383d Bombardment Group
Encyclopedia
The 383d Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces
, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 3 January 1946.
The unit was initially a World War II
B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
operational training unit (OTU). Redesignated as a replacement training unit (RTU) in October 1943. Inactivated in April 1944 when Second Air Force
switched to B-29 Superfortress
training. Late in the war the group was reactivated and trained as a Very Heavy (VH) B-29 Superfortress
group and assigned to Eighth Air Force
in Okinawa. However, the war ended before the group could enter combat.
as an operational training unit for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator
flight crews, first at Rapid City AAF, South Dakota, then later at Geiger AAF, in Washington.
With the phasedown of B-17/B-24 training, the 383d was inactivated on 1 April 1944. However, the unit was reactivated on 28 August as the 383d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and programmed as a B-29 Superfortress
group for the Pacific Theater
at Dalhart AAF, Texas. Shortages of B-29s for training caused the group to remain in the United States for almost a year until finally it deployed to Okinawa in August 1944 to be part of Eighth Air Force
in the Pacific. However, the war ended before the group could enter combat.
Reassigned to Twentieth Air Force
in September 1945, the group flew a few training missions from Okinawa until being returned to the United States for demobilization in December.
The 383d Bomb Group was inactivated on 3 January 1946.
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. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces
Army Service Forces
The Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
, being stationed at Camp Azna, California. It was inactivated on 3 January 1946.
The unit was initially a 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...
B-17 Flying Fortress and 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...
operational training unit (OTU). Redesignated as a replacement training unit (RTU) in October 1943. Inactivated in April 1944 when Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The 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....
switched to 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...
training. Late in the war the group was reactivated and trained as a Very Heavy (VH) 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...
group and assigned to Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
in Okinawa. However, the war ended before the group could enter combat.
Lineage
- Constituted as 383d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 October 1942
- Activated on 3 November 1942
- Inactivated on 1 April 1944.
- Redesignated 383d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy)
- Activated on 28 August 1944
- Inactivated on 3 January 1946
Assignments
- 2d (later 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....
, 3 November 1942 – 1 April 1944; 28 August 1944 – 31 August 1945 - 316th Bombardment Wing316th Air DivisionThe 316th Airlift Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Forces in Europe, assigned to Seventeenth Air Force, being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany...
, 12 September-19 December 1945 - Army Service ForcesArmy Service ForcesThe Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
, 2–3 January 1946
Stations Assigned
- Salt Lake City AABSalt Lake City International AirportSalt Lake City International Airport is a major public airport in Utah. A joint civil-military facility, it is located in western Salt Lake City, approximately four miles from the central business district...
, 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...
, 3–12 November 1942 - Rapid City AABEllsworth Air Force BaseEllsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota....
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 12 November 1942 – 20 June 1943 - Geiger FieldSpokane International AirportSpokane International Airport is a commercial airport located about west of downtown Spokane in Spokane County, Washington. It is the primary airport for Spokane, eastern Washington, Coeur d'Alene, and northern Idaho...
, Washington, 20 June – 26 October 1943 - Peterson Field, 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...
26 October 1943 – 1 April 1944 - Dalhart AAFDalhart Municipal AirportDalhart Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Dalhart, Texas, a city straddling the border of Dallam and Hartley counties in the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle.The airport is not served by any commercial...
, Texas 28 August 1944 – 14 January 1945 - Walker AAFWalker Army Airfield (Kansas)Walker Army Airfield is an abandoned airfield located north of Interstate 70 in Ellis County, 4 miles northeast of Victoria, Kansas....
, 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...
14 January – 11 August 1945 - Kadena Airfield, Okinawa, 12 September – 19 December 1945
- Camp AnzaCamp AnzaCamp Anza was a United States Army installation near Riverside, California during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943....
, California 2–3 January 1946
Operational Units
- 540th Bombardment Squadron 3 November 1942 – 1 April 1944 (B-17, B-24)
- 541st Bombardment Squadron541st Bombardment SquadronThe 541st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 383d Bombardment Group stationed at Peterson Field, Colorado. It was inactivated on 1 April 1944.-History:...
3 November 1942 – 1 April 1944 (B-17, B-24) - 542d Bombardment Squadron542d Bombardment SquadronThe 542d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 383d Bombardment Group stationed at Peterson Field, Colorado. It was inactivated on 1 April 1944.-History:...
3 November 1942 – 1 April 1944 (B-17, B-24) - 543d Bombardment Squadron 3 November 1942 – 1 April 1944 (B-17, B-24)
- 876th Bombardment Squadron876th Bombardment SquadronThe 876th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 383d Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Camp Anza, California on 29 December 1945.-History:...
28 August 1944 – 29 December 1945 (B-29) - 880th Bombardment Squadron880th Bombardment SquadronThe 880th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 383d Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at Camp Anza, California on 3 Jan 1946.-History:...
28 August 1944 – 3 January 1946 (B-29) - 884th Bombardment Squadron884th Bombardment SquadronThe 884th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 383d Bombardment Group. It was inactivated at March Field, California on 29 December 1945.-History:...
28 August 1944 – 29 December 1945 (B-29)
Aircraft flown
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress
Operational history
The 383d Bombardment Group (Heavy) was constituted on 28 October 1942 at Salt Lake City AAB, Utah, and activated on 3 November 1942. The 383d was assigned to Second Air ForceSecond Air Force
The 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....
as an operational training unit for B-17 Flying Fortress and 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...
flight crews, first at Rapid City AAF, South Dakota, then later at Geiger AAF, in Washington.
With the phasedown of B-17/B-24 training, the 383d was inactivated on 1 April 1944. However, the unit was reactivated on 28 August as the 383d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) and programmed as a 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...
group for the Pacific Theater
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
at Dalhart AAF, Texas. Shortages of B-29s for training caused the group to remain in the United States for almost a year until finally it deployed to Okinawa in August 1944 to be part of Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
in the Pacific. However, the war ended before the group could enter combat.
Reassigned to 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...
in September 1945, the group flew a few training missions from Okinawa until being returned to the United States for demobilization in December.
The 383d Bomb Group was inactivated on 3 January 1946.