World War II The
wing was first activated at
Langley Field, Virginia, as the
29th Bombardment Group in January 1940. with the
6th,
43d and
52d Bombardment Squadrons assigned as its original components. Its organization was part of the pre-
World War II buildup of the
United States Army Air Corps after the breakout of war in Europe. In May, it moved to
MacDill Field, Florida, where it was equipped with a mix of pre-production YB-17s and early model
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and
Douglas B-18 Bolos. The group was still at MacDill when the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor, and it began to fly
antisubmarine patrol missions in the Gulf of Mexico from January 1942. No longer needed in the Gulf, the group moved to
Gowen Field, Idaho, where it became an
Operational Training Unit (OTU) The
96th,
381st,
384th and
388th Bombardment Groups were all formed at Gowen in the second half of 1942. In 1943, the 29th Group exchanged its B-17s for
Consolidated B-24 Liberators. The group mission also changed as the
Army Air Forces' (AAF) need for new units diminished and its need for replacements increased. The group became a
Replacement Training Unit (RTU). The 29th Bombardment Group and its four squadrons were inactivated. Its personnel and equipment, along with that of supporting units at Gowen Field were combined into the 212th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Heavy) on 1 April 1944.
Combat in the Pacific The AAF was organizing new
Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment units, and the group was activated the same day at
Pratt Army Air Field, Kansas. The group briefly returned to flying B-17s until B-29s became available for training. In May, The AAF reorganized its very heavy bomber units, and the 411th Bombardment Squadron was inactivated, leaving the group with its original three squadrons. The group deployed to
North Field, Guam, where it became a component of the
314th Bombardment Wing of
XXI Bomber Command. Its first combat mission was an attack on
Tokyo on 25 February 1945. Until March 1945, it engaged primarily in daytime
high altitude attacks on strategic targets, such as refineries and factories. The campaign against Japan switched that month and the group began to conduct low altitude night raids, using
incendiaries against area targets. The group received a
Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for a 31 March attack against an
airfield at
Omura, Japan. The group earned a second DUC in June for an attack on an industrial area of
Shizuoka Prefecture, which included an aircraft factory operated by
Mitsubishi and the Chigusa
Arsenal. During
Operation Iceberg, the invasion of
Okinawa, the group was diverted from the strategic campaign against Japanese industry and attacked airfields from which
kamikaze attacks were being launched against the landing force. Following
VJ Day, the group dropped food and supplies to Allied
prisoners of war and participated in several
show of force missions over Japan. The group remained on Guam until it was inactivated in March 1946.
Pilot Training The
29th Flying Training Wing replaced, and absorbed resources of, the 3615th Pilot Training Wing on 1 July 1972 at
Craig Air Force Base, Alabama. The 29th conducted undergraduate pilot training (UPT) and operated Craig facilities. In 1974, Craig was selected as one of two UPT bases to be closed in a post-Vietnam economic move. In 1977,
Air Training Command closed Craig Air Force Base along with
Webb Air Force Base in Texas. The
wing was inactivated on 30 September 1977, and the field was placed on caretaker status the next day. ==Lineage==