5th Bombardment Wing

Constituted as 5th Bombardment Wing on 19 Oct 1940. Activated on 18 Dec 1940. Assigned to Second AF. Inactivated on 5 Sep 1941.

Activated on 10 Jul 1942. Moved to North Africa, Oct-Dec 1942, and began operations with Twelfth AF. Assigned to Fifteenth AF in Nov 1943. Redesignated 5th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) in Jan 1945. Served in combat until May 1945. Inactivated in Italy on 2 Nov 1945.

Redesignated 5th Air Division. Activated in the US on 14 Jan 1951. Assigned to Strategic Air Command. Transferred without personnel and equipment, to French Morocco in May 1951. Had no combat elements assigned but operated with bombardment wings temporarily deployed from the US and attached for short periods of duty.

Groups. 1st Fighter: 1943, 1943-1944. 2d Bombardment: 1943-1945. 12th Bombardment: 1941. 14th Fighter: 1943-1944. 17th Bombardment: 1941. 39th Bombardment: 1941. 47th Bombardment: 1942-1943. 68th Reconnaissance: 1942-1943. 82d Fighter: 1944. 97th Bombardment: 1943-1945. 98th Bombardment: 1943. 99th Bombardment: 1943-1945. 301st Bombardment: 1943-1945. 325th Fighter: 1943-1944. 376th Bombardment: 1943. 463d Bombardment: 1944-1945. 483d Bombardment: 1944-1945.

Stations. McChord Field, Wash, 18 Dec 1940; Ft George Wright, Wash, Jan-5 Sep 1941. Bolling Field, DC, 10 Jul 1942; Westover Field, Mass, c. 31 Jul-Oct 1942; Casablanca, French Morocco, Nov 1942; Oujda, French Morocco, Dec 1942; Biskra, Algeria, c. Jan 1943; Chateaudun, Algeria, c. Mar 1943; Depienne, Tunisia, Aug 1943; Foggia, Italy, Dec 1943-2 Nov 1945. Offutt AFB, Neb, 14 Jan 1951; Rabat/Sale Airfield, French Morocco, 25 May 1951; Sidi Slimane, French Morocco, 29 May 1954-.

Commanders. Brig Gen Carlyle H Wash, c. Dec 1940-1941. Maj Charles R Simpson, 28 Jul 1942; Col John W Monahan, 11 Sep 1942; Brig Gen Joseph H Atkinson, 5 Jan 1943; Brig Gen Charles W Lawrence, 24 Jan 1944; Col Wallace E Whitson, c. 22 May 1945-unkn. Maj Gen Archie J Old Jr, 25 May 1951; Maj Gen David W Hutchison, 15 Jan 1953; Brig Gen Charles B Dougher, 5 Mar 1954; Brig Gen Joseph Nazzaro, 6 Jul 1955-.

Campaigns. Air Combat, EAME Theater; Air Offensive, Europe; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Southern France; North Apennines; Rhineland; Central Europe; Po Valley.

Decorations. None.

Insigne. Shield: Gules, a stylized silhouetted aircraft volant, nose to the chief argent; on a chief per fess gules and argent, five stars argent in chief, and a ribbon of the firmament, sky blue, in base charged with semee of stars of the second. (Approved Nov 1954.)

Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986