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Activation
Established
as 319th Bombardment Wing, Light, on May 10, activated in the Reserve on June
27, at Reading Municipal Airport, Pennsylvania and inactivated on Sep 2, all in
1949.
Early Missions
Activated again in the Reserves on Oct 10, 1949
at Birmingham Municipal Airport, Alabama, where it replaced the 514th Troop Carrier Wing.
Performed Reserve training until ordered
to active service in Mar 1951, when wing personnel were used to fill other USAF
units. It
flew the T–6, T–7, T–11, and B–26. Ordered to active service
on March 10,
1951 (possibly Korea), but instead the wing was inactivated on March 28,
1951.
Redesignated the 319th Fighter-Bomber Wing on Apr
12, 1955 and activated in the Reserves on May 18, 1955 at Memphis Municipal
Airport, Tennessee. It replaced the 8710th Pilot Training Wing and
performed reserve
training. From July 1956 through August, 1957, it maintained two F–84s on
"runway alert," under operational control
of 20th Air Division, Air Defense Command. Inactivated on Nov 16, 1957. and
replaced by the 445th Troop Carrier Wing.
Assignment
to SAC
Redesignated the 319th Bombardment Wing,
Heavy, and activated, on Nov 15, 1962. Organized Feb 1, 1963 at Grand Forks AFB,
North Dakota, where it replaced the 4133rd Strategic Wing. It conducted global
bombardment training and air refueling operations to meet SAC commitments.
Presented the Omaha Trophy as the outstanding wing in SAC for 1978. Participated
in SAC program to test admission of females to in-flight refueling career field,
January to Dec 1979. Converted from B–52 to B–1 bombers, 1986–1987. Flew
training missions with conventional and nuclear configurations. Tanker crews
assisted in air refueling efforts during the invasion of Panama, Dec 1989.
The 1990s
Deployed tankers to Oman, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to provide air refueling and
cargo missions in Southwest Asia, Aug 1990–Apr 1991. Redesignated:
319th Wing on 1 Sep 1, 1991, and the 319th Bomb Wing on Jun 1, 1992. It lost
it's bombers and became the 319th Air Refueling
Wing on Oct 1, 1993.
Status
Active as the 319 Aerial Refueling Wing
Components
Group
319 BG (Later 319 Fighter-Bomber; 319th Operations):
Assigned June 27 – Sep 2, 1949; Oct 10, 1949 –
March 22, 1951; May 18, 1955 – Nov
16, 1957; Sep 1, 1991–.
Squadrons
46 BS: Assigned Feb 1, 1963 - Sept 1, 1991. Flew B-52F
previously flown by the 30 BS,
4133rd Strategic
Wing.
Converted to B-52G in 1968 and flew until 1989, before being
inactivated on Sept. 30,
1989.
905 AR: Feb 1, 1963 - Sept 1, 1991
Patrick
Hudson jnrode@spacestar.net
wrote "I was assigned to the 319th Avionics Maintenance Squadron within the
319th Bomb Wing from July '73 until April '74. I worked in the ECM/EW
shop. We had B52-H models not B-52g's. I was told that the aircraft
were new when assigned to the 319th. Most were produced in the later 60's.
From time to time we did have a couple of G models on the alert pad.
Memory tells me they were from Maine or Michigan. It was some kind of satellite
program either because of their home base security or when our H models were
grounded due to problems with their tail structure after a major modification
had been made. [Note. Info on aircraft written above came from Air
Force Wing History book by Ravenstein.
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