340th Flying Training Group

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Lineage

Established as 340 Bombardment Group (Medium) on 10 Aug 1942. Activated on 20 Aug 1942. Redesignated 340 Bombardment Group, Medium on 20 Aug 1943. Inactivated on 7 Nov 1945. Redesignated 340 Bombardment Group, Light on 8 Oct 1947. Activated in the Reserve on 31 Oct 1947. Inactivated on 19 Aug 1949. Redesignated 340 Bombardment Group, Medium, and activated, on 22 May 1968. Organized on 2 Jul 1968. Inactivated on 31 Dec 1971. Redesignated 340 Air Refueling Group, Heavy on 14 Jun 1977. Activated on 1 Jul 1977. Consolidated (31 Mar 1982) with the 340 Bombardment Wing, Medium, which was established on 3 Oct 1952. Activated on 20 Oct 1952. Redesignated 340 Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 1 Sep 1963. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 2 Oct 1966. Redesignated: 340 Air Refueling Wing, Heavy on 1 Oct 1984; 340 Air Refueling Wing on 1 Sep 1991. Inactivated on 1 Oct 1992. Redesignated 340 Flying Training Group, and activated in the Reserve, on 1 Apr 1998.

Assignments

Third Air Force, 20 Aug 1942-unkn; Ninth Air Force, 5 Apr 1943; Twelfth Air Force, 22 Aug 1943; XII Air Support Command, 1 Sep 1943; 57 Bombardment Wing, 1 Nov 1943; XII Bomber Command, 2 Jan 1944; 57 Bombardment Wing, 1 Mar 1944; Army Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, 26 Jul 1945; First Air Force, 7 Aug-7 Nov 1945; 310 Bombardment Wing, Light (later, 310 Air Division), 31 Oct 1947-19 Aug 1949. Second Air Force, 20 Oct 1952; Eighth Air Force, 1 Jul 1955; Second Air Force, 1 Jan 1959; 17 Air (later, 17 Strategic Aerospace) Division, 15 Jul 1959; 4 Air Division, 1 Sep 1963; 19 Air Division, 1 Sep 1964-2 Oct 1966. Strategic Air Command, 22 May 1968; 19 Air Division, 2 Jul 1968-31 Dec 1971. 19 Air Division, 1 Jul 1977; Fifteenth Air Force, 16 Jun 1988-1 Oct 1992. Tenth Air Force, 1 Apr 1998-.

Components

Groups. 340 Operations: 1 Sep 1991-1 Oct 1992. 398 Operations: 1 Jun-1 Oct 1992.

Squadrons.5: 1 Apr 1998-. 9: 2 Jul 1969-31 Dec 1971. 11: 1 Jul 1977-1 Sep 1991. 34 Air Refueling: 1 Oct 1958-1 Oct 1959. 39: 2 Apr 2001-. 43: 1 Apr 1998-. 96: 1 Apr 1998-. 97: 1 Apr 1998-. 100: 1 Apr 1999-. 306: 1 Oct 1984-1 Sep 1991. 340 Air Refueling: 20 Oct 1952-1 Jul 1953 (detached entire period); 18 Jan 1954-15 Oct 1962 (detached 29 Oct-31 Dec 1956, 25 Sep-28 Dec 1957, 5 Jan-9 Apr 1959, and 3 Jan-1 Apr 1961). 486: 20 Aug 1942-7 Nov 1945; 31 Oct 1947-19 Aug 1949; 20 Oct 1952-2 Oct 1966 (not operational, 20 Oct 1952-Feb 1954). 487: 20 Aug 1942-7 Nov 1945; 31 Oct 1947-19 Aug 1949; 20 Oct 1952-1 Sep 1963 (not operational, 20 Oct 1952-Feb 1954). 488: 20 Aug 1942-7 Nov 1945; 31 Oct 1947-19 Aug 1949; 20 Oct 1952-1 Sep 1963 (not operational, 20 Oct 1952-Feb 1954). 489: 20 Aug 1942-7 Nov 1945; 10 Nov 1947-27 Jun 1949; 1 Oct 1958-1 Jan 1962. 910 Air Refueling: 1 Sep 1963-2 Oct 1966. 4007 Combat Crew Training: 2 Jul 1968-31 Dec 1971. 4111: 2 Jul 1968-2 Jul 1969.

Stations

Columbia AAB, SC, 20 Aug 1942; Walterboro, SC, 30 Nov 1942-30 Jan 1943; El Kabrit, Egypt, Mar 1943; Medenine, Tunisia, Mar 1943; Sfax, Tunisia, Apr 1943; Hergla, Tunisia, 2 Jun 1943; Comiso, Sicily, c. 2 Aug 1943; Catania, Sicily, 27 Aug 1943; San Pancrazio, Italy, c. 15 Oct 1943; Foggia, Italy, 19 Nov 1943; Pompeii, Italy, c. 2 Jan 1944; Paestum, Italy, 23 Mar 1944; Corsica, c. 14 Apr 1944; Rimini, Italy, c. 2 Apr-27 Jul 1945; Seymour Johnson Field, NC, 9 Aug 1945; Columbia AAB, SC, 2 Oct-7 Nov 1945. Tulsa Muni Aprt, OK, 31 Oct 1947-19 Aug 1949. Sedalia (later, Whiteman) AFB, MO, 20 Oct 1952; Bergstrom AFB, TX, 1 Sep 1963-2 Oct 1966. Carswell AFB, TX, 2 Jul 1968-31 Dec 1971. Altus AFB, OK, 1 Jul 1977-1 Oct 1992. Randolph AFB, TX, 1 Apr 1998-.

Commanders

Unkn, 20 Aug-2 Sep 1942; Lt Col Adolph E. Tokaz, 3 Sep 1942; Col William C. Mills, 21 Sep 1942; Lt Col Adolph E. Tokaz, 7 May 1943; Col Charles D. Jones, 8 Jan 1944; Col Willis F. Chapman, 16 Mar 1944-7 Nov 1945. Unkn, 31 Oct 1947-19 Aug 1949. Lt Col Leonard S. Flo, 20 Oct 1952; Col Franklin K. Reyher, 18 Feb 1953; Col Chester C. Cox, 20 Nov 1953; Col Abe J. Beck, 2 Jul 1954; Col Robert T. Calhoun, 29 Jun 1957; Brig Gen Harold E. Humfeld, 23 Sep 1957; Col Robert T. Calhoun, c. 16 Jul 1959; Col George L. Newton Jr., 1 Sep 1959; Col Willis F. Lewis, 1 May 1961; Col Carl G. Payne, 10 Jul 1963; Col Lowell B. Fisher, 13 Aug 1963; Col Frank P. Bender, 1 Sep 1963; Col Edwin H. Garrison, 16 Aug 1965; Col William Marchesi, 1 Jun-2 Oct 1966. None (not manned), 22 May-17 Jul 1968; Col Frank L. Voightmann, 18 Jul 1968; Col Winston E. Moore, 1 May 1969; Col Kenneth J. Green, 1 Dec 1969; Maj Thomas J. Wilkinson, 1 Oct-31 Dec 1971. Col Arthur D. Seely, 1 Jul 1977; Col Alan B. Walters, 7 Jun 1978; Col Samuel H. Shockey Jr., 19 Nov 1979; Col Foster N. Dickson, 10 Sep 1981; Col Howard L. Kravetz, 30 Mar 1983; Col Densel K. Acheson, 29 Jan 1985; Col Dennis P. Tewell, 23 Jul 1987; Col John R. Clapper, 27 Jun 1989; Col Richard W. Salsbury, 29 Jul 1991-1 Oct 1992. Col Patrick A. Collins, 1 Apr 1998-.

Aircraft

B-25, 1942-1945. AT-6, 1947-1949; T-11, 1948-1949. YRB-47, 1954-1956; B-47, 1954-1963; KC-97, 1954-1962; KC-135, 1959, 1963-1966; B-52, 1963-1966. T-33, 1969-1970; FB-111, 1969-1971. KC-135, 1977-1992. T-37, 1998-; T-38, 1998-; T-1, 1998-.

Operations

Trained with B-25s, Sep 1942-Jan 1943. Arrived in Mediterranean theater in Mar 1943, and entered combat the next month, first with the Ninth and then with the Twelfth Air Force. Attached to Desert Air Force, Apr-c. Jun 1943, and Tactical Bomber Force, 3 Jun 1943-1 Mar 1944. Sometimes conducted strategic bombing, but mostly flew close air support and interdiction missions against airfields, railroads, bridges, road junctions, supply depots, gun emplacements, troop concentrations, marshalling yards, and factories in Tunisia, Sicily, Italy, France, Austria, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia, and Greece. The group also dropped propaganda leaflets behind enemy lines. Participated in the reduction of Pantelleria and Lampedusa in Jun 1943, the bombing of German evacuation beaches near Messina in Jul, the establishment of the Salerno beachhead in Sep, the drive for Rome during Jan-Jun 1944, the invasion of southern France in Aug, and attacks on the Brenner Pass and other German lines of communication in northern Italy from Sep 1944 to Apr 1945. Earned a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for the period Apr-Aug 1943, when it supported the British Eighth Army in Tunisia and Allied forces in Sicily. Earned a second DUC for the destruction of a cruiser in the heavily defended harbor of La Spezia on 23 Sep 1944 before the enemy could use the ship to block the harbor's entrance. Returned to the United States, Jul-Aug 1945. Between Oct 1947 and Aug 1949, the group performed medium bombardment training in the Air Force Reserve. In Oct 1952, replaced the 4224th Air Base Squadron at Sedalia (later Whiteman) AFB, MO. Supervised base rehabilitation and construction until May 1954, when it commenced tactical operations. Deployed to Lakenheath RAF Station, England, 13 Sep-3 Nov 1955. Phased down at Whiteman AFB in mid-1963 and moved without personnel or equipment to Bergstrom AFB, TX, absorbing the resources and mission of the 4130th Strategic Wing. Continued global strategic bombardment and air refueling operations to inactivation. Beginning Jul 1968, conducted initial qualification and refresher training for Strategic Air Command crews, while maintaining its own combat crew force. From Jul 1977 to Oct 1992, conducted aerial refueling operations for USAF global missions. In 1990, in Operation Desert Shield the wing deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia. From 1998, the group trained veteran pilots as Air Force Reserve instructor pilots to take the place of regular AETC instructors.

Service Streamers

None.

Campaign Streamers

World War II: Air Combat, EAME Theater; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Southern France; North Apennines; Central Europe; Po Valley. Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers

None.

Decorations

Distinguished Unit Citations: North Africa and Sicily, [Apr]-17 Aug 1943; Italy, 23 Sep 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Award: 1 Jul 1980-30 Jun 1982.

Lineage, Assignments, Components, Stations, and Honors through 6 Apr 2001

Commanders, Aircraft, and Operations through 30 Sep 1998

Emblem

Approved on 12 Sep 1955.

  
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