96th Air Division

The 96th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Tenth Air Force at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.

96th Air Division, Bombardment
B-24 Liberators of the 96th Combat Bombardment Wing's 93d Bombardment Group
Active19441945; 19471949
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Part ofContinental Air Command
EngagementsEuropean Theater of World War II

As the 96th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the primary Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy strategic bombardment wings of the Eighth Air Force 2d Bombardment Division in World War II.

History

"The 96th Bombardment Wing's units entered combat in early 1944, bombing oil refineries, marshaling yards, steel plants, and tank factories plus numerous other assorted targets in the European theater. In September 1944, some of the units ceased bombardment missions and instead flew gasoline for Army units to airfields in France. Others air-dropped supplies to Allied troops during the airborne attack on the Netherlands that same month. During the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944 through January 1945, subordinate units of the 97th aided Allied ground forces by bombing German transportation lines. Besides strategic bombardment, they also dropped supplies to Allied troops during the airborne assault across the Rhine River in March 1945."[1]

Returned to the United States in summer 1945.[1] Programmed to become a Boeing B-29 Superfortress command wing, however inactivated at the end of the Pacific War.

"Active in the Reserves from June 1947 to June 1949, the organization was redesignated as a division in April 1948."[1]

Lineage

  • Established as the 96th Combat Bombardment Wing (Heavy) on 8 November 1943
Activated on 11 January 1944
Redesignated 96th Combat Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 7 August 1944
Redesignated 96th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 9 June 1945
Redesignated 96th Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on 17 August 1945
Inactivated on 17 October 1945
  • Activated in the Reserve on 12 June 1947
Redesignated 96th Air Division, Bombardment on 16 April 1948
Inactivated on 27 June 1949[1]

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft

See also

References

Notes

  1. "Factsheet 96 Air Division, Bombardment". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 5 October 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2014.

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

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