340th Flying Training Group | |
|---|---|
 T-37s of the 340th Flying Training Group | |
| Active | 1942–1945; 1947–1949; 1952–1966; 1968–1971; 1977–1992; 1998–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Group |
| Role | Flying Training |
| Part of | Air Force Reserve Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Joint Base San Antonio, Texas |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 340th Flying Training Group emblem[note 1] |  |
| 340th Bombardment Group emblem (World War II)[2] |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Trainer | T-1 Jayhawk T-6 Texan II T-38 Talon |
The340th Flying Training Group is a reserve component of theUnited States Air Force. It is assigned to theTwenty-Second Air Force ofAir Force Reserve Command, atRandolph Air Force Base,Joint Base San Antonio, Texas. Thegroup is the headquarters for reserve flying training squadrons that areassociate squadrons ofAir Education and Training Command flying training squadrons.
The group's first predecessor is the340th Bombardment Group. After training in the United States, the group deployed to theMediterranean Theater of Operations, where it flewNorth American B-25 Mitchell medium bombers, primarily onair support andair interdiction missions, earning twoDistinguished Unit Citations for its actions. AfterV-E Day, the group returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in November 1945.
The group was again active in thereserve from 1947 to 1949, but does not appear to have been fully manned or equipped with operational aircraft during this period. It was again organized in July 1968 atCarswell Air Force Base, Texas, where it conducted crew training on theGeneral Dynamics FB-111 until inactivating in December 1971 as the bomber version of the "Aardvark" was deployed to other operational squadrons. In June 1977, the group was redesignated the340th Air Refueling Group and activated withBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers.
The second predecessor of the group was activated in October 1952 as the340th Bombardment Wing as the Air Force reopenedWhiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It flewBoeing B-47 Stratojets at Whiteman until September 1963, as the B-47 began to be withdrawn fromStrategic Air Command operations. It was not inactivated with the withdrawal of its Stratojets. but moved on paper toBergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, where it absorbed theBoeing B-52 Stratofortresses of the 4130th Strategic Wing, which was discontinued. Thewing operated the B-52 until 1966, when it was inactivated as older model B-52s were withdrawn from service. It remained inactive until 1982, when it was consolidated with the340th Air Refueling Group. The consolidated unit was expanded to become the340th Air Refueling Wing in 1984 and continued theair refueling mission until it was inactivated in 1992, asAir Mobility Command reorganized its refueling force. It was activated in its current role in 1998.
The 340th administers and executes theAir Education and Training Command andAir Force Reserve Command Associate Instructor Pilot Program and provides Active Guard Reserve and Traditional Reserve instructor pilots to augment the cadre of active duty pilots conducting pilot training.
The Group consists of a headquarters element atRandolph Air Force Base and five Associate Reserve Flying Training Squadrons flying theT-38/AT-38,T-1, andT-6.
The340th Bombardment Group was aWorld War IIUnited States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in theMediterranean Theater ofWorld War II. From August 1942 to November 1945 it controlled 4 operational squadrons: the486th,487th,488th, &489th Bombardment Squadrons utilizing the North AmericanNorth American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber.
The unit was constituted as340th Bombardment Group (Medium) on 10 August 1942 and was activated on 20 August. It trained with B-25 Mitchell bombers for duty overseas. It arrived in the Mediterranean theater in March 1943. It was assigned first toNinth Air Force, and in August 1943 toTwelfth Air Force when the Ninth moved to England.
The 340th served in combat from April 1943 to April 1945. Engaged chiefly inair support andair interdiction missions, but sometimes bombed strategic objectives. Targets includedairfields, railroads, bridges, road junctions, supply depots, gun emplacements, troop concentrations, marshalling yards, and factories in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, France, Austria, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia, and Greece.
it also dropped propaganda leaflets behind enemy lines. Participated in the reduction ofPantelleria andLampedusa in June 1943, the bombing of German evacuation beaches nearMessina in July, the establishment of theSalerno beachhead in September, the drive forRome during January to June 1944,Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France in August, and attacks on theBrenner Pass and other German lines of communication in northern Italy from September 1944 to April 1945.
In January 1944, Colonel Charles D. Jones was the commanding officer of the 340th Bombardment Group. On 10 March 1944, while participating in a bombing mission with the 486th Bombardment Squadron, he was shot down and became aprisoner of war for the remainder of the war. Colonel Jones later received theDistinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for this mission.[3]
The 340th Group probably suffered the loss of more aircraft than any othermedium bomber group during World War II primarily because of two devastating events that occurred in addition to their combat losses. The first of these events was the eruption ofMount Vesuvius in March 1944 when the 340th was based atPompeii Airfield nearTerzigno, Italy, just a few kilometers from the base of the mountain. The second event was a surprise German air raid of their base atAlesani Airfield, Corsica on 13 May 1944. Estimated losses were 75–88B-25 Mitchells from Vesuvius and approximately 60 aircraft from the German air raid.[3]
The 340th Received aDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for the period April–August 1943 when, although handicapped by difficult living conditions and unfavorable weather, the group supported theBritish Eighth Army in Tunisia and Allied forces in Sicily. A second DUC was received for the destruction of theItalian cruiser Taranto in the heavily defended harbor ofLa Spezia on 23 September 1944 before the ship could be used by the enemy to block the harbor's entrance.
With the end of the war in Europe, the 340th returned to the United States during July–August 1945. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945 atColumbia Army Air Base, South Carolina.
The unit was reactivated and trained in thereserves from October 1947 to August 1949 atTulsa Municipal Airport, Oklahoma. It was inactivated in 1949 as the reduced defense budget required the reduction of the number of groups in theUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force established the340th Bombardment Wing, and activated it on 20 October 1952 atSedalia Air Force Base, Missouri. Three of the 320th Bombardment Group's was squadrons, the 486th, 487th and 488th Bombardment Squadrons were assigned. The 320th was assigned toSecond Air Force.
The 340th replaced and absorbed the resources of the 4224th Air Base Squadron. Sedalia at the time was undergoing a massive modernization program, from its World War II configuration of temporary buildings and short runways designed for glider and pilot training to that of a modern, permanent air force base. The wing devoted its efforts to supervising base rehabilitation and new construction until May 1954, This was done by the 340th Air Base Group. The wing headquarters, tactical and maintenance squadrons had minimum manning during this period and were basically "paper" units.
The Wing received its firstBoeing B-47 Stratojet in March 1954 and on 1 July 1955, was declared combat ready. The340th Air Refueling Squadron, flying withBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters was also assigned to the wing, but was detached to the93d Bombardment Wing atCastle Air Force Base, California. On 3 December 1955, Sedalia Air Force Base was renamed Whiteman Air Force Base.
The 340th achieved recognition as one ofStrategic Air Command (SAC)'s first units to reorganize under the dual deputy organization. It tested the feasibility of assigning Aviation Depot Squadron functions to the Deputy Commander for Maintenance. SAC later adopted the plan and accomplished a command-wide change which included the formation of Munitions Maintenance Squadrons. Until 1960, the 340th played a key role in SAC's mission of strategic deterrence. From 1961 to 1963, the34th Air Refueling Squadron atOffutt Air Force Base, Nebraska was assigned to the 340th and operated theOperation Looking Glass SAC's Airborne Command Post with KC-135's.
By 1962 the B-47 was being programmed for retirement as it was believed that it could not penetrate theair defenses of the Soviet Union. The wing began phasing down and sent its aircraft to other SAC wings or to flyable storage atDavis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The 340th transferred host responsibilities for Whiteman to the incoming351st Strategic Missile Wing. On 1 September 1963 the 340th moved without personnel or equipment toBergstrom Air Force Base, Texas and became aheavy bomber wing, replacing the 4130th Strategic Wing.
On 1 October 1958 SAC established the 4130th Strategic Wing at Bergstrom as part of SAC's plan to disperse itsBoeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for theSoviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike[4] and assigned it to the19th Air Division.[5] The wing also assumed host base responsibilities as Bergstrom transferred fromTactical Air Command (TAC) to SAC.[6] Two weeks later the910th Air Refueling Squadron, flyingBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers was activated and assigned to the wing.[6] The wing became fully operational in January 1959 when the335th Bombardment Squadron, consisting of 15 B-52s moved to Bergstrom fromBiggs Air Force Base, Texas where it had been one of the three squadrons of the97th Bombardment Wing[7] and the 50th Aviation Depot Squadron was activated[6] to oversee the wing's special weapons. Starting in 1960, one third of the wing's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minutealert, fully fueled, armed and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the wing's aircraft in 1962.[8] The 4130th (and later the 340th) continued to maintain an alert commitment until the wing inactivated in 1966. In 1962, the wing's bombers began to be equipped with theGAM-77 Hound Dog and theGAM-72 Quail air-launchedcruise missiles, The 4130th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was activated in November to maintain these missiles. On 1 July 1963 the wing was reassigned to the4th Air Division.[9]
However, SAC strategic wings could not carry a permanent history or lineage and SAC looked for a way to make its strategic wings permanent.[note 2] In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of bombardment units with illustriousWorld War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its Major Command controlled (MAJCON) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate USAF controlled (AFCON) units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.
The 340th was reassigned to Bergstrom without personnel or equipment in September 1963, where it assumed the aircraft, personnel and equipment of the discontinued 4130th SW.[10][note 3] The 486th Bombardment Squadron, one of the 340th's World War II historical squadrons, replaced the335th Bombardment Squadron.[11] The 859th Medical Group, 50th Munitions Maintenance Squadron and the910th Air Refueling Squadron were reassigned to the 340th. The 4130th's support group and maintenance and security squadrons were replaced by ones with the 340th numerical designation of the wing. Each of the new units assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of its predecessor.
The wing continued SAC global strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations.[10] Beginning in 1965, the Air Force decided to convert most of its B-52Ds to conventional warfare capability for service in Southeast Asia. Foremost among the changes needed was to give the B-52D the ability to carry a significantly larger load of conventional bombs. This led to the Big Belly project which was begun in December 1965.
By 1966,Intercontinental ballistic missiles had been deployed and become operational as part of the United States' strategic triad, and the need for B-52s had been reduced. In addition, funds were also needed to cover the costs of combat operations in Indochina. The 340th Bombardment Wing was inactivated on 2 October 1966 and its aircraft were reassigned to other SAC units.[10]
In connection with the wing's inactivation, Bergstrom was returned to TAC, which closedJames Connally Air Force Base inWaco, Texas and moved the headquarters ofTwelfth Air Force to Bergstrom and activated the75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing as the new host organization at the base.[6]
The 340th Group was reactivated on 2 July 1968 atCarswell Air Force Base, Texas. The 340th was given the primary mission of conducting initial qualification training forGeneral Dynamics FB-111A aircrew members. The FB-111A was the all-weather strategic bombing version of the F-111, intended as an interim successor to SAC'x B-52 Stratofortress andConvair B-58 Hustler. The group was stationed at Carswell, as the FB-111A were being produced at the hugeGeneral Dynamics plant, also known as Air Force Plant #4 inFort Worth, and it shared the main runway at Carswell.
The first production FB-111A aircraft (serial 67-159) flew on 13 July 1968. It was accepted by the Air Force on 30 August. A second FB-111A was delivered on 25 October. However, these two planes were powered by TF30-P-12A engines designed for Naval service instead of the Air Force P-7 turbofan. In addition, problems with the avionics subsystem slowed further deliveries, with the Air Force not accepting its next FB-111A until 23 June 1969.
On 8 October 1969 the seventh FB-111A manufactured (serial 67–7193) entered service with the group's 4007th Combat Crew Training Squadron. The 340th's staff and instructor received training in TAC F-111As atNellis Air Force Base, Nevada with the 4527th Combat Crew Training Squadron. The group also maintained a combat crew force capable of conducting bombardment operations if necessary with the FB-111A.
On 7 October 1970, the 340th's first major aircraft accident occurred when FB-111A 68-253 crashed at Carswell, causing the deaths of Lt. Col Robert S. Montgomery (9th Bombardment Squadron's Commander) and his navigator, Lt. Col Charles G. Robinson. The 340th participated in SAC's annual Bombing and Navigation Competition held atMcCoy Air Force Base, Florida from 13 to 20 November 1970. Showing an outstanding performance, the group finished the competition first in bombing and second in navigation. The 340th also participated in the Strike Command Bombing and Navigation held 17–23 April 1971. The FB-111A was not allowed to compete for the trophies but flew in the competition.
The last production FB-111A (69–6514) was delivered to SAC on 30 June 1971, and the 340th Bomb Group was inactivated on 31 December 1971 with the end of production. A total of 76 FB-111A aircraft were produced, and when group was inactivated the 4007th Combat Crew Training Squadron moved toPlattsburgh Air Force Base, New York and became part of the380th Strategic Aerospace Wing with 38 FB-111A aircraft
Six years later the group was redesignated as the340th Air Refueling Group and reactivated atAltus Air Force Base, Oklahoma as a tenant unit. At Altus the group was assigned the11th Air Refueling Squadron equipped with KC-135s. The group and wing were consolidated in March 1982.
The consolidated unit was redesignated the340th Air Refueling Wing, Heavy on 1 October 1984 and gained the306th Air Refueling Squadron as a second KC-135 squadron. The wing was assigned to SAC's19th Air Division. It was then reassigned toFifteenth Air Force, on 6 June 1988.
With the inactivation of SAC, the wing was reassigned toAir Mobility Command on 1 June 1992 and was inactivated on 1 October 1992 as part of the general drawdown of the USAF after theCold War ended, its components subsequently merging with collocated443d Airlift Wing at Altus to form the97th Air Mobility Wing.
The 340th was reactivated atRandolph Air Force Base, Texas, as the340th Flying Training Group on 1 April 1998 as anAir Force Reserve Command unit underTenth Air Force. The 340th was organized to provide associate instructor pilots for theAir Education and Training Command Specialized Undergrasuate Pilot Training mission.
340th Bombardment Wing
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984).A Guide to Air Force Lineage and Honors (2d, Revised ed.). Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Historical Research Center. p. 12.
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