| 95th Combat Bombardment Wing | |
|---|---|
 489th Bombardment GroupB-24 Liberator[note 1] | |
| Active | 1943-1945 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Bombardment |
| Part of | Eighth Air Force |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| Tail markings | Green with white stripe (vertical for 489th Group, horizontal for 491st Group)[1] |
The95th Combat Bombardment Wing is a formerUnited States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in England in 1943 and engaged instrategic bombing campaign against Germany from June through August 1944. It returned to the United States in July 1945 and was disbanded in late August 1945.
The95th Combat Bombardment Wing was activated atRAF Attlebridge, England in December 1943, but was only an administrative headquarters, with no combat units assigned. In February 1944, thewing was assigned to the2d Bombardment Division and moved to thedivision's station ofKetteringham Hall.[2]
The wing finally received combat elements in late April 1944, when two newly arrivedConsolidated B-24 Liberator groups, the489th and491st Bombardment Groups were assigned to the wing. The 95th Wing moved its headquarters toRAF Halesworth in early May as its groups prepared for combat. The 491st Group arrived with only an air element assigned, and was filled out by ground support personnel drawn from 2d Bombardment Divisiongroups assigned to other wings. The 489th flew its first combat mission on 30 May, and the 491st on 2 June. Although the wing's groups were deployed to engage in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany, their immediate missions were flown in support ofOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. They supported theD-Day landings, and bombedcoastal defenses, airfields, bridges, railroads, andV-1 flying bomb andV-2 rocket launch sites (Operation Crossbow). They also participated in the saturation bombing of German lines just beforeOperation Cobra, the breakthrough atSaint-Lô in July. It was late July before the wing turned to strategic targets.[3][4][5]
The wing's combat participation was brief. In mid-August, the 489th Group was assigned to the20th Combat Bombardment Wing[3] and the 491st to the14th Combat Bombardment Wing,[6] while the wing closed its headquarters at Halesworth and returned to Ketteringham Hall. It remained there, without combat elements, until July 1945, when it moved toSioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota as part of the redeployment of forces from Europe afterV-E Day. After Japan's surrender in August 1945, the wing was disbanded.[2]
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 30 May 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 95th Combat Bombardment Wing[2] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 95th Combat Bombardment Wing[2] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 15 August 1944 | 95th Combat Bombardment Wing[2] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
