310th Bomb Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 310th Bomb Wing


caption=
dates= 19 February 1947 - 27 June 1949 310 BW(L)
15 March 1952 - 25 June 1965 310 BW(M)
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role=
size=
command_structure= Air Corps Reserve
Strategic Air Command
Air Combat Command
garrison=
equipment= A-26 Invader
Atlas missile
B-29 Superfortress
B-47 Stratojet
B-52 Stratofortress
KC-97 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
anniversaries=
decorations= see "Lineage and Honors" section below
current_commander=

The 310th Bomb Wing has gone through many reassignments, redesignations, inactivations, reactivations, and reattachments during its career in the Air Force. First it was a light bomb wing under the Air Corps Reserve during World War II, then inactivated in 1949. Reactivated as a medium bomb wing under Strategic Air Command during the Korean War, it was active until the end of the Vietnam War. Again activated in 1991, the 310 wing designation would go to a training and testing wing under Air Combat Command before being inactivated again. The lineage is now carried by the 310th Space Group.

History

310th Bombardment Wing (Light)

The first unit to have the 310th Bomb Wing designation, the 310th Bombardment Wing (Light) [310BW(L)] , was organized as an Air Corps Reserve unit on 19 February, 1947, and activated on July 10, 1947 at Tinker Air Field (now Tinker Air Force Base), Oklahoma. The wing flew A-26 Invaders until the unit deactivated 27 June 1949.

* Organized: 19 February 1947 as an Air Corps Reserve unit
* Activated: 10 July 1947
* Assigned: Tenth Air Force
* Components: 323d Bombardment Group; 456th Bombardment Squadron
** 340th Bombardment Group; 487th Bombardment Squadron, 488th Bombardment Squadron
** 489th Bombardment Squadron
* Station: Tinker Air Field (now Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
* Equipment: A-26 Invader light bombardment aircraft
* Redesignated: 310th Air Division (April 1948): (323d Bombardment Group was redesignated the 323d Bombardment Wing (Light) at the same time)
* Deactivated: 27 June 1949

310th Bombardment Wing (Medium)

The second unit to have the 310th Bomb Wing designation is the 310th Bombardment Wing (Medium) [310 BW(M)] . The wing flew B-47 Stratojet bombers from 1956 to 1963, then transitioned to the B-52 Stratofortress for service in Vietnam. The 310 BW(M) was deactivated on 25 June, 1965.

* Organized: 15 March 1952 as a SAC unit
* Activated: 28 March 1952
* Assigned: Fifteenth Air Force (Attached to the 21st Air Division from 28 March 1952 to 4 September 1952)
* Components: 40 AR (attached 9 September 1952-30 April 1953; assigned 1 June 1960-15 March 1963)
** 40 BW (attached 1 February 1953-1 May 1953)
** 310 AR (assigned 8 October 1952-25 June 1965):: detached 1 March 1954-28 March 1954; 28 December 1955-26 February 1956; 25 November 1957-December 1957; 25 March 1958-8 July 1958; 15 April 1965-25 June 1965
** 379 BS (assigned 28 March 1952)
** 380 BS (assigned 28 March 1952)
** 381 BS (assigned 28 March 1952)
** 428 BS (assigned 1 February 1959-1 January 1962)
** 550 SM (assigned 1 April 1961-25 June 1965)
* Station: Smoky Hill AFB (later Schilling AFB), Kansas: received initial training at Forbes AFB, Kansas from the 90th Bombardment Wing April 1952-4 September 1952
* Equipment: B-29 Superfortress 1952: KC-97 Stratotanker 1952
* Reassigned: Fifteenth Air Force, 802nd Air Division 25 May 1952
* Re-equipped: lost B-29 Superfortress 1954: kept KC-97 Stratotanker (1952): added B-47 Stratojet 1954
* Deployed and Attached: RAF Upper Heyford, England, 7th Air Division 10 March 1955-8 June 1955
* Reassigned: Eighth Air Force, 802nd Air Division 1 July 1955
* Deployed and Attached: RAF Greenham Common, England 7th Air Division 3 October 1956 to 9 January 1957
* Reassigned: Fifteenth Air Force, 802nd Air Division 1 January 1959
* Reassigned: Fifteenth Air Force, 819th Air Division 20 June 1960
* Re-equipped: kept B-47 Stratojet (1955): kept KC-97 Stratotanker (1952): added Atlas missile April 1961; missiles went on alert September 1962
* Reassigned: Fifteenth Air Force, 819th Strategic Aerospace Division 1 July 1962
* Redesignated: 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing 1 March 1962
* Station: Schilling AFB, Kansas
* Reassigned: Fifteenth Air Force, 22nd Strategic Aerospace Division 1 July 1962
* Re-equipped: kept Atlas missile (1961): lost B-47 Stratojet 1963: added B-52 Stratofortress 1963: kept KC-97 Stratotanker (1952)
* Re-equipped: kept Atlas missile (1961): kept B-52 Stratofortress (1963): lost KC-97 Stratotanker 1964: added KC-135 Stratotanker 1964
* Deactivated: 25 June 1965

External links

* [http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil Air Force Historical Research Agency]
* http://www.strategic-air-command.com/wings/0310bw.ht