| 456th Bombardment Wing, Heavy | |
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4126th Strategic Wing 456th Bombardment Wing emblem |
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| Active | 15 October 1952 – 9 July 1956 (456 TCW) 15 November 1962 – 30 June 1971 (456 SAW) 30 June 1971-30 September 1975(456 BW) |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Part of | Eighteenth Air Force, Air Force Reserves (456 TCW) Fifteenth Air Force, Strategic Air Command (456 SAW and 456 BW) |
| Equipment | C-119 Flying Boxcar (456 TCW) B-52 Stratofortress, KC-135 Stratotanker (456 SAW and 456 BW) Titan I missile (456 SAW) |
| Decorations | see "Lineage and Honors" section below |
The 456th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command 14th Air Division, stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 30 September 1975.
Originally activated in 1943 as the 456th Bombardment Group as a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. The highly-decorated unit flew 249 bombing missions from Italy while assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force. Its members earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for valor in combat and participated extensively in the strategic bombing campaign against oil production targets including Ploieşti, Romania, that resulted in high bomber losses.
Inactivated at the end of the war and allotted to the Air Force Reserve, the group was reactivated as the 456th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, operating C-119 Flying Boxcar transports during the 1950s. In November 1962 the wing was designated the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing and was stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California, flying B-52 Stratofortress bombers and KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft, and operating a Titan I ICBM squadron (1962–1965). In July 1972 the wing was redesignated the 456th Bombardment Wing, Heavy and continued to fly the B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker, but lost the ICBM squadron. The wing was inactivated in September 1975.
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Activated in June 1943 as a heavy bombardment group. Trained with B-24 Liberators for duty overseas. Moved to Italy, December 1943 – January 1944. Began combat with Fifteenth Air Force in February 1944, operating chiefly against strategic targets until late in April 1945. Early operations included attacks against such objectives as marshalling yards, aircraft factories, railroad bridges, and airdromes in Italy, Austria, and Rumania.
Received a Distinguished Unit Citation for performance at Wiener Neustadt, Austria on 10 May 1944: when other groups turned back because of adverse weather, the 456th proceeded to the target and, withstanding repeated attacks by enemy interceptors, bombed the manufacturing center. Helped to prepare the way for and supported the invasion of Southern France during Jul and August 1944. At the same time, expanded previous operations to include attacks on oil refineries and storage facilities, locomotive works, and viaducts in France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Austria, and the Balkans.
Received second DUC for a mission in Hungary on 2 July 194 when the group braved severe fighter attacks and antiaircraft fire to bomb oil facilities at Budapest. In April 1945 bombed gun positions, bridges, roads, depots, and rail lines to support US Fifth and British Eighth Army in their advance through Italy. Transported supplies to airfields in northern Italy after V-E Day. Returned to the US in July 1945.
The 456th relocated to Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Salina, Kansas, on 17 August 1945. Put under control of Second Air Force, for conversion to a B-29 Superfortress group and operations against Japan, and re-designated 456th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy. The Pacific War ended before the conversion was completed, however, and the group was inactivated on 17 October 1945.
The 456th Troop Carrier Wing (Medium) (456 TCW) was activated as part of the Air Force Reserves in October 1952 and allocated to Tactical Air Command. It was assigned to Miami International Airport, Florida, where it replaced the 435th Troop Carrier Wing. Assigned C-119 Flying Boxcar troop carrier transports. Transferred to Charleston AFB, SC 25 July 1953. It was reorganized on 1 March 1955 and assumed control over three tactical squadrons plus three squadron-size detachments manned for self-sufficient operations and having eight specially modified C-119s. Unit participated in Project DRAG NET, part of PROJECT 119L. The wing’s task was to perform aerial recovery of high altitude balloon-borne instrument packages.
Reassigned to Shiroi AB Japan, 10 Nov. 1955 and Ardmore AFB, Oklahoma 25 May 1956. It participated in numerous tactical exercise in the United States and overseas, mostly in conjunction with Army airborne forces. Inactivated 9 July 1956.
On 8 February 1959, Strategic Air Command established the 4126th Strategic Wing at Beale AFB, California as part of SAC's plan to disburse its B-52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The wing consisted of the 31st Bombardment Squadron, consisting of 15 B-52Es, and the KC-135-equipped 903d Air Refueling Squadron. Half of the aircraft were maintained on fifteen minute alert, fully fueled, armed, and ready for combat. In addition, the 4126th controlled the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron, an HGM-25A Titan I ICBM strategic missile squadron. SAC Strategic Wings were considered a provisional unit by HQ, USAF and could not carry a permanent history or lineage.
In 1962, in order to retain the lineage of its MAJCOM 4-digit combat units and to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCOM strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate AFCON units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.
The 4126th SW was redesignated as the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing (456th SAW) on 1 February 1963 in a name-only redesigation and was assigned to SAC's Fifteenth Air Force, 14th Strategic Aerospace Division. The 456th SAW was placed on operational status upon activation with the 31st BS being redesignated as the 744th Bombardment Squadron, the wing's former World War II bomb squadron. The 903d ARS and 851st SMS designations were unchanged, however component support units were redesignated to the 456th numerical designation of the newly-established wing. As under the Tri-Deputate organization, all operational components were directly assigned to the wing, no operational group element was activated.
The 456th SAW continued the mission of strategic bombardment and missile readiness training. The wing’s bombardment and air refueling squadrons frequently deployed aircraft and crews to meet USAF requirements, often having nearly all of the resources of the wing scattered around the world at various operating locations. In 1963 the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing was featured as the fictional 904th Strategic Aerospace Wing in the Hollywood film production A Gathering of Eagles.
In July 1972 the wing was redesignated the 456th Bombardment Wing, Heavy with the inactivation of the Titan Missile squadron but continued to fly the B-52 and KC-135. The 456th BW was inactivated on 30 September 1975, and its equipment and personnel were redesignated as the 17th Bombardment Wing, Heavy when the senior unit was inactivated at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. This was part of a consolidation of resources after the Vietnam War due to budget cuts, and the desire by HQ SAC to keep the senior unit on active duty.
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This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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