World War II Constituted as
308th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 January 1942, and activated on 15 April. Assigned to
II Bomber Command for training. Received deployment orders for the
China-Burma-India Theater (CBI) in February 1943. Deployed to
Kunming Airport, China in March 1943, becoming the heavy bombardment arm of the new
Fourteenth Air Force. Air echelon deployed to the CBI via the South Atlantic Transport route via Brazil, then across central Africa and Middle East to
Karachi, India. Ground echelon traveling by ship across the Pacific via Australia. Once established in India, group aircraft made many trips over the
Himalayan Mountains (
The Hump) to Southeastern China from the
Assam Valley of India airlifting gasoline, oil, bombs, spare parts, and other items the group needed to prepare for and then to sustain its combat operations. In addition to the B-24 heavy bombers, group utilized C-87 Liberator transports for logistical support. From its main base at Kunming and later
Hsinching Airfield, the 308th carried out long range strategic bombardment of enemy targets in China in support of Chinese ground forces. The group attacked airfields, coalyards, docks, oil refineries, and fuel dumps in
French Indochina; mined rivers and ports; bombed shops and docks at Rangoon; attacked Japanese shipping in the
East China Sea,
Formosa Strait,
South China Sea, and
Gulf of Tonkin. Received a
Distinguished Unit Citation for an unescorted bombing attack, conducted through antiaircraft fire and fighter defenses, against docks and warehouses at
Hankowon 21 August 1943. Received second DUC for interdiction of Japanese shipping during 1944–1945. Major
Horace S. Carswell, Jr. was awarded the
Medal of Honor for action on 26 October 1944 when, in spite of intense antiaircraft fire, he attacked a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea; his plane was so badly damaged that when he reached land he ordered the crew to bail out; Carswell, however, remained with the plane to try to save one man who could not jump because his parachute had been ripped by flak; before Carswell could attempt a crash landing, the plane struck a mountainside and burned. The group moved to India in June 1945. Ferried gasoline and supplies over the Hump. After the Japanese Capitulation in August, the group remained in India in support United States forces in the CBI. Personnel sailed for the United States in December, leaving B-24s to the colonial Indian forces. The unit inactivated as a paper unit in January 1946.
Weather reconnaissance "From October 1946 through January 1951, served with
Air Weather Service; supervised training and operation of weather reconnaissance units."
Strategic Air Command The group was once again designated as a bombardment group and activated on 10 October 1951 at
Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas. Under the
wing base organization system, it was assigned to the
308th Bombardment Wing. The group was not operational and its squadrons were attached to the wing until 16 June 1952, when the group was inactivated with final implementation of this organization. In conjunction with the new organization, the traditional center directorates were replaced by wings and groups. The
Long Range Missile Systems Group was formed as one of the new groups at
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida in January 2005. In 2006 the 308th was consolidated with this group and the consolidated unit was shortly renamed the
308th Armament Systems Group. ==Lineage==