World War II Background VIII Bomber Command's early operations in 1942 and 1943 had shown it that weather conditions in the
European Theater of Operations were such that visual bombing using the
Norden bombsight was possible only during limited times. It became apparent that to conduct a successful bombing campaign, the command would need to have the capability of bombing through overcast. It determined to train crews to bomb using radars developed by the
Royal Air Force (RAF), including
H2s "Stinky" and
AN/APS-15 "Mickey" radars. In addition, the
329th Bombardment Squadron conducted trials with the
Gee navigation system. Following the RAF's example,
Eighth Air Force determined to form a
group with specially selected
aircrews that would act as "Pathfinders", using radar-equipped bombers to lead each
wing's bomber formation.
Pathfinder operations The
482d Bombardment Group was formed at
RAF Alconbury on 20 August 1943, with the
812th,
813th and
814th Bombardment Squadrons assigned. The 812th and 813th Squadrons flew
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, while the 814th was equipped with
Consolidated B-24 Liberators. Its aircrews were specially selected from all VIII Bomber Command groups, particularly men who had been involved with the 329th Bombardment Squadron's test operations and the other units of the
92d Bombardment Group. Ground crews were drawn primarily from the
479th Antisubmarine Group, which had been disbanded. The 482d Group was one of two Eighth Air Force bomber groups activated overseas. In addition to its combat mission of acting as Pathfinders, the group's mission was to continue the development of tactics and techniques for the use of radar navigation and bombing systems and training crews of other bomber units as Pathfinders. On 4 March 1944, a crew from the 813th Squadron was leading Eighth Air Force's first B-17 raid on
Berlin. Because they were in the lead, the 482d lays claim to being the first B-17 group to bomb Berlin.
Training and special operations In addition to flying pathfinder missions, the group continued to train crews from other groups, with a goal of having a pathfinder qualified squadron in each bombardment group of VIII Bomber Command. In November 1943, the
36th and
406th Bombardment Squadrons, which had served in combat in Alaska early in the war, were formed at Alconbury. Like the 482d Group, these squadrons drew their
cadre from the 479th Antisubmarine Group. In December, they were attached to the 482d and began training for and (starting in January 1944) performing
Carpetbagger missions. In February, the group was transferred to
VIII Air Force Composite Command, which was responsible for Eighth Air Force training and special operations missions. The two Carpetbagger squadrons were spun off into a separate group. In early March, the group's mission shifted to concentrate on its training and development mission. Although the group was formally withdrawn from combat, it continued to fly occasional missions to test tactics and equipment, most notably on
D-Day, when 18 of the group's crews performed missions leading other bombardment groups. and the 482d was inactivated and not replaced as reserve flying operations at New Orleans Municipal Airport ceased. All reserve combat organizations had been mobilized for the
Korean War, and it was not until the summer of 1952 that reserve units again began receiving aircraft. The group was redesignated the
482th Troop Carrier Group and activated at
Miami International Airport, Florida on 14 June 1952, when the
482d Troop Carrier Wing replaced the 906th Reserve Training Wing, which had supervised reserve operations there since 1951. The group trained with
Curtiss C-46 Commandos under the supervision of the 2585th Air Force Reserve Training Center. In December 1953, the
435th Troop Carrier Wing at Miami was released from active duty and assumed the mission, personnel and equipment of the 482d Wing. In this reorganization, the
435th Troop Carrier Group took over the mission, personnel and aircraft of the 482d, which was inactivated. In the early 1950s, there were six reserve pilot training wings with no mobilization mission. On 18 May 1955, they were discontinued and replaced by operational wings. In this reorganization, the
94th Tactical Reconnaissance Group at
Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia moved on paper to
Scott Air Force Base to replace the 8711th Pilot Training Group. The 482d, now designated the
482d Fighter-Bomber Group, took over the 94th's personnel and equipment at Dobbins as a new reserve fighter unit. In 1957, the group began to replace its Thunderjets with
North American F-86 Sabres. However, The
Joint Chiefs of Staff were pressuring the Air Force to provide more wartime airlift. At the same time, about 150
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars became available from the active force. Consequently, in November 1956 the Air Force directed
Continental Air Command to convert three reserve fighter bomber wings to troop carrier units in 1957. Sabre training ended, and instead
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars arrived in October 1957. In November the wing was inactivated and its troop carrier assets were transferred to the
445th Troop Carrier Wing.
Fighter operations resume From August 1992 controlled the 482d Fighter Wing's flying and aerial port operations. When
Hurricane Andrew devastated Homestead later that month, flying operations moved to
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio from September to December 1992 and to
MacDill Air Force Base, Florida from February 1993 until March 1994, before returning to Homestead. ==Lineage==