Operations (ETO) from August 1942 until 25 April 1945, receiving aDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for an attack on aircraft factories in Germany on 11 January 1944. Returned to the United States in August 1945. Inactivated on 7 November 1945.[3][4]
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* Note: Reassigned toTwelfth Air Force
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
