383d Bombardment Group
A former United States Army Air Forces bomber unit that trained heavy- and very-heavy-bomber crews during the Second World War.
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Overview
The 383d Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces unit organized during the Second World War. It was created in late 1942 as a heavy-bomber formation and initially supported the training system for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crews. Its early organization included the 540th, 541st, 542d, and 543d Bombardment Squadrons. The group moved through several American airfields as the Army Air Forces adjusted its training structure and aircraft requirements. Activated at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, on 3 November 1942, the group soon transferred its cadre to Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota. There it began preparing for an operational-training role with the B-17. Operational Training Units were deliberately large formations intended to provide experienced personnel and organizational cadres for newly established satellite groups. In 1943, the 383d moved to Geiger Field, Washington, and then to Peterson Field, Colorado. At Peterson, it transitioned from B-17 operations to the Consolidated B-24 Liberator and became a Replacement Training Unit, concentrating on the preparation of individual aircrews rather than the creation of complete new combat groups. The Army Air Forces subsequently concluded that conventional group structures were not efficient for increasingly specialized training tasks. The training mission at Peterson Field was therefore reorganized around a functional numbered base-unit system. The original 383d Bombardment Group and its associated elements were inactivated on 1 April 1944 and replaced at the same time by the 214th Army Air Forces Base Unit, which operated a heavy combat-crew training school. The 383d was reconstituted later in 1944 for the Pacific war. Redesignated the 383d Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, it was activated at Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, on 28 August 1944 and assigned a Boeing B-29 Superfortress mission. B-29 availability was insufficient for the unit to complete its intended training on schedule, and the group remained in the United States for an extended period. It later moved to Walker Army Air Field, Kansas, where preparation continued. The group finally deployed to the Pacific in 1945, arriving at Tinian in the Mariana Islands in September after the war against Japan had effectively ended. It was assigned first within the wider Pacific bomber command structure and later to the Twentieth Air Force. Because hostilities ended before the 383d could become operationally ready for combat, it did not conduct wartime bombing missions. It performed a limited number of training activities from Okinawa during the postwar period before returning to the United States for demobilization. The unit was inactivated at Camp Anza, California, on 3 January 1946. Its record illustrates the rapid expansion, reorganization, and eventual demobilization of the Army Air Forces' heavy-bomber training system.
History
The 383d Bombardment Group was constituted as a heavy-bomber group on 28 October 1942 and activated at Salt Lake City Army Air Base on 3 November. Its initial components were the 540th, 541st, 542d, and 543d Bombardment Squadrons. The group was assigned to II Bomber Command and, for part of its early existence, was associated with the 17th Bombardment Operational Training Wing. A little more than a week after activation, the group's cadre moved to Rapid City Army Air Base in South Dakota. The 383d was organized as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Operational Training Unit. In the Army Air Forces training system, an OTU was an oversized parent organization that trained personnel and supplied cadres for newly formed satellite groups. The 383d consequently served an institutional training function rather than operating as a front-line combat group. During 1943, the group relocated to Geiger Field, Washington, and then to Peterson Field, Colorado, on 26 October. At Peterson, it shifted from B-17 training to operations with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator and was redesignated in practical terms as a Replacement Training Unit. An RTU trained replacement aircrews and individual personnel for existing combat organizations. This change reflected the Army Air Forces' evolving manpower and equipment needs as the bomber war expanded. The conventional group structure proved increasingly cumbersome for specialized training. The Army Air Forces therefore began replacing standard groups and supporting formations with functional base units tailored to particular missions. At Peterson Field, the 383d, its squadrons, and supporting organizations were inactivated or disbanded on 1 April 1944. The 214th Army Air Forces Base Unit, designated for heavy combat-crew training, was organized at the same time to carry on the relevant mission. The 383d returned to the active list on 28 August 1944 as the 383d Bombardment Group, Very Heavy. It was organized at Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, for service with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the long-range bomber being prepared for operations against Japan. Its later components included the 876th, 880th, and 884th Bombardment Squadrons, together with the 38th Photographic Laboratory. B-29 shortages, however, prevented the group from completing its preparation as rapidly as intended. It remained in the United States for nearly a year and used Walker Army Air Field, Kansas, from January to August 1945. The group moved to the Pacific in August 1945 and reached Tinian in the Mariana Islands in September. The deployment occurred after Japan's surrender, so the unit did not carry out the combat bombing operations for which it had been organized. On 12 September it became associated with the 313th Bombardment Wing, and in September it was reassigned to the Twentieth Air Force. The group conducted a limited number of training missions during the postwar period, but the end of hostilities removed the need for its planned operational employment. The 383d left the Pacific in December 1945 and returned to the United States. It was stationed briefly at Camp Anza, California, in early January 1946 and was inactivated there on 3 January. Some general accounts describe the group's final administrative presence at Camp Anza through 4 January, but the formal lineage records identify 3 January 1946 as the inactivation date. The unit therefore existed in two distinct phases: a 1942–1944 heavy-bomber training group and a 1944–1946 very-heavy-bomber group that deployed too late to see combat.
- 1946
Inactivated at Camp Anza
[1]After returning from the Pacific, the 383d Bombardment Group was inactivated at Camp Anza, California, on 3 January 1946.
- 1945
Moved to Walker Army Air Field
[1]The group trained at Walker Army Air Field, Kansas, from January through August 1945 while awaiting aircraft and preparation for overseas deployment.
- 1945
Arrived in the Pacific after the war
[1]The group deployed to Tinian in the Mariana Islands in September 1945, too late to participate in combat against Japan.
- 1944
First activation ended
[1]The original heavy-bomber training group was inactivated on 1 April 1944 and replaced at Peterson Field by the 214th Army Air Forces Base Unit.
- 1944
Reactivated as a very-heavy-bomber group
[1]The unit was reactivated on 28 August 1944 at Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, and redesignated for Boeing B-29 Superfortress operations.
- 1943
Transitioned to B-24 replacement training
[1]After moving through Geiger Field, Washington, the group reached Peterson Field, Colorado, in October and changed from B-17 operational training to B-24 replacement training.
- 1942
Constituted as a heavy-bomber group
[1]The unit was constituted as the 383d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 October 1942 within the wartime expansion of the United States Army Air Forces.
- 1942
Activated at Salt Lake City
[1]The group was activated on 3 November 1942 at Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, with four bombardment squadrons.
- 1942
Moved to Rapid City for B-17 training
[1]The group's cadre moved to Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, where the unit began preparing for Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress operational training.
Products and positioning
A wartime military training and deployment unit rather than a commercial brand. Its principal function was to prepare bomber personnel and organizations for service with heavy and very-heavy bomber aircraft.
Heavy bomber
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
The group initially trained as a B-17 operational-training organization. Its role was to prepare bomber personnel and cadres rather than to conduct an independent combat campaign.
Heavy bomber
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
At Peterson Field, the group transitioned to the B-24 and served as a replacement training unit. This phase focused on producing individual aircrews and replacement personnel for operational bomber formations.
Very heavy bomber
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
After its 1944 reactivation, the group was programmed as a B-29 very-heavy-bomber formation for the Pacific Theater. Aircraft shortages delayed its training, and the group reached the Pacific only after the combat phase of the war had ended.
Brand decisions
1944
Reactivation for B-29 Pacific deploymentStrategyBackground
The Army Air Forces required additional very-heavy-bomber formations for the Pacific war and designated the 383d for Boeing B-29 operations.
Action taken
The group was reactivated on 28 August 1944 and trained for overseas service with the B-29 Superfortress.
Aftermath
B-29 shortages delayed deployment. The group arrived in the Pacific after Japan's surrender and did not conduct combat missions.
1943
Shift from operational training to replacement trainingStrategyBackground
The Army Air Forces required a different training output as the bomber force expanded: rather than primarily creating cadres for new satellite groups, the organization needed to train replacement aircrews for existing combat units.
Action taken
At Peterson Field, the 383d changed from B-17 operational training to B-24 replacement training.
Aftermath
The broader training system was later reorganized around functional base units, leading to the group's first inactivation in April 1944.
Sources1 sources
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