44th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1947–1949 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Engagements | European Theater of World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lt. Gen. Herbert B. Thatcher |
The44th Air Division, Bombardment was redesignated as a division on 16 April 1948, when it was at Brooks Field (later,Brooks Air Force Base), Texas, under the14th Air Force, then transferred to the12th Air Force on 1 July 1948.
The unit started as the44th Bombardment Wing, conducting medium bomber training in the United States. It deployed to the European Theater of Operations in the summer of 1943, but before it could being combat operations, was redesignated in November 1943 as the99th Bombardment Wing and assigned to the new IX Bomber Command, the medium bombardment component of the revampedNinth Air Force.
Its subordinate units attacked enemy airfields in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands between December 1943 and February 1944. Beginning in March 1944, they bombed rail road and highway bridges, oil tanks, and missile sites in preparation for theinvasion of Normandy. Its subordinate units supported the Allied offensive atCaen, France, and the breakthrough atSaint-Lô, France, in July 1944. Between October and December 1944, they bombed bridges, road junctions, and ordnance depots in support of the assault on theSiegfried Line. On 16 December 1944, during a period of poor flying weather, the Germans launched a major offensive, known as theBattle of the Bulge, in the Ardennes Forest. When the weather cleared, 99th BW units bombed supply points, communication centres, bridges, marshalling yards, roads, and oil storage tanks.[2]
The wing was reactivated as a reserve unit underAir Defense Command (ADC) on 26 June 1947 at Brooks Field, Texas (laterBrooks Air Force Base.[2] In 1948, when the regular Air Force implemented thewing base organization system, thewing, along with other multi-base reserve wings was redesignated as anair division.[2] The same yearContinental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve andAir National Guard units from ADC.[3]
The 44th was inactivated when Continental Air Command reorganized in June 1949 in response to PresidentTruman’s reduced 1949 defense budget that required reductions in the number of unit (groups – 48) in the Air Force.[2][4]
Performed bombing operations in Europe untilV-E Day
This unit earned the followingorganizational service streamers:
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency