341st Missile Wing

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Lineage

Established as 341st Bombardment Group (Medium) on 14 Aug 1942. Activated on 15 Sep 1942. Redesignated 341st Bombardment Group, Medium, on 1 Aug 1943. Inactivated on 2 Nov 1945. Redesignated 341st Bombardment Group, Light, and activated in the Reserve, on 27 Dec 1946. Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949. Consolidated (31 Jan 1984) with the 341st Bombardment Wing, Medium, which was established on 23 Mar 1953. Activated on 1 Sep 1955. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jun 1961. Redesignated 341st Strategic Missile Wing (ICBM-Minuteman), and activated, on 1 Jul 1961. Organized on 15 Jul 1961. Redesignated 341st Missile Wing on 1 Sep 1991.

Assignments

10th (later, Tenth) Air Force, 15 Sep 1942; India Air Task Force, 3 Oct 1942; Tenth Air Force, 16 Oct 1943; Fourteenth Air Force, 25 Oct 1943 (attached to Tenth Air Force, 25 Oct?14 Dec 1943; Strategic Air Force, 15 Dec 1943?); 69th Composite Wing, 26 Dec 1943 (continued attachment to Strategic Air Force until c. 7 Jan 1944); XIV Air Force Tactical Air Command (Provisional) (attached to 69th Composite Wing), 21 Jun 1945; 69th Composite Wing, 1 Aug 1945; Fourteenth Air Force, 25 Aug?c. Sep 1945. First Air Force, 27 Dec 1946; 3d Bombardment Wing, Light (later, 3d Air Division, Bombardment), 17 Oct 1947?27 Jun 1949. Fifteenth Air Force, 1 Sep 1955; 819th Air Division, 1 Feb 1956?25 Jun 1961 (attached to 3d Air Division, 9 Jan?c. 4 Apr 1958). Strategic Air Command, 1 Jul 1961; 22d Air Division, 15 Jul 1961; 821st Strategic Aerospace Division, 1 Jul 1962; 813th Strategic Aerospace Division, 1 Jul 1964; 18th Strategic Aerospace Division, 2 Jul 1966; 810th Strategic Aerospace Division, 2 Jul 1968; 4th Strategic Missile (later, 4th Air) Division, 30 Jun 1971; 47th Air Division, 15 Jan 1973; 4th Air Division, 23 Jan 1987; Fifteenth Air Force, 23 Aug 1988; 40th Air Division, 7 Jul 1989; Fifteenth Air Force, 14 Jun 1991; Twentieth Air Force, 1 Sep 1991?.

Components

Group. 341st Operations: 1 Sep 1991?.

Squadrons. 10th: 18 Jun 1947?27 Jun 1949; 1 Sep 1955?25 Jun 1961; 1 Dec 1961?1 Sep 1991. 11th Air Refueling: 1 Dec 1955?1 Jun 1960 (detached 19 Dec 1956?10 Apr 1957, 9 Jan?c. 4 Apr 1958, and 10 Jul?26 Sep 1958). 11th: 15 Sep 1942?10 Mar 1943 (detached 15 Sep 1942?10 Mar 1943); 25 Oct 1943?2 Nov 1945 (detached 25 Oct 1943?c. 6 Jan 1944, 13 Mar? c. Dec 1944, and 16 Mar?1 Aug 1945). 12th: 24 Jul 1947?27 Jun 1949; 1 Sep 1955?25 Jun 1961; 1 Mar 1962?1 Sep 1991. 22d: 15 Sep 1942?2 Nov 1945. 490th: assigned 15 Sep 1942?25 Oct 1943, attached 26 Oct 1943?c. 7 Jan 1944; assigned 7 May?2 Nov 1945 (detached 7 May?c. 25 Aug 1945); 4 Apr 1947?27 Jun 1949; 1 Sep 1955?25 Jun 1961; 1 May 1962?1 Sep 1991. 491st: 15 Sep 1942?2 Nov 1945; 5 Jun 1947?27 Jun 1949; 1 Nov 1958? 25 Jun 1961. 564th: 1 Apr 1966?1 Sep 1991.

Stations

Camp Malir, Karachi, India, 15 Sep 1942; Chakulia, India, 30 Dec 1942; Kurmitola, India, Jun 1943; Kunming, China, c. 7 Jan 1944; Yangkai, China, 13 Dec 1944?c. Sep 1945; Camp Kilmer, NJ, 1?2 Nov 1945. Westover Field (later, AFB), MA, 27 Dec 1946?27 Jun 1949. Abilene (later, Dyess) AFB, TX, 1 Sep 1955?25 Jun 1961. Malmstrom AFB, MT, 15 Jul 1961?.

Commanders

Col Torgils G. Wold, 15 Sep 1942; Lt Col James A. Philpott, 21 Sep 1943; Col Torgils G. Wold, 2 Nov 1943; Col Morris F. Taber, 23 Nov 1943; Maj Loren S. Nickels, 2 Feb 1944; Col Morris F. Taber, 17 Mar 1944; Col Joseph B. Wells, 11 Apr 1944; Col Donald L. Clark, c. 1 Dec 1944; Col James W. Newsome, 16 Apr 1945?unkn. None (not manned), 27 Dec 1946?c. Mar 1947; Lt Col Ralph P. Warriner, c. Mar 1947?unkn; Lt Col Michael D. Petrosky, (by Aug) 1948?unkn. Col Anthony J. Perna, 1 Sep 1955; Col Frank P. Sturdivant, c. 3 Dec 1955; Col Calvin E. Peeler, c. 31 Oct 1957; Col Anthony J. Perna, c. 1 Nov 1957; Col Jack W. Hayes, Jr., 9 Jun 1959; Col Ralph T. Holland, 3 Feb?25 Jun 1961. None (not manned), 1?14 Jul 1961; Col Burton C. Andrus, Jr., 15 Jul 1961; Brig Gen Lawrence S. Lightner, 20 Feb 1963; Col Rex Dowtin, 1 Jul 1964; Col Thomas F. Doyle, 3 Jun 1966; Col John W. Carroll, 5 Jul 1966; Col Eugene J. Crahen, 13 Mar 1968; Brig Gen Gerald G. Fall, Jr., 27 May 1970; Brig Gen Kermit C. Kaericher, 7 Jun 1972; Col Ralph D. Scott, 7 Jun 1973; Col William R. Brooksher, 18 Jun 1975; Col Gerald E. McIlmoyle, 23 Jul 1976; Col Allen K. Rachel, 23 Mar 1978; Col James L. Crouch, 25 May 1979; Col Dennis M. Heitkamp, 5 Jun 1981; Col James B. Knight, 20 Jun 1983; Col Robert W. Parker, 3 Aug 1984; Col Teddy E. Rinebarger, 13 Dec 1985; Col Richard O. Keen, 10 Jul 1987; Col Edward L. Burchfield, 20 Sep 1988; Col William R. Smith, 27 Aug 1990; Brig Gen Thomas H. Neary, 15 Jan 1992?.

Aircraft and Missiles

B?25, 1942?1945; A?26, 1945. AT?6, 1947?1949; AT?11, 1947?1949. B?47, 1956?1961; KC?97, 1956?1960. Minuteman I, 1962?1969; Minuteman II, 1967?; Minuteman III, 1975?.

Operations

Activated in India on 15 Sep 1942. Equipped with B?25s. Entered combat early in 1943 and operated chiefly against enemy transportation in central Burma until 1944. Bombed bridges, locomotives, rail yards, and other targets to delay movement of supplies to the Japanese troops fighting in northern Burma. Moved to China in Jan 1944. Engaged primarily in sea sweeps and attacks against inland shipping. Also bombed and strafed such targets as trains, harbors, and railroads in French Indochina and the Canton-Hong Kong area of China. Received a DUC for developing and using a special (glip) bombing technique against enemy bridges in French Indochina. Moved to the US in Oct 1945. Inactivated on 2 Nov 1945. Performed strategic bombardment training operations on a global scale, Jan 1956?May 1961, and air refueling, Feb 1956?May 1960. Deployed at Andersen AFB, Guam, Jan?Apr 1958. Phased down for inactivation at Dyess AFB, TX, Apr?Jun 1961. Replaced 4061st Air Refueling Wing in Jul 1961. Became USAF?s first Minuteman ICBM wing. Supervised missile training and coordinated silo construction, Jul 1961?Jul 1963 and Oct 1964?May 1967. First missile squadron formed in Dec 1961. First Minuteman I missile arrived at Malmstrom on 23 Jul 1962; first missile emplaced in its silo on 27 Jul 1962. First missile on alert on 27 Oct 1962, and three squadrons became operational by early Jul 1963. A fourth squadron activated 1 Apr 1966 and became combat ready in Apr 1967. Replaced Minuteman Is with Minuteman IIs, 1967?1969, and added Minuteman IIIs in Jan 1975. Received the SAC Commander?s Missile Wing of the Year Award for 1969. Won the SAC missile combat competition and the Blanchard Trophy in 1976, 1986, 1990 and 1991. Won the Lee R. Williams Trophy as SAC?s outstanding missile wing for 1963, 1975, 1976, 1986, 1987, and 1991. In accordance with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), on 28 Sep 1991, the 341st Missile Wing began taking its Minuteman II?s off alert and began deactivation of the missiles.

Honors

Service Streamers. None.

Campaign Streamers. World War II: India-Burma; China Defensive; China Offensive.

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.

Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citation: French Indo?China, 11 Dec 1944?12 Mar 1945. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 22 Oct 1962?31 Dec 1963; 1 Jul 1975? 30 Jun 1976; 1 Jul 1976?30 Jun 1977; 1 Jul 1979?30 Jun 1981; 1 Jul 1988? 30 Jun 1990; 1 Jul 1990?30 Jun 1991; 1 Sep 1991?31 Aug 1993.

Emblem

Per fess nebuly Azure, semi of mullets Argent, and White a sheath palewise point to base of the second and rising therefrom a sword of the like its hilt a winged escutcheon Or, between in base two lightning flashes pilewise Gules surmounted by an olive branch Vert veined Yellow; all within a diminished bordure of the last. Motto: PAX ORBIS PER ARMA AERIA ? World peace through air strength. Approved on 5 Jun 1957, modified on 22 Mar 1995.

  
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