| 499th Air Refueling Wing | |
|---|---|
 499th Bomb GroupB-29 Superfortress overMount Fuji in 1945 | |
| Active | 1943–1946; 1962–1966 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Bombardment,aerial refueling |
| Motto | Auxilium ab AltoLatin Help from Above) |
| Engagements | Pacific Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation |
| Insignia | |
| 499th Air Refueling Wing emblem[note 1] | .gif) |
| Group tail identification (World War II) | Square V |
The499th Air Refueling Wing is an inactiveUnited States Air Force (USAF) unit that was last active atWestover AFB, Massachusetts in June 1966.
The wing was first activated as the499th Bombardment Group of theUnited States Army Air Forces, which flew combat in thePacific Theater of Operations as part ofTwentieth Air Force duringWorld War II. The 499th BG engaged in very heavyBoeing B-29 Superfortress bombardment operations against Japan for which it earned twoDistinguished Unit Citations. Its aircraft were identified by a "V" and a square painted on the tail.
The499th Air Refueling Wing was anair refueling and airborne command and control unit active from 1963 to 1966. In 1984 USAF consolidated the group and wing into a single unit sharing a common history.
The499th Bombardment Group was established in late 1943 atDavis–Monthan Field, Arizona as aBoeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment group. The unit's original operational squadrons were the877th,[1]878th,[2]879th,[3] and880th Bombardment Squadrons.[4][5] It was also assigned four bombardment maintenance squadrons[6] (one paired with each of its operational squadrons) and a photographic laboratory,
Thegroup moved toSmoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas in December 1943 to begin training. Due to a shortage of B-29 Superfortresses, the group was equipped withBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses already at Smoky Hill[1][2][3][4] that had been previously used for training heavy bomber replacements. In the spring of 1944, the 499th finally received newly manufactured B-29s. In May theUnited States Army Air Forces reorganized its very heavy bombardment units. The 880th Bombardment Squadron[4] and the bombardment maintenance squadrons were inactivated and their personnel absorbed into the remaining three squadrons.
The 499th deployed in September 1944, and became part of theXXI Bomber Command in the Northern Mariana Islands atIsely Field,Saipan, in theCentral Pacific Area. Upon arrival the group's personnel were engaged in Quonset hut construction. By mid-October most personnel were able to move into the huts from the initial tents which they were assigned on arrival. The group began operations with attacks in theTruk Islands and onIwo Jima. It took part in the first attack on Japan by AAF planes based in the Marianas. The group flew numerous missions in daylight, operating from high altitude to bomb strategic targets in Japan.[5]
The 499th received aDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for striking the Mitsubishi aircraft engine plant atNagoya on 23 January 1945. In March 1945 the group began to conduct night attacks, flying at low altitude to drop incendiaries on area targets in Japan. It completed a series of attacks against enemy airfields onKyūshū to aid theInvasion of Okinawa in April 1945 and received another DUC for this action. The group released propaganda leaflets over the Japanese home islands, in July and August, continuing strategic bombing raids and incendiary attacks until theJapanese surrender in August 1945.[5]
AfterV-J Day, the 499th dropped supplies to Allied prisoners. In November 1945 the unit returned to the United States; where it was assigned toContinental Air Forces'sFourth Air Force atMarch Field, California. However demobilization was in full swing and the group was inactivated on 17 January 1946.[5]
The origins of the499th Air Refueling Wing date to 1 April 1955, whenStrategic Air Command (SAC) organized the 4050th Air Refueling Wing atWestover Air Force Base, Massachusetts and assigned it toEighth Air Force and later the57th Air Division. The 4050th became the host organization when Westover transferred to SAC fromMilitary Air Transport Service.[7] In addition to the384th Air Refueling Squadron, flyingBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters, thewing was assigned three maintenance squadrons and an air base group. Three weeks later the wing added a second KC-97 squadron, the26th Air Refueling Squadron, which moved to Westover fromLockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. A little over a year later, the wing became a tenant of the99th Bombardment Wing and the personnel, equipment, and mission of its 4050th Air Base Group were transferred on 4 September 1956 to 57th Air Division's 814th Air Base Group (Later redesignated as the 814th Combat Support Group), and then finally transferred to the newly activated 99th Combat Support Group on 2 January 1968.[7]
On 1 July 1957, the wing was assigned the newly activated99th Air Refueling Squadron, located atTurner Air Force Base, Georgia. In August, the 99th moved to Westover and replaced the 26th Air Refueling Squadron, which moved toPlattsburgh Air Force Base, New York and was reassigned from the wing.[7][8] Unlike the wing's other squadrons, the 99th was aBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker Squadron whose mission was to support theBoeing B-52 Stratofortresses of the co-located 99th Bombardment Wing.
In 1960, the wing added the mission of commanding SACair refueling squadrons that were forward positioned in the middle Atlantic states at bases hosted by other Major Commands. In January the305th Air Refueling Squadron was reassigned to the wing when it moved fromMacDill Air Force Base, Florida toMcGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.[9] and in June the11th Air Refueling Squadron atDover Air Force Base, Delaware[10] was reassigned to the wing. In April the19th Air Refueling Squadron atOtis Air Force Base, Massachusetts was assigned to the wing after the 4060th Air Refueling Wing atDow Air Force Base, Maine was discontinued. With five air refueling squadrons assigned, the 4050th (and later the 499th) became the largest operational wing in SAC.
The following April, the wing added a squadron in the mid Atlantic, the303d Air Refueling Squadron atKindley Air Force Base,Bermuda. The 19th was transferred to the4038th Strategic Wing the same day in preparation for conversion to KC-135s to support the 4038th's B-52s.
However, SAC Major Command Controlled (MAJCON) units could not carry a permanent history or lineage.[11] and SAC looked for a way to make its these wings permanent. In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustriousWorld War II records, SAC received authority from USAF to discontinue its MAJCON wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate Air Force Controlled (AFCON) units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.
As a result, the 4050th was replaced by the newly constituted499th Air Refueling Wing[12] which assumed its mission, personnel, and equipment on 1 January 1963.[note 2] The 4050th's air refueling squadrons were reassigned to the 499th. Component support units were replaced by units with numerical designation of the newly established wing.
The499th Air Refueling Wing continued to support SAC bombardment andTactical Air Command aircraft with air refueling. The wing also deployed parts of its tanker force overseas to support unit movements and special operations.[12] In addition to its tankers the 499th also flew the Boeing EC-135Looking Glass missions in support of thePost Attack Command and Control System airborne command post for Eighth Air Force.
As SAC phased out its KC-97 aircraft, the wing began to shrink.[12] The 303d Air Refueling Squadron inactivated in late spring 1963 and in July 1964 the three squadrons located at other bases were transferred to other SAC headquarters. In December 1965 the last KC-97 squadron assigned to the wing became non-operational, although it remained with the wing on paper. The 499th's KC-135 squadron was reassigned to the 99th Bombardment Wing the following month. The 499th Air Refueling Wing was inactivated on 25 June 1966.[12]
499th Bombardment Group
499th Air Refueling Wing
Operational Squadrons
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Maintenance Squadrons
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Other
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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