DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE UNIT HISTORIES
United States Air Force Structure and Lineage History
United States Air Force Structure and Lineage History
THE EARLY YEARS
On 1 August 1907, the United States Army established the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps to take "charge of all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all kindred subjects." It wasn't until 1913, that the Chief Signal Officer created the first American flying squadron: the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron; with Captain Charles DeF. Chandler as squadron commander.
The 1st Provisional Aero Squadron was organized at Galveston, Texas on 5 March 1913 and began flying activities a few days later. The unit was redesignated as the 1st Aero Squadron effective 8 December 1913.
On 18 July 1914, Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps was redesignated as Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps.
Assigned a role in the Punitive Expedition on the Mexican border in 1916, 1st Aero Squadron became the first aviation combat unit of the U.S. Army and has remained continuously active since its creation.
In early 1916, the Aviation Section consisted of the Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego; the 1st Aero Squadron, then on duty with a U.S. Expeditionary Force in Mexico; and the 1st Company, 2d Aero Squadron, on duty in the Philippines.
In October 1916, the Aviation Section’s plans called for two dozen squadrons: seven for the Regular Army, 12 for the National Guard divisions, and five for coastal defense. Each squadron was to be composed of 12 airplanes. In addition to the squadrons, the Aviation Section created balloon units for the Field and Coast Artillery. In December 1916, the seven Regular Army squadrons had been or were being organized. All 24 squadrons had been formed by early 1917; however, the 1st Aero Squadron remained the only squadron fully organized and equipped. Plans for still greater expansion of the Aviation Section were incomplete when the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917.
WORLD WAR I
On 20 May 1918, the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps was redesignated Division of Military Aeronautics. Four days later on 24 May 1918, it was redesignated as Air Service.
The dispersal of the U.S. Army Aero Squadrons in Europe made it difficult to coordinate aerial activities, which led to the creation of higher echelon organizations. In Europe, squadrons with similar functions were formed into groups. The first groups organized in April 1918 as the I Corps Observation Group. The following month, the 1st Pursuit Group was formed, and in July 1918 the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) organized its first aircraft unit higher than a group-the 1st Pursuit Wing made up of the 2d and 3d Pursuit Groups and later, the 1st Day Bombardment Group. In November 1918, the AEF possessed 14 groups (seven observation, five pursuit, and two bombardment).
On the home front, Army aviation units were assigned to installations throughout the United States. The squadrons were created and received initial training before embarking to Europe. In addition to the flying squadrons, the installations had other units assigned to maintain the aircraft and run the installation.
Despite a combat record of only nine months (February to November 1918), the Air Service made a respectable showing during World War I. The 740 American aircraft assigned to squadrons at the front on 11 November 1918, Armistice Day, represented little more than 10 percent of the total aircraft strength of Allied nations. But the Air Service had conducted 150 separate bombing attacks and penetrating as far as 160 miles behind German lines, its aircraft had dropped about 138 tons of bombs. In all, the Air Service downed 756 enemy aircraft and 76 enemy balloons, while losing 289 airplanes and 48 balloons.
Following the armistice, demobilization was rapid and thorough. At war's end the Air Service possessed 185 Aero Squadrons; 44 Aero Construction; 114 Aero Supply, 11 Aero Replacement, and 150 Spruce Squadrons; 86 Balloon Companies; 6 Balloon Group Headquarters; 15 Construction Companies; 55 Photographic Sections; and a few miscellaneous units. By 22 November 1919, all the units had been demobilized except one Aero Construction, one Aero Replacement, and 22 Aero Squadrons, 32 Balloon Companies, 15 Photographic Sections, and a few miscellaneous units.
BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS
The Army Reorganization Act of 1920 made the Air Service a combatant arm of the Army and gave the Chief of the Air Service the rank of major general and his assistant chief the rank of brigadier general. Tactical air units in the United States were placed under the nine Army Corps area commanders where they continued to be employed primarily in support of the ground forces. The Chief of the Air Service retained command of various training schools, depots, and other activities exempted from Army Corps control.
During the 1920s, The Air Service included all aviation required for tactical purposes. Its mission was to establish and maintain aerial supremacy, and to insure freedom of action to the other air units of the army. Under protection of the pursuit forces, the attack units, cooperating with ground troops, engaged hostile ground forces and installations, while observation units carried out army command and intelligence reconnaissance missions, and assisted the cavalry and artillery. For specific operations, the Army Air Service was reinforced from the General Headquarters Reserve.
The total offensive strength of the Air Service in the United States in the early 1920s consisted of one pursuit, one attack, and one bombardment group. One pursuit and one bombardment squadron were also assigned overseas in the Canal Zone and the Philippines, with two squadrons of each type stationed in the Hawaiian Islands. The Air Service concentrated primary flying training at Brooks Field and advanced flying training at Kelly Field, both located at San Antonio, Texas. Balloon training was offered at Scott Field, Illinois, with technical schools for officers and enlisted men established at Chanute Field, also in Illinois. The Air Service (later, Air Corps) Tactical School trained officers to command higher units and taught the employment of military aviation. An engineering school was part of the Engineering Division at McCook Field (later located at Wright Field), Ohio.
The Air Corps Act of 1926 (2 July 1926) changed the name of the Air Service to Air Corps but left unaltered its status as a combatant arm of the Army. The Air Corps had at this time 919 officers and 8,725 enlisted men, and its "modern aeronautical equipment" consisted of 60 pursuit planes and 169 observation planes; total serviceable aircraft of all types numbered less than 1,000.
In August 1926 the Army established the Air Corps Training Center at San Antonio, Texas. A few weeks later, on October 15, 1926, the logistical organization was placed on firmer footing with the establishment of the Materiel Division, Air Corps, at Dayton, Ohio. A year later this division moved to nearby Wright Field, thereafter the primary base for air logistics. In Texas, Randolph Field, the "West Point of the Air," was dedicated on June 20, 1930, and became the headquarters of the Air Corps Training Center and the site of the primary flying school in 1931.
There were nine types of groups in the interwar era; six heavier than air (HTA), two lighter than air (LTA), and one special group. The HTA groups included attack, bombardment, observation (some later redesignated as reconnaissance groups), pursuit, transport, and composite units. The LTA groups included airship and balloon organizations. The special headquarters was the school group, which could be HTA, LTA, or non-flying organizations.
HEAVIER THAN AIR
Heavier Than Air squadrons provided direct or indirect support to the ground gaining arms. This could be as direct as attack and observation missions against the enemy’s front forces, or as indirect as the bombing of the enemy’s industries and infrastructure in order to cripple that nation’s war-making capabilities. Some also provided specialized support to include aircraft maintenance and testing, personnel and equipment transportation, training, and aerial photography.
There were nine types of HTA squadrons in the interwar era. Four of these squadrons; attack, bombardment, observation, and pursuit; were to be employed in direct combat roles. The remaining five; transport, photographic, service, school, and headquarters squadrons; were support organizations that performed a variety of missions and functions.
Squadron structure varied by type, but in general, it consisted of two to three flights, an operations section, armament section, communications section, and an engineering section. Depending on the type of squadron, it might also include a photo section, a supply section, and a transportation section. Attack, bombardment, pursuit, and transport squadrons were typically assigned four squadrons to a like group (i.e., pursuit squadrons in a pursuit group). They could also be assigned to a composite group, but that group usually consisted of only one bombardment, one observation, and one pursuit squadron each. Service squadrons were also assigned one each to a group regardless of type. Additionally, a single observation squadron could be assigned to a Division Air Service, or in some cases were unassigned, or attached to bombardment groups. School squadrons were assigned to school groups in varying numbers. The single photographic squadron was an asset of the Office, Chief of the Air Corps and performed special missions for that command.
Composite groups, as the name suggests consisted of a mixture of squadrons. Typically, a composite group would have at least one bombardment, one observation, one pursuit, and a service squadron each. The mix might not have included one or more of the squadrons but would always include the service squadron.
School groups were generally composed of four school squadrons but could consist of more or less as well. A school group could also be either a flying or non-flying unit depending on the mission it was assigned. The group’s basic structure held steady until 1936 when the service squadrons were eliminated from the organizational scheme. The structure remained the same thereafter until World War II.
Headquarters squadrons were assigned one to each field army air service and performed the typical support functions associated with such organizations (administration, supply, etc.) The structure of most of these squadrons remained relatively constant throughout the interwar period. Most Headquarters Squadrons were reorganized and redesignated as air depot headquarters in 1933. Service squadrons were either demobilized or consolidated with existing group headquarters between 1936 and 1938.
Many squadrons were also reorganized and redesignated from one type of squadron to another. Most squadrons’ group assignments remained relatively constant during this time, but a sizable number were relieved from one group and assigned to another. This was especially true for the Regular Army as the number of squadrons and groups brought into active service continued to increase during the interwar years.
LIGHTER THAN AIR
There were four types of LTA companies in the interwar US Army force structure. These included Airship Companies, Balloon Companies, Airship Service Companies, and Balloon Service Companies. In 1920, there were thirty-two World War I-era balloon companies still on active duty. That year, the air service estimated that it would only need ten active balloon companies for the purposes of coast defense and patrolling duties on the Mexican border. To support these plans, the air service began construction of balloon sheds near various harbor defense locations on the east and west coasts, as well as several along the Mexican border. Additionally, several balloon companies began a series of tests and experiments working with coast artillery batteries in California, Washington, and Hawaii. Within two years twenty-two of these companies were demobilized or inactivated, another eight reorganized as airship companies, and the remaining two were reorganized as LTA school units, one of which was also demobilized a short time later. By 1922, no balloon companies were on active duty. By then, the Army’s active LTA force consisted only of one airship group headquarters, four airship companies, and one airship service squadron.
In 1927, several new balloon companies were constituted in the Regular Army to replace some of those companies that were demobilized in 1922.
The structure for balloon and airship companies were almost identical. Both consisted of six sections: headquarters, communications, transportation, supply, maneuvering, and armament. Both also possessed 184 officers and men to support, maintain, and operate one balloon or airship. The fact that there was only one craft per company indicates the complexity associated with LTA aircraft. The service company was a simpler organization, but as large. It consisted of a headquarters and an engineering section. The organization of the LTA companies underwent a reorganization in 1930 that authorized two aircraft to each type of organization although the change in designation did not take place until over three years later.
Balloon companies and groups were typically assigned to army corps to support artillery operations and provide battlefield observation. Companies were assigned four to a group along with one service company. Though a large number of balloon companies and groups in the mobilization plans were slated for assignment to army corps, there were also a number allotted to the General Headquarters Reserve and the Zone of the Interior, with the latter being mostly school troops. Airship companies along with one service company were also assigned four to each airship group. Most of the airship companies and service companies were assigned to the General Headquarters Reserve. Three airship groups were assigned to the overseas departments. Like the balloon companies, there were a number of companies assigned to the Zone of the Interior as school troops.
Several Balloon Companies were demobilized in 1933 as the Army continued to struggle with mobilization plans and force structure. By 1933, there were only two balloon squadrons, two airship squadrons, and one airship service squadron on active duty, though there were several others that were active as RAI units.
In 1935, the one remaining service squadron was inactivated and two years later, the Army agreed to transfer the airship mission to the Navy. At that time, the two remaining airship squadrons were consolidated with other Air Corps units and all airships and related equipment was handed over to the Navy. Concurrently, the Army organized a third balloon squadron from one of the former airship organizations. For the next several years these three squadrons supported the training of the field artillery and coast artillery schools as well as several harbor defense commands.
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE (GHQAF)
On 1 March 1935, the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF), which had existed in gestation since 1 October 1933, became operational and assumed command and control over Air Corps tactical units. The three GHQAF wings were located at Langley Field, Virginia; Barksdale Field, Louisiana; and March Field, California. The Office of the Chief of the Air Corps (OCAC) and GHQAF existed on the same command echelon, each reporting separately to the Army Chief of Staff. The GHQAF Commander directed tactical training and operations, while the Chief of the Air Corps maintained control over procurement, supply, training schools, and doctrine development. On March 1, 1939, the Chief of the Air Corps assumed control over the GHQAF, centralizing command of the entire air arm.
PERPETUATION OF UNIT HISTORIES, 1936
On 16 October 1936, the Army, in order to perpetuate the history and traditions of units which had served as part of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, reconstituted many Aero Squadrons with illustrious histories and consolidated them with Active, Reserve and National Guard squadrons without wartime histories.
SUPPORT UNITS BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS
When organized in 1936, Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadrons were created largely by subsuming existing airfield station complements (i.e., support detachments) and the service squadrons assigned to flying groups. The intent in creating these units was to eliminate the need for Air Corps groups to have an assigned service squadron. To whatever airfield the group traveled for training and exercises, it could now rely on the field’s Air Base Squadron for the required support for its personnel and equipment. These units provided a wide variety of base support functions for Army airfields. Their focus was on broad generic support for the entire air base including non-flying activities. These base support functions included personnel administration, transportation, maintenance, medical, and logistics operations. The latter function included all classes of supply to include fuel, food services, ammunition storage and issue, and repair parts. The base headquarters commander was the airfield commander. His staff provided the overall supervision of air base support operations. The Air Base Squadron provided the support functions as outlined above. These units were reorganized in 1940 into Headquarters and Headquarters Squadrons and Redesignated as Air Base Groups.
Airdrome companies, and later as airdrome squadrons, focused their support on airfield and flight-line support operations, i.e., support of flying activities. The airdrome units provided service station-type support to the field. This included aircraft refueling, routine maintenance and repair, calibration and adjustment of aircraft components, taxi control and parking of aircraft on the apron, etc. These units were usually assigned or attached to air depots and later to the base headquarters at the airfield where they were operating.
Repair squadrons provided higher echelons of maintenance and repair for supported groups and squadrons. These squadrons were typically assigned two to each air depot.
Supply squadrons provided higher echelons of logistics support for supported groups and squadrons. These squadrons were also usually assigned two to each air depot.
Weather squadrons provided weather data to airfield operations centers for the purposes of mission planning and execution. The squadrons were organized into small detachments that were deployed to a number of airfields within a geographical region.
WORLD WAR II
President Franklin D. Roosevelt acknowledged the growing importance of airpower, recognized that the United States might be drawn into a European war, and believed firmly that airpower would win it. Assured of a favorable reception in the White House, the Air Corps prepared plans in October 1938 for a force of some 7,000 aircraft. Soon afterwards, President Roosevelt asked the War Department to prepare a program for an Air Corps composed of 10,000 airplanes, of which 7,500 would be combat aircraft. In a special message to Congress on 12 January 1939, the President formally requested this program. Congress responded on 3 April, authorizing $300 million for an Air Corps "not to exceed 6,000 serviceable airplanes." Plans soon called for 54 combat groups. This program was hardly underway before revised plans called for 84 combat groups equipped with 7,800 aircraft and manned by 400,000 troops by 30 June 1942.
With this enormous expansion underway, the War Department began in 1939 to establish new bases and air organizations in rapid succession overseas and in the continental United States. At the same time, leaders worked to create an independent institutional structure for air within the U.S. Army.
On 19 November 1940, the General Headquarters Air Force was removed from the jurisdiction of the Chief of the Air Corps and given separate status under the commander of the Army Field Forces.
The Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest Air Districts had been formed in December 1940 to help control the growing tactical organizations. These districts were redesignated in April 1941 as the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th Air Forces. On 12 April 1941 the War Department directed each numbered air force to organize a bomber command and an interceptor command to supervise and control offensive and defensive tasks beyond the capabilities of existing combat wings.
Gen. George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, established the Army Air Forces on 20 June 1941, to control both the Air Corps and the Air Force Combat Command (formerly GHQAF).
The creation of higher echelon organizations meant that additional hierarchical links had to be forged for noncombat activities. The Air Corps Maintenance Command was established under the Materiel Division, Air Corps, on June 25, 1941, to control supply and maintenance. It was redesignated Air Service Command on 6 November and made a separate command of the Air Corps on 11 December 1941. That left the Materiel Division free to concentrate on procurement and research and development.
USAAF INSTALLATIONS
As part of the United States Army, the USAAF operated from Army Air Fields. They consisted of a ground station, which consisted of streets, buildings, barracks and the support facilities and organizations. The airfield consisted of the runways, taxiways, hangars, and other facilities used to support flight operations at the airfield. The Station Commander commanded the station organizations and was responsible for the facilities. There was a Quartermaster Group; Service Group; Headquarters Group, and a Combat Group. There was no uniformity in unit designations. In an administrative reorganization by HQ Army Air Force, on 1 May 1944 the station units were re-organized into "Army Air Forces Base Units" (AAFBU), which gave organization to the units under the Station Commander.
During World War II, it was common to have several Combat Groups stationed at the same Army Air Field, especially at training bases in the United States, where Combat Groups would be trained by Training Groups assigned to the station under the Station Commander.
Combat squadrons were normally organized into combat groups, with three or four squadrons to each group, and with the group as the basic combat element of the Army Air Forces. In many commands, though the practice was not uniform throughout the Air Force, two or more combat groups were formed into a wing for administrative and/or operational control.
The organization was changed in 1947, when the Air Force adopted the wing-base plan. Each combat wing was given one combat group (with 3 or 4 combat squadrons) and three support groups (air base, supply and maintenance, and medical). The wings required by this plan were new organizations, the old World War II wings being redesignated divisions. The combat wing and its integral combat group carried the same numerical and functional designations; e.g., the 9th Bombardment Group was an integral part of the 9th Bombardment Wing.
Rapid demobilization after September 1945 meant that a new Air Force had to be built with the remnants of the wartime Army Air Forces.
USAF BECOMES A SEPARATE SERVICE
On 18 September 1947, the United States Air Force was established a separate and equal element of the United States armed forces.
Initially, the Army Air Fields retained as permanent bases were assumed by the USAF were renamed as Air Force Bases, and the Army's organizational structure was carried over into the new service with Air Force Base Units replacing the AAFBU. It wasn’t long before the awkward circumstance occurred where the Combat Group commander was reporting to a Base Commander who may or may not had flying experience. To correct this and many other problems, the Air Force searched for new solutions.
The first solution was the Wing-Base plan. With the Wing-Base plan, the operational combat squadrons were assigned to a Combat Group. The support squadrons on the station were assigned to a Maintenance and Supply Group, an Airdrome Support Group, and a Medical Group. The four Groups were assigned to a Wing, a new level of Command which unified all of the components, flying and support. The Group Commanders were subordinate to the Wing Commander who was an experienced combat flying leader. The Wing would assume the historical numerical designation of the assigned Combat Group. A Base Commander was established to handle the administrative duties of the Wing Commander and to coordinate with the various Group commanders. In this plan, known as the Hobson Plan the support Groups and the operational flying Combat Group and the wing became one unit.
Another major change implemented by the Hobson Plan was the standardization of designations. For example, the 1st Fighter Wing, Established at March Air Force Base would consist of the 1st Fighter Group (its Combat Group); the 1st Maintenance and Supply Group, the 1st Combat Support Group (to operate base facilities and services), and the 1st Medical Group. Subordinate to the groups were the 1st Field Maintenance Squadron, 1st Supply Squadron, 1st Engine Squadron, 1st Security Police Squadron, and so on. Operational flying Squadrons retained their historical designations and were assigned to the Combat Group. Units assigned to the base as tenant units, under the command of other Wings, would also retain their designations.
In the spring of 1948, the Hobson Plan was judged to be successful, and additional Combat Wings were re-organized and established and the Hobson Plan was made permanent.
MAJCON ORGANIZATIONS
In addition to the permanent wings, the USAF provided temporary organizations to be controlled by the major commands. The commands wanted a flexible organization at the lower echelons to permit rapid adjustments in manning that short-term requirements often dictated. Because the manning of permanent organizations was judged to be too rigid, in 1948 the Air Force created a new type of temporary organization. These major command-controlled organizations were identified as "MAJCON." Using four-digit numbers allotted to each command (for example, 3900-4399 for Strategic Air Command) by Headquarters USAF, the commands could create and end MAJCON organizations as needed. When a MAJCON organization was discontinued or inactivated, its life ended, never to be revived. The number of this organization could then be reused to designate another, entirely new MAJCON organization. Although the original intent was to provide major command flexibility in establishing and terminating short-lived, temporary organizations, some MAJCON organizations existed more than forty years.
USAF COLD WAR ORGANIZATION
During the Air Force's first decade, budgetary shortfalls led to the search for more cost-efficient Wing operations. In 1952, many of the World War II Combat Groups began to be phased out and inactivated as more wings assumed direct control of the combat squadrons, particularly those assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and Air Defense Command (ADC). The organization finally implemented by SAC in May 1952 for some newly activating wings and in June for its remaining wings was referred to as the Dual Deputy organization.
The Commander of the combat group became the wing Deputy Commander for Operations (DCO) and the commander of the Maintenance & Supply Group became the wing Deputy Commander for Maintenance (DCM). There were only two deputy commanders. In those cases in which an Air Base Group and Medical Group were maintained within the wing, the commanders remained group commanders (although a large number of the air base groups and medical groups were inactivated and replaced by groups assigned directly to air divisions).
In February 1951, SAC began to eliminate its combat groups by reducing group headquarters to token strength (1 officer and 1 enlisted man) and by attaching the combat squadrons to the wings. Thus the wing replaced the group as the basic combat element of SAC.
PERPETUATION OF UNIT HISTORIES, BESTOWELS
On 16 June 1952, SAC with the approval of HQ USAF, inactivated the headquarters of its combat groups (which had remained active under token manning) and assigned the combat squadrons to the wings. As a result of the SAC reorganization, the World War II histories and honors of SAC's combat Groups were retired. The SAC wings, having been created during or after 1947, had no World War II histories or honors. Deviations from the wing-base plan by other commands, particularly ADC, had also curtailed the perpetuation of histories and honors of World War II groups.
In 1954, SAC and ADC asked HQ USAF to do something to perpetuate the histories and honors of World War II combat groups. The Ad Hoc Committee which reviewed these requests rejected the idea of redesignating combat groups as wings. Instead, the committee suggested that Combat groups and wings be maintained as separate and distinct organizations; The histories and honors of the groups be retained by the groups; But that the histories and honors of combat groups be bestowed upon the similarly designated combat wings.
Although the Ad Hoc Committee's suggestion concerning bestowals ran counter to the long standing policy of the Air Force against transferring history and honors from one unit to another, HQ USAF accepted the Committee's recommendations.
In November 1954, the Department of the Air Force issued a series of AFOMO letters which bestowed upon each active combat wing the history and honors of its similarly designated combat group; e.g., SAC's 9th Bombardment Wing received, by bestowal, the history and honors of the 9th Bombardment Group.
The bestowals made in November 1954 fell into two classes: Those in which the combat groups were inactive (as in SAC, for example); Those in which the combat groups were still active components of their related wings (as in TAC, for example), which meant that HQ USAF went beyond the original idea, proposed by SAC, for perpetuating in the wings, the histories and honors of inactive groups.
Since the initial bestowals in November 1954, AFOMO letters directing activations of wings have bestowed the histories and honors of groups upon similarly designated wings. In some cases the letters have re-bestowed group histories on wings which had been covered by the bestowals made in November 1954 but which had subsequently been inactivated. In other cases, the bestowals were newly made to wings which had not been active in November 1954. The Air Force has continued to regard each combat group, though inactive, as an integral part of the similarly designated combat wing.
Despite the tendency to do away with combat groups, some survived as active organizations, and from time to time inactive groups have been activated. Since about 1957, active combat groups have usually been assigned to divisions, or higher organizations, rather than to wings. The major exceptions have been in the reserve forces, where, since 1963, tactical wings usually have had two or more tactical groups (with numerical designations different from their wings), with one tactical squadron to each group.
In bestowing group histories and honors on wings, Department of the Air Force directives have not specified any conditions or limitations except to note, in AFOMO letters issued after the initial bestowals of November 1954, that such bestowals are temporary. As a result of several factors, particularly organizational developments after the initial bestowals, it became necessary to formulate definite rules to govern temporary bestowals of histories and honors.
The Dual Deputy organization was implemented by the other combat commands between 1956 and 1958. Air Force Reserve units implemented it in 1959 and Air National Guard units in mid-1974 (except for the ANG Wings on active duty with SAC when they were federalized for Korean War duty in 1952).
In the years since its implementation, bestowal has generated much confusion. Many throughout the Air Force did not understand that the group and the wing remained two separate and distinct entities. To alleviate some of the confusion, the Air Force in the 1980s consolidated some combat wings with their predecessor combat groups. These consolidations were limited to wings and groups whose period of active service did not overlap, since consolidation of organizations with overlapping active service adds confusion, violates lineage principles, and contravenes Air Force policy. By consolidation, the wing and group became one organization, eliminating the need for bestowal of group history and honors on the wing. Bestowal, continued to be the policy for the majority of active Air Force wings.
PERPETUATION OF UNIT HISTORIES, ACTIVATION OF HISTORIC UNITS
In 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the world wars. Project Arrow ALSO called for fighter squadrons to be assigned to their traditional group headquarters.
In 1962, SAC in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCON Strategic Wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate AFCON units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.
In 1985, the Air Force updated many organizations either by giving the organization a contemporary designation or consolidating organizations with an illustrious history with contemporary organizations with less illustrious histories.
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE UNITS
After the Korean War, the operational squadron aircraft maintenance units were consolidated into an Organizational Maintenance Squadron (OMS). This was the first time that combat squadrons had no organic maintenance capability. Budget cuts in the 1950s and the resulting shortages of manpower and spare parts made consolidated maintenance very attractive.
During the mid-1950s, Strategic Air Command (SAC) pioneered the dual-deputy structure. It featured a deputy commander for operations (DO) and a deputy commander for maintenance (DCM) under the wing commander, while maintaining separate support and medical groups. This structure removed flightline maintenance from the individual squadrons and consolidated it into an organizational maintenance squadron (OMS) under the DCM who was responsible for all aircraft maintenance. This was the first time that combat squadrons had no organic maintenance capability.
Air Force Manual (AFM) 66-1, Maintenance Management, published in 1956, set the stage for the demise of maintenance in the flying squadrons. Budget cuts and the resulting shortages of manpower and spare parts made consolidated maintenance very attractive. SAC’s test of the consolidated maintenance structure was so successful that in 1958, compliance with AFM 66-1 became mandatory. While this structure saved manpower and worked well during home station operations, squadron deployments caused serious problems. Since the maintenance resources required to launch the fleet were no longer part of the flying squadron, they had to be taken from the OMS and put back in the flying squadron prior to every deployment.
During the Vietnam War, Tactical Air Command transferred flightline maintenance personnel to the deploying squadrons to Southeast Asia. Squadrons transferred to Pacific Air Forces retained this arrangement. In 1972, driven by budgetary considerations and the Vietnam drawdown, HQ USAF withdrew its approval for TAC’s structural deviation and forced TAC to revert to the consolidated maintenance concept.
In the mid-1970s, the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) tested a tri-deputy wing organization that added a Deputy Commander for Resources (DCR—later, resource management or RM) to the Dual-Deputy structure. The DCR was responsible for Supply, Transportation, Contracting, and Accounting and Finance squadrons. The DCM was responsible for the Maintenance Staff, Organizational Maintenance Squadron (OMS); Avionics Maintenance Squadron (AMS) and Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS). Viewed as giving the Wing Commander more direct control over the mission as well as focusing more attention on resource management during a period of serious budget constraints, HQ USAF approved the Tri-Deputy system for all major commands in 1975.
While maintenance remained consolidated under the DCM in the official tri-deputy structure, TAC reorganized the DCM internally into its Production Oriented Maintenance Organization (POMO) in 1975. An aircraft generation squadron (AGS) under the DCM was responsible for all flightline maintenance, with a specific aircraft maintenance unit (AMU) assigned to each fighter squadron. Each AMU trained and deployed with its fighter squadron but reported to the AGS commander. Intermediate level maintenance was divided between a component repair squadron (CRS) and an equipment maintenance squadron (EMS), both of which also reported to the DCM. The structure was approved in AFM 66-5, Production Oriented Maintenance Organization, and POMO was eventually renamed COMO (Combat Oriented Maintenance Organization).
This was the basic structure of the tactical air forces (TAC, USAFE, and Pacific Air Forces) when the objective wing structure was developed, SAC and Military Airlift Command (MAC) kept their aircraft maintenance in the structure outlined in AFM 66-1, with flightline maintenance consolidated in an OMS. This was an efficient structure for them since they operated primarily from home station or relied on enroute maintenance teams at established overseas locations when on the road. Squadron deployments were not routine, so the additional cost of separate AMUs was not worthwhile.
In the early 1990s with the declared end of the Cold War and the continued decline in military budgets, the Air Force restructured to meet changes in strategic requirements, decreasing personnel, and a smaller infrastructure. This major reorganization stressed elimination of unnecessary layers of authority, decentralization of decision-making, and consolidation of functions.
THE OBJECTIVE WING
The objective wing structure was first briefed to Air Force senior leadership at the Corona South Conference in February 1991 as a wing-level organization think piece. The briefing focused on tactical fighter wings in general and fighter wing logistics in particular. It offered an alternative philosophy that focused on teams that produce and effective support to those teams. It discussed organizing for combat, replacing functional perspectives with command responsibilities, delayering, streamlining, and economizing. The main issue was the discrepancy between the wartime (or deployment) and peacetime structures for the tactical fighter squadron and its associated AMU. The normal, peacetime structure of this fighting unit involved two separate squadrons reporting to two different groups. During a deployment, these two were matrixed into an integrated fighting force.
As a proposed fix to the matrixing issue, on-equipment maintenance was combined with the fighter squadron to create a single, integrated squadron which was the primary fighting unit—the warfighters for which a wing exists. Other wing units were grouped as either direct support to the warfighter (the logistics group) or as indirect or base support (the support group).
Set out as a concept to be tested in the spring of 1991, by June of that year the entire Air Force was implementing the objective wing structure. In the absence of formal guidance later published as Air Force Instruction (AFI) 38-101, Air Force Organization, many wings reorganized using copies of the slides from the Corona conference.
The restructure began by pulling the AMUs from the aircraft generation squadron and putting the on-equipment maintainers into the fighter squadrons. The AMU chief became the squadron maintenance officer (SMO) and the AMU became the sortie generation flight. The aircraft generation squadron further divided up shared functions such as tool issue, aircraft generation equipment, and munitions among each squadron to produce the sortie support flight. Finally, the restructure added maintenance quality assurance for flightline functions to the squadrons to round out the maintenance package. The SMO reported directly to the squadron commander, filling a role intended to parallel that of the squadron operations officer, the supervisor of the aircrew members.
By late fall of 1991, virtually all of the Air Force had converted to the objective wing structure. The tactical air forces moved most readily into the new structure since it was actually designed for fighters. For the strategic forces in the aligned in accordance with the AFM 66-1 structure, the transition was more difficult and more expensive. Without existing AMUs from which to draw, squadron maintenance sections had to be built from scratch.
The economies of scale achieved by centralizing flightline maintenance seemed to overshadow the benefits of decentralization for units that do not routinely deploy, making the objective structure less attractive. The difficulty and expense involved in separating integrated flightline maintenance into separate squadron maintenance organizations made for a rocky transition. In fact, the airlift community never made a full transition. As a compromise, flightline maintenance stayed together, but the OMS was renamed AGS and moved to the operations group, thereby integrating operations and maintenance at the group vice squadron level. In the interest of standardization, all of the Air Force major commands were considered to be in compliance with the new structure by March 1992.
The Combat inactive group was redesignated as the Operations Group (OG) and was activated. The support squadrons were realigned into a Maintenance Group (MXG), Mission Support Group (MSG), and Medical Group (MDG). With their reactivation, the history and lineage of the Wing Combat Group inactivated in the 1950s was transferred from the Wing to the Operations Group.
In addition to the realignment of support and operational squadrons, the Tactical, Strategic and other descriptors of unit designations were discontinued. For example, the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing became the 354th Fighter Wing; the 24th Composite Wing became the 24th Wing; 356th Tactical Fighter Squadron became the 356th Fighter Squadron, and so on. This returned the unit designations back to their 1947 names.
MAJCON organizations active on 30 Apr 1991 changed to organizations under the direct control of Headquarters USAF for organizational actions, eliminating all MAJCON organizations.
For a variety of reasons, both AMC and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) have reverted to a centralized maintenance structure. In January 1995, AMC requested permission to return to consolidated maintenance citing the costs of the objective structure and the lack of benefits for non-deploying units. The request was approved in March 1995 and AMC implemented the change immediately.
AFSOC received permission to return to a centralized maintenance structure in the fall of 1995. Due to AFSOC’s unique deployment methods, with multiple weapons systems that deploy together as a team and the complex maintenance requirements that this imposes, the entire objective wing structure was difficult to implement. After trying to comply with the new structure for several years at significant cost, AFSOC has returned to a centralized maintenance concept by creating separate aircraft generation squadrons and helicopter generation squadrons to best utilize their resources.
United States Air Force Structure and Lineage History
THE EARLY YEARS
On 1 August 1907, the United States Army established the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps to take "charge of all matters pertaining to military ballooning, air machines, and all kindred subjects." It wasn't until 1913, that the Chief Signal Officer created the first American flying squadron: the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron; with Captain Charles DeF. Chandler as squadron commander.
The 1st Provisional Aero Squadron was organized at Galveston, Texas on 5 March 1913 and began flying activities a few days later. The unit was redesignated as the 1st Aero Squadron effective 8 December 1913.
On 18 July 1914, Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps was redesignated as Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps.
Assigned a role in the Punitive Expedition on the Mexican border in 1916, 1st Aero Squadron became the first aviation combat unit of the U.S. Army and has remained continuously active since its creation.
In early 1916, the Aviation Section consisted of the Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego; the 1st Aero Squadron, then on duty with a U.S. Expeditionary Force in Mexico; and the 1st Company, 2d Aero Squadron, on duty in the Philippines.
In October 1916, the Aviation Section’s plans called for two dozen squadrons: seven for the Regular Army, 12 for the National Guard divisions, and five for coastal defense. Each squadron was to be composed of 12 airplanes. In addition to the squadrons, the Aviation Section created balloon units for the Field and Coast Artillery. In December 1916, the seven Regular Army squadrons had been or were being organized. All 24 squadrons had been formed by early 1917; however, the 1st Aero Squadron remained the only squadron fully organized and equipped. Plans for still greater expansion of the Aviation Section were incomplete when the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917.
WORLD WAR I
On 20 May 1918, the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps was redesignated Division of Military Aeronautics. Four days later on 24 May 1918, it was redesignated as Air Service.
The dispersal of the U.S. Army Aero Squadrons in Europe made it difficult to coordinate aerial activities, which led to the creation of higher echelon organizations. In Europe, squadrons with similar functions were formed into groups. The first groups organized in April 1918 as the I Corps Observation Group. The following month, the 1st Pursuit Group was formed, and in July 1918 the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) organized its first aircraft unit higher than a group-the 1st Pursuit Wing made up of the 2d and 3d Pursuit Groups and later, the 1st Day Bombardment Group. In November 1918, the AEF possessed 14 groups (seven observation, five pursuit, and two bombardment).
On the home front, Army aviation units were assigned to installations throughout the United States. The squadrons were created and received initial training before embarking to Europe. In addition to the flying squadrons, the installations had other units assigned to maintain the aircraft and run the installation.
Despite a combat record of only nine months (February to November 1918), the Air Service made a respectable showing during World War I. The 740 American aircraft assigned to squadrons at the front on 11 November 1918, Armistice Day, represented little more than 10 percent of the total aircraft strength of Allied nations. But the Air Service had conducted 150 separate bombing attacks and penetrating as far as 160 miles behind German lines, its aircraft had dropped about 138 tons of bombs. In all, the Air Service downed 756 enemy aircraft and 76 enemy balloons, while losing 289 airplanes and 48 balloons.
Following the armistice, demobilization was rapid and thorough. At war's end the Air Service possessed 185 Aero Squadrons; 44 Aero Construction; 114 Aero Supply, 11 Aero Replacement, and 150 Spruce Squadrons; 86 Balloon Companies; 6 Balloon Group Headquarters; 15 Construction Companies; 55 Photographic Sections; and a few miscellaneous units. By 22 November 1919, all the units had been demobilized except one Aero Construction, one Aero Replacement, and 22 Aero Squadrons, 32 Balloon Companies, 15 Photographic Sections, and a few miscellaneous units.
BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS
The Army Reorganization Act of 1920 made the Air Service a combatant arm of the Army and gave the Chief of the Air Service the rank of major general and his assistant chief the rank of brigadier general. Tactical air units in the United States were placed under the nine Army Corps area commanders where they continued to be employed primarily in support of the ground forces. The Chief of the Air Service retained command of various training schools, depots, and other activities exempted from Army Corps control.
During the 1920s, The Air Service included all aviation required for tactical purposes. Its mission was to establish and maintain aerial supremacy, and to insure freedom of action to the other air units of the army. Under protection of the pursuit forces, the attack units, cooperating with ground troops, engaged hostile ground forces and installations, while observation units carried out army command and intelligence reconnaissance missions, and assisted the cavalry and artillery. For specific operations, the Army Air Service was reinforced from the General Headquarters Reserve.
The total offensive strength of the Air Service in the United States in the early 1920s consisted of one pursuit, one attack, and one bombardment group. One pursuit and one bombardment squadron were also assigned overseas in the Canal Zone and the Philippines, with two squadrons of each type stationed in the Hawaiian Islands. The Air Service concentrated primary flying training at Brooks Field and advanced flying training at Kelly Field, both located at San Antonio, Texas. Balloon training was offered at Scott Field, Illinois, with technical schools for officers and enlisted men established at Chanute Field, also in Illinois. The Air Service (later, Air Corps) Tactical School trained officers to command higher units and taught the employment of military aviation. An engineering school was part of the Engineering Division at McCook Field (later located at Wright Field), Ohio.
The Air Corps Act of 1926 (2 July 1926) changed the name of the Air Service to Air Corps but left unaltered its status as a combatant arm of the Army. The Air Corps had at this time 919 officers and 8,725 enlisted men, and its "modern aeronautical equipment" consisted of 60 pursuit planes and 169 observation planes; total serviceable aircraft of all types numbered less than 1,000.
In August 1926 the Army established the Air Corps Training Center at San Antonio, Texas. A few weeks later, on October 15, 1926, the logistical organization was placed on firmer footing with the establishment of the Materiel Division, Air Corps, at Dayton, Ohio. A year later this division moved to nearby Wright Field, thereafter the primary base for air logistics. In Texas, Randolph Field, the "West Point of the Air," was dedicated on June 20, 1930, and became the headquarters of the Air Corps Training Center and the site of the primary flying school in 1931.
There were nine types of groups in the interwar era; six heavier than air (HTA), two lighter than air (LTA), and one special group. The HTA groups included attack, bombardment, observation (some later redesignated as reconnaissance groups), pursuit, transport, and composite units. The LTA groups included airship and balloon organizations. The special headquarters was the school group, which could be HTA, LTA, or non-flying organizations.
HEAVIER THAN AIR
Heavier Than Air squadrons provided direct or indirect support to the ground gaining arms. This could be as direct as attack and observation missions against the enemy’s front forces, or as indirect as the bombing of the enemy’s industries and infrastructure in order to cripple that nation’s war-making capabilities. Some also provided specialized support to include aircraft maintenance and testing, personnel and equipment transportation, training, and aerial photography.
There were nine types of HTA squadrons in the interwar era. Four of these squadrons; attack, bombardment, observation, and pursuit; were to be employed in direct combat roles. The remaining five; transport, photographic, service, school, and headquarters squadrons; were support organizations that performed a variety of missions and functions.
Squadron structure varied by type, but in general, it consisted of two to three flights, an operations section, armament section, communications section, and an engineering section. Depending on the type of squadron, it might also include a photo section, a supply section, and a transportation section. Attack, bombardment, pursuit, and transport squadrons were typically assigned four squadrons to a like group (i.e., pursuit squadrons in a pursuit group). They could also be assigned to a composite group, but that group usually consisted of only one bombardment, one observation, and one pursuit squadron each. Service squadrons were also assigned one each to a group regardless of type. Additionally, a single observation squadron could be assigned to a Division Air Service, or in some cases were unassigned, or attached to bombardment groups. School squadrons were assigned to school groups in varying numbers. The single photographic squadron was an asset of the Office, Chief of the Air Corps and performed special missions for that command.
Composite groups, as the name suggests consisted of a mixture of squadrons. Typically, a composite group would have at least one bombardment, one observation, one pursuit, and a service squadron each. The mix might not have included one or more of the squadrons but would always include the service squadron.
School groups were generally composed of four school squadrons but could consist of more or less as well. A school group could also be either a flying or non-flying unit depending on the mission it was assigned. The group’s basic structure held steady until 1936 when the service squadrons were eliminated from the organizational scheme. The structure remained the same thereafter until World War II.
Headquarters squadrons were assigned one to each field army air service and performed the typical support functions associated with such organizations (administration, supply, etc.) The structure of most of these squadrons remained relatively constant throughout the interwar period. Most Headquarters Squadrons were reorganized and redesignated as air depot headquarters in 1933. Service squadrons were either demobilized or consolidated with existing group headquarters between 1936 and 1938.
Many squadrons were also reorganized and redesignated from one type of squadron to another. Most squadrons’ group assignments remained relatively constant during this time, but a sizable number were relieved from one group and assigned to another. This was especially true for the Regular Army as the number of squadrons and groups brought into active service continued to increase during the interwar years.
LIGHTER THAN AIR
There were four types of LTA companies in the interwar US Army force structure. These included Airship Companies, Balloon Companies, Airship Service Companies, and Balloon Service Companies. In 1920, there were thirty-two World War I-era balloon companies still on active duty. That year, the air service estimated that it would only need ten active balloon companies for the purposes of coast defense and patrolling duties on the Mexican border. To support these plans, the air service began construction of balloon sheds near various harbor defense locations on the east and west coasts, as well as several along the Mexican border. Additionally, several balloon companies began a series of tests and experiments working with coast artillery batteries in California, Washington, and Hawaii. Within two years twenty-two of these companies were demobilized or inactivated, another eight reorganized as airship companies, and the remaining two were reorganized as LTA school units, one of which was also demobilized a short time later. By 1922, no balloon companies were on active duty. By then, the Army’s active LTA force consisted only of one airship group headquarters, four airship companies, and one airship service squadron.
In 1927, several new balloon companies were constituted in the Regular Army to replace some of those companies that were demobilized in 1922.
The structure for balloon and airship companies were almost identical. Both consisted of six sections: headquarters, communications, transportation, supply, maneuvering, and armament. Both also possessed 184 officers and men to support, maintain, and operate one balloon or airship. The fact that there was only one craft per company indicates the complexity associated with LTA aircraft. The service company was a simpler organization, but as large. It consisted of a headquarters and an engineering section. The organization of the LTA companies underwent a reorganization in 1930 that authorized two aircraft to each type of organization although the change in designation did not take place until over three years later.
Balloon companies and groups were typically assigned to army corps to support artillery operations and provide battlefield observation. Companies were assigned four to a group along with one service company. Though a large number of balloon companies and groups in the mobilization plans were slated for assignment to army corps, there were also a number allotted to the General Headquarters Reserve and the Zone of the Interior, with the latter being mostly school troops. Airship companies along with one service company were also assigned four to each airship group. Most of the airship companies and service companies were assigned to the General Headquarters Reserve. Three airship groups were assigned to the overseas departments. Like the balloon companies, there were a number of companies assigned to the Zone of the Interior as school troops.
Several Balloon Companies were demobilized in 1933 as the Army continued to struggle with mobilization plans and force structure. By 1933, there were only two balloon squadrons, two airship squadrons, and one airship service squadron on active duty, though there were several others that were active as RAI units.
In 1935, the one remaining service squadron was inactivated and two years later, the Army agreed to transfer the airship mission to the Navy. At that time, the two remaining airship squadrons were consolidated with other Air Corps units and all airships and related equipment was handed over to the Navy. Concurrently, the Army organized a third balloon squadron from one of the former airship organizations. For the next several years these three squadrons supported the training of the field artillery and coast artillery schools as well as several harbor defense commands.
GENERAL HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE (GHQAF)
On 1 March 1935, the General Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF), which had existed in gestation since 1 October 1933, became operational and assumed command and control over Air Corps tactical units. The three GHQAF wings were located at Langley Field, Virginia; Barksdale Field, Louisiana; and March Field, California. The Office of the Chief of the Air Corps (OCAC) and GHQAF existed on the same command echelon, each reporting separately to the Army Chief of Staff. The GHQAF Commander directed tactical training and operations, while the Chief of the Air Corps maintained control over procurement, supply, training schools, and doctrine development. On March 1, 1939, the Chief of the Air Corps assumed control over the GHQAF, centralizing command of the entire air arm.
PERPETUATION OF UNIT HISTORIES, 1936
On 16 October 1936, the Army, in order to perpetuate the history and traditions of units which had served as part of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, reconstituted many Aero Squadrons with illustrious histories and consolidated them with Active, Reserve and National Guard squadrons without wartime histories.
SUPPORT UNITS BETWEEN THE WORLD WARS
When organized in 1936, Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadrons were created largely by subsuming existing airfield station complements (i.e., support detachments) and the service squadrons assigned to flying groups. The intent in creating these units was to eliminate the need for Air Corps groups to have an assigned service squadron. To whatever airfield the group traveled for training and exercises, it could now rely on the field’s Air Base Squadron for the required support for its personnel and equipment. These units provided a wide variety of base support functions for Army airfields. Their focus was on broad generic support for the entire air base including non-flying activities. These base support functions included personnel administration, transportation, maintenance, medical, and logistics operations. The latter function included all classes of supply to include fuel, food services, ammunition storage and issue, and repair parts. The base headquarters commander was the airfield commander. His staff provided the overall supervision of air base support operations. The Air Base Squadron provided the support functions as outlined above. These units were reorganized in 1940 into Headquarters and Headquarters Squadrons and Redesignated as Air Base Groups.
Airdrome companies, and later as airdrome squadrons, focused their support on airfield and flight-line support operations, i.e., support of flying activities. The airdrome units provided service station-type support to the field. This included aircraft refueling, routine maintenance and repair, calibration and adjustment of aircraft components, taxi control and parking of aircraft on the apron, etc. These units were usually assigned or attached to air depots and later to the base headquarters at the airfield where they were operating.
Repair squadrons provided higher echelons of maintenance and repair for supported groups and squadrons. These squadrons were typically assigned two to each air depot.
Supply squadrons provided higher echelons of logistics support for supported groups and squadrons. These squadrons were also usually assigned two to each air depot.
Weather squadrons provided weather data to airfield operations centers for the purposes of mission planning and execution. The squadrons were organized into small detachments that were deployed to a number of airfields within a geographical region.
WORLD WAR II
President Franklin D. Roosevelt acknowledged the growing importance of airpower, recognized that the United States might be drawn into a European war, and believed firmly that airpower would win it. Assured of a favorable reception in the White House, the Air Corps prepared plans in October 1938 for a force of some 7,000 aircraft. Soon afterwards, President Roosevelt asked the War Department to prepare a program for an Air Corps composed of 10,000 airplanes, of which 7,500 would be combat aircraft. In a special message to Congress on 12 January 1939, the President formally requested this program. Congress responded on 3 April, authorizing $300 million for an Air Corps "not to exceed 6,000 serviceable airplanes." Plans soon called for 54 combat groups. This program was hardly underway before revised plans called for 84 combat groups equipped with 7,800 aircraft and manned by 400,000 troops by 30 June 1942.
With this enormous expansion underway, the War Department began in 1939 to establish new bases and air organizations in rapid succession overseas and in the continental United States. At the same time, leaders worked to create an independent institutional structure for air within the U.S. Army.
On 19 November 1940, the General Headquarters Air Force was removed from the jurisdiction of the Chief of the Air Corps and given separate status under the commander of the Army Field Forces.
The Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest Air Districts had been formed in December 1940 to help control the growing tactical organizations. These districts were redesignated in April 1941 as the 1st, 2d, 3d, and 4th Air Forces. On 12 April 1941 the War Department directed each numbered air force to organize a bomber command and an interceptor command to supervise and control offensive and defensive tasks beyond the capabilities of existing combat wings.
Gen. George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, established the Army Air Forces on 20 June 1941, to control both the Air Corps and the Air Force Combat Command (formerly GHQAF).
The creation of higher echelon organizations meant that additional hierarchical links had to be forged for noncombat activities. The Air Corps Maintenance Command was established under the Materiel Division, Air Corps, on June 25, 1941, to control supply and maintenance. It was redesignated Air Service Command on 6 November and made a separate command of the Air Corps on 11 December 1941. That left the Materiel Division free to concentrate on procurement and research and development.
USAAF INSTALLATIONS
As part of the United States Army, the USAAF operated from Army Air Fields. They consisted of a ground station, which consisted of streets, buildings, barracks and the support facilities and organizations. The airfield consisted of the runways, taxiways, hangars, and other facilities used to support flight operations at the airfield. The Station Commander commanded the station organizations and was responsible for the facilities. There was a Quartermaster Group; Service Group; Headquarters Group, and a Combat Group. There was no uniformity in unit designations. In an administrative reorganization by HQ Army Air Force, on 1 May 1944 the station units were re-organized into "Army Air Forces Base Units" (AAFBU), which gave organization to the units under the Station Commander.
During World War II, it was common to have several Combat Groups stationed at the same Army Air Field, especially at training bases in the United States, where Combat Groups would be trained by Training Groups assigned to the station under the Station Commander.
Combat squadrons were normally organized into combat groups, with three or four squadrons to each group, and with the group as the basic combat element of the Army Air Forces. In many commands, though the practice was not uniform throughout the Air Force, two or more combat groups were formed into a wing for administrative and/or operational control.
The organization was changed in 1947, when the Air Force adopted the wing-base plan. Each combat wing was given one combat group (with 3 or 4 combat squadrons) and three support groups (air base, supply and maintenance, and medical). The wings required by this plan were new organizations, the old World War II wings being redesignated divisions. The combat wing and its integral combat group carried the same numerical and functional designations; e.g., the 9th Bombardment Group was an integral part of the 9th Bombardment Wing.
Rapid demobilization after September 1945 meant that a new Air Force had to be built with the remnants of the wartime Army Air Forces.
USAF BECOMES A SEPARATE SERVICE
On 18 September 1947, the United States Air Force was established a separate and equal element of the United States armed forces.
Initially, the Army Air Fields retained as permanent bases were assumed by the USAF were renamed as Air Force Bases, and the Army's organizational structure was carried over into the new service with Air Force Base Units replacing the AAFBU. It wasn’t long before the awkward circumstance occurred where the Combat Group commander was reporting to a Base Commander who may or may not had flying experience. To correct this and many other problems, the Air Force searched for new solutions.
The first solution was the Wing-Base plan. With the Wing-Base plan, the operational combat squadrons were assigned to a Combat Group. The support squadrons on the station were assigned to a Maintenance and Supply Group, an Airdrome Support Group, and a Medical Group. The four Groups were assigned to a Wing, a new level of Command which unified all of the components, flying and support. The Group Commanders were subordinate to the Wing Commander who was an experienced combat flying leader. The Wing would assume the historical numerical designation of the assigned Combat Group. A Base Commander was established to handle the administrative duties of the Wing Commander and to coordinate with the various Group commanders. In this plan, known as the Hobson Plan the support Groups and the operational flying Combat Group and the wing became one unit.
Another major change implemented by the Hobson Plan was the standardization of designations. For example, the 1st Fighter Wing, Established at March Air Force Base would consist of the 1st Fighter Group (its Combat Group); the 1st Maintenance and Supply Group, the 1st Combat Support Group (to operate base facilities and services), and the 1st Medical Group. Subordinate to the groups were the 1st Field Maintenance Squadron, 1st Supply Squadron, 1st Engine Squadron, 1st Security Police Squadron, and so on. Operational flying Squadrons retained their historical designations and were assigned to the Combat Group. Units assigned to the base as tenant units, under the command of other Wings, would also retain their designations.
In the spring of 1948, the Hobson Plan was judged to be successful, and additional Combat Wings were re-organized and established and the Hobson Plan was made permanent.
MAJCON ORGANIZATIONS
In addition to the permanent wings, the USAF provided temporary organizations to be controlled by the major commands. The commands wanted a flexible organization at the lower echelons to permit rapid adjustments in manning that short-term requirements often dictated. Because the manning of permanent organizations was judged to be too rigid, in 1948 the Air Force created a new type of temporary organization. These major command-controlled organizations were identified as "MAJCON." Using four-digit numbers allotted to each command (for example, 3900-4399 for Strategic Air Command) by Headquarters USAF, the commands could create and end MAJCON organizations as needed. When a MAJCON organization was discontinued or inactivated, its life ended, never to be revived. The number of this organization could then be reused to designate another, entirely new MAJCON organization. Although the original intent was to provide major command flexibility in establishing and terminating short-lived, temporary organizations, some MAJCON organizations existed more than forty years.
USAF COLD WAR ORGANIZATION
During the Air Force's first decade, budgetary shortfalls led to the search for more cost-efficient Wing operations. In 1952, many of the World War II Combat Groups began to be phased out and inactivated as more wings assumed direct control of the combat squadrons, particularly those assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) and Air Defense Command (ADC). The organization finally implemented by SAC in May 1952 for some newly activating wings and in June for its remaining wings was referred to as the Dual Deputy organization.
The Commander of the combat group became the wing Deputy Commander for Operations (DCO) and the commander of the Maintenance & Supply Group became the wing Deputy Commander for Maintenance (DCM). There were only two deputy commanders. In those cases in which an Air Base Group and Medical Group were maintained within the wing, the commanders remained group commanders (although a large number of the air base groups and medical groups were inactivated and replaced by groups assigned directly to air divisions).
In February 1951, SAC began to eliminate its combat groups by reducing group headquarters to token strength (1 officer and 1 enlisted man) and by attaching the combat squadrons to the wings. Thus the wing replaced the group as the basic combat element of SAC.
PERPETUATION OF UNIT HISTORIES, BESTOWELS
On 16 June 1952, SAC with the approval of HQ USAF, inactivated the headquarters of its combat groups (which had remained active under token manning) and assigned the combat squadrons to the wings. As a result of the SAC reorganization, the World War II histories and honors of SAC's combat Groups were retired. The SAC wings, having been created during or after 1947, had no World War II histories or honors. Deviations from the wing-base plan by other commands, particularly ADC, had also curtailed the perpetuation of histories and honors of World War II groups.
In 1954, SAC and ADC asked HQ USAF to do something to perpetuate the histories and honors of World War II combat groups. The Ad Hoc Committee which reviewed these requests rejected the idea of redesignating combat groups as wings. Instead, the committee suggested that Combat groups and wings be maintained as separate and distinct organizations; The histories and honors of the groups be retained by the groups; But that the histories and honors of combat groups be bestowed upon the similarly designated combat wings.
Although the Ad Hoc Committee's suggestion concerning bestowals ran counter to the long standing policy of the Air Force against transferring history and honors from one unit to another, HQ USAF accepted the Committee's recommendations.
In November 1954, the Department of the Air Force issued a series of AFOMO letters which bestowed upon each active combat wing the history and honors of its similarly designated combat group; e.g., SAC's 9th Bombardment Wing received, by bestowal, the history and honors of the 9th Bombardment Group.
The bestowals made in November 1954 fell into two classes: Those in which the combat groups were inactive (as in SAC, for example); Those in which the combat groups were still active components of their related wings (as in TAC, for example), which meant that HQ USAF went beyond the original idea, proposed by SAC, for perpetuating in the wings, the histories and honors of inactive groups.
Since the initial bestowals in November 1954, AFOMO letters directing activations of wings have bestowed the histories and honors of groups upon similarly designated wings. In some cases the letters have re-bestowed group histories on wings which had been covered by the bestowals made in November 1954 but which had subsequently been inactivated. In other cases, the bestowals were newly made to wings which had not been active in November 1954. The Air Force has continued to regard each combat group, though inactive, as an integral part of the similarly designated combat wing.
Despite the tendency to do away with combat groups, some survived as active organizations, and from time to time inactive groups have been activated. Since about 1957, active combat groups have usually been assigned to divisions, or higher organizations, rather than to wings. The major exceptions have been in the reserve forces, where, since 1963, tactical wings usually have had two or more tactical groups (with numerical designations different from their wings), with one tactical squadron to each group.
In bestowing group histories and honors on wings, Department of the Air Force directives have not specified any conditions or limitations except to note, in AFOMO letters issued after the initial bestowals of November 1954, that such bestowals are temporary. As a result of several factors, particularly organizational developments after the initial bestowals, it became necessary to formulate definite rules to govern temporary bestowals of histories and honors.
The Dual Deputy organization was implemented by the other combat commands between 1956 and 1958. Air Force Reserve units implemented it in 1959 and Air National Guard units in mid-1974 (except for the ANG Wings on active duty with SAC when they were federalized for Korean War duty in 1952).
In the years since its implementation, bestowal has generated much confusion. Many throughout the Air Force did not understand that the group and the wing remained two separate and distinct entities. To alleviate some of the confusion, the Air Force in the 1980s consolidated some combat wings with their predecessor combat groups. These consolidations were limited to wings and groups whose period of active service did not overlap, since consolidation of organizations with overlapping active service adds confusion, violates lineage principles, and contravenes Air Force policy. By consolidation, the wing and group became one organization, eliminating the need for bestowal of group history and honors on the wing. Bestowal, continued to be the policy for the majority of active Air Force wings.
PERPETUATION OF UNIT HISTORIES, ACTIVATION OF HISTORIC UNITS
In 1955, ADC implemented Project Arrow, which was designed to bring back on the active list the fighter units which had compiled memorable records in the world wars. Project Arrow ALSO called for fighter squadrons to be assigned to their traditional group headquarters.
In 1962, SAC in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its MAJCON Strategic Wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate AFCON units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history.
In 1985, the Air Force updated many organizations either by giving the organization a contemporary designation or consolidating organizations with an illustrious history with contemporary organizations with less illustrious histories.
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE UNITS
After the Korean War, the operational squadron aircraft maintenance units were consolidated into an Organizational Maintenance Squadron (OMS). This was the first time that combat squadrons had no organic maintenance capability. Budget cuts in the 1950s and the resulting shortages of manpower and spare parts made consolidated maintenance very attractive.
During the mid-1950s, Strategic Air Command (SAC) pioneered the dual-deputy structure. It featured a deputy commander for operations (DO) and a deputy commander for maintenance (DCM) under the wing commander, while maintaining separate support and medical groups. This structure removed flightline maintenance from the individual squadrons and consolidated it into an organizational maintenance squadron (OMS) under the DCM who was responsible for all aircraft maintenance. This was the first time that combat squadrons had no organic maintenance capability.
Air Force Manual (AFM) 66-1, Maintenance Management, published in 1956, set the stage for the demise of maintenance in the flying squadrons. Budget cuts and the resulting shortages of manpower and spare parts made consolidated maintenance very attractive. SAC’s test of the consolidated maintenance structure was so successful that in 1958, compliance with AFM 66-1 became mandatory. While this structure saved manpower and worked well during home station operations, squadron deployments caused serious problems. Since the maintenance resources required to launch the fleet were no longer part of the flying squadron, they had to be taken from the OMS and put back in the flying squadron prior to every deployment.
During the Vietnam War, Tactical Air Command transferred flightline maintenance personnel to the deploying squadrons to Southeast Asia. Squadrons transferred to Pacific Air Forces retained this arrangement. In 1972, driven by budgetary considerations and the Vietnam drawdown, HQ USAF withdrew its approval for TAC’s structural deviation and forced TAC to revert to the consolidated maintenance concept.
In the mid-1970s, the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) tested a tri-deputy wing organization that added a Deputy Commander for Resources (DCR—later, resource management or RM) to the Dual-Deputy structure. The DCR was responsible for Supply, Transportation, Contracting, and Accounting and Finance squadrons. The DCM was responsible for the Maintenance Staff, Organizational Maintenance Squadron (OMS); Avionics Maintenance Squadron (AMS) and Field Maintenance Squadron (FMS). Viewed as giving the Wing Commander more direct control over the mission as well as focusing more attention on resource management during a period of serious budget constraints, HQ USAF approved the Tri-Deputy system for all major commands in 1975.
While maintenance remained consolidated under the DCM in the official tri-deputy structure, TAC reorganized the DCM internally into its Production Oriented Maintenance Organization (POMO) in 1975. An aircraft generation squadron (AGS) under the DCM was responsible for all flightline maintenance, with a specific aircraft maintenance unit (AMU) assigned to each fighter squadron. Each AMU trained and deployed with its fighter squadron but reported to the AGS commander. Intermediate level maintenance was divided between a component repair squadron (CRS) and an equipment maintenance squadron (EMS), both of which also reported to the DCM. The structure was approved in AFM 66-5, Production Oriented Maintenance Organization, and POMO was eventually renamed COMO (Combat Oriented Maintenance Organization).
This was the basic structure of the tactical air forces (TAC, USAFE, and Pacific Air Forces) when the objective wing structure was developed, SAC and Military Airlift Command (MAC) kept their aircraft maintenance in the structure outlined in AFM 66-1, with flightline maintenance consolidated in an OMS. This was an efficient structure for them since they operated primarily from home station or relied on enroute maintenance teams at established overseas locations when on the road. Squadron deployments were not routine, so the additional cost of separate AMUs was not worthwhile.
In the early 1990s with the declared end of the Cold War and the continued decline in military budgets, the Air Force restructured to meet changes in strategic requirements, decreasing personnel, and a smaller infrastructure. This major reorganization stressed elimination of unnecessary layers of authority, decentralization of decision-making, and consolidation of functions.
THE OBJECTIVE WING
The objective wing structure was first briefed to Air Force senior leadership at the Corona South Conference in February 1991 as a wing-level organization think piece. The briefing focused on tactical fighter wings in general and fighter wing logistics in particular. It offered an alternative philosophy that focused on teams that produce and effective support to those teams. It discussed organizing for combat, replacing functional perspectives with command responsibilities, delayering, streamlining, and economizing. The main issue was the discrepancy between the wartime (or deployment) and peacetime structures for the tactical fighter squadron and its associated AMU. The normal, peacetime structure of this fighting unit involved two separate squadrons reporting to two different groups. During a deployment, these two were matrixed into an integrated fighting force.
As a proposed fix to the matrixing issue, on-equipment maintenance was combined with the fighter squadron to create a single, integrated squadron which was the primary fighting unit—the warfighters for which a wing exists. Other wing units were grouped as either direct support to the warfighter (the logistics group) or as indirect or base support (the support group).
Set out as a concept to be tested in the spring of 1991, by June of that year the entire Air Force was implementing the objective wing structure. In the absence of formal guidance later published as Air Force Instruction (AFI) 38-101, Air Force Organization, many wings reorganized using copies of the slides from the Corona conference.
The restructure began by pulling the AMUs from the aircraft generation squadron and putting the on-equipment maintainers into the fighter squadrons. The AMU chief became the squadron maintenance officer (SMO) and the AMU became the sortie generation flight. The aircraft generation squadron further divided up shared functions such as tool issue, aircraft generation equipment, and munitions among each squadron to produce the sortie support flight. Finally, the restructure added maintenance quality assurance for flightline functions to the squadrons to round out the maintenance package. The SMO reported directly to the squadron commander, filling a role intended to parallel that of the squadron operations officer, the supervisor of the aircrew members.
By late fall of 1991, virtually all of the Air Force had converted to the objective wing structure. The tactical air forces moved most readily into the new structure since it was actually designed for fighters. For the strategic forces in the aligned in accordance with the AFM 66-1 structure, the transition was more difficult and more expensive. Without existing AMUs from which to draw, squadron maintenance sections had to be built from scratch.
The economies of scale achieved by centralizing flightline maintenance seemed to overshadow the benefits of decentralization for units that do not routinely deploy, making the objective structure less attractive. The difficulty and expense involved in separating integrated flightline maintenance into separate squadron maintenance organizations made for a rocky transition. In fact, the airlift community never made a full transition. As a compromise, flightline maintenance stayed together, but the OMS was renamed AGS and moved to the operations group, thereby integrating operations and maintenance at the group vice squadron level. In the interest of standardization, all of the Air Force major commands were considered to be in compliance with the new structure by March 1992.
The Combat inactive group was redesignated as the Operations Group (OG) and was activated. The support squadrons were realigned into a Maintenance Group (MXG), Mission Support Group (MSG), and Medical Group (MDG). With their reactivation, the history and lineage of the Wing Combat Group inactivated in the 1950s was transferred from the Wing to the Operations Group.
In addition to the realignment of support and operational squadrons, the Tactical, Strategic and other descriptors of unit designations were discontinued. For example, the 354th Tactical Fighter Wing became the 354th Fighter Wing; the 24th Composite Wing became the 24th Wing; 356th Tactical Fighter Squadron became the 356th Fighter Squadron, and so on. This returned the unit designations back to their 1947 names.
MAJCON organizations active on 30 Apr 1991 changed to organizations under the direct control of Headquarters USAF for organizational actions, eliminating all MAJCON organizations.
For a variety of reasons, both AMC and Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) have reverted to a centralized maintenance structure. In January 1995, AMC requested permission to return to consolidated maintenance citing the costs of the objective structure and the lack of benefits for non-deploying units. The request was approved in March 1995 and AMC implemented the change immediately.
AFSOC received permission to return to a centralized maintenance structure in the fall of 1995. Due to AFSOC’s unique deployment methods, with multiple weapons systems that deploy together as a team and the complex maintenance requirements that this imposes, the entire objective wing structure was difficult to implement. After trying to comply with the new structure for several years at significant cost, AFSOC has returned to a centralized maintenance concept by creating separate aircraft generation squadrons and helicopter generation squadrons to best utilize their resources.