306th Flying Training Group

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The 306th Flying Training Group is a unit of the United States Air Force. During the Second World War it was designated as the 306th Bomb Group and flew bombing missions against Nazi Germany using the B-17 Flying Fortress.

In its present capacity it serves as the airmanship training unit of the United States Air Force Academy, having replaced the 34th Operations Group in 2004. The designation "306th" was deliberately selected by the historian of the Air Education and Training Command to connect the training mission of the Group with its relationship to the book and movie Twelve O'Clock High (AETC News Service release 100104308, October 1, 2004).

Contents

[edit] Lineage

[edit] Assignments

Second Air Force, 1 March 1942; 1st Bombardment Wing, 6 September 1942; 40th Combat Bombardment Wing, Sep 1943; 9th Air Division, 16 May 1945; 98th Bombardment Wing, Sep 1945; 40th Bombardment Wing, 15 November 1945; 128th Replacement Battalion (AAF/ET Replacement Depot), 22 August 1946; 40th Bombardment Wing, 13 September 1946; European Air Materiel Command, 20-25 December 1946. Strategic Air Command, 1 July 1947; Fifteenth Air Force, 16 December 1948; Second Air Force, 1 April 1950; 306th Bombardment Wing, 1 September 1950-16 June 1952. Nineteenth Air Force, 4 October 2004-.

[edit] Components

  • 34th Reconnaissance Squadron (later, 423d Bombardment): 1 March 1942-25 December 1946.
  • 94th Flying Training Squadron: 4 October 2004-.
  • 98th Flying Training Squadron: 4 October 2004-.
  • 306th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 September 1950-16 June 1952.
  • 367th Bombardment Squadron: 1 March 1942-25 December 1946; 1 July 1947-16 June 1952.
  • 368th Bombardment Squadron: 1 March 1942-25 December 1946; 1 July 1947-16 June 1952.
  • 369th Bombardment Squadron: 1 March 1942-29 June 1946; 1 July 1947-16 June 1952.
  • 557th Flying Training Squadron: 4 October 2004-.

[edit] Aircraft

B-17, 1942-1946. B-29, 1948-1951; B-50, 1950-1951; B-47, 1951-1952; KC-97, 1951-1952. UV-18, TG-10B/C/D, TG-14, TG-15A/B, T-41 2004-

[edit] Operations

[edit] World War II

The 306th Bombardment Group was activated on March 1, 1942, at Gowen AAB, Idaho, as a B-17 Flying Fortress bomb group, with four squadrons assigned: 367th Bomb Squadron (H), 368th Bomb Squadron (H), 369th Bomb Squadron (H), and 423d Bomb Squadron (H).

Moved on April 6, 1942, to Wendover AAB, Utah, where it trained for bombardment operations using 40 B-17E aircraft ferried from Westover AAB, Massachusetts. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942 and entered combat in Oct.

Based in Thurleigh, Bedfordshire, in south-central England, as part of the Eighth Air Force, the 306th was the longest continuously-serving bomb group of the Eighth Air Force during World War II, and led the first mission against a target in Germany. The novel and film Twelve O'Clock High were based in large part on incidents occurring in the group in 1942 and 1943.

Between then and Apr 1945, bombed a variety of enemy targets in Europe, including railroad facilities and submarine pens in France and ball-bearing works, oil plants, marshalling yards, chemical plants, aircraft factories, and foundries in Germany. Took part in the first penetration into Germany by heavy bombers of the Eighth Air Force on 27 January 1943 by attacking U-boat yards at Wilhelmshaven. Sgt. Maynard H. Smith received the Medal of Honor for his actions on 1 May 1943. When the aircraft on which he was a gunner was hit by the enemy and set on fire, the sergeant threw explosive ammunition overboard, manned a gun until the German fighters were driven off, administered first aid to the wounded tail gunner, and extinguished the fire. Without fighter escort and in the face of powerful opposition, the group completed an assault against aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 January 1944, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for the mission. Participated in the Big Week intensive campaign against the German aircraft industry, 20-25 February 1944. The group earned another DUC for effectively bombing an aircraft assembly plant at Bernberg, Germany on 22 February, even though escort fighters had abandoned the mission because of weather. Often supported ground forces and attacked interdictory targets in addition to its strategic operations. Hit airfields and marshalling yards in France, Belgium, and Germany in preparation for Normandy. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, raided railroad bridges and coastal guns in support of the assault. Assisted ground forces during the St. Lo breakthrough in Jul. Covered the airborne invasion of Holland in Sep. During the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945, attacked airfields and marshalling yards to help stop the German advance. Bombed enemy positions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in Mar 1945. Remained in the theater after V-E Day and engaged in special photographic mapping duty in western Europe and North Africa, 1945-1946. Inactivated December 1946, the group received the Distinguished Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster and six campaign stars.

[edit] Decorations

[edit] Campaigns

  • Europe Air Offensive
    • Normandy
    • Northern France
    • Rhineland
    • Ardennes-Alsace
    • Central Europe
COMMANDING OFFICERS:
(1 April 1942 – June 1946)
Col Charles B Overacker Jr. 16 March 1942 -- 3 January 1943
Col Frank A Armstrong Jr. 3 January 1943 - 17 February 1943
Col Claude E Putnam 17 February 1943 – 20 June 1943
Col George L Robinson 20 June 1943 – Sep 1944
Col James S Sutton Sep 1944 – 16 April 1945
Col Hudson H Upham 16 April 1945 – May 1946


[edit] Stations

[edit] USAF service

Between Jul 1947 and Jun 1952, the group trained in the United States for strategic bombardment operations. The group was reactivated July 1947 at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) in Maryland, as the 306th Bombardment Wing, and became part of Strategic Air Command (SAC). The 306th switched to B-29's when it moved to MacDill AFB in 1948. In November 1951 the unit moved to the jet powered B-47, and two years later it was the first B-47 operational wing. The B-47's of the 306th, along with the KC-97 refueling tanker, became SAC's number one line of defense in their Nuclear Deterrence strategy. For its role in advancing jet bombardment tactics, the wing was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award citation (OUC).

The 306th was redesignated the 306th Flying Training Group and reactivated in October 2004 as part of the Nineteenth Air Force of the Air Education and Training Command, headquartered in Randolph AFB, Texas. The 306th FTG is the arimanship training unit for the Cadet Wing of the United States Air Force Academy.

COMMANDING OFFICERS:
Col Robert F Harris May 1946 – Jun 1946
Lt Col Earl W Kesling Jun 1946 - 13 August 1948
Lt Col Charles R Heffner 13 August 1948 - 1 November 1948
Lt Col Loran D Briggs 1 November 1948 - 30 August 1949
Col John A Hilger 1 September 1949 - Mar 1950
Col Michael N W McCoy Mar 1950 - 16 June 1952


[edit] Stations

[edit] Emblem

Original emblem approved on 6 January 1943; modified version approved on 21 October 2004.

[edit] External links

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