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Today, as the largest bomb wing in [[Air Combat Command]] and as a part of the historic "Mighty Eighth" Air Force, the wing continues to reflect the heritage of its motto Libertatem Defendimus: "Liberty We Defend."
Today, as the largest bomb wing in [[Air Combat Command]] and as a part of the historic "Mighty Eighth" Air Force, the wing continues to reflect the heritage of its motto Libertatem Defendimus: "Liberty We Defend."


The current Commander is Colonel Robert Wheeler, with Colonel Gerald Hounchell as Vice-Commander, and Chief Master Sergeant Tim Cooley as [[Command Chief Master Sergeant]].
The current Commander is Colonel Steven Basham, with Colonel Gerald Hounchell as Vice-Commander, and Chief Master Sergeant Tim Cooley as [[Command Chief Master Sergeant]].


* 2d Maintenance Group
* 2d Maintenance Group

Revision as of 17:27, 25 March 2009

2d Bomb Wing
2d Bomb Wing emblem
ActiveOctober 15, 1947 –
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force
RoleBomber
Part ofAir Combat Command
Eighth Air Force
Garrison/HQBarksdale Air Force Base
Motto(s)LIBERTATEM DEFENDIMUS
Latin: Liberty We Defend
AircraftB-52 Stratofortress
Engagements
 
  • World War II
European Campaign (1942–1945)
Decorationssee "Lineage and Honors" section below
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Steven Basham
Notable
commanders		George J. Eade
Eugene E. Habiger
Charles T. Robertson, Jr.
John Dale Ryan
B-52H bomber at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana

The 2d Bomb Wing (2 BW) is a B-52 Stratofortress unit based at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. Part of the Eighth Air Force, it is one of only two B-52 wings in the United States Air Force, the other being the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base.

The 2d Bomb Wing is a descendant organization of the 2nd Bombardment Group, one of the 13 original combat air groups formed by the Army before World War II.

Units

The 2d Bomb Wing is the oldest bomb wing in the Air Force. It participated in Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell's 1921 off-shore bombing test (as the 2nd Bomb Group).

Today, as the largest bomb wing in Air Combat Command and as a part of the historic "Mighty Eighth" Air Force, the wing continues to reflect the heritage of its motto Libertatem Defendimus: "Liberty We Defend."

The current Commander is Colonel Steven Basham, with Colonel Gerald Hounchell as Vice-Commander, and Chief Master Sergeant Tim Cooley as Command Chief Master Sergeant.

  • 2d Maintenance Group
2d Maintenance Squadron
2d Maintenance Operations Squadron
2d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
2d Munitions Squadron
  • 2d Medical Group
  • 2d Operations Group
2d Operations Support Squadron ("Posse")
11th Bomb Squadron
20th Bomb Squadron ("Buccaneers")
96th Bomb Squadron ("The Devil's Own")
  • 2d Mission Support Group
2d Contracting Squadron
2d Communications Squadron
2d Civil Engineer Squadron
2d Logistics Readiness Squadron
2d Mission Support Squadron
2d Security Forces Squadron
2d Services Squadron

History

Overview: Organized in France as the 1st Day Bombardment Group in September 1918, the unit was demobilized after the armistice. The group consolidated in 1924 with the 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field, Virginia., which had participated in Billy Mitchell's demonstration of how aircraft could sink battleships. During World War II, the group flew B-17s from bases in North Africa and Italy. In 1947 it became part of the 2nd Bombardment Wing at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. Based since 1963 at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana., the wing flew the longest combat mission of all time in January 1991 when several B-52s hit key targets in Iraq on the opening night of the Persian Gulf war.

Heraldry

The group's emblem was approved in 1924. The bombs signify original squadrons, the stripes represent major World War I offensives, and the white fleur de lis symbolizes the French location of the battles.

Lineage

  • Organized as 1st Day Bombardment Group in France on September 10, 1918
Demobilized in France in November 1918, soon after the armistice.
  • Reconstituted (in 1924) and consoliated with a group that was organized in the US as 1st Day Bombardment Group on September 18, 1919
Redesignated: 2d Bombardment Group in 1921
Redesignated: 2d Bombardment Group (Heavy) in 1939
Inactivated in Italy on February 28, 1946.
  • Redesignated: 2d Bombardment Group (Very Heavy).
Activated in the US on July 1947.
  • Established as 2d Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, on October 15, 1947
2d Bombardment Group assigned to wing as subordinate unit
Organized on: November 5, 1947
Discontinued on July 12, 1948.
  • Redesignated: 2d Bombardment Wing, Medium, and activated on July 12, 1948.
2d Bombardment Group, Medium Inactivated on June 16, 1952.
Redesignated: 2d Bombardment Wing, Heavy, on April 1, 1963.
Redesignated: 2d Wing, September 1, 1991
2d Operations Group activated September 1, 1991
Redesignated: 2d Bomb Wing October 1, 1993

Assignments

Operational Components

Groups

  • 2 Bombardment (later, 2 Operations): November 5, 1947 – June 16, 1952 (detached November 17, 1947 – December 31, 1948 and February 18 – May 16, 1950); September 1, 1991 – Present

Squadrons

  • 2 Air Refueling: January 1, 1949 – April 1, 1963; January 9, 1989 – June 1, 1992
Attached February 10, 1951 – June 15, 1952
Detached February 10, 1951 – June 16, 1952
Attached February 10, 1951 – June 15, 1952
Detached February 10, 1951 – June 16, 1952
Attached: 13-29 October 1942 (stationed at Cherry Point MCAS, North Carolina)
  • 32 Air Refueling: September 1, 1991 – June 1, 1992.
  • 41 Reconnaissance (later, 429 Bombardment): February 25, 1942 – February 28, 1946
Attached c. December 1940 – February 24, 1942
Detached September 3, 1941 – October 29, 1942
  • 49 Bombardment: June 16, 1952 – April 1, 1963.
Attached February 10, 1951 – June 15, 1952
  • 54 Bombardment: March 1, 1935 – September 1, 1936 (detached entire period)
  • 62 Bombardment: June 25, 1965 – January 18, 1993
  • 71 Air Refueling: April 15, 1968 – October 1, 1993
  • 96 Aero (later, 96 Squadron; 96 Bombardment; 96 Bomb): September 10 – November 1918; September 18, 1919 – February 28, 1946; July 1, 1947 – April 1, 1963; October 1, 1993 – Present
Attached February 10, 1951 – June 15, 1952
Detached November 12, 1919 – January 10, 1921; May–October 1921; February 10, 1951 – June 16, 1952
  • 166 Aero (later, 49 Squadron; 49 Bombardment): c. September 21 – November 1918; September 18, 1919 – February 28, 1946; July 1, 1947 – June 16, 1952
Detached May–October 1921, August 1922 – January 1928; December 1941 – June 1942; February 10, 1951 – June 16, 1952
  • 308 Air Refueling: July 1, 1959 – March 1, 1960
  • 429 Bombardment: October 1, 1958 – January 1, 1962.
  • 596 Bombardment: April 15, 1968 – October 1, 1993.
  • 913 Air Refueling: April 1, 1963 – November 1, 1981

Stations Assigned

References for commands and major units assigned, components and stations:[1][2][3]

Aircraft / Missiles / Space Vehicles

Operational History

Air Service and Air Corps

The history of the 2d Bomb Wing is nearly as old as that of American air power itself. As the 1st Day Bombardment Group during World War I, it participated in one of the largest bombing raids of the war October 9, 1918, when 353 Allied planes commanded by Gen. Billy Mitchell struck German troop concentrations in the Meuse-Argonne area. In more than two months of combat, the group delivered more than 111 tons of bombs on German targets. On September 18, 1919, at Kelly Field, Texas, the group was re-organized and formally established as part of the Air Service. On March 31, 1921, the 1st Day Bombardment Group was re-designated the 2d Group (Bombardment), and on January 25, 1923, as the 2d Bombardment Group.

From July 13 to July 21, 1921, the 2d Group’s four bombardment squadrons were detached to General Mitchell’s 1st Provisional Air Brigade to conduct controversial tests to determine the efficiency of aircraft against naval warships. The aircraft successfully bombed and sank three ex-German warships, including the formidable 22,437-ton battleship Ostfriesland, off the coast of Virginia. From September 23 to September 26, 1921, the group’s bombardment squadrons, again under the direction of General Mitchell, bombed and sank the ex-Navy battleship USS Alabama (BB-8) in yet another test of aircraft bombardment efficiency.

On July 1, 1922, the 2d Bomb Group relocated to Langley Field, Virginia, where it would remain for the next twenty years. On September 5, 1923, the group, operating from an improvised aerodrome on the sands near Cape Hatteras, N.C., bombed and sank the ex-Navy battleships USS Virginia and USS New Jersey.

To further attest the group’s capabilities, three 97th Bombardment Squadron Martin B-10B aircraft commanded by Capt. Richard E. Nugent departed Langley Field, Va., and successfully bombed a target 600 miles away in Michigan during the Second Army Maneuvers. This mission, flown almost entirely in inclement weather, garnered the squadron the 1936 Mackay Trophy.

On March 4, 1937, the group received the first of 12 B-17 Flying Fortresses delivered to the U.S. Army Air Corps. A goodwill tour to Argentina by six B-17s in February 1938 and a flight to Colombia by three B-17s in August of the same year highlighted the late 1930s. The trip to Buenos Aires represented the longest distance performance of its kind on record and won the group the Mackay Trophy in 1938. A second MacKay trophy was won in February of the following year when a crew flew medical supplies aboard the XB-15 to Chile following a catastrophic earthquake.

The group also achieved a well-publicized success on May 12, 1938, when three B-17s, led by group commander Lt. Col. Robert Olds and navigated by 1st Lt. Curtis E. LeMay, intercepted the Italian ocean liner Rex over 600 miles at sea during a training exercise.

On December 6, 1939, the group was redesignated the 2d Bombardment Group (Heavy).

U.S. Army Air Forces

Early in World War II the group was assigned anti-submarine patrol duty and in October 1942 was earmarked for combat. The group was transferred on paper to Geiger Field, Washington, where it was re-organized and trained with new personnel. The 2d BG entered combat operations in North Africa in March 1943, flying the B-17 bomber against Axis targets in the Mediterranean area. and operating from several bases in Algeria and Tunisia. On December 9, 1943, assigned to the newly-created Fifteenth Air Force, the group moved to Amendola, Italy, from which it conducted strategic bombing missions against German targets until the end of the war. From April 23, 1943, to May 1, 1945, aircrews flew a total of 412 combat missions, dropping 25,797 tons of bombs on targets in Africa, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Hungary. Group gunners claimed 279 victories of German and Italian aircraft.

Returning to the United States, the group was inactivated on February 28, 1946. On July 1, 1947, the group was redesignated the 2nd Bomb Group (Very Heavy) and activated at Davis Monthan Field, Arizona. Equipped with B-29 Superfortress bombers, the 2nd BG became part of the Strategic Air Command.

1947–1991

2nd BW B-29 Era insignia

The 2d Bomb Wing was activated as part of the United States Air Force on November 5, 1947, although the wing headquarters was not operational between that date and December 31, 1948. The 2d Bombardment Group (the flying operations part of the wing), except for a short period it spent in England in 1948, was attached to the 43rd Bombardment Group, during this period.

The entire wing moved from Arizona to Georgia on January 1, 1949 and manned from resources of other organizations. Converted from B-29 to B-50 bombers in 1949–1950 and trained in global bombardment operations from January 1949. Added air refueling mission in December 1950. Deployed at RAF Mildenhall, England, May–August 1951, RAF Upper Heyford, England, September–December 1952, and Sidi Slimane AB, French Morocco, August–September 1954 and July–August 1956.

Converted to B-47 jet bombers in 1954. Service-tested a "super wing" concept with 70 B-47s, July 1959 – April 1961. Moved to Barksdale AFB, LA, on April 1, 1963, replacing 4238th Strategic Wing and absorbing that wing's B-52 and KC-135 resources. Supported Second Air Force's post-attack command and control system, April 1963 – March 1970. Conducted bombardment training and air refueling operations from April 1963 except for periods when all aircraft and crews were on loan to SAC organizations involved in combat operations in Southeast Asia. Began supporting SAC operations in Southeast Asia with aircraft and personnel in 1965, and increasingly supported these operations in 1966 and 1967. On April 15, 1968, gained a second B-52 and a second KC-135 squadron, again becoming a SAC "super" wing. From late May 1972 until October 26, 1973, loaned all wing B-52 resources to SAC organizations in the Far East and Southeast Asia; from May 1972 to early November 1972, loaned all but four of the wing's KC-135s and a few aircrews to other SAC units. After the return of combat resources, the wing continued supporting SAC operations in Southeast Asia into 1975, on a reduced scale.

Gained KC-10 tankers in November 1981 to augment refueling operations for the USAF, AFRES, and ANG. Provided air refueling for rescue efforts in Grenada, October–November 1983, the attack on Libya, April 1986, and the invasion of Panama, December 1989 – January 1990. Presented the Omaha Trophy for "the Outstanding Wing in the Strategic Air Command" f2. Deployed B-52, KC-135, and KC-10 aircraft, aircrews, and support personnel to several locations in support of operations in Southwest Asia, August 7, 1990 – April 17, 1991.

Gulf War 1991

Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm brought Barksdale warriors into the spotlight again with their efforts to liberate Kuwait. The 2d Bomb Wing flew what was then the longest combat mission in the history of military aviation at the start of Desert Storm in 1991 when seven B-52s flew a 35-hour mission and, for the time in U.S. Air Force history, fired a devastating barrage of conventional air-launched cruise missiles. The 2d Bomb Wing delivered one-fourth of all U.S. Air Force bombs during Desert Storm. The 2d Bomb Wing KC-135s and KC-10s provided more than 1,000 of the 13,700 coalition refueling missions.

Senior Surprise - Strategic Air Commands' Longest Combat Mission

Secret Squirrel

On January 16–17, 1991 seven B-52Gs from the Eighth Air Force, 2d Bomb Wing, 596th Bomb Squadron, Barksdale AFB, LA. Flew the longest combat mission (35.4 hours) in aviation history,[citation needed] and the first Combat launch of conventional Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) in Operation Desert Storm against Iraq. The official name of this mission was SENIOR Surprise, unofficially it was referred to as Secret Squirrel.

Recent operations

Two 2d Bomb Wing B-52s conducted a missile strike against surface-to-air missile sites and air defense radars in Iraq in September 1996. Desert Strike was ordered in response to Iraqi attacks on Kurds in northern Iraq. The mission earned the wing the prestigious 1996 Mackay Trophy as the most meritorious flight of the year.

Recognizing the mighty B-52 as a weapon of choice, the National Command Authorities called upon the 2d Bomb Wing throughout the late 1990s to flex its muscles against rogue states in Southwest Asia and the Balkans: operations Southern Watch, Desert Fox and Allied Force.

On September 19, 2001, wing elements deployed to Diego Garcia and on October 7 flew early attacks on targets in Afghanistan in Operation Enduring Freedom to rid that country of terrorist bases and its extremist Taliban rulers; later flew airborne alert missions and, in Operation Anaconda, flew bombing missions against targets in eastern Afghanistan, March 1–18, 2002. In the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, flew missions on March 21 in "shock and awe" strikes against command and control targets.

Honors

Bestowed Honors: Authorized to display honors earned by the 2d Operations Group prior to November 5, 1947 (italicized).

Campaign Streamers

  • World War I: St. Mihiel; Lorraine; Meuse-Argonne
  • World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater; Air Offensive, Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Anzio; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley; Air Combat, EAME Theater
  • Grenada, 1983
  • Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait

Decorations

Awards

  • Mackay Trophy (for the "Most Meritorious Flight of the Year") (3): 1938, 1939, 1996
  • Omaha Trophy (for the "Outstanding Wing in the Strategic Air Command") (2): 1988, 1992

Emblem

Blazon: Or, in fess four aerial bombs descending bendwise sinister Azure garnished Argent on a chief engrailed Vert a fleur-de-lis White between two pallets Sable, all within a diminished bordure of the first.

Motto: LIBERTATEM DEFENDIMUS — Liberty We Defend.

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129
  2. ^ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
  3. ^ Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.
  4. ^ "2 Bomb Wing". 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2007-05-31.
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