396th Bombardment Group

The 396th Bombardment Group was a former United States Army Air Forces heavy-bomber training organization active during the Second World War. It was constituted on 29 January 1943 as the 396th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and activated on 16 February 1943 at Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho. Its assigned components were the 592d, 593d, 594th, and 595th Bombardment Squadrons. The group was established during the rapid expansion of the American heavy-bomber force. After being organized and equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft, it moved to Moses Lake Army Air Base in Washington. There it served initially as an Operational Training Unit, or OTU. In that role, the group functioned as an oversized parent formation responsible for helping newly organized B-17 units develop into operational combat organizations. The training system used a staged approach: aircrew members first developed their individual specialties, then practiced coordinated crew procedures, and finally trained to operate as a complete unit. The OTU system reflected the wider wartime need to create large numbers of effective bomber formations quickly. Parent units supplied experienced personnel, aircraft, and instruction to satellite groups while new graduates from Army Air Forces schools filled out the developing formations. The 396th therefore supported the institutional expansion of the B-17 force rather than serving as an overseas combat group of its own. In August 1943, its mission changed from Operational Training Unit work to Replacement Training Unit work. By that stage, many combat groups had already been formed and deployed, increasing the importance of preparing replacement personnel and aircrews for existing formations. As an RTU, the 396th continued to operate as an oversized training organization, but its emphasis shifted toward individual pilots and aircrew replacements rather than the creation of complete new combat units. The group transferred to Drew Field, Florida, in November 1943 and remained there for the rest of its active existence. Its chain of command included II Bomber Command, Second Air Force, and, from November 1943, III Bomber Command. The Army Air Forces later concluded that conventional military units were poorly suited to the specialized and flexible requirements of training administration. It consequently moved toward a functional base-unit structure in which installations were organized around numbered base units rather than traditional combat formations. As part of that reorganization, the 396th Bombardment Group and its squadrons were inactivated at Drew Field on 1 May 1944. The personnel and equipment of the 592d Bombardment Squadron became part of the 326th Army Air Forces Base Unit, while the group’s broader training role ended with the transition to the new administrative system. The 396th did not receive a combat campaign credit and is principally remembered for its contribution to the preparation of B-17 personnel during the wartime training effort.

The 396th Bombardment Group was created in response to the United States Army Air Forces' wartime expansion of its heavy-bomber arm. It was constituted as a heavy bombardment group on 29 January 1943 and activated at Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho, on 16 February 1943. The group included four bombardment squadrons: the 592d, 593d, 594th, and 595th. After its activation, the organization received and prepared Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft and moved to Moses Lake Army Air Base, Washington, on 10 April 1943. Its initial assignment was to serve as an Operational Training Unit under II Bomber Command. The OTU model used an enlarged parent group to train cadres and oversee the development of newly organized satellite groups. Training progressed from individual crewmember skills to coordinated crew performance and then to full unit operations. This structure allowed the Army Air Forces to transform personnel emerging from specialist training schools into functioning heavy-bomber organizations. The group’s role changed in August 1943 when it became a Replacement Training Unit. The change reflected the maturation of the wartime bomber force. Once many combat groups had been activated and sent overseas, the training system increasingly needed to provide replacement pilots and aircrews for units already in service. Unlike an OTU, which concentrated on forming complete new units, an RTU generally trained individual personnel or crews who would later be assigned to operational formations. On 5 November 1943, the 396th moved to Drew Field, Florida. Its command relationships changed during this period: it was initially associated with II Bomber Command, transferred to Second Air Force on 6 October 1943, and came under III Bomber Command from 5 November 1943 until its inactivation. The group continued its B-17 training function at Drew Field rather than deploying as a combat organization. During 1944, the Army Air Forces reorganized its training infrastructure. Officials determined that conventional combat-style units, governed by relatively rigid tables of organization, were not sufficiently adaptable to the functional demands of base-level training. The service therefore began replacing many traditional formations with numbered Army Air Forces Base Units organized around specific installation and training responsibilities. The 396th Bombardment Group was inactivated at Drew Field on 1 May 1944. Its constituent squadrons were also inactivated at that time. The personnel and equipment of the 592d Bombardment Squadron were absorbed into the 326th Army Air Forces Base Unit. The group’s short existence was consequently tied to the rapid wartime development and subsequent administrative rationalization of the American bomber-training system. It did not conduct an overseas combat tour or receive a campaign credit; its historical importance lies in preparing B-17 personnel and supporting the generation of operational heavy-bomber capability.

• 1944

  Inactivation

  [1]396th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was inactivated at Drew Field on 1 May as the Army Air Forces reorganized training activities into numbered base units.

• 1943

  Constitution as a heavy bombardment group

  [1]396th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The unit was constituted as the 396th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 29 January 1943.

• 1943

  Activation at Mountain Home

  [1]396th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was activated at Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho, on 16 February with four bombardment squadrons assigned.

• 1943

  Move to Moses Lake and start of B-17 operational training

  [1]396th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  After organization and equipping, the group moved to Moses Lake Army Air Base, Washington, where it trained newly formed B-17 units as an Operational Training Unit.

• 1943

  Conversion to replacement training

  [1]396th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  In August, the group changed its mission from training new combat units to preparing replacement pilots and aircrews for existing formations.

• 1943

  Transfer to Drew Field

  [1]396th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group moved to Drew Field, Florida, on 5 November and remained there until its inactivation.

A wartime Army Air Forces training formation focused on building and replenishing Boeing B-17 heavy-bomber crews and units.

• Heavy bomber aircraft · 1943

  Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

  The group used Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers during its 1943–1944 training activities. These aircraft supported both the operational training of newly organized heavy-bomber units and the replacement training of pilots and aircrews destined for existing formations. The 396th was a training organization rather than a deployed combat group, so the B-17 served primarily as an instructional and crew-development platform.

• 1944

  Reorganization into a base-unit training structureStrategy

  Background

  The Army Air Forces determined that standard military formations were not sufficiently flexible for specialized training and installation-management duties.

  Action taken

  The 396th Bombardment Group was inactivated on 1 May 1944, with personnel and equipment transferred into the numbered base-unit system.

  Aftermath

  The traditional group structure ended at Drew Field, and training responsibilities were administered through functional Army Air Forces Base Units.

  Source

• 1943

  Shift from operational-unit training to replacement trainingStrategy

  Background

  As more Army Air Forces combat groups were formed and deployed, the training system placed greater emphasis on supplying replacement personnel to existing units.

  Action taken

  In August 1943, the 396th changed from an Operational Training Unit to a Replacement Training Unit, focusing more heavily on individual pilots and aircrews.

  Aftermath

  The group continued B-17 training but served the replacement pipeline rather than primarily developing new complete combat groups.

  Source

1. 1396th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Air Force Historical Research Agencyafhra.af.mil