488th Tactical Missile Wing

488th Tactical Missile Wing

Graduation photo of 17th Tactical Missile Squadron with TM-61 Matador Missile
Active 1943–1944; 1957-1958
Branch  United States Air Force
Role Bombardment and Tactical Missile Training
Commanders
588th Tactical Missile Group commander[1][2] Lt. Col. Bowers W. Espy.

The 488th Tactical Missile Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was formed by the consolidation of the 488th Bombardment Group and the 588th Tactical Missile Group in 1985, but has not been active since consolidation.

The 488th Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces heavy bomber replacement training unit that served during World War II. It was last assigned to Third Air Force at MacDill Field, Florida, where it was disbanded on 1 May 1944.

The 588th Tactical Missile Group was a United States Air Force tactical missile training unit that served during the Cold War. It was last assigned to 4504th Missile Training Wing at Orlando Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated on 15 July 1958.

History

World War II

The 488th Bombardment Group was activated at Geiger Field, Washington in the fall of 1943 with the 840th, 841st, 842d, and 843d Bombardment Squadrons assigned.[3] While the 841st and 842d Squadrons were activated with group headquarters at Geiger, the 840th at Ephrata Army Air Field, Washington and the 843d at Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska were former antisubmarine units.[4] The group operated as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress operational training unit under Second Air Force.[5] The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups."[6] Toward the end of 1943 Second Air Force prepared to concentrate on Boeing B-29 Superfortress training and Geiger was transferred to Fourth Air Force and became a training base for Aviation Engineer units.[7] The 488th headquarters and all squadrons were transferred to Third Air Force and moved to MacDill Field, Florida.[3][4]

At MacDill the group operated as a B-17 replacement training unit under.[3] Replacement training units were oversized units which trained aircrews prior to their deployment to combat theaters.[6] However, the Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[8] This resulted in the 488th, along with other units at MacDill, being disbanded in the spring of 1944[3] and being replaced by the 317th AAF Base Unit, which assumed the group's mission, personnel, and equipment

Cold War

The 588th Tactical Missile Group (TMG) was formed as a unit including launch, maintenance and support squadrons which could be deployed together rather than Tactical Air Command's previous practice of organizing independent missile squadrons. The 588th was part of to Ninth Air Force and its initial components were the 17th Tactical Missile Squadron (TMS), the 588th Communications and Guidance Squadron and the 588th Support Squadron. Initial training included preparation to deploy overseas.[9] However, the 17th TMS deployed to Pacific Air Forces by itself in early 1958, where it became the nucleus for the 6214th Support Group at Tainan AS, Taiwan.

In April the 24th TMS was reassigned from the 589th TMG to the 588th TMG and plans began to deploy to Osan AB, South Korea. The 24th engaged in crew training at Orlando AFB but never received any missiles. The squadron did, however, deploy to Cape Canaveral AFS and launched for Matador missiles under the guidance of the 6555th Guided Missile Squadron. However, when the 588th's personnel deployed, the United States Air Force decided to redesignate two fighter units at Osan instead of replacing them with new missile units. Deploying personnel and equipment were reassigned to the 58th Fighter-Bomber, Group which was reactivated as the 58th Tactical Missile Group;[10] the 310th Tactical Fighter Squadron, which became the 310th Tactical Missile Squadron;[11] or the newly activated 58th Support Squadron and 58th Communications and Guidance Squadron.[12]

In July 1958 the 4504th Wing reorganized and the 588th was inactivated and replaced by the 4504th Tactical Missile Training Squadron and the 4504th Support Squadrons, which absorbed its remaining personnel and equipment.[13]

The 488th Bombardment Group and the 588th Tactical Missile Group were consolidated on 31 July 1985,[14] but the consolidated unit has not been active.

Lineage

488th Bombardment Group

  • Constituted as 488th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 September 1943
Activated on 1 October 1943
Disbanded on 1 May 1944[3]
  • Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and consolidated with the 588th Tactical Missile Group as the 488th Tactical Missile Wing[14]

588th Tactical Missile Group

  • Constituted as the 588th Tactical Missile Group
Activated on 8 January 1957
Inactivated on 15 July 1958
  • Consolidated with the 588th Tactical Missile Group on 31 July 1985 as the 488th Tactical Missile Wing[14]

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft and Missiles

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Abstract, History 588 Tactical Missile Group activation-Jun 1957 (retrieved 3 October 2013)
  2. ↑ Abstract, History 588 Tactical Missile Group Jan 1958-inactivation (retrieved 3 October 2013)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Maurer, Combat Units, p. 358
  4. 1 2 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 777-776
  5. ↑ "Abstract, History 841 Bombardment Squadron Oct-Nov 1943". Air Force History Index. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  6. 1 2 Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi
  7. ↑ "Abstract, History Geiger Field May-June 1945". Air Force History Index. Retrieved October 3, 2013.
  8. ↑ Craven & Cate, p. 7
  9. ↑ Abstract, History 4504 Tactical Missile Wing Jan-Jun 1957 (retrieved 3 October 2013)
  10. ↑ Robertson, Patsy, AFHRA Factsheet 58 Operations Group 9/29/2009 (retrieved 3 October 2013)
  11. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 376
  12. ↑ See Fletcher,
  13. ↑ Abstract, History 4504 Missile Training Wing Jul-Dec 1958 (retrieved 3 October 2013)
  14. 1 2 3 Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations
  15. ↑ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 767-768
  16. 1 2 3 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 776
  17. ↑ Abstract, History 588 Tactical Missile Group Jul-Dec 1957 (retrieved 3 October 2013)

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Further reading

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