393d Bombardment Group

The 393d Bombardment Group was a disbanded United States Army Air Forces unit organized during World War II to train heavy-bomber crews for operational service. Constituted as the 393d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 29 January 1943, it was activated on 16 February 1943 at Geiger Field, Washington, under Second Air Force. Its four operational components were the 580th, 581st, 582d, and 583d Bombardment Squadrons. The group was created during the rapid wartime expansion of the American heavy-bomber force. Rather than deploying as a combat organization, it initially functioned as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Operational Training Unit. In that role, it served as an oversized parent formation that prepared cadres and aircrews for newly established satellite groups. The training system progressed from individual instruction in specialist crew duties, through coordinated crew work, to full unit operations. This approach was influenced by the Royal Air Force's unit-training methods and was designed to produce effective combat formations quickly. After activation at Geiger Field, the group moved to Gowen Field, Idaho, in March 1943, where it began receiving and operating B-17 aircraft. It transferred to Wendover Field, Utah, in April and then to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, in June. During the Sioux City period, the group headquarters and the 582d Bombardment Squadron remained at the base, while the other squadrons operated from nearby airfields: the 581st from Mitchell Army Air Field, South Dakota; the 583d from Scribner Army Air Field, Nebraska; and the 580th from Watertown Army Air Field, South Dakota. On 1 August 1943, the group moved to Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska, where its component squadrons were reunited and its mission changed from an Operational Training Unit to a Replacement Training Unit. By this stage of the war, most combat formations had already been activated and many had deployed overseas. The Army Air Forces therefore placed greater emphasis on training replacement pilots and aircrews for existing units rather than creating additional complete formations. The 393d's revised role focused on preparing individual personnel and crews to fill vacancies in operational heavy-bomber organizations. The group returned to Sioux City Army Air Base in November 1943. Its final months coincided with a broader reorganization of Army Air Forces training. Conventional military groups were based on relatively rigid tables of organization and were increasingly considered inefficient for specialized training and replacement functions. The Army Air Forces adopted a more functional structure in which individual bases were managed by numbered units tailored to their specific missions. Consequently, the 393d Bombardment Group and its four squadrons were inactivated on 1 April 1944. Their personnel and equipment were combined with those of other Sioux City support organizations to form the 224th Army Air Forces Base Unit, which assumed the base's heavy-bomber combat-crew training mission. The group did not conduct an overseas combat campaign or deploy as a bomber unit. Its historical importance lies in the domestic training system that supported the American strategic-bombing effort. Although inactivated in 1944, its formal organizational lineage continued until the group was disbanded on 9 September 1992.

The 393d Bombardment Group was constituted as the 393d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 29 January 1943 and activated on 16 February at Geiger Field, Washington. It was assigned to Second Air Force, with the 580th, 581st, 582d, and 583d Bombardment Squadrons as its operational components. The organization formed during the period when the Army Air Forces was rapidly expanding its heavy-bomber arm and needed a large domestic training infrastructure to prepare crews and build new combat groups. In March 1943, the group moved to Gowen Field, Idaho, and began equipping with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. Its initial function was that of an Operational Training Unit. OTUs were deliberately oversized formations that trained cadres and crews for satellite groups. The training process covered individual crew specialties, coordinated work among crew members, and full-unit operations. The group spent approximately a month at Gowen before moving to Wendover Field, Utah, around 3 April 1943. The 393d relocated to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, on 11 June 1943. During the following weeks its squadrons were dispersed among several installations. Group headquarters and the 582d remained at Sioux City, the 581st moved to Mitchell Army Air Field in South Dakota on 3 July, the 583d moved to Scribner Army Air Field in Nebraska on 3 July, and the 580th moved to Watertown Army Air Field in South Dakota on 4 July. This arrangement reflected the geographically distributed nature of wartime aircrew training. On 1 August 1943, the group moved to Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska, where its component squadrons were brought together again. At Kearney, the 393d's mission changed to Replacement Training Unit duty. The change reflected the evolution of the war. Most planned combat formations had already been activated and many had moved overseas, making the training of replacements for existing units more important than the creation of additional complete groups. RTUs trained individual pilots and aircrews who would later be assigned to operational formations. The group returned to Sioux City on 7 November 1943. By then, Army Air Forces planners were reassessing the usefulness of standard military organizations for training missions. Groups such as the 393d were structured under inflexible tables of organization, while training bases required arrangements that could be adapted to functional tasks. The Army Air Forces therefore began replacing conventional group structures with numbered base units organized around specific missions. As part of this reorganization, the 393d Bombardment Group and its four squadrons were inactivated on 1 April 1944. Their personnel and equipment were combined with those of other support organizations at Sioux City to create the 224th Army Air Forces Base Unit, designated as a heavy-bomber combat-crew training station. The group had no overseas combat record and was not a deployed operational bombing formation. It nevertheless contributed to the larger American bomber effort by training personnel and supporting the replacement pipeline. The organization's formal lineage remained on the records until it was disbanded on 9 September 1992.

• 1992

  Disbanded

  [1]393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The organization's remaining formal lineage was disbanded on 9 September 1992.

• 1944

  Inactivated during training reorganization

  [1]393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group and its component squadrons were inactivated at Sioux City on 1 April. Their resources helped form the 224th Army Air Forces Base Unit.

• 1943

  Constituted as a heavy bombardment group

  [1]393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The unit was constituted as the 393d Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 29 January 1943.

• 1943

  Activated at Geiger Field

  [1]393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was activated on 16 February at Geiger Field, Washington, with four bombardment squadrons assigned.

• 1943

  Began B-17 operational training

  [1]393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  After moving to Gowen Field, Idaho, in March, the group equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and began its Operational Training Unit mission.

• 1943

  Transferred to Sioux City

  [1]393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group moved to Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, in June, with its squadrons temporarily distributed among bases in Iowa, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

• 1943

  Converted to a Replacement Training Unit

  [1]393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 1 August, the group moved to Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska, and shifted from training new units to preparing replacement aircrews and personnel.

A wartime heavy-bomber training formation focused first on preparing new B-17 operational units and later on supplying trained replacement personnel and aircrews.

• Training aircraft · 1943

  Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

  The group used Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses during its 1943–1944 training activities. The aircraft supported both the initial Operational Training Unit mission, which prepared new heavy-bomber formations, and the later Replacement Training Unit mission, which prepared crews and individual personnel for assignment to existing combat units.

• 1944

  Adoption of a functional base-unit structureStrategy

  Background

  Army Air Forces planners found that standard groups with rigid tables of organization were poorly suited to specialized training and replacement missions.

  Action taken

  The 393d and its squadrons were inactivated and their personnel and equipment were combined with other Sioux City organizations in the 224th Army Air Forces Base Unit.

  Aftermath

  The newly organized base unit assumed responsibility for heavy-bomber combat-crew training at Sioux City.

  Source

• 1943

  Shift from operational-unit training to replacement trainingStrategy

  Background

  As most planned combat formations had been activated and many had deployed overseas, the Army Air Forces increasingly needed replacement personnel rather than additional complete units.

  Action taken

  The group changed its mission from Operational Training Unit work to Replacement Training Unit work after moving to Kearney Army Air Field in August 1943.

  Aftermath

  The 393d focused on preparing individual pilots and aircrews for assignment to existing heavy-bomber formations.

  Source

1. 1393rd Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Air Force Combat Units of World War IImedia.defense.gov