95th Wing | |
|---|---|
 Col David Leaumont, 95th Wing commander, unfurls the wing guidon during the wing activation ceremony atOffutt AFB | |
| Active | 1942–1945, 1947–1949, 1952–1966, 1966–1976, 1994–2012, 2025-present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command, control and communications |
| Part of | Air Force Global Strike Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Offutt AFB, Nebraska |
| Nickname | "First B-17's over Berlin – 1944" (WW II)[citation needed] |
| Motto | Justice with Victory |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Website | https://www.offutt.af.mil/Units/95th-Wing/ |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Col. David Leaumont |
| Notable commanders | ColonelCharles B. DeBellevue GeneralJohn K. Gerhart GeneralJohn Dale Ryan Lt GenGerald W. Johnson |
| Insignia | |
| 95th Wing emblem[a][1] |  |
| 95th Bombardment Wing emblem[b][2] |  |
| 95th Bombardment Group emblem[c][3] |  |
| World War II tail marking[4] | Square B |
The95th Wing is a tenant wing at Offutt Air Force Base that was activated on 28 February 2025.
The wing was previously assigned to theAir Force Flight Test Center ofAir Force Materiel Command atEdwards Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 13 July 2012.
During World War II its predecessor, the95th Bombardment Group, was aBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed atRAF Horham. It was the onlyEighth Air Force group awarded threeDistinguished Unit Citations, with the highest total claims of enemy aircraft destroyed of all Eighth Air Force Bomb Groups − 425 aircraft. It was also the firstU.S. Army Air Forces group to bomb Berlin.[5] From 1947 to 1949 the95th Bombardment Group served in the reserves. It was inactivated whenContinental Air Command reorganized its reserve flying units under thewing base organization model.
During theCold War, theStrategic Air Command (SAC)95th Bombardment Wing performed strategic bombardment training withConvair B-36 Peacemaker and laterBoeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers. It operated to support SAC's global commitments from April 1954 until SAC's phaseout of operations atBiggs Air Force Base,Texas in 1966. The wing was activated later that year as the95th Strategic Wing atGoose Air Base, Canada to replace the 4082d Strategic Wing. At Goose, it supported forward deployed SAC tankers. It was inactivated in 1976 as the Air Force withdrew from Goose Air Base.[6]
In 1984, the 95th group and wing were consolidated into a single unit. The consolidated unit was redesignated the95th Air Base Wing and was activated in 1994 as the host organization at Edwards, absorbing the mission, personnel and equipment of the inactivating 650th Air Base Wing.
The mission of the wing is to operate a set of joint units and capabilities to assure worldwide survivable and enduring command and control to thePresident,Secretary of Defense, andChairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff throughout the entirety of the threat spectrum to deter strategic attack on the United States and enable uninterrupted execution of national security responsibilities. This unit also specializes in organizing, training, and equipping a dedicated team of professionals to execute combatant commanders’ tasks on a global scale.
The wing was activated in 1942 as the95th Bombardment Group atBarksdale Field, Louisiana with the334th,[7]335th,[8]336th,[9] and412th Bombardment Squadrons assigned.[3][10]
Thegroup began training in August atGeiger Field, Washington,[5] where it was equipped withBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. The unit trained for combat operations until moving overseas starting in March[3] The unit trained atEphrata Army Air Base, Washington and Geiger. Final training was conducted atRapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota from 14 December 1942 to 11 March 1943.[5]
The air echelon processed atKearney Army Air Field, Nebraska and flew its Forts via the southern route, flying to Florida,Trinidad, the northern coast of Brazil,Dakar, Senegal, andMarrakesh, Morocco toRAF Alconbury in the United Kingdom. The ground echelon moved toCamp Kilmer, then sailed on theRMS Queen Elizabeth to Scotland, arriving in May. The squadron then reunited atRAF Framlingham.[5]
The group arrived in England equipped with late model B-17F aircraft equipped with "Tokyo Tanks", additional fuel cells located outboard in the wings that gave this model additional range.[11] It flew its first combat mission on 13 May 1943 against anairfield nearSaint-Omer, France. For the next two months the 95th focused on attacking airfields andV-1 flying bomb launch sites in France.[3]
Eighth Air Force's early experience with itsMartin B-26 Marauders convinced it that the Marauders were stationed too far from the continent of Europe to reach a selection of targets.[12] It determined to move them closer to the target areas, and an exchange of bases began. The entire 95th group moved toRAF Horham in June, where they replaced the323d Bombardment Group, which departed the previous day.[3][13] A few days later their place at Framlingham was taken by the newly arrived390th Bombardment Group.[3][14]
The 95th began strategic bombing operations in July and continued until flying its last operation on 20 April 1945. Its targets includedharbors,marshalling yards and other industrial targets along with attacks on cities. On 13 June 1943 the group was leading the4th Bombardment Wing in an attack onKiel, Germany. The lead aircraft carried Brigadier General Nathan B. Forrest as an observer. The aircraft was hit by fighters on its approach to the target, and again after the bomb run was complete. It was last seen spiraling out of control with much of its tail shot away. General Forrest was the first United Statesgeneral officer killed in action in Europe during the war.[15]
The group received its firstDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC) during an attack on anaircraft factory atRegensburg, Germany on 17 August 1943 when it maintained its defensive formation despite severe attacks by enemyinterceptor aircraft.[3] On 10 October, during an attack on marshalling yards atMünster, Germany, the squadron was subjected to concentrated fighter attacks on the approach to the target and intenseflak over the objective.[3] Despite these obstacles, the group's bombs were clustered close to the target.[16] It was awarded a second DUC for withstanding these attacks to bomb its objective.
From 20 to 25 February 1944 the group participated in theBig Week offensive against the German aircraft manufacturing industry. A few days later, on 4 March, the squadron attackedBerlin despite adverse weather that led other units to either abandon the operation or attack secondary targets. Despitesnowstorms and heavy cloud cover, the unit struck its target while under attack from enemy fighters,[3] although the cloud cover required the group to rely on a pathfinder from the482d Bombardment Group to determine the release point.[17] It received its third DUC for this operation.[3] This mission was the first time any unit fromEighth Air Force had bombed Berlin.[5]
The group was diverted to bombing priority tactical targets during the preparation for and execution ofOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, attacking communications and coastal defenses. It hit enemy troop concentrations to facilitate the Allied breakout atSaint-Lô. The 95th attacked enemy troop concentrations during theBattle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945 and bombed airfields to supportOperation Varsity, the airborne assault across theRhine in March.[3]
One of the unit's more unusual missions was flown on 18 September 1944, when it led the13th Combat Bombardment Wing[18] toWarsaw to dropammunition, food and medical supplies to Polish Resistance forces fighting against Germanoccupation forces.[3] The group landed in the Soviet Union, as it had previously done during shuttle missions to the Soviet Union.[19]
The unit flew its last mission on 20 April 1945, when it attacked marshalling yards nearOranienburg.[20] During its time with Eighth Air Force the 95th flew 320 missions, losing 157 aircraft, but claiming the destruction of 425 German fighters.[5]
In the first week of May, it airdropped food to Dutch citizens in Operation Chow Hound. During the final Chow Hound mission on 7 May one of the group's aircraft had an engine catch fire. The pilot decided to ditch the aircraft when the fire threatened to engulf the entire plane, but hit a swell, causing the aircraft to break up almost at once.[20] This was the last operational loss suffered by Eighth Air Force in World War II.[5] FromV-E Day until departing the theater in June, the 95th transported liberatedprisoners of war anddisplaced persons.[3] The air echelon flew their planes back toBradley Field, Connecticut, while the ground echelon sailed once more on theQueen Elizabeth.[5] The squadron was reunited atSioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, where it was inactivated on 28 August 1945.[3]
The 95th Bombardment Group was reactivated in theAir Force Reserve atMemphis International Airport, Tennessee in May 1947 as aBoeing B-29 Superfortress unit, where its training was supervised by the 468th AAF Base Unit (later the 2584th Air Force Reserve Training Center).[21] It is not clear whether or not the wing was fully staffed or equipped. The group was inactivated whenContinental Air Command reorganized its reserve units under thewing base organization system in June 1949.[3] The group's personnel and equipment at Memphis were transferred to the516th Troop Carrier Wing.[21]
The95th Bombardment Wing was established on 4 June 1952, and activated on 16 June 1952 atBiggs Air Force Base, Texas.[e] However, because it was not manned, it was not assigned to theEighth Air Force's810th Air Division until July 1953, and then minimally manned until September 1953, when it began strategic bombardment training withConvair B-36 Peacemakers.[2] It operated in support ofStrategic Air Command (SAC)'s global commitments from April 1954 until February 1966.
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The wing deployed toAndersen Air Force Base,Guam, and operated under control of3d Air Division from July to November 1955.[2]
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On 12 February 1959, the last B-36J in SAC's inventory departed the wing and Biggs forAmon Carter Field, inFort Worth, Texas, where it became a display aircraft.[22]
The wing receivedBoeing B-52 Stratofortresses to replace the B-36s. In May 1959, it added the917th Air Refueling Squadron withBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers, which became operational in August.
In the late 1950s, SAC established Strategic Wings to disperse its B-52s over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.[23] As part of this program, the wing's 335th Bombardment Squadron moved toBergstrom Air Force Base, Texas on 15 January 1959, where it was assigned to the4130th Strategic Wing.[8] The 336th Bombardment Squadron moved toTurner Air Force Base, Georgia in July and was assigned to the4138th Strategic Wing there.[9] The 334th Bombardment Squadron remained at Biggs with the 95th Bomb Wing.[7][2]
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 squadron's aircraft in 1962.[24] The 95th continued to maintain an alert commitment until shortly before inactivation on 25 June 1966 with the transfer of Biggs to theUnited States Army.[7][2] Its commitment included periodic airborne alert as part ofOperation Chrome Dome.[25]
On 7 April 1961, one of the wing's B-52Bs was participating in an air intercept training mission with a pair ofNorth American F-100 Super Sabres from the188th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of theNew Mexico Air National Guard. For the exercise the fighters were armed withGAR-8 Sidewinder missiles, which were wired so that only theheat seeking head of the missile was operational. On the sixth pass by the fighters, a Sidewinder launched and struck one of the engine pods on the bomber's left wing. Four on board the B-52 escaped by parachute, but three crewmembers died in the crash. The misfire was blamed on moisture in the connection of the missile to the F-100.[26]
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In August 1966 the wing was redesignated as the95th Strategic Wing and moved toGoose Air Base, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, where it replaced the 4082d Strategic Wing. The 4082d was organized by SAC on 1 April 1957 as a Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing[f] and assigned to the45th Air Division[27] when SAC took over Goose fromNortheast Air Command. The 4082d controlled forward deployed bombers and tankers. As the host USAF organization for Goose Bay it was assigned the 4082d Air Base Group (later 4082d Combat Support Group) and the 4082d USAF Hospital.[g]
In order to retain the lineage of its MAJCON 4-digit combat units and to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCON strategic wings and to activate Air Force Controlled (AFCON) units, which could carry a lineage and history.[h] The 95th Wing supported SAC's KC-135 alert tanker forces in eastern Canada and the North Atlantic.[2] The wing also provided logistic support for northern radar sites in Canada.[28] In June 1974 the wing was awarded anAir Force Outstanding Unit Award for fighting a forest fire which threatened to spread to the station's fuel storage tanks.[29]
Goose Air Base was transferred to theCanadian Department of National Defense asCFB Goose Bay. The Government of Canada had previously shared responsibility for the operation of the airport with theUnited States Air Force.[30] In 1975 the Canadian government informed the United States that the Air Force's lease on Goose Bay Airport would not be renewed when it expired on 30 June 1976.[31] The wing phased down for inactivation, closing most USAF operations at Goose AFB between January and September 1976.[2]
The wing was reactivated as the95th Air Base Wing on 1 October 1994, when it replaced the 650th Air Base Wing as the host unit forEdwards Air Force Base, California.[32] It was responsible for operating Edwards, including the infrastructure, communication systems, security, fire protection, transportation, supply, finance, contracting, legal services, personnel and manpower support, housing, education, chapel and quality of life programs on a 301,000-acre (1,220 km2) base in the middle of theMojave Desert, the second largest base in the USAF.[33]
The wing oversaw base day-to-day operations and provided support for over 12,000 military, federal civilian and contract personnel.[33] Approximately 1500 Air Base Wing personnel directly supported the flight test and evaluation mission of theAir Force Flight Test Center and the412th Test Wing. The wing was inactivated on 13 July 2012 and its mission transferred to elements of the 412th wing, primarily to the 412th Mission Support Group.[34] The wing's last commander was Col. Amy V. Arwood, who commanded the wing for its last two weeks.[33]
On 1 October 2024,Air Force Global Strike Command activated the 95th Wing (Provisional) atOffutt Air Force Base, Nebraska to prepare for the activation of the wing as the95th Wing. The wing’s focus will be to provide combatant commanders with command and control over assigned forces through global command, control, and communication capabilities and execute strategic requirements as set forth by commanders. It will integrate three units that currently and bring them together under a single command. These units are the595th Command and Control Group at Offutt, the 253rd Command and Control Group of theWyoming Air National Guard, and the 610th Command and Control Squadron ofAir Force Reserve Command atDavis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The wing will manage the modernization efforts for the E-4C Survivable Airborne Operations Center, that will replace the agingBoeing E-4B.[35] The wing was activated on 28 February 2025, and the provisional wing was inactivated, along with the 595th Group.[36]
95th Bombardment Group
95th Wing
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Operational Squadrons
Support Squadrons
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| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation, Regensburg, Germany | 17 August 1943 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation, Münster, Germany | 10 October 1943 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation, Berlin, Germany | 4 March 1944 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1970 – 30 June 1971 | 95th Strategic Wing[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 27 June 1974 – 30 June 1974 | 95th Strategic Wing[1] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 May 2009 – 30 April 2011 | 95th Air Base Wing[44] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 11 May 1943 – 5 June 1944 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 11 May 1943 – 11 May 1945 | 95th Bombardment Group[3] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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