319th Air Refueling Wing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| 319th Air Refueling Wing | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Active | 19 June 1942 — present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Air Refueling |
| Size | 2,600 |
| Part of | Air Mobility Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Grand Forks Air Force Base |
| Nickname | Warriors of the North |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Croix de Guerre with Palm |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Diane R. Hull |
| Notable commanders |
Maj Gen James A. Hawkins, current 18th Air Force commander Joseph R. Holzapple |
The 319th Airlift Wing (319 ARW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota.
Contents |
[edit] Mission
The 319th guarantees global reach and engagement for the U.S. and its allies through robust air refueling and airlift capabilities.
[edit] History
The 319th Bombardment Group trained in Louisiana before moving to England in three echelons in September 1942. In October and November 1942, it moved to Algeria as the first B-26 unit in that theater, entering combat for the first time on 28 November. From then to March 1943, the group bombed German and Italian targets in Tunisia and Libya, including railroads, airfields, harbor installations, and enemy shipping along the Mediterranean Coast. The 319th trained in French Morocco from March, then returned to combat in June 1943, attacking enemy targets on Italian island in the Mediterranean, including Sicily, Sardinia, and Pantelleria. From bases in Algeria and Tunisia, the group supported the Allied invasion of Italy, bombing bridges and marshalling yards during the late summer and early autumn of 1943. In November, it moved to Sardinia, to strike Axis targets in central Italy. Early in 1944, the 319th supported Allied ground forces as they advanced in the Cassino and Anzio areas. Later in the year, the group attacked German supply lines in northern Italy, bombing bridges, marshalling yards, and roads. In March, it earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for raids on marshalling yards in Rome and Florence that damaged enemy communications without destroying cultural monuments. For supporting the Allied ground advance in Italy during April, May, and June 1944, the group earned the French Croix de Guerre. During the summer, it bombed bridges over the Po River in northern Italy to block the stream of German supplies and reinforcements going southward. The 319th Bombardment Group supported the invasion of southern France in August 1944 by attacking coastal batteries, radar stations, and bridges. From Corsica, it hit railroad bridges in Northern Italy and late in the year attacked railroad lines through the Brenner Pass that connected Germany and Austria with Italy.
In January 1945, the 319th returned to the United States, where it began to train with A-26 aircraft for operations in the Pacific Theater. Between May and July 1945, the group moved by ship to Okinawa, and on 16 July flew its first mission against Japan. From then until the end of the fighting in early August, the 319th attacked enemy targets such as airfields and industrial centers on Kyūshū and occupied Shanghai area of China, and shipping around the Ryukyu Islands and in the East China Sea. In November and December 1945, the group returned to the United States.
During the Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower administrations, the 319th served three periods in the continental United States as a reserve organization. In May 1955 it replaced the 8710th Pilot Training Wing, and again performed reserve training and, from July 1956 through August 1957, maintained two F-84s on "runway alert" at Memphis Municipal Airport under operational control of 20th Air Division, Air Defense Command. It was replaced by the 445th Troop Carrier Wing in November 1957
The 319th replaced the 4133d Strategic Wing in February 1963. During the following years, it conducted global bombardment training and air refueling operations to meet Strategic Air Command (SAC) commitments, earning the Omaha Trophy as the outstanding wing in SAC for 1978. It participated in a SAC program to test admission of females to the inflight refueling career field, January-December 1979. The wing converted from B-52 to B-1 bombers, 1986-1987 and flew training missions with conventional and nuclear configurations.
Tanker crews assigned to the wing assisted in air refueling efforts during the invasion of Panama in December 1989. It deployed tankers to Oman, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to provide air refueling and cargo missions in Southwest Asia, August 1990-April 1991. The wing briefly lost its refueling mission in September 1992, but in October 1993, having lost its bombardment squadron, regained the refueling mission. The 319th supported worldwide Tanker Task Forces, as well as, combat operations in Southwest Asia, Central Europe, and Counter Narco-Terror operations in Central America by providing air refueling for combat aircraft, 1993-present.
[edit] Operations
[edit] Previous designations
- 319th Bombardment Group (1942 – 1949)
- 319th Bombardment Wing (1949 – 1955)
- 319th Fighter-Bomber Wing (1955 – 1962)
- 319th Bombardment Wing (1962 – 1991)
- 319th Wing (1991 – 1992)
- 319th Bomb Wing (1992 – 1993)
- 319th Air Refueling Wing (1993 – Present)
[edit] Assignments
[edit] Major command
- Strategic Air Command (1962 – 1992)
- Air Combat Command (1992 – 1993)
- Air Mobility Command (1993 – Present)
[edit] Numbered Air Force
- 8th Air Force (1942, 1991 – 1993)
- 9th Air Force (1949)
- 14th Air Force (1949 – 1951, 1955 – 1957)
- 21st Air Force (1993 – 1997)
- 15th Air Force (1997 – 2003)
- 18th Air Force (2003 – Present)
[edit] Subordinate organizations
319th Operations Group (319 OG)
- 905th Air Refueling Squadron (905 ARS)
- 906th Air Refueling Squadron (906 ARS)
- 912th Air Refueling Squadron (912 ARS)
- 319th Operations Support Squadron (319 OSS)
319th Maintenance Group (319 MXG)
- 319th Maintenance Squadron (319 MXS)
- 319th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (319 AMXS)
- 319th Maintenance Operations Squadron (319 MOS)
319th Mission Support Group (319 MSG)
- 319th Civil Engineer Squadron (319 CES)
- 319th Communications Squadron (319 CS)
- 319th Contracting Squadron (319 CONS)
- 319th Force Support Squadron (319 FSS)
- 319th Security Forces Squadron (319 SFS)
- 319th Logistics Readiness Squadron (319 LRS)
319th Medical Group (319 MDG)
- 319th Aerospace Dental Squadron (319 ADS)
- 319th Medical Operations Squadron (319 MDOS)
- 319th Medical Support Squadron (319 MDSS)
319th Comptroller Squadron (319 CPTS)
[edit] Bases stationed
- Barksdale Field, Louisiana (1942)
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1942)
- RAF Shipdham, England (1942)
- RAF Horsham St. Faith, England (1942)
- Algeria (1942 – 1943)
- French Morocco (1943)
- Djedeida Airdrome, Tunisia (1943)
- Decimomannu, Sardinia (1943 – 1944)
- Serragia Airdrome, Corsica (1944 – 1945)
- Naples, Italy (1945)
- Bradley Field, Connecticut (1945)
- Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina (1945)
- Kadena Air Base, Japan (1945)
- Fort Lewis, Washington (1945 – 1946)
- Mitchell Field, New York (1946 – 1949)
- Reading Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania (1949)
- Birmingham, Alabama (1949 – 1951)
- Memphis, Tennessee (1955 – 1957)
- Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota (1963 – Present)
[edit] Aircraft operated
- B-26 Marauder (1942 – 1944)
- B-25 Mitchell (1944)
- A-26 Invader (1945, 1949 – 1951)
- AT-6 Texan (1949 – 1951)
- AT-7 Navigator (1949 – 1951)
- F-84 Thunderjet (1955 – 1957)
- T-33 Shooting Star (1955 – 1957)
- F-86 Sabre (1957)
- B-52 Stratofortress (1963 – 1986)
- KC-135 Stratotanker (1963 – Present)
- B-1 Lancer (1987 – 1993)
- C-12 Huron (1993 – 1995)
[edit] Unit shields
 319 ARW |
 905 ARS |
 906 ARS |
 912 ARS |
 319 OSS |
 319 MXG |
[edit] External links
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