304th Air Division
| 304th Air Division | |
|---|---|
 WingB-24 Liberatorshowing wing diamond on the tail[a] | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1947–1949 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Command ofbombardmentunits |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of Operations |
| Commanders | |
| Col John K. Brown Jr. | c. 29 December 1943 |
| Brig Gen Fay R. Upthegrove | 27 January 1944 |
| Lt Col William R. Boutz[b] | 5 July 1945-1945 |
| Insignia | |
| World War II tail and horizontal stabilizer marking[1] | Diamond (white on camouflaged aircraft, black on unpainted aircraft) |
The304th Air Divisionis an inactiveUnited States Air Forceorganization. Its last assignment was withFourth Air ForceatLong Beach Airport,California, where it was inactivated in June 1949.
The division was initially activated as the304th Bombardment WingatCerignola Airfield,Italy in December 1943. It was assigned fourConsolidated B-24 Liberatorbombardment groups the following month and conductedstrategic bombingfrom bases in Italy against Germany and occupied Europe. Thewing'sgroups were occasionally diverted tointerdictiontargets to support ground operations. AfterVE Day,the wing returned to the United States and was inactivated. It was activated as a reserve unit in 1947.
History
[edit]World War II
[edit]The personnel that would form thecadrefor the wing were assembled in early December 1943 atTopeka Army Air Field,Kansas for shipment overseas.[2]Upon their arrival in Italy, the304th Bombardment Wingwas activated at Cerignola Airfield, Italy in late December, although its personnel were located withFifteenth Air ForceatBariat the time and did not arrive at thewing'spermanent station until 4 January 1944.[3]It was assigned its first combat units in late January, although not all of them were in place until February,[4]and none had combat experience.[5][6][7]Thewingand itsgroupswere located at various bases in theFoggia Airfield ComplexinApulia.[8]The wing's first combat mission, against an airfield nearOrvieto,was flown in February.[3]
The 304th's primary mission was thestrategic bombardmentof enemy occupied Europe. Targets includedharbors,marshalling yards,airfields,bridges, industrial areas, and troop concentrations in Italy, Austria, Germany, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Greece. In May 1944, some subordinate units began an intensive bombing campaign against enemy oil resources, which includedrefineriesatPloiești,Romania, and oil and storage plants in Austria, Germany, and Hungary.[8]
The wing's groups were occasionally assignedinterdictionmissions. These included theBattle of Anzioin the spring of 1944;[6]the subsequentBattle of Monte Cassinoand the drive toRome;[4][6]Operation Dragoon,the invasion of southern France in July and August 1944;[4][5]and the advance against German troops in northern Italy.[8]Attacks in Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria were made to weaken German forces opposing the Soviet advance in Eastern Europe. These attacks also had the strategic objective of causing theseAxisnations to withdraw from the war.[9]
The wing flew its last combat mission in April 1945. FollowingVE Day,The wing began carrying food and other supplies to airfields nearUdine.[10]In June the wing concentrated on preparing its personnel and equipment for return to the United States. By the end of the month, most planes and crews had departed Italy, and all but one of the wing's groups returned to the United States by July 1945, while only three or four planes remained behind in Italy.[4][5][7][11][12]The wingheadquartersreturned in September and was inactivated at the port of embarkation.[8]
Air Force reserves
[edit]The 304th was reactivated as a reserve unit underAir Defense CommandatLong Beach Municipal Airport,California in April 1947 and assigned two reserve bombardment groups, which were activated at Long Beach the same day. The two groups were designated as very heavy groups and nominally wereBoeing B-29 Superfortressunits.[8][13]However, it does not appear that the groups were equipped during that period.[14]
In 1948Continental Air Commandassumed the responsibility for managing reserve andAir National Guardunits.[15]As the regular Air Force reorganized under thewing base organization,wings became single base organizations including both support and operational units. The 304th, which commanded two operational units was, therefore, renamed the304th Air Division.[8]
PresidentTruman'sreduced 1949 defense budget also required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force,[16]The Division was inactivated on 29 June 1949[8]and most of its personnel transferred to the448thand452d Bombardment Wings,which were activated the same day as light bomber units.[17]
Lineage
[edit]- Established as the304th Bombardment Wing(Heavy) on 7 December 1943
- Activated on 29 December 1943
- Redesignated304th Bombardment Wing,Heavy on 4 May 1945
- Inactivated on 13 October 1945
- Redesignated304th Bombardment Wing,Very Heavy on 11 March 1947
- Activated in the Reserves on 19 April 1947
- Redesignated304th Air Division,Bombardment on 16 April 1948
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949[8]
Assignments
[edit]- Fifteenth Air Force,29 December 1943 – 26 September 1945
- Army Service Forces, Port of Embarkation, 26 September – 13 October 1945
- Fourth Air Force,19 April 1947 – 27 June 1949[8]
Stations
[edit]- Cerignola Airfield, Italy, 29 December 1943 – 26 September 1945
- Camp Kilmer,New Jersey, 12 – 13 October 1945
- Long Beach Municipal Airport, California, 19 April 1947 – 27 June 1949[8]
Components
[edit]Groups
- 448th Bombardment Group:19 April 1947 – 27 June 1949
- 452d Bombardment Group:19 April 1947 – 27 June 1949
- 454th Bombardment Group:25 January 1944 – c. 19 July 1945
- San Giovanni Airfield, Italy[5]
- 455th Bombardment Group:25 January 1944 – 9 September 1945
- San Giovanni Airfield, Italy[6]
- 456th Bombardment Group:25 January 1944 – c. 18 June 1945
- Stornara Airfield, Italy[7]
- 459th Bombardment Group:25 January 1944 – c. 7 July 1945, 19 April 1947 – 27 June 1949[8]
Aircraft
[edit]- Consolidated B-24 Liberator,1944–1945[8]
Campaigns
[edit]| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Naples-Foggia | 29 December 1943 – 21 January 1944 | 304th Bombardment Wing[8] |
|
Rome-Arno | 22 January 1944 – 9 September 1944 | 304th Bombardment Wing[8] |
See also
[edit]- B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces
- List of United States Air Force air divisions
References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Aircraft isFord Motorsbuilt Consolidated B-24L-10-FO Liberator serial 44-49750 of the756th Bombardment Squadron.This plane survived the war and was scrapped on 16 November 1945.Baugher, Joe (6 August 2023)."1944 USAF Serial Numbers".Joe Baugher.Retrieved14 September2023.
- ^The commander during the unit's years in the reserve is not known. AFHRA Factsheet.
Citations
[edit]- ^Watkins, p. 99
- ^"Abstract, Vol. 1, History 304 Bombardment Wing Dec 1943 – Feb 1944".Air Force History Index.Retrieved28 March2016.
- ^ab"Abstract, History 304 Bombardment Wing Dec 1943 – Feb 1944".Air Force History Index.Retrieved28 March2016.
- ^abcdeMaurer, 334–335
- ^abcdMaurer, p. 329
- ^abcdMaurer, p. 330
- ^abcMaurer, pp. 331–332
- ^abcdefghijklmn"Factsheet 304 Air Division, Bombardment".Air Force Historical Research Agency. 5 October 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2012.Retrieved28 March2014.
- ^"Abstract, History 304 Bombardment Wing Mar 1944".Air Force History Index.Retrieved28 March2016.
- ^"Abstract, History 304 Bombardment Wing May 1945".Air Force History Index.Retrieved28 March2016.
- ^"Abstract, History 304 Bombardment Wing Jun 1945".Air Force History Index.Retrieved28 March2016.
- ^"Abstract, History 304 Bombardment Wing Jul 1945".Air Force History Index.Retrieved28 March2016.
- ^Maurer, pp. 322–323, 326–328
- ^SeeAFHRA Factsheet, 304 Air Division. (No aircraft listed for this period).
- ^"Abstract, Mission Project Closeup, Continental Air Command".Air Force History Index. 27 December 1961.Retrieved24 March2014.
- ^Knaack, p. 25
- ^Ravenstein, pp. 244, 247–249
- ^All components stationed with wing/division headquarters, except as noted
Bibliography
[edit]
This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency
- Knaack, Marcelle Size (1978).Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems.Vol. 2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-59-5.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961].Air Force Combat Units of World War II(PDF)(reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-02-1.LCCN61060979.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984).Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977.Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-12-9.
- Watkins, Robert A. (2009).Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II.Vol. IV, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd.ISBN978-0-7643-3401-6.
- Further reading
- Cantwell, Gerald T. (1997).Citizen Airmen: a History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946-1994.Washington, D.C.: Air Force History and Museums Program.ISBN0-16049-269-6.Retrieved1 October2014.
