472d Bombardment Group

The 472d Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces very-heavy bomber training organization created during the rapid expansion of American long-range aviation in World War II. Constituted on 19 May 1943 and activated on 1 September 1943 at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, it was assigned to the 58th Bombardment Wing. Its four component squadrons—the 808th, 809th, 810th, and 811th Bombardment Squadrons—were tasked primarily with preparing aircrews for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the highly complex bomber being developed for operations against Japan. The group also operated Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses during its training period. The unit was formed at a time when the B-29 program was under intense pressure. The aircraft required more specialized instruction and more extensive crew integration than earlier bombers, and the Army Air Forces was struggling to produce complete, combat-ready crews at the pace expected by senior leaders. The 472d became an important follow-on training organization after earlier 58th Bombardment Wing units completed their initial B-29 conversion. Around 7 December 1943, it moved from Smoky Hill to Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, where it continued training crews for operational deployment. At Clovis, the group was also involved in confidential evaluation of the B-29's suitability for carrying atomic weapons then under development at Los Alamos. The available historical account identifies this work as secret testing rather than a combat operation, and the group did not conduct a combat bombing campaign of its own. Its central function remained crew preparation, aircraft conversion, and the development of operational proficiency for the emerging very-heavy-bomber force. The Army Air Forces subsequently concluded that conventional groups organized under relatively rigid tables of organization were not the most efficient structure for large-scale training. It therefore moved toward a functional base-unit system that combined operational instruction with support activities. As part of that reorganization, the 472d Bombardment Group and its squadrons were disbanded on 1 April 1944, with their functions and personnel folded into the 234th Army Air Forces Base Unit, a combat crew training school for very-heavy bombardment. The 472d's lineage was later linked to postwar special-operations organizations. In 1985, the inactive group was consolidated with the 582d Air Resupply and Communications Wing, a 1952–1953 organization that trained for psychological warfare and later supported special operations in Europe. The consolidated lineage was designated the 472d Special Operations Wing, although that consolidated wing was never activated. Consequently, the 472d Bombardment Group is best understood as a historical military unit and lineage designation, not as a continuing commercial brand or active operational organization.

The 472d Bombardment Group was constituted as the 472nd Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 19 May 1943 and activated on 1 September of that year at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas. The 808th, 809th, 810th, and 811th Bombardment Squadrons were activated at the same time and assigned to the group. The organization was placed under the 58th Bombardment Wing, which was responsible for developing the United States Army Air Forces' first B-29 Superfortress formations. The group's creation reflected the unusual demands of the B-29 program. Compared with earlier bombers, the Superfortress required extensive technical instruction, specialized crew training, and a lengthy period of crew integration. The 472d was intended to serve as a follow-on training unit after the first 58th Wing organizations converted to the new aircraft. Although its principal aircraft was the B-29, the group also used B-17 Flying Fortresses during instruction. On 1 December 1943 it was redesignated the 472nd Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, reflecting the classification of the Superfortress. Around 7 December 1943, the group moved to Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico. There it trained additional B-29 crews for eventual combat assignment. Its location also placed it within reach of the wartime weapons-development activity centered at Los Alamos. The group participated in secret testing intended to assess whether the B-29 could carry atomic weapons. This work formed part of the broader effort to adapt aircraft and procedures to weapons whose operational requirements were still being developed. The wartime Army Air Forces increasingly found that standard combat-group structures were poorly suited to centralized training. A group organized for combat did not necessarily provide the most efficient administrative framework for a large training base containing instruction, maintenance, supply, and other support functions. The service therefore adopted a more functional arrangement in which bases were organized into numbered units combining operating and support elements. Under this reorganization, the 472d Bombardment Group was disbanded on 1 April 1944. Its activities at Clovis were absorbed into the 234th Army Air Forces Base Unit, designated as a very-heavy-bomber combat crew training school. The group did not return to active service as a World War II combat unit. Its historical lineage was later connected to the 582d Air Resupply and Communications Wing. That wing was activated at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, on 24 September 1952, moved to Great Falls Air Force Base, Montana, in May 1953, and trained personnel for psychological-operations missions. After the wing was inactivated in August 1953, its operational elements became the 582d Air Resupply Group. The group later operated from Wiesbaden Air Base and RAF Molesworth, supporting the 10th Special Forces Group with airdrop, resupply, airland, amphibious, and classified courier missions. It used B-29s, Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars, and Grumman SA-16 Albatross aircraft before being inactivated on 25 October 1956. On 31 July 1985, the 472d Bombardment Group and the 582d Air Resupply and Communications Wing were consolidated as the 472d Special Operations Wing. The consolidated designation was not activated. The related 582d group lineage was also redesignated the 472d Combat Support Group. These later lineage actions preserve an institutional connection between the wartime bomber-training group and Cold War special-operations formations, but they do not represent a reactivation of the original 472d Bombardment Group.

• 1985

  Consolidated with the 582d Air Resupply and Communications Wing

  [1]582d Air Resupply and Communications Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The inactive bombardment group was consolidated with the inactive 582d wing as the 472d Special Operations Wing; the consolidated wing was never activated.

• 1944

  Disbanded during training-system reorganization

  [1]582d Air Resupply and Communications Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The group was disbanded on 1 April and its functions were incorporated into the 234th Army Air Forces Base Unit.

• 1943

  Constituted as a heavy bombardment group

  [1]582d Air Resupply and Communications Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The unit was constituted on 19 May 1943 as the 472nd Bombardment Group (Heavy).

• 1943

  Activated at Smoky Hill

  [1]582d Air Resupply and Communications Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The group and four bombardment squadrons were activated at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas, on 1 September.

• 1943

  Redesignated for very-heavy bombardment

  [1]582d Air Resupply and Communications Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The organization became the 472nd Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 1 December.

• 1943

  Moved to Clovis for follow-on B-29 training

  [1]582d Air Resupply and Communications Wingen.wikipedia.org

  The group relocated to Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, where it trained additional Superfortress crews and participated in confidential aircraft testing.

A wartime specialist training group intended to accelerate the preparation of integrated B-29 Superfortress crews for the United States' strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific.

• Very-heavy bomber

  Boeing B-29 Superfortress

  The B-29 was the group's principal training aircraft and the reason for its creation. The 472d prepared pilots, navigators, gunners, and other aircrew members for the technically demanding process of operating the Superfortress as an integrated combat crew. The group also took part in confidential testing of the aircraft's potential to carry atomic weapons. Its role was training and evaluation rather than independent combat deployment.

• Heavy bomber

  Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

  B-17 Flying Fortresses were used alongside B-29s during the group's training period. They provided an established heavy-bomber platform for instruction while the newer Superfortress system was being introduced and crews were being converted to its equipment and operating procedures.

• 1985

  Lineage consolidation with a special-operations wingStrategy

  Background

  The Air Force reviewed and aligned historical lineages associated with the inactive 472d Bombardment Group and the 582d Air Resupply and Communications Wing.

  Action taken

  The two organizations were consolidated as the 472d Special Operations Wing.

  Aftermath

  The consolidated designation remained inactive, so the action preserved lineage without creating an operational wing.

  Source

• 1944

  Shift from combat-group organization to functional training unitsStrategy

  Background

  The Army Air Forces determined that conventional military groups were not well suited to the administrative and instructional demands of large-scale B-29 crew training.

  Action taken

  The 472d Bombardment Group was disbanded and its personnel and functions were combined with support elements at Clovis in the 234th Army Air Forces Base Unit.

  Aftermath

  The reorganization ended the group's independent existence while preserving its training mission within a functional base-unit structure.

  Source

1. 1582d Air Resupply and Communications Wingen.wikipedia.org