306th Flying Training Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=306th Flying Training Group


caption= 306th Flying Training Group Emblem
dates= 1 March 1942 — present
country=United States
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branch=United States Air Force
type=Aircraft Flight Training
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command_structure=United States Air Force Academy
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battle_honours=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. Redesignated the 306th Bombardment Wing, Heavy and then the 306th Strategic Wing as part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Cold War, it later flew the B-47 Stratojet, KC-97 Stratotanker, B-52 Stratofortress and KC-135 Stratotanker. It also flew the latter two aircraft during the war in Vietnam.

Mission

In its present capacity, the 306th serves as the airmanship training unit of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), having replaced the 34th Operations Group in 2004. The designation "306th" was deliberately selected by the historian of the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) 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).

Lineage

*Constituted as "306th Bombardment Group (Heavy)" on January 28, 1942, and activated on March 1, 1942, then re-designated "306th Bombardment Group, Heavy", on August 20, 1943.) Inactivated on December 25, 1946.
*Redesignated "306th Bombardment Group, Very Heavy", on June 11, 1947 and activated on July 1, 1947, then re-designated "306th Bombardment Group, Medium", on August 11, 1948). Inactivated on June 16, 1952.
*Redesignated as "306th Bombardment Wing".
*Redesignated "306th Bombardment Wing, Heavy". Inactivated July 1974.
*Reconstituted, redesignated and activated as "306th Strategic Wing" on 15 Aug 1976. Inactivated 1 Feb 1992.
*Redesignated "306th Flying Training Group" on 30 September 2004 and activated on 4 October 2004.

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 1950-1 Jul 1974; Eighth Air Force, 15 Aug 1976 - 1 Feb 1992; Nineteenth Air Force, 4 October 2004-.

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.
* 367th Bombardment Squadron: 1 Sep 1950 - 1 Jul 1974
* 306th Air Refueling Squadron: 1 Sep 1950 - 1 Jul 1974
* 557th Flying Training Squadron: 4 October 2004-.

Aircraft

B-17, 1942-1946. B-29, 1948-1951; B-50, 1950-1951; B-47, 1951-1963; KC-97, 1951-1963; B-52, 1963-1974; KC-135, 1963-1974, 1976-1992; UV-18, TG-10B/C/D, TG-14, TG-15A/B, T-41 2004-

Operations

USAAF Service / 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 6 April 1942, to Wendover Army Air Field, Utah, where it trained for bombardment operations using 40 B-17E aircraft ferried from Westover Army Air Field, Massachusetts. Moved to England, August-September 1942 and entered combat in October 1942.

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 October 1942 and April 1945, the group bombed a variety of enemy targets in Europe, including railroad facilities and submarine pens in France and ball-bearing works, oil plants, marshaling 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. Sergent Maynard Harrison 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. The group 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, Gummersbach, 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 marshaling yards in France, Belgium, and Germany in preparation for Normandy. On D-Day, 6 June 1944, the unit raided railroad bridges and coastal guns in support of the assault. Assisted ground forces during the Saint-Lô breakthrough in July, then participated in the airborne portion of Operation Market Garden, the invasion of Holland in September. During the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944-January 1945, the 306th attacked airfields and marshaling yards to help stop the German advance. Bombed enemy positions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine River in March 1945, the Operation Varsity portion of the Western Allied invasion of Germany.

Remained in the theater after VE 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.

Decorations

* Distinguished Unit Citations:
** Germany - 11 January 1944
** Germany - 22 February 1944

Campaigns

* Europe Air Offensive
** Normandy
** Northern France
** Rhineland
** Ardennes-Alsace
** Central Europe

Commanding officers

USAF Stations

Emblem

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

References

External links

* [http://www.306thbw.org/ 306^th Alumni site]
* [http://www.306bg.co.uk/ The 306^th Bombardment Group Museum]
* [http://www.8thafhs.org/bomber/306bg.htm The 306th at the Eighth Air Force]