42nd Air Base Wing

The 42nd Air Base Wing is commanded by Col Shamekia N. Toliver. Its Vice Commander is Col Abigail Frander. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Caleb Vaden. The wing is the host unit for Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. It provides the foundation for Air University, the intellectual and leadership center of the Air Force; the 908th Airlift Wing; the Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate; and more than 30 tenant units. The wing ensures airmen are ready to deploy in support of U.S. military operations worldwide and promotes their professional and personal growth. The wing is also responsible for the safety and security of the base, which it accomplishes through force protection, maintaining and modernizing facilities and infrastructure, and seeking efficient new ways of conducting operations. It supports more than 12,500 active duty, reserve, civilian and contractor personnel. ==Units==

; 42nd Mission Support Group The 42nd Mission Support Group consists of over 2,200 military and civilian employees organized into seven squadrons. The group provides contracting, security, civil engineering, operations/airfield support, personnel, communications, transportation, supply, fuels and services for 45,000 personnel. In addition, the group is responsible for maintaining a $2.2 billion physical plant including 4,106 acres, 859 buildings, 2,300 lodging rooms, utilities and communications. The group oversees a large support contract, which provides base operating support services through a multi-year contract. ==World War II==

The 42nd Bombardment Group was first activated at Fort Douglas, Utah on 15 January 1941, drawing its cadre from the 7th Bombardment Group. Its original squadrons were the 75th, 76th and 77th Bombardment Squadrons and the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron, which was attached to the group. During its time at Fort Douglas, the group was without aircraft and spent its time in ground training and adding personnel to bring it up to strength. Shortages of equipment in the pre-war Army meant that even drill was performed with broomsticks taking the place of rifles. Meanwhile, a number of the senior officers of the group headquarters moved to Seattle, where they formed an advanced echelon for IV Bomber Command, which was taking over all Pacific coast antisubmarine operations, including those along the northern coast, which had been controlled by Second Air Force. In March, the place of the departed 77th was taken by the newly activated 390th Bombardment Squadron. Most of the initial personnel of the 390th were drawn from the group's headquarters squadron. At the same time, the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron was formally assigned to the group, changing its name to the 406th Bombardment Squadron. However, in May group strength was again reduced to three squadrons, when the air echelon of the 76th squadron departed for Miami, Florida and was attached to the 45th Bombardment Group as antisubmarine efforts focused on the German U-boat threat in the Caribbean Sea. While antisubmarine patrols continued, the group trained North American B-25 Mitchell combat crews for the Alaskan Defense Command. Reorganizing for shipment overseas, the 76th and 406th squadrons, which had been on detached service since the previous spring were formally reassigned, while the 69th and 70th Bombardment Squadrons, which were already in the Southwest Pacific Theater with the 38th Bombardment Group, were transferred to the group. Crews from the group's 75th and 390th squadrons trained with B-25s at Hammer Field and McClellan Field in California before the air echelon departed for its new assignment on 6 March. One aircraft was lost en route to Hickam Field on the first leg of this shipment. The group launched its first attack on 14 June, when eighteen bombers of the 69th squadron with Navy Chance Vought F4U Corsairs flying top cover, struck the support areas of Vila Airfield, on Kolombangara. The 42nd attacked Japanese airfields, personnel areas, gun positions, and shipping. Shipping attacks relied on what were referred to as "snooper" missions, armed reconnaissance sorties, flown at night, searching for Japanese shipping to attack. On 20 July, the group made a successful attack on Japanese combatant ships: "[E]ight Mitchells of the 69th Squadron ... on all night shipping alert were dispatched to intercept the Tokyo Express making its way down the Slot . . . The force, sighted by [a Navy Consolidated PBY Catalina ] Black Cat patrol plane earlier in the evening, was estimated to consist of four destroyers, one light cruiser, and an unknown number of transports. . . [U]nder a bright tropical moon which adequately illuminated the target, [the B-25s] launched their attacks. Repeated skip-bombing attacks, with quarter-ton bombs driven into the face of a terrific barrage of automatic weapons fire from the warships, were observed by the Mitchell crews and the naval crews aboard the patrol plane to have accomplished the following results: Enemy losses-one light cruiser left burning and dead in the water; two direct hits scored on a destroyer, causing large explosions and certain destruction; damaging hits or near misses on a 300-foot freighter. Our losses: one Mitchell shot down by antiaircraft." At 0720 eight Mitchells of the 390th Squadron found the cruiser damaged in the previous night's action creeping to friendly waters at a speed of 2 knots. Although sorely wounded, her defense was still vicious, pouring anti-aircraft fire from at least 30 stations. Feints at various quarters divided the fire and allowed individual planes to launch masthead attacks. Lieut. Schauffler ended the fray when one of his bombs exploded in the ship's magazine. Two minutes later she slipped into the depths, carrying with her at least 75% of her crew." During most of this period, the group could maintain only two squadrons in the Solomons at a time, and at the end of July 1943, the 70th and 75th squadrons moved forward, while the 69th and 390th moved to rear areas to refit. Russell Islands. Shortly thereafter, the 75th squadron moved to Renard as well. At the beginning of 1944, the group added a fifth squadron, the 106th Reconnaissance Squadron (soon renamed the 100th Bombardment Squadron). It began using the new airfield on Stirling Island as a staging point for strikes in early January and relocated there before the end of the month. Until July 1944, the group engaged primarily in the neutralization of enemy airfields and harbor facilities on New Britain, but also supported ground forces on Bougainville Island and attacked shipping in the northern Solomons and the Bismarck Archipelago. It was early September before the entire air echelon of the group arrived, with the latecomers practicing skip bombing and participating in mock invasion exercises in the Russell Islands and Admiralty Islands. Through January 1945, it bombed airfields and installations on New Guinea, Celebes, and Halmahera, and flew reconnaissance missions. From this base on Palawan the group attacked shipping along the China coast, struck targets in French Indochina, bombed airfields and installations in the Philippines, and supported ground operations on Mindanao. The group continued to support Australian forces in Borneo after this mission, augmented by the B-25s of the 38th Bombardment Group of Fifth Air Force. The group's final combat action of World War II was attacking isolated Japanese units on Luzon during July and August 1945. In August the group was alerted for a move to Okinawa. However, with the end of the war, the move was cancelled. During the war the group had flown 1461 missions (a total of 14,442 sorties). The group ferried troops and equipment to Manila after the surrender of Japan. At the end of 1945, the 100th squadron returned to the United States for inactivation and the 390th was inactivated in the Philippines. ==Cold War==

The 42nd Bombardment Wing was first activated on 25 February 1953 at Limestone Air Force Base, Maine and was assigned to Eighth Air Force as part of Strategic Air Command (SAC). The wing was assigned the 69th, 70th, and 75th Bombardment Squadrons, which had been assigned to the 42nd Bombardment Group at the end of World War II, although initially only the 69th could be manned. The wing was declared combat ready on 7 January 1954. Once combat ready, elements of the wing deployed to RAF Upper Heyford and RAF Burtonwood in England. The entire wing deployed to Upper Heyford from 18 October to 18 November 1955. In January 1955, the 42nd Air Refueling Squadron was activated and assigned to the wing. This assignment was unusual, since the wing's B-36s were incapable of air refueling. However, the forward location of Loring made it an ideal for the squadron's slow propeller-driven Boeing KC-97G Stratotankers to rendezvous with faster Boeing B-47 Stratojets crossing the Atlantic. On 14 August 1954, the last B-36J accepted by SAC was delivered to the wing. The wing's experience with the B-36 was short, however, as it became the first wing to convert from the B-36 to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Although a B-52 had arrived at Loring in January 1956 for cold weather testing, the first B-52C assigned to the wing landed at Loring on 16 June 1956 and was christened "The State of Maine" with a bottle containing water from both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans as a symbol of the aircraft's range. The last C model had been accepted by December. All 35 B-52Cs in the Air Force inventory were initially delivered to the 42nd. By the end of the year, the wing replaced the older B-36s and was combat ready with the Stratofortresses. In the fall, the wing began to receive B-52Ds to replace its C series aircraft. However, crew training lagged behind the delivery of new bombers and at the end of the year the wing had only sixteen combat ready crews. When Boeing KC-135A Stratotankers were assigned to the 42nd Air Refueling Squadron in 1957, the wing became an all-jet force. SAC bases with large concentrations of bombers made attractive targets. SAC's response was to break up its wings and scatter their aircraft. The wing's 75th Bombardment Squadron moved to Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, where it was assigned to the 4039th Strategic Wing in October 1959. The strike capability of the wing increased starting in December 1960, when AGM-28 Hound Dog and ADM-20 Quail missiles were added to the wing inventory. In January 1962, the wing began to participate in Operation Chrome Dome. In Chrome Dome, the 42nd flew fully combat-configured bombers along routes across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. In Operation Hard Head VI, the wing flew similar missions to monitor communications with the Thule, Greenland Ballistic Missile Early Warning System site. Tasking to support these two operations typically lasted from thirty to sixty days during which the wing maintained two B-52s airborne at all times. The wing's 42nd Air Refueling Squadron provided air refueling for aircraft flying Chrome Dome missions. Cold War tensions between the United States and Russia came to a head in October 1962. President John F. Kennedy informed the American public that the Soviet Union had installed missile sites in Cuba from which it could strike the United States. As a result, SAC canceled flying training and increased the size of its ground and airborne alert forces. The 407th joined the 42nd to support Young Tiger Task Force missions. In the same period, the wing deployed aircraft, aircrews, and support personnel periodically in support of Operation Arc Light and other operations in Southeast Asia. The 42nd maintained dispersed tankers on alert at McGuire Air Force Base, in its Detachment 1 from 1 January 1970 through early 1975. Following the Vietnam War, the wing again participated in military exercises worldwide and provided tankers to support USAF air refueling needs. The 69th Bombardment Squadron in particular was assigned the minelaying, sea surveillance and anti-shipping mission. Two days later, President George H. W. Bush ordered alert crews to stand down. SAC removed its remaining forces from alert in December. One year later, after a decision by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, the wing began preparations to close Loring. Then, on 1 June 1992, Headquarters. United States Air Force inactivated SAC and transferred the wing to the newly activated Air Combat Command as the 42nd Bomb Wing when its tankers became part of the 380th Air Refueling Wing of Air Mobility Command. The wing has served as the host for Maxwell (now Maxwell-Gunter) since then. ==Lineage==

Lineage, including assignments, components, stations, aircraft, awards and campaigns in Warnock, Factsheet, 42 Air Base Wing, except as noted 42nd Bombardment Group • Constituted as the 42nd Bombardment Group (Medium) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated 42nd Bombardment Group, Medium on 6 September 1944 : Inactivated on 10 May 1946 : Consolidated with the 42nd Bombardment Wing as the 42nd Bombardment Wing on 31 January 1984 42nd Air Base Wing • Constituted as the 42nd Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 19 February 1953 : Activated on 25 February 1953 : Consolidated with the 42nd Bombardment Group on 31 January 1984 : Redesignated 42nd Wing on 1 September 1991 : Redesignated 42nd Bomb Wing on 1 June 1992 : Inactivated on 30 September 1994 • Redesignated 42nd Air Base Wing and activated on 1 October 1994 Assignments • Northwest Air District (later Second Air Force), 16 January 1941 (attached to 20th Bombardment Wing, 16 January – 1 September 1941) • 2nd Bomber Command (later II Bomber Command), 5 September 1941 • IV Bomber Command, 25 January 1942 • XIII Bomber Command, 14 March 1943 (attached to 308th Bombardment Wing, c. 24 August 1944; 310th Bombardment Wing, 3 September 1944; Thirteenth Air Task Force, c. 15 September 1944; XIII Fighter Command, 1 October 1944; XIII Bomber Command Rear Echelon, 9 January 1945; XIII Fighter Command, c. 22 March – c. September 1945) • Fifth Air Force, 25 December 1945 • 310th Bombardment Wing, 31 January 1946 • V Fighter Command, 25 March – 10 May 1946 • Eighth Air Force, 25 February 1953 • 45th Air Division, 8 October 1954 (attached to 7th Air Division, 18 October – 18 November 1955) • Eighth Air Force, 18 January 1958 • 45th Air Division, 1 December 1958 • Eighth Air Force, 29 March 1989 • Ninth Air Force, 1 June 1992 – 30 September 1994 • Air University, 1 October 1994 – present Components ; Groups • 42nd Air Base Group (later 42nd Combat Support Group, 42nd Support Group, 1 January 1958 – 30 June 1994, 1 October 1994 – present • 42nd Operations Group: 1 September 1991 – 31 January 1994 • 811th Medical Group (later USAF Hospital, Loring; 42nd Strategic Hospital; 42nd Medical Group): 1 July 1959 – 30 June 1994, 1 October 1994 – present ; Operational Squadrons • 16th Reconnaissance Squadron (later 406th Bombardment Squadron): attached 15 January 1941 – 2 March 1942, assigned 3 March 1942 – 25 February 1943 (air echelon attached to 28th Composite Group after 3 June 1942, ground echelon attached after 10 November 1942) • 42nd Air Refueling Squadron: 18 January 1955 – 1 September 1991 • 69th Bombardment Squadron: 26 February 1943 – 10 May 1946 (detached 26 February – c. 15 April 1943); 25 February 1953 – 1 September 1991 • 70th Bombardment Squadron: 26 February 1943 – 10 May 1946 (detached 26 February – c. 15 April 1943); 25 February 1953 – 25 June 1966 • 75th Bombardment Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 10 May 1946; 25 February 1953 – 15 October 1959 • 76th Bombardment Squadron: 15 January 1941 – 12 February 1943 (air echelon attached to 45th Bombardment Group c. 21 May 1942, AAF Antisubmarine Command 13 October 1942, 26th Antisubmarine Wing after 20 November 1942) • 42nd Comptroller Squadron: 30 September 1994 – present • 42nd Field Maintenance Squadron: 25 February 1953 – 1 September 1991 (later 42nd Organizational Maintenance Squadron): 25 February 1953 – 1 September 1991 • 42nd Supply Squadron: 1 October 1961 – 1 July 1963, July 1974 – 1979 • 886th Chemical Company, Air Operations (Medium & Heavy): attached August 1944 – 1945 Stations • Fort Douglas, Utah, 15 January 1941 • Gowen Field, Idaho c. 3 June 1941 • McChord Field, Washington, c. 18 January 1942 – 15 March 1943 • Nandi Airfield, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands, 22 April 1943 (air echelon) • Carney Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 11 May 1943 (ground echelon), 6 June 1943 (air echelon) • Renard Field, Banika Russell Islands, c. 21 October 1943 • Stirling Airfield, Stirling Island, Solomon Islands, 20 January 1944 • Cyclops Airstrip, Hollandia, New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, 24 August 1944 (air echelon) • Mar Airstrip, Sansapor, New Guinea, Netherlands East Indies, 24 August 1944 (ground echelon), c. 15 September 1944 (air echelon) • Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 23 February 1945 (air echelon) • Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines, March 1945 • Itami Air Base, Japan, 31 January – 10 May 1946 • Limestone Air Force Base (later Loring Air Force Base), Maine, 25 February 1953 – 30 September 1994 • Maxwell Air Force Base (later Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base), Alabama, 1 October 1994 – present Aircraft • Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1941–1942 • Martin B-26 Marauder, 1941–1942, 1943 • Lockheed A-29 Hudson, 1942–1943 • North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942, 1943–1945 • Douglas A-26 Invader, 1946 • Douglas A-20 Havoc, 1946 • Convair B-36 Peacemaker, 1953–1956 • Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1955–1957 • Boeing B-52nd Stratofortress, 1956–1959 • Boeing B-52G Stratofortress, 1959–1993 • Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker, 1957 – c. 1985 • Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, c. 1985–1992 Awards and campaigns ==See also==