29th Bombardment Group
Encyclopedia
The 29th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force
unit last based at Craig AFB, Alabama
. It was inactivated when Craig AFB was closed as a budget reduction action after the Vietnam War
.
The unit's origins begin with its United States Army Air Forces
World War II
predecessor, the 29th Bombardment Group (29th BG). It originally conducted anti-submarine warfare over the Caribbean
during the early years of the war as part of Third Air Force
. Later, the 29th BG was a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) of the Army Air Forces Training Command
. In 1944, the group was reequipped with B-29 Superfortress
es and was engaged in combat
as part of Twentieth Air Force
. The 29th Bomb Group's aircraft engaged in very heavy bombardment B-29 Superfortress
operations against Japan.
The group's World War II tail code was a "Square O"
Constituted as the 29th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 22 December 1939. Activated on 1 February 1940 at Langley AAF, Virginia. Equipped with B-17C Flying Fortresses and B-18 Bolo
s, the group trained and took part in aerial reviews as part of the GHQ Air Force.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 29th was reassigned to Third Air Force
and flew antisubmarine patrol missions in the Caribbean area, December 1941 – June 1942 from MacDill AAF, Florida.
After the antisubmarine mission was turned over to the Navy and Coast Guard, the 29th was reequipped with B-24 Liberator
bombers and was reassigned to Gowen AAF
, Idaho
, where it functioned as an operational training (OTU) and later as a replacement training unit (RTU). The group was inactivated on 1 April 1944 along with a general phasedown of B-24 training.
The group was immediately redesignated as the 29th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and was reactivated the same day. Equipped with B-29 Superfortress
es, the unit was remanned and reassigned to Pratt Army Airfield
, Kansas
. At Pratt, the unit prepared for overseas duty and was deployed to the Southwest Pacific, being assigned to North Field, Guam
during December 1944/January 1945. On Guam, the 29th was assigned to the Twentieth Air Force
, 314th Bombardment Wing. Its B-29 tail code was "Square O".
The 29th flew its first mission against Japan with an attack on Tokyo on 25 February 1945. It conducted a number of missions against strategic targets in Japan, operating in daylight and at high altitude to bomb factories, refineries, and other objectives. Beginning in March 1945, the group carried out incendiary raids on area targets, flying at night and at low altitude to complete the assignments.
S/Sgt Henry E Erwin
was awarded the Medal of Honor
for action that saved his B-29 during a mission over Koriyama, Japan, on 12 April 1945. When a phosphorus smoke bomb exploded in the launching chute and shot back into the plane, Sgt Erwin picked up the burning bomb, carried it to a window, and threw it out.
During the Allied assault on Okinawa, the 29th Bomb Group bombed airfields from which the enemy was sending out suicide planes against the invasion force. Received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for an attack on an airfield at Omura, Japan, on 31 March 1945. Received a second DUC for strikes on the industrial area of Shizuoka
, the Mitsubishi
aircraft plant at Tamashima, and the Chigusa arsenal at Nagoya,
in June 1945. After the war, dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners and participated in several show-of-force missions over Japan. Inactivated on Guam on 20 May 1946.
**. The 29th FTW conducted graduate pilot training and operated Craig AFB, Ala, facilities. In 1974, Craig AFB was selected as one of two UPT bases to be closed in a post-Vietnam economic move. In 1977, Air Training Command
closed Craig Air Force Base along with Webb Air Force Base
in Texas. Craig's 29th Flying Training Wing was inactivated on 30 September 1977 and the field was placed on caretaker status the next day.
.** An unrelated unit, the World War II 29th Flying Training Wing was the operational training unit (OTU) at nearby Napier Army Airfield
, Alabama where it commanded the 2116th (Pilot School, Advanced, Single-Engine) Army Air Force Base Unit, providing advanced & specialized training in single engine aircraft, including AT-6 Texans and P-40 fighters. This World War II organization, although having a similar designation, was not related to the host unit at Craig AFB in the 1970s.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit last based at Craig AFB, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It was inactivated when Craig AFB was closed as a budget reduction action after the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
The unit's origins begin with its United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
predecessor, the 29th Bombardment Group (29th BG). It originally conducted anti-submarine warfare over the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
during the early years of the war as part of Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
. Later, the 29th BG was a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) of the Army Air Forces Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
. In 1944, the group was reequipped with B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es and was engaged in combat
as part of Twentieth Air Force
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
. The 29th Bomb Group's aircraft engaged in very heavy bombardment B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
operations against Japan.
The group's World War II tail code was a "Square O"
Lineage
- Constituted as 29th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 22 December 1939
- Activated on 1 February 1940
- Inactivated on 1 April 1944.
- Redesignated 29th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy)
- Activated on 1 April 1944
- Inactivated on 20 May 1946
- Redesignated as 29th Flying Training Wing on 22 March 1972
- Activated by redesignation of 3615th Pilot Training Wing on 1 July 1972
- Inactivated on 30 September 1977.
Assignments
- Northeast Air DistrictFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, 1 February 1940 - Southeast Air DistrictThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 21 May 1940 - II Bomber CommandII Bomber CommandThe II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, 25 June 1942 – 1 April 1944 - 314th Bombardment Wing, 1 April 1944 – 20 May 1946
- Attached to 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Very Heavy), c. 1 April-7 December 1944
- Air Training CommandAir Training CommandAir Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
, 1 July 1972 – 30 September 1977
- Air Training Command
Components
- 6th Bombardment Squadron6th Air Refueling SquadronThe 6th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California. It operates the KC-10 Extender aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.-History:...
1940–1944, 1944–1946 - 21st Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy)911th Air Refueling SquadronThe 911th Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The squadron is geographically separated from the 6th AMW and operates as the active duty associate to the 916th Air Refueling Wing from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North...
1941–1944 - 43d Bombardment Squadron (later 43d Flying Training Squadron) 1940–1944, 1944–1946, 1972–1977
- 52d Bombardment Squadron52d Bombardment SquadronThe 52d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 68th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Chennault Air Force Base, Louisiana. It was inactivated on 15 April 1963.-History:...
(later 52d Flying Training Squadron) 1940–1944, 1944–1946, 1972–1977 - 411th Bombardment Squadron 1942–1944
- 761st Bombardment Squadron 1945–1946
Stations
- Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 1 February 1940 - MacDill Field, Florida 21 May 1940
- Gowen Field, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
25 June 1942 – 1 April 1944 - Pratt Army AirfieldPratt Army AirfieldPratt Army Airfield is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located north-northwest of Pratt, Kansas, and was closed in 1946. Today it is used as Pratt Regional Airport....
, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
1 April – 7 December 1944 - North FieldAndersen Air Force BaseAndersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....
, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Mariana IslandsThe Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
, 17 January 1945 – 20 May 1946 - Craig AFB, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, 1 July 1972 – 30 September 1977
Aircraft flown
- Douglas B-18 BoloB-18 BoloThe Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress
- T-37 Tweet, 1972–1977
- T-38 TalonT-38 TalonThe Northrop T-38 Talon is a twin-engine supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first supersonic trainer and is also the most produced. The T-38 remains in service as of 2011 in air forces throughout the world....
, 1972–1977 - T-41 MescaleroT-41 MescaleroThe Cessna T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172 used by the United States Air Force and Army as well as the armed forces of various other countries as a pilot training aircraft.-Design and development:...
, 1972–1973
World War II
B-18 Bolo
The Douglas B-18 Bolo was a United States Army Air Corps and Royal Canadian Air Force bomber of the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was built by Douglas Aircraft Company and based on its DC-2 and was developed to replace the Martin B-10....
s, the group trained and took part in aerial reviews as part of the GHQ Air Force.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 29th was reassigned to Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
and flew antisubmarine patrol missions in the Caribbean area, December 1941 – June 1942 from MacDill AAF, Florida.
After the antisubmarine mission was turned over to the Navy and Coast Guard, the 29th was reequipped with B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
bombers and was reassigned to Gowen AAF
Boise Airport
Boise Airport , also known as Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field, is a joint civil-military, commercial and general aviation airport located three nautical miles south of downtown Boise in Ada County, Idaho, USA...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, where it functioned as an operational training (OTU) and later as a replacement training unit (RTU). The group was inactivated on 1 April 1944 along with a general phasedown of B-24 training.
The group was immediately redesignated as the 29th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and was reactivated the same day. Equipped with B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es, the unit was remanned and reassigned to Pratt Army Airfield
Pratt Army Airfield
Pratt Army Airfield is a closed United States Air Force base. It is located north-northwest of Pratt, Kansas, and was closed in 1946. Today it is used as Pratt Regional Airport....
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. At Pratt, the unit prepared for overseas duty and was deployed to the Southwest Pacific, being assigned to North Field, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
during December 1944/January 1945. On Guam, the 29th was assigned to the Twentieth Air Force
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
, 314th Bombardment Wing. Its B-29 tail code was "Square O".
The 29th flew its first mission against Japan with an attack on Tokyo on 25 February 1945. It conducted a number of missions against strategic targets in Japan, operating in daylight and at high altitude to bomb factories, refineries, and other objectives. Beginning in March 1945, the group carried out incendiary raids on area targets, flying at night and at low altitude to complete the assignments.
S/Sgt Henry E Erwin
Henry E. Erwin
Henry Eugene "Red" Erwin, Sr., was a United States Army Air Forces airman and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. He earned the award as a staff sergeant and radio operator aboard a B-29 Superfortress in the Asia-Pacific theater...
was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for action that saved his B-29 during a mission over Koriyama, Japan, on 12 April 1945. When a phosphorus smoke bomb exploded in the launching chute and shot back into the plane, Sgt Erwin picked up the burning bomb, carried it to a window, and threw it out.
During the Allied assault on Okinawa, the 29th Bomb Group bombed airfields from which the enemy was sending out suicide planes against the invasion force. Received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for an attack on an airfield at Omura, Japan, on 31 March 1945. Received a second DUC for strikes on the industrial area of Shizuoka
Shizuoka, Shizuoka
is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:...
, the Mitsubishi
Mitsubishi
The Mitsubishi Group , Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese multinational conglomerate company that consists of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi brand, trademark and legacy...
aircraft plant at Tamashima, and the Chigusa arsenal at Nagoya,
in June 1945. After the war, dropped food and supplies to Allied prisoners and participated in several show-of-force missions over Japan. Inactivated on Guam on 20 May 1946.
Cold War
The 29th Flying Training Wing replaced, and absorbed resources of, the 3615th Flying Training Wing on 1 July 1972. at Craig AFB, AlabamaAlabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
**. The 29th FTW conducted graduate pilot training and operated Craig AFB, Ala, facilities. In 1974, Craig AFB was selected as one of two UPT bases to be closed in a post-Vietnam economic move. In 1977, Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
closed Craig Air Force Base along with Webb Air Force Base
Webb Air Force Base
Webb Air Force Base , previously named Big Spring Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force facility of the Air Training Command that operated from 1951 to 1977 in west Texas within the current city limits of Big Spring. It was a major training facility, and by 1969 almost 9,000 pilots had...
in Texas. Craig's 29th Flying Training Wing was inactivated on 30 September 1977 and the field was placed on caretaker status the next day.
.** An unrelated unit, the World War II 29th Flying Training Wing was the operational training unit (OTU) at nearby Napier Army Airfield
Dothan Regional Airport
Dothan Regional Airport is a public use airport in the Dale County portion of Dothan, Alabama, located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Dothan, a city primarily in Houston County, Alabama, United States...
, Alabama where it commanded the 2116th (Pilot School, Advanced, Single-Engine) Army Air Force Base Unit, providing advanced & specialized training in single engine aircraft, including AT-6 Texans and P-40 fighters. This World War II organization, although having a similar designation, was not related to the host unit at Craig AFB in the 1970s.