| 305th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1947–1949 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command ofbombardment units |
| Motto | Aquilia Non Capit Muscas (Latin for 'The Eagle Does Not Hunt Flies') |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| Commanders | |
| Lt Col Earl J. Nesbitt | 2 January 1944 |
| Lt Col Julian M. Bleyer | 14 January 1944 – April 1944 |
| Col William R. Morgan | 13 June – 9 September 1945[a] |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with Unofficial 305th Bombardment Wing emblem[1] |  |
The305th Air Division is an inactiveUnited States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was withContinental Air Command, assigned toFourth Air Force atMcChord Air Force Base, Washington, where it was inactivated on 27 June 1949.
Thedivision was first activated in December 1943 as the305th Bombardment Wing, although it was used to man other organizations and had no combat units assigned until a month afterVE Day when it absorbed the assets of a provisionalfighter wing, and the units of another fighterwing, but no bombardment units. When thesurrender of Japan occurred, the unit no longer anticipated a transfer to the Pacific and was inactivated in September 1945. It was activated in the reserves in 1947.
Thedivision was first activated atFoggia, Italy in late December 1943 as the305th Bombardment Wing, but does not appear to have been manned until early January.[b] The wing had no combat components assigned until afterVE Day in May 1945, and the wing commanding officer was alieutenant colonel.[2] Instead, its personnel was used to manFifteenth Air Force headquarters, and a provisional fighter wing which was formed in the fall of 1944.[3]
Unlike most combat air forces during World War II,Fifteenth Air Force was not assigned a fighter command. Instead, all its fighter groups were assigned to its bombardment wings until February 1944, when they were transferred to the 306th Bombardment Wing, which became the306th Fighter Wing in May.[4][c] On 3 September 1944, Fifteenth formed XV Fighter Command (Provisional) and attached the 306th Wing to it. At the same time, it also organized the 305th Fighter Wing (Provisional) atSalsola Airfield[5] and attached the three groups of the 306th Wing that were flyingLockheed P-38 Lightnings (the1st,14th and82d Fighter Groups) to the provisional wing. The 306th Wing retained control of the groups flying the Mustang.[6][d]
The wing initially focused on strategic missions, such as escorting bombers.[7] After March 1945, the wing moved to Lesina Airfield[8] and its groups focused oninterdiction missions against German forces in Italy, Southern Germany, Austria and Yugoslavia.[9]
On 12 June 1945, the provisional wing moved from Lesina to Torremaggiore Airfield, where the 305th Bombardment Wing was already located. It was disbanded upon arrival and its personnel assigned to the bombardment wing.[10]
In addition to absorbing the personnel and headquarters of the provisional wing, the Mustang groups of the 306th Fighter Wing were also assigned to the 305th in June 1945, and the wing instituted an extensive training program in anticipation that its groups would be transferred to the Pacific to participate in the war against Japan. The 305th emphasized instrument flying andnavigation; and formation, high altitude, and transition flying. One of the wing's P-51 groups also conducted experimental work indive bombing. Pilots practiced in theLink Trainer and attended classes in engineering, air discipline,intelligence, personal equipment,air sea rescue,chemical warfare and communications procedures. However, with thesurrender of Japan in August the wing began to transfer its groups to the United States at the end of August and was inactivated in Italy in September.[2]
The wing was reactivated as a reserve unit underAir Defense Command (ADC) on 12 July 1947 atMcChord Field, Washington. It was assigned the445th and456th Bombardment Groups. which were activated the same day at McChord[11] In October, the454th Bombardment Group was activated at McChord and assigned to the wing.[12] The three groups were all designated as very heavy units, and nominally wereBoeing B-29 Superfortress units. However, there is no indication that the groups were equipped with tactical aircraft.[13] Regular Air Force support for reserve training at McChord was provided by the 2345th Air Force Reserve Training Center.[14]
In 1948,Continental Air Command assumed responsibility from ADC for managingAir National Guard and reserve units.[15] When the regular Air Force implemented thewing base organization system, which placed operational and support units on a base under a single wing that same year, the 305th Wing, along with other reserve wings with more than one combat group assigned, was redesignated as anair division.[2]
The 305th participated in routine reserve training and supervised the training of its three assigned groups until all were inactivated, in part due to PresidentTruman’s 1949 defense budget, which required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,[16] Most of their equipment and personnel were used to form the302d Troop Carrier Wing, which was simultaneously activated at McChord.[2][17]
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Naples-Foggia | 29 December 1943 – 21 January 1944 | 305th Bombardment Wing[2] |
| Rome-Arno | 22 January 1944 – 9 September 1944 | 305th Bombardment Wing[2] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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