:
For additional history and lineage, see 7th Bomb Wing World War I pose in front of a Salmson 2.A2, Vavincourt Aerodrome, France, November 1918 In the summer of 1918 and the organization of the United States First Army in France, the
First Army Observation Group was organized at
Gondreville-sur-Moselle Aerodrome on 6 September. The group initially consisted of the
91st and
24th Aero Squadrons, which flew over the front into enemy territory. Aircraft from the group took numerous air photos and compiled maps of enemy troop concentrations, road convoys, railway traffic, artillery and other targets during the
Battle of Saint-Mihiel in mid-September. On 22 September, the group changed stations, moving to
Vavincourt Aerodrome. At Vavincourt, the
9th Aero Squadron (Night Observation) was assigned to the unit. With the addition of the 9th, both day and night patrols were made over enemy territory, with intelligence being returned to First Army headquarters. The duties of the group consisted of long-distance patrols far into the enemy rear areas, both visual and photographic. Special attention was paid to enemy movements on roads, canals and railways. Railway stations and marshalling yards were noted, along with supply depots, airfields and munition storage areas. Once located, they were kept under routine observation. Also, the locations of enemy heavy artillery batteries were monitored and their movements recorded. The group was re-formed at
Rockwell Field, San Diego, California and activated on 1 June 1928. The re-formed Group was assigned the 9th, 11th, 22d and 31st Bombardment Squadrons. The 9th, 11th and 31st squadrons lent their World War I lineage to the group's emblem as indicated by the three
Maltese Crosses on the shield. While the group was assigned at Rockwell Field, the fledgling Air Force was testing new theories and ideas. In early 1931, the 7th began training aircrews in radio-controlled interception. A bomber, acting as a target, reported by radio to a ground station, giving location, altitude and course. Armed with this information, ground controllers guided pursuit aircraft to the objective. It controlled two B-52 squadrons and one KC-135 air refueling squadron. When flying operations ended at Carswell AFB, TX in December 1992, the group inactivated the following month. Upon activation of the 7th Wing at Dyess AFB, TX on 1 October 1993, the group again activated as the combat element of the wing. Equipped with B-1B and C-130 aircraft, the group's mission included bombardment and tactical airlift. It lost its airlift responsibilities in April 1997. At that time it also gained a conventional bombing mission. In November 1998, deployed several aircraft to
Oman in support of
Operation Desert Fox, where the B-1 flew its first combat missions on 17 and 18 December 1998. Since 1999, trained bomber aircrews for global conventional bombing.
Lineage • Organized in France as:
First Army Observation Group, 6 September 1918 : Demobilized in France, 15 April 1919 • Organized as:
1st Army Observation Group, 1 October 1919 : Re-designated:
7th Group (Observation), 14 March 1921 : Inactivated 30 August 1921 : Re-designated:
7th Observation Group on 25 January 1923 : Re-designated:
7th Bombardment Group on 24 March 1923 • Activated on 1 June 1928 : Re-designated:
7th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 6 December 1939 : Re-designated:
7th Bombardment Group, Heavy on 15 October 1944 : Inactivated on 6 January 1946 • Re-designated
7th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 1 October 1946 : Organized and activated, on 1 October 1946 : Re-designated
7th Bombardment Group, Heavy on 20 July 1948 : Inactivated on 16 June 1952 • Re-designated
7th Operations Group on 29 August 1991 : Activated on 1 September 1991 : Inactivated on 1 January 1993 • Activated on 1 October 1993 • Consolidated with the First Army Observation Group, 13 January 1994 • Consolidated unit reconstituted as
7th Operations Group, 13 January 1994
Assignments • First Army Air Service, 6 September 1918 – 15 April 1919 •
2d Wing, 1 October 1919 – 30 August 1921 •
Ninth Corps Area, 1 June 1928 •
1st Bombardment Wing, c. 30 October 1931 • IX Corps Area, c. 1 October 1933 •
1st Wing, 1 March 1935 •
20th Bombardment Wing, 18 December 1940 •
II Bomber Command, 5 September 1941 •
V Bomber Command, c. 22 December 1941 •
Tenth Air Force, March 1942 • Army Air Forces, India-Burma Theater, 12 June-c. 7 December 1945 : Attached to India China Division,
Air Transport Command, 15 June – 18 September 1945 •
New York Port of Embarkation, 5–6 January 1946 •
Fifteenth Air Force, 1 October 1946 •
Eighth Air Force, 1 November 1946 •
7th Bombardment Wing, 17 November 1947 – 16 June 1952 •
7th (later, 7th Bomb) Wing, 1 September 1991 – 1 January 1993; 1 October 1993–present
Components ; Squadrons :
World War I •
9th Aero Squadron (later 9th Bombardment Squadron, 9th Bomb Squadron): September – November 1918; 1 April 1931 – 6 January 1946 (detached 28 June-c. 4 October 1942); 1 October 1946 – 16 June 1952 (attached to 7th Bombardment Wing 16 February 1951 – 16 June 1952); 1 September 1991 – 15 August 1992; 1 October 1993 – present •
24th Aero Squadron (Observation), September 1918 – April 1919 •
91st Aero Squadron (Observation), September – November 1918 •
186th Aero Squadron (Observation), 5 – 11 November 1918 :
Interwar Period •
1st Aero Squadron (later 1st Squadron) : 1 October 1919 – 30 August 1921 (detached 6 May – 30 August 1921) •
11th Bombardment Squadron: 1 June 1928 – 15 September 1942 (detached 26 April – 2 May 1942) •
12th Aero Squadron (later 12th Squadron): 1 October 1919 – 24 March 1920 (detached after 13 October 1919) •
31st Bombardment Squadron: attached 1 April −29 June 1931, assigned 30 June 1931 – 1 February 1938 •
50th Aero Squadron: attached c. October 1919–23 March 1920, assigned 24 March 1920 – 10 February 1921 •
95th Pursuit Squadron: attached 1 June 1928 – 29 October 1931 •
88th Aero Squadron (later 88th Reconnaissance Squadron, 436th Bombardment Squadron, 436th Training Squadron): attached c. October 1919 – 23 March 1920, assigned 24 March 1920 – 10 February 1921; attached 28 September 1935 – 24 February 1942 (air echelon detached 10 December 1941 – 14 March 1942), assigned 25 February 1942 – 6 January 1946; assigned 1 October 1946 – 16 June 1952 (detached 16 February 1951 – 16 June 1952), assigned xx XXX xxxx to present. :
World War II •
14th Bombardment Squadron: 2 December 1941-2 Apr 1942 (attached to 19th Bombardment Group, 2-c. 24 Dec 1941; air echelon attached to 19th Bombardment Group, c. 24 Dec 1941-14 March 1942; ground echelon attached to the 5th Interceptor Command, c. 24 December 1941-May 1942) •
22d Bombardment Squadron: 20 October 1939 – 15 September 1942 (detached 26 April – 28 May 1942) •
32d Bombardment Squadron: apparently attached c. 8 – 16 December 1941 •
492d Bombardment Squadron: 25 October 1942 – 6 January 1946; 1 October 1946 – 16 June 1952 (detached 16 February 1951 – 16 June 1952) •
493d Bombardment Squadron: 25 October 1942 – 6 January 1946. :
United States Air Force •
7th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 September 1991 – 1 June 1992 •
13th Bomb Squadron: 14 June 2000 – 9 September 2005 •
20th Bomb Squadron: 1 September 1991 – 18 December 1992 •
28th Bomb Squadron: 1 October 1994–present •
39th Airlift Squadron: 1 October 1993 – 1 April 1997 •
40th Airlift Squadron: 1 October 1993 – 1 April 1997 •
337th Bomb Squadron: 1 October 1993 – 1 October 1994 ; Other •
Photographic Section No. 1, November 1918 – April 1919
Stations •
Gondreville-sur-Moselle Aerodrome, France, 6 September 1918 •
Vavincourt Aerodrome, France, 22 September 1918 – April 1919 •
Park Field,
Tennessee, 1 October 1919 •
Langley Field,
Virginia, 28 October 1919 – 30 August 1921 •
Rockwell Field, California, 1 June 1928 •
March Field, California, 30 October 1931 •
Hamilton Field, California, 5 December 1934 •
March Field, California, 5 November 1935 •
Hamilton Field, California, 22 May 1937 •
Fort Douglas, Utah, 7 September 1940 – 13 November 1941 : 9th Bombardment and 88th Reconnaissance Squadrons deploying to
Clark Field, Philippines on 6 December 1941 delayed en route by Japanese Attack on
Hickam Field, Hawaii. 9th Bombardment Squadron returned to United States after attack for defense of west coast. 88th Reconnaissance Squadron moved from
Hickam Field to
Karachi Airport, India via
Nandi Airport,
Fiji Islands and
RAAF Base Townsville, Australia •
Archerfield Airport (Brisbane), Australia, 22 December 1941 – 4 February 1942 (Ground Echelon) : 9th & 11th Bomb Squadrons operated from:
Jogjakarta Airfield Java, 14 January – 1 March 1942 •
Karachi Airport, India, 12 March 1942 •
Dum Dum Airfield, India, 30 May 1942 •
Karachi Airport, India, 9 September 1942 •
Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 12 December 1942 •
Kurmitola Airfield, India, 17 January 1944 •
Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 6 October 1944 •
Tezpur Airfield, India, 7 June 1945 •
Dudhkundi Airfield, India, 31 October – 7 December 1945 •
Camp Kilmer,
New Jersey, 5–6 January 1946 •
Fort Worth AAFld, Texas (later renamed Carswell AFB), 1 October 1946 – 16 June 1952; 1 September 1991 – 1 January 1993 •
Dyess AFB, Texas, 1 October 1993–present
Aircraft • Breguet 14, DH-4, Salmson 2 in addition to Spad XIII and Sopwith FE-2, 1918–1919 •
Loening OA-2, 1928-unknown • LB-7, 1929-unknown • B-3, B-4, O-19, O-38, 1931–1934 • B-12, 1934–1936 •
Martin B-10, 1936–1937 •
B-18 Bolo, 1937–1941 •
B-17 Flying Fortress, 1939–1942 •
B-25 Mitchell, 1942 •
B-24 Liberator, LB-30, 1942–1945 •
B-29 Superfortress, 1946–1948 •
Convair B-36, 1948–1958 •
Convair XC-99, 1949 •
B-52F Stratofotress 1957–1969 •
B-52D Stratofortress1969–1983 •
B-52H Stratofortress, 1983–1993 •
KC-135A Stratotanker, 1960–1993 •
B-1B Lancer, 1985–present 96th BW and later 7th BW) •
C-130 Hercules, 1993–1997 ==See also==