400th Bombardment Group

The 400th Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces heavy-bomber training organization formed during World War II. Constituted on 15 February 1943 and activated on 1 March 1943 at Pyote Army Air Base, Texas, it was created during the rapid expansion of the Army Air Forces and supported the preparation of B-24 Liberator personnel for combat operations. Its subordinate units were the 608th, 609th, 610th, and 611th Bombardment Squadrons. Initially assigned to Second Air Force, the group operated as an Operational Training Unit. In that role, it used an oversized organizational structure to provide trained personnel, or cadres, for newly established satellite bombardment groups. The training system progressed through individual instruction in specialized crew duties, coordinated crew training, and finally unit-level preparation for operational employment. This approach reflected the Army Air Forces’ need to create large numbers of effective combat formations while expanding the bomber force. The group made several station changes during 1943 before moving in December to Charleston Army Air Base, South Carolina. There, its function changed from operational unit training to Replacement Training Unit work. Rather than preparing complete new groups, the 400th focused primarily on individual pilots and aircrews who would serve as replacements in existing combat organizations. This change corresponded to the maturation of the wartime force: by early 1944, most combat units had already been activated and many had deployed overseas, increasing demand for replacement personnel. As part of this transition, the group and its squadrons were transferred from Second Air Force to First Air Force on 15 December 1943. The Army Air Forces subsequently determined that conventional units staffed and equipped under fixed tables of organization were not sufficiently adaptable to the changing requirements of training bases. It therefore moved toward a functional base-unit system, in which personnel and equipment were assigned according to each station’s operational needs. The 400th Bombardment Group was disbanded on 10 April 1944, and its resources at Charleston were incorporated into the 113th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Bombardment (Heavy)). The organization was later reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated the 400th Tactical Missile Wing. That successor designation was never activated. The lineage therefore connects a short-lived World War II B-24 training group with an inactive Cold War-era missile-wing designation, but the unit has not operated since its World War II disbandment. It is best understood as a historical United States military organization rather than a consumer or commercial brand.

The 400th Bombardment Group was constituted as a heavy bombardment group on 15 February 1943 and activated on 1 March at Pyote Army Air Base, Texas. Its creation occurred during the major wartime expansion of the United States Army Air Forces, when the service needed a large pipeline of trained bomber crews and newly formed combat groups. The group was assigned four bombardment squadrons: the 608th, 609th, 610th, and 611th. During its first phase, the 400th served as an Operational Training Unit under Second Air Force. Operational Training Units were deliberately larger than ordinary combat organizations. Their purpose was to establish cadres and provide structured instruction for new satellite groups. Graduates of Army Air Forces Training Command schools joined these cadres, completed individual and crew instruction, and developed the coordination required for combat operations. Training generally advanced from specialist duties, such as piloting, navigation, bombardment, engineering, and gunnery, to crew coordination and then to complete-unit exercises. The group used the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, the principal heavy bomber associated with its recorded operations. The organization changed stations several times during 1943 and arrived at Charleston Army Air Base, South Carolina, in December. At Charleston, its role became that of a Replacement Training Unit. Replacement Training Units retained an enlarged structure but concentrated on preparing individual pilots and aircrews to fill vacancies in operational units rather than forming entirely new groups. This reflected the changing balance of the American air war. By the beginning of 1944, most Army Air Forces combat units had been established, and many had moved overseas. The training system consequently placed greater emphasis on replacing personnel lost through combat, reassignment, or normal attrition. On 15 December 1943, the group moved from Second Air Force to First Air Force. The transfer took place as the Army Air Forces reassessed how to organize domestic training installations. Fixed tables of organization assigned standard personnel and equipment packages, but these packages did not always match the practical requirements of individual bases or specialized missions. The service therefore adopted a more flexible arrangement in which a base was organized as a separate numbered unit and staffed according to local requirements. Under this reorganization, the 400th Bombardment Group and its component squadrons were disbanded on 10 April 1944. Their personnel and functions at Charleston were used in the formation of the 113th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Bombardment (Heavy)). The group consequently had a short operational existence and did not deploy as a combat bombardment group. On 31 July 1985, the lineage was reconstituted and the organization was redesignated the 400th Tactical Missile Wing. The wing was never activated. This later designation preserved an administrative connection to the earlier unit but did not result in a renewed operational career. The historical record therefore presents the 400th as an inactive United States Air Force lineage: active as a World War II B-24 training group from 1943 to 1944, reconstituted on paper as a tactical missile wing in 1985, and not active thereafter.

• 1985

  Reconstituted as a tactical missile wing

  [1]400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The lineage was reconstituted on 31 July 1985 as the 400th Tactical Missile Wing, but the wing was never activated.

• 1944

  Disbanded in the base-unit reorganization

  [1]400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was disbanded on 10 April 1944, with its Charleston functions absorbed into the 113th Army Air Forces Base Unit.

• 1943

  Constituted as a heavy bombardment group

  [1]400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The organization was constituted as the 400th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 15 February 1943.

• 1943

  Activated at Pyote Army Air Base

  [1]400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was activated on 1 March 1943 at Pyote Army Air Base, Texas, with four bombardment squadrons.

• 1943

  Began B-24 operational training

  [1]400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group served as an Operational Training Unit for Consolidated B-24 Liberator formations during its initial period.

• 1943

  Moved to Charleston and became a replacement unit

  [1]400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  In December, the group moved to Charleston Army Air Base, South Carolina, and shifted to Replacement Training Unit duties.

• 1943

  Transferred to First Air Force

  [1]400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group and its components were reassigned from Second Air Force to First Air Force on 15 December 1943.

A wartime military training organization focused on preparing Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircrews and replacement personnel for United States Army Air Forces operations.

• 1944

  Disbandment during the functional base-unit reorganizationStrategy

  Background

  The Army Air Forces concluded that standard units with inflexible personnel and equipment structures were poorly suited to changing training-base requirements.

  Action taken

  The 400th Bombardment Group and its components were disbanded, and their resources were used to establish the 113th Army Air Forces Base Unit at Charleston.

  Aftermath

  The group ceased to exist as an active organization on 10 April 1944.

  Source

• 1943

  Shift from operational unit training to replacement trainingStrategy

  Background

  As most Army Air Forces combat units had been activated and many had deployed overseas, the demand increasingly shifted from forming new groups to supplying trained replacements.

  Action taken

  After moving to Charleston Army Air Base in December 1943, the group assumed Replacement Training Unit responsibilities focused on individual pilots and aircrews.

  Aftermath

  The change aligned the group with the Army Air Forces’ later-war personnel-replacement requirements.

  Source

1. 1400th Bombardment Groupen.wikipedia.org