308th Armament Systems Group
Encyclopedia
The 308th Armament Systems Group is a unit of the United States Air Force
308th Armament Systems Wing
, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base
, Florida.
The unit's mission is to equipp warfighters with long range, precision attack capabilities.
Constituted as 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942, and activated on 15 April. Assigned to II Bomber Command
for training. Received deployment orders for the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) in February 1943.
Deployed to Kunming Airport, China in March 1943, becoming the heavy bombardment arm of the new Fourteenth Air Force
. Air echelon deployed to the CBI via the South Atlantic Transport route via Brazil
, then across central Africa and Middle East to Karachi
, India. Ground echelon traveling by ship across the Pacific via Australia.
Once established in India, group aircraft made many trips over the Himalayan Mountains (The Hump
) to Southeastern China from the Assam Valley of India
airlifting obtain gasoline, oil, bombs, spare parts, and other items the group needed to prepare for and then to sustain its combat operations. In addition to the B-24 heavy bombers, group utilized C-87 Liberator transports for logistical support.
From its main base at Kunming and later Hsinching Airfield, the 308th carried out long range strategic bombardment of enemy targets in China in support of Chinese ground forces. The group attacked airfields, coalyards, docks, oil refineries, and fuel dumps in French Indochina
; mined rivers and ports; bombed shops and docks at Rangoon; attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea
, Formosa Strait, South China Sea
, and Gulf of Tonkin
.
Received a Distinguished Service Cross
for an unescorted bombing attack, conducted through antiaircraft fire and fighter defenses, against docks and warehouses at Hankowon 21 August 1943. Received second DUC for interdiction of Japanese shipping during 1944–1945.
Major Horace S Carswell Jr.
was awarded the Medal of Honor
for action on 26 October 1944 when, in spite of intense antiaircraft fire, he attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea; his plane was so badly damaged that when he reached land he ordered the crew to bail out; Carswell, however, remained with the plane to try to save one man who could not jump because his parachute had been ripped by flak; before Carswell could attempt a crash landing, the plane struck a mountainside and burned.
The group moved to India
in June 1945. Ferried gasoline and supplies over the Hump. After the Japanese Capitulation in August, the group remained in India in support United States forces in the CBI. Personnel sailed for the United States in December, leaving B-24s to the colonial Indian forces. The unit inactivated as a paper unit in January 1946.
From October 1946 through January 1951, served with Air Weather Service; supervised training and operation of weather reconnaissance units. Not operational 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952.
Beginning in November 2004 reactivated; mission to equip warfighters with long range, precision attack capabilities.
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...
308th Armament Systems Wing
308th Armament Systems Wing
The United States Air Force's 308th Armament Systems Wing is a non-flying wing based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.-Overview:The wing was activated in 2004 to design, develop, field and maintain a family of air-to-ground munitions that enhance warfighter strike capabilities.The mission of the...
, stationed at Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
, Florida.
The unit's mission is to equipp warfighters with long range, precision attack capabilities.
History
- For additional lineage and history, see 308th Armament Systems Wing308th Armament Systems WingThe United States Air Force's 308th Armament Systems Wing is a non-flying wing based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.-Overview:The wing was activated in 2004 to design, develop, field and maintain a family of air-to-ground munitions that enhance warfighter strike capabilities.The mission of the...
- See also: Horace S. Carswell, Jr.Horace S. Carswell, Jr.Horace Seaver "Stump" Carswell, Jr. was a Medal of Honor recipient as a Major in the United States Army Air Corps who served in World War II...
, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe 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...
recipient
II Bomber Command
The 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....
for training. Received deployment orders for the China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) in February 1943.
Deployed to Kunming Airport, China in March 1943, becoming the heavy bombardment arm of the new Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
. Air echelon deployed to the CBI via the South Atlantic Transport route via Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, then across central Africa and Middle East to Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, India. Ground echelon traveling by ship across the Pacific via Australia.
Once established in India, group aircraft made many trips over the Himalayan Mountains (The Hump
The Hump
The Hump was the name given by Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from India to China to resupply the Chinese war effort of Chiang Kai-shek and the units of the United States Army Air Forces based in...
) to Southeastern China from the Assam Valley of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
airlifting obtain gasoline, oil, bombs, spare parts, and other items the group needed to prepare for and then to sustain its combat operations. In addition to the B-24 heavy bombers, group utilized C-87 Liberator transports for logistical support.
From its main base at Kunming and later Hsinching Airfield, the 308th carried out long range strategic bombardment of enemy targets in China in support of Chinese ground forces. The group attacked airfields, coalyards, docks, oil refineries, and fuel dumps in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
; mined rivers and ports; bombed shops and docks at Rangoon; attacked Japanese shipping in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
, Formosa Strait, South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, and Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
.
Received a Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Army, for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. Actions that merit the Distinguished Service Cross must be of such a high degree...
for an unescorted bombing attack, conducted through antiaircraft fire and fighter defenses, against docks and warehouses at Hankowon 21 August 1943. Received second DUC for interdiction of Japanese shipping during 1944–1945.
Major Horace S Carswell Jr.
Horace S. Carswell, Jr.
Horace Seaver "Stump" Carswell, Jr. was a Medal of Honor recipient as a Major in the United States Army Air Corps who served in World War II...
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 on 26 October 1944 when, in spite of intense antiaircraft fire, he attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea; his plane was so badly damaged that when he reached land he ordered the crew to bail out; Carswell, however, remained with the plane to try to save one man who could not jump because his parachute had been ripped by flak; before Carswell could attempt a crash landing, the plane struck a mountainside and burned.
The group moved to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in June 1945. Ferried gasoline and supplies over the Hump. After the Japanese Capitulation in August, the group remained in India in support United States forces in the CBI. Personnel sailed for the United States in December, leaving B-24s to the colonial Indian forces. The unit inactivated as a paper unit in January 1946.
From October 1946 through January 1951, served with Air Weather Service; supervised training and operation of weather reconnaissance units. Not operational 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952.
Beginning in November 2004 reactivated; mission to equip warfighters with long range, precision attack capabilities.
Lineage
- Established as 308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
- Activated 15 April 1942
- Inactivated 6 January 1946
- Redesignated 308th Reconnaissance Group, Weather, on 27 September 1946
- Activated 17 October 1946
- Inactivated 5 January 1951
- Redesignated 308th Bombardment Group, Medium, on 4 October 1951
- Activated 10 October 1951
- Inactivated 16 June 1952
- Consolidated (3 May 2006) with Long Range Missile Systems Group, which was established on 23 November 2004.
- Activated 27 January 2005
- Redesignated 308th Armament Systems Group on 15 May 2006.
Assignments
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 15 April 1942 - Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, 10 March 1943 - United States Forces India-Burma Theater, August–December 1945
- Air Transport Command, Air Weather Service, 17 October 1946
- Military Air Transport Service, Air Weather Service, 1 June 1948 – 5 January 1951
- 308th Bombardment Wing, 10 October 1951 – 16 January 1952
- Air to Ground Munitions Systems (later, 308th Armament Systems) Wing308th Armament Systems WingThe United States Air Force's 308th Armament Systems Wing is a non-flying wing based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.-Overview:The wing was activated in 2004 to design, develop, field and maintain a family of air-to-ground munitions that enhance warfighter strike capabilities.The mission of the...
, 27 January 2005–present
Components
- 36 Reconnaissance (later, 425 Bombardment) Squadron425th Bombardment SquadronThe 375th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 308th Bombardment Wing stationed at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York.-History:...
: 15 April 1942 – 6 January 1946 - 53d Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather): attached 17 October 1946 – 15 October 1947
- 54th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather): 17 October 1946 – 15 October 1947
- 55th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather): 17 October 1946 – 15 October 1947
- 59th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather): attached 17 October 1946 – 15 October 1947
- 373d Bombardment Squadron: 15 April 1942 – 21 July 1945; 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 October 1951 – 17 April 1952).
- 374th (later, 374 Reconnaissance) Squadron: 15 April 1942 – 6 January 1946; 15 October 1947 – 19 December 1950; 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 October 1951 – 17 April 1952)
- 375th Bombardment Squadron375th Bombardment SquadronThe 375th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 308th Bombardment Wing stationed at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York.-History:...
: 15 April 1942 – 6 January 1946; 10 October 1951 – 16 June 1952 (detached 10 October 1951 – 17 April 1952). - 512th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather): 15 October 1947 – 20 September 1948; 13 February-14 November 1949
- 513th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather): 15 October 1947 – 20 September 1948; 10 August 1949 – 19 December 1950
- 2078th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 June 1948 – 20 March 1950.
Stations
- 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....
, 15 April 1942 - Davis-Monthan Field, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 20 June 1942 - Wendover Field, UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, 1 October – 28 November 1942 - Pueblo Army Air Base, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, December 1942 – February 1943? - Kunming Airport, China, 20 March 1943
- Hsinching Airfield, China, 10 February 1945
- Ruspi Airfield, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, 27 June – 15 October 1945 - Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 5–6 January 1946
- Morrison Field, Florida, 17 October 1946
- Fairfield-Suisun Army Airfield, California, 1 July 1947
- Tinker AFB, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 10 November 1949 – 5 January 1951 - Forbes AFB, 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...
, 10 October 1951 - Hunter AFB, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, 11 April – 16 June 1952 - Eglin AFB, Florida, 27 January 2005 – present