The 307th replaced the 94th Combat Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy Bomber (Provisional) and other organizations in August 1947. From then until 15 December 1948 the 307th Wing controlled, in addition to its own units, the
82d Fighter Wing at
Grenier Field, New Hampshire. In September 1947 it began training other
Strategic Air Command (SAC) combat units in
anti-submarine warfare. In February, it began operating a
Boeing B-29 Superfortress transition training school and standardized combat training for all SAC units.
Korean War In August 1950, the 307th deployed to
Okinawa. Detached from SAC, it began operations under Far East Air Forces Bomber Command, Provisional. The attached
306th Bombardment Group transferred to its parent wing on 1 September 1950 and until 10 February 1951 the 307th had no tactical mission. On that date, wing resources were used to form the
6th Air Division at MacDill and the wing deployed without personnel to
Kadena Air Base, where it absorbed resources of the
307th Bombardment Group and began flying combat missions. During the Korean War, the 307th Wing received a
Presidential Unit Citation for its extraordinary heroism in action against an enemy of the
United Nations during the period of 11 to 27 July 1953. During this time it flew 93 sorties and dropped 860 tons of bombs on targets at the North Korean
Simanju Airfield, where, despite severe airframe icing, intense enemy
anti-aircraft fire and coordinated searchlight and
fighter opposition, it rendered the airfield unserviceable. The 307th also flew the last B-29 Superfortress combat mission on 23 July 1953. By the end of the hostilities, the wing (including its tactical group) had flown 5,810 combat sorties in 573 combat missions. The wing remained in the Far East, required to maintain combat readiness, and on 15 August 1953 Kadena became its permanent base.
Cold War The 307th returned to the United States in November 1954 and left its B-29s at
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. It proceeded to its new base,
Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska. It replaced the propeller-driven B-29s with new
Boeing B-47E Stratojet swept-wing medium bombers in 1955, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the Soviet Union. It conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations to prepare, if necessary, for
nuclear war. The 4362d Support Squadron (later the 4352d Post Attack Command and Control Squadron) was attached to the wing from 20 July 1962 until 24 December 1964. In January 1965 the wing began phasing down as Lincoln was being closed and the wing's B-47s were retired. It was inactivated on 25 March 1965.
Vietnam War The wing was again activated in 1970 as the
307th Strategic Wing when it replaced the 4258th Strategic Wing at
U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand. SAC organized the 4258th at U-Tapao on 2 June 1966 and assigned it to the
3d Air Division to supporting deployed
Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers that engaged in
combat operations over Southeast Asia during the
Vietnam War. The wing was assigned three maintenance squadrons and received administrative and
logistics support from the
635th Combat Support Group of
Pacific Air Forces. The wing was detached from the 3d Air Division from organization until 25 October 1965.
Lineage • Designated as
307th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 28 July 1947 • Organized on 15 August 1947 • Discontinued on 12 July 1948 • Constituted as the
307th Bombardment Wing, Medium and activated on 12 July 1948 • Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 March 1965 • Redesignated
307th Strategic Wing on 21 January 1970 • Activated on 1 April 1970 • Inactivated on 30 September 1975 • Redesignated
307th Bomb Wing and activated on 8 January 2011
Assignments • Strategic Air Command, 15 August 1947 – 12 July 1948; 12 July 1948 •
Fifteenth Air Force, 16 December 1948 •
Second Air Force, 1 April 1950 • 6th Air Division, 10 February 1951 : Attached to: Far East Air Forces Bomber Command, Provisional, 10 February – 11 August 1951 : Attached to: Far East Air Forces Bomber Command, Provisional, ADVON, 12 August – 11 September 1951 : Attached to: Far East Air Forces Bomber Command, Provisional, 12 September 1951 – 17 June 1954 : Attached to:
Twentieth Air Force, 18 June 1954 •
818th Air (later, 818th Strategic Aerospace) Division, 11 October 1954 – 25 March 1965 : Remained attached to
Twentieth Air Force to 19 November 1954 : Attached to:
7th Air Division, 7 July – 5 October 1956 •
Eighth Air Force, 1 April 1970 : Attached to Air Division Provisional, 17th, 1 June 1972 – 31 December 1974 •
3d Air Division, 1 January – 30 September 1975 •
10th Air Force, 1 January 2011 – Present
Components ;; Wing • 82d Fighter: attached 15 August 1947 – 12 July 1948; attached 12 July – 15 December 1948 ;; Groups • 306th Bombardment: attached 1 August 1948 – 31 August 1950 (not operational, 1–12 August 1948) •
307th Operations: 15 August 1947 – 12 July 1948; 12 July 1948 – 16 June 1952 (detached 16 July – 3 November 1948 and 8 August 1950 – 9 February 1951; not operational, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952.) •
489th Bomb Group, activated in the Air Force Reserve on 17 October 2015 ;; Squadrons • 99th Strategic Reconnaissance: attached 1 January – 30 September 1975 •
307th Air Refueling Squadron: attached c. 1 August – 15 September 1950 (not operational); assigned 16 June 1952 – 1 July 1953 (detached); assigned 8 November 1954 – 1 June 1960 (detached 8 November 1954 – 31 January 1955, 8 April – 21 May 1955, 2 July – 3 October 1957, c. 1 October 1958 – 9 January 1959, and c. 4 July – 5 October 1969) •
364th Bombardment Squadron Provisional*: attached 1 July 1972 – 30 June 1975 (not operational, 1 July 1972 – c. 29 January 1973 and 9–30 June 1975) •
365th Bombardment Squadron Provisional*: attached 1 July 1972 – 1 July 1974 (not operational, 1 July 1972 – c. 29 January 1973) •
370th Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 March 1965 •
371st Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 March 1965 •
372d Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 25 March 1965 •
424th Bombardment Squadron: 1 September 1958 – 1 January 1962 • 4180th: 1 October 1970 – 31 December 1971 (not operational) • 4181st: 1 April 1970 – 31 March 1972 (not operational) • 4362d Support (later, 4362d Post Attack Command Control): attached 20 July 1962 – 24 December 1964 (not operational, 20 – c. 31 July 1962) •
Young Tiger Tanker Task Force: 1 April 1970 – 1 June 1972 (Detached: 1 June 1972 – 1 July 1974; 1 July 1974 – 30 September 1975) •
Air Refueling Squadron Provisional, 901st: attached 1 July 1974 – 30 September 1975
Stations •
MacDill Field (later MacDill Air Force Base), Florida, 15 August 1947 – 12 July 1948; 12 July 1948 – 14 August 1953 : Operational components operated from: Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, 8 August 1950 – 9 February 1951 : Operated from: Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, 10 February 1951 – 14 August 1953 • Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, 15 August 1953 – 19 November 1954; • Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska, 20 November 1954 – 25 March 1965 • U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand, 1 April 1970 – 30 September 1975 • Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 1 January 2011 – Present
Aircraft flown • Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1947 – 1950 •
Boeing B-50 Superfortress, 1950 • Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1955 – 1965 (EB-47, 1962–1964) •
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1955 – 1960 • Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1971 – 1972, 1974 – 1975 (RC-135, 1975) • Boeing B-52D Stratofortress, 1970 – 1975 • Boeing B-52H 2011 – present • Boeing B-1B Lancer, 2015 – Present ==See also==