World War II Established as the
39th Bombardment Group as a pre-
World War II B-17 Flying Fortress bomb group, activated at
Fort Douglas, Utah in January 1941. After training, was assigned to Gieger Field, Washington as part of the Army Air Corps Northwest Air District in July. After the
Pearl Harbor Attack, the group initially flew antisubmarine patrols along the Northwest Pacific Coastline. Reassigned to
II Bomber Command at
Davis–Monthan Field,
Arizona in February 1942 where the group became a B-17 Operational Training (OTU) unit for newly formed heavy bomb groups; later a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for replacement bomber crew members. Inactivated on 1 April 1944 with the end of heavy bomber training. Reactivated the same day at
Smoky Hill Army Airfield,
Kansas as a Very Heavy
B-29 Superfortress bomb group, it began training under
Second Air Force for deployment to the
Asiatic-Pacific Theater. During April and the early part of May 1944, personnel was being assigned to the new Group in small numbers, but no aircraft were yet available. Four squadrons, the 60th, 61st, 62d and 402d were assigned to the group. On 10 May the 402d was inactivated due to personnel shortages, with its assets redistributed to other squadrons in the group. On 15 May the group was reassigned to
Dalhart Army Airfield, Texas where the ground echelon was formed, and the operational squadrons trained with old II Bomber Command B-17s. In August, the unit returned to Smoky Hill where limited B-29 training was begun while waiting for the 499th Bomb Group to complete training and deploy to the Pacific. Full-time training was finally initiated in October 1944 and ground school instruction began for all men of the unit. In January 1945, the air echelon deployed to
Batista Army Airfield, Cuba for flying and bombing training. The ground echelon departed on 8 January for
Seattle, where it embarked on the S. S. Howell Lykes for North Field, Guam. In the meantime, the air echelon had returned from Cuba and the Group was in the last stages of preparation for the ferrying of personnel and the new operational B-29s received from Boeing-Wichita. The unit formed at North Field, Guam in mid-February 1945. On 18 February, the group was assigned to its permanent unit, the
314th Bomb Wing, which had just arrived from
Colorado. Upon arrival the group's personnel were engaged in Quonset hut construction. By mid-March most personnel were able to move into the huts from the initial tents which they were assigned on arrival The group conducted its first mission against the Japanese home islands in April 1945. Supported Allied
invasion of Okinawa by attacking airfields that served as bases for kamikaze pilots. Bombed military and industrial targets in Japan and participated in incendiary raids on urban areas from mid-May until the end of the war. The 39th Bomb Group received a
Distinguished Unit Citation for an attack against the Otake oil refinery and storage area on
Honshū on 10 May 1945. Received a second Distinguished Unit Citation for bombing industrial and dock areas in
Yokohama and manufacturing districts in Tokyo, 23–29 May 1945. The group returned to the United States in November–December 1945 for inactivation. Actor and Hollywood star
Charles Bronson served as an
aerial gunner on a
B-29 Superfortress in the 39th Bombardment Group in 1945. He was awarded a
Purple Heart for wounds received during his combat missions against the Japanese home islands.
Strategic Air Command 4135th Strategic Wing The origins of the
39th Bombardment Wing began on 1 December 1958 when
Strategic Air Command established the
4135th Strategic Wing at
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida and assigned it to
Second Air Force as part of SAC's plan to disperse its
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the
Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. On 1 January 1959 the wing was reassigned to the
822d Air Division. The wing remained a headquarters only until 1 April 1959 when three maintenance squadrons and a squadron to provide security of the wing's special weapons were activated and assigned to the wing. It became fully organized in July, when the
301st Bombardment Squadron (BS), consisting of 15
Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses moved to Eglin from
Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico where it had been one of the three squadrons of the
72d Bombardment Wing and the 54th Aviation Depot Squadron was activated to oversee the wing's special weapons. The 4135th (and later the 39th) continued to maintain an alert commitment until inactivated. In addition, the wing conduct final testing of the
GAM-77 Hound Dog and the
GAM-72 Quail air-launched
cruise missiles from its B-52s as part of the testing program carried out by the Armament Division of
Air Force Systems Command. The first launch of a Hound Dog by SAC was made by a wing crew on 29 February 1960 and the first Quail launch a few months later, on 8 June. In 1962 the 4135th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was activated in November 1962 to maintain these missiles.
39th Bombardment Wing However, SAC Strategic Wings could not carry a permanent history or lineage and SAC looked for a way to make its Strategic Wings permanent. In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious
World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its Major Command controlled (MAJCON) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history. As a result, the 4135th SW was replaced by the newly constituted
39th Bombardment Wing, Heavy (39th BW), which assumed its mission, personnel, and equipment on 1 February 1963. In the same way the
62d Bombardment Squadron, one of the unit's World War II historical bomb squadrons, replaced the 301st BS. The 54th Munitions Maintenance Squadron was also reassigned to the 39th. The 4135th's component maintenance and security units were replaced by units with the 39th designation of the newly established wing. Under the Dual Deputate organization, all flying and maintenance squadrons were directly assigned to the wing, so no operational group element was activated. Each of the new units assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of its predecessor. The 39th BW trained to maintain combat readiness for strategic bombardment on global scale, maintaining airborne alert, ground alert, and participated in numerous exercises. which took over the SAC facilities at the base.
United States Air Forces in Europe The
39th Bombardment Group was redesignated
39th Tactical Group and activated on 1 April 1966 at
Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, and replaced the
7216th Combat Support Group to control permanent support units and deployed weapons training detachments. The redesignation was part of the USAFE takeover of the base and its support functions. Known as
The United States Logistics Group (TUSLOG) Detachment 10 within Turkey until 1 October 1982, it supported the USAFE and NATO operational missions in the Middle East. It provided disaster relief and mercy missions as required during fires, floods, earthquakes, and other such disasters. The group provided support for US and NATO forces during operations in Southwest Asia, Eastern Europe, and Iraq, August 1990–present. On 31 January 1984, the group was consolidated with the
39th Bombardment Wing. The consolidated unit retained the designation of 39th Tactical Group. It was attached to the
7440th Composite Wing (Provisional) during the
Gulf War of 1991. It was then redesignated the
39th Wing and resumed wing status on 1 October 1993. Since then the unit has provided operational and logistical support for all U.S. forces in Turkey and operated a Supreme Allied Command Europe Quick Reaction Alert Force. From September 1997 – May 2003, the wing became the major force provider for the provisional
39th Air and Space Expeditionary Wing, which supported
Operation Northern Watch,
Operation Enduring Freedom and
Operation Iraqi Freedom. The wing's subordinate
39th Expeditionary Operations Group received the newly activated
414th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron upon its activation on 15 October 2011. ==Lineage==