44th Air Division
Encyclopedia
The 44th Air Division, was established on 16 April 1948, when it was at Brooks Field (later, Brooks Air Force Base, Brooks City-Base
), Texas
, under the 14th Air Force, then transferred to the 12th Air Force on 1 July 1948.
, Belgium
, and the Netherlands
between December 1943 and February 1944. Beginning in March 1944, they bombed rail road and highway bridges, oil tanks, and missile sites in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. Its subordinate units supported the Allied offensive at Caen
, France, and the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
, France, in July 1944. Between October and December 1944, they bombed bridges, road junctions, and ordnance depots in support of the assault on the Siegfried Line
. On 16 December 1944, during a period of poor flying weather, the Germans launched a major offensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge
, in the Ardennes Forest. When the weather cleared, 44th wing units bombed supply points, communication centres, bridges, marshalling yards, roads, and oil storage tanks.
Two years later, it was redesignated 44 Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) on 27 May 1947, then activated in the Air Force Reserve on 26 June 1947. Finally, the unit was redesignated as the 44th Air Division (Bombardment, on 16 April 1948, with the last inactivated on 27 June 1949.
Brooks City-Base
Brooks City-Base was a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas, southeast of Downtown San Antonio.In 2002 Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Development Authority as part of a unique project between local, state,...
), Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, under the 14th Air Force, then transferred to the 12th Air Force on 1 July 1948.
World War II
Prior to this assignment the unit started as the 44th Bombardment Wing. It's subordinate units attacked enemy airfields in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
between December 1943 and February 1944. Beginning in March 1944, they bombed rail road and highway bridges, oil tanks, and missile sites in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. Its subordinate units supported the Allied offensive at Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
, France, and the breakthrough at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
, France, in July 1944. Between October and December 1944, they bombed bridges, road junctions, and ordnance depots in support of the assault on the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
. On 16 December 1944, during a period of poor flying weather, the Germans launched a major offensive, known as the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, in the Ardennes Forest. When the weather cleared, 44th wing units bombed supply points, communication centres, bridges, marshalling yards, roads, and oil storage tanks.
Lineage
The 44th was originally established as 44th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 15 February 1943 and activated on 1 March 1943. It was redesignated the 99th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) on 2 November 1943 then the 99th Combat Bombardment Wing (Medium) on 13 August 1944, then the 99th Bombardment Wing( Medium) on 16 June 1945, and then inactivated on 4 October 1945.Two years later, it was redesignated 44 Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) on 27 May 1947, then activated in the Air Force Reserve on 26 June 1947. Finally, the unit was redesignated as the 44th Air Division (Bombardment, on 16 April 1948, with the last inactivated on 27 June 1949.
Service streamers
This unit earned the following organizational service streamers:- World War II: European African Middle Eastern (EAME) Theater.
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....
, 1 March 1943; - Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe 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....
, c.28 July 1943; - VIII Air Support CommandVIII Air Support CommandThe VIII Air Support Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force, stationed at Sunninghill, Berkshire, England. It was inactivated on 1 December 1943....
, c.28 September 1943; - IX Bomber Command (later, 9 Bombardment Division [Medium], 9th Air Division), c. November 1943–16 September 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"...
, 17 September 1945–4 October 1945. - Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 26 June 1947; - 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....
, 1 July 1948; - Twelfth Air Force, 12 January 1949–27 June 1949.
Components
Groups- 312th Bombardment Group: 30 July 1947–27 June 1949.
- 322d Bombardment Group: 17 November 1943–8 June 1945.
- 344th Bombardment Group344th Bombardment GroupThe 344th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the XII Fighter Command stationed at Schleissheim Palace, Germany. It was inactivated on 15 February 1946....
: c.28 February 1944–c.30 April 1945. - 386th Bombardment Group: c.30 November 1943–c.30 August 1945.
- 391st Bombardment Group391st Bombardment GroupThe 391st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Army Service Forces stationed at Camp Shanks, New York...
: 15 February 1944–3 June 1945. - 394th Bombardment Group394th Bombardment GroupThe 394th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the XII Fighter Command stationed at AAF Station Kitzingen, Germany. It was inactivated on 15 February 1946...
: c.22 January 1945–30 November 1945. - 401st Bombardment Group: 17 October 1947–27 June 1949.
- 447th Bombardment Group: 12 August 1947–27 June 1949.
Stations
- Salt Lake City Army Air Base, 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 March 1943; - Biggs FieldBiggs Army AirfieldBiggs Army Airfield or Biggs AAF is a military airport located at Fort Bliss near El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, in the United States. The airfield was previously Biggs Air Force Base, a Strategic Air Command installation, between 1947 and 1966. The U.S. Army began operations supporting Ft...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 14 May 1943–4 July 1943; - Aldermaston, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 28 July 1943; - Great Dunmow, England, 12 November 1943;
- Beaumont, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 25 September 1944; - Tienen, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, 27 April 1945; - Namur, Belgium, 1 July 1945–c.8 August 1945;
- Camp Myles StandishCamp Myles StandishCamp Myles Standish was a U.S. Army camp located in Taunton, Massachusetts. It functioned as a prisoner-of-war camp, a departure area for about a million U.S...
, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 3 October 1945–4 October 1945. (for inactivation) - Brooks Field (later, Brooks Air Force Base, Brooks City-BaseBrooks City-BaseBrooks City-Base was a United States Air Force facility located in San Antonio, Texas, southeast of Downtown San Antonio.In 2002 Brooks Air Force Base was renamed Brooks City-Base when the property was conveyed to the Brooks Development Authority as part of a unique project between local, state,...
), TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 26 June 1947–27 June 1949.
Aircraft / Missiles / Space vehicles
- B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
, 1943–1945; - A-26 InvaderA-26 InvaderThe Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
, 1944–1945. - B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe 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...
, 1948–1949.
Commanders
- Unknown, 1 March 1943–11 November 1943;
- Brigadier General Herbert B. Thatcher, 12 November 1943;
- Colonel Reginald F. C. Vance, 7 November 1944;
- Major Charles F. Salter, 1 July 1945;
- Lieutenant Colonel William W. Brier, 13 July 1945;
- Brigadier General Richard C. SandersRichard C. SandersRichard Condie Sanders was the youngest general officer in Air Force history. Born in 1915, in Salt Lake City, Utah. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1937 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was appointed a second lieutenant, Field Artillery Reserve, Sept. 4, 1936, while still in...
, 12 August 1945–c.4 October 1945. - Unknown, 26 June 1947–27 June 1949.