Historian highlights heritage of 379th AEW

Published July 29, 2007
By Dr. Karen Miller
379th Air Expeditionary Wing

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- As the Air Force celebrates its 60th Anniversary, it is fitting that Airmen look back to the history of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing to appreciate the rich heritage shared with those who have gone before us and those who will follow us.

The 379th AEW began as the 379th Bombardment Group (Heavy) Oct. 28, 1942 and was activated Nov. 3, 1942 and stationed at Geiger Field, Utah.

The group remained unmanned until its transfer to Gowan Field in Idaho Nov. 26, 1942. Once the Airmen arrived and were organized into their respective squadrons, the group was moved back to Utah to Wendover Field where they began their training in B-17 bombardment operations.

The 379th initially contained a headquarters detachment and the 524th, 525th, 526th and 527th Bombardment Squadrons. After several months of intensive training, the group's air echelon flew their B-17s to England, while the ground echelon sailed to England aboard the RMS Aquitania. By May 21, 1943, all of the members of the 379th were reunited and stationed at Kimbolton Field in Huntingdonshire, England.

As part of the 8th Air Force, the 379th flew in 330 missions, conducting over 10,000 sorties dropping more than 26,000 tons of munitions. The primary targets against which the 379th flew included industrial and chemical works, storage plants, oil refineries, submarine pens, airfields, communication centers, radar stations and weapons sites.

The 379th bombed enemy positions just ahead of the Normandy D-Day invasion in June 1944. They also struck enemy positions, which facilitated breakthroughs at Saint Lo, France; the Battle of the Bulge; and the Allied assault across the Rhine River.

The group earned two distinguished unit citations, amongst other awards; however, the most significant may have been the 'Grand Slam' earned by the group in April 1944. The operational grand slam meant that the 379th had been first in every phase of bombing by which groups in the 8th Air Force were evaluated. The 379th had the:
·Best bombing results (greatest percentage of bombs on target)
·Greatest tonnage of bombs dropped on targets
·Largest number of aircraft attacking
·Lowest losses of aircraft
·Lowest abortive rate of aircraft sent out
Very few groups within the 8th Air Force ever achieved this award.

The group flew their last combat mission on April 25, 1945. June 17, 1945, the group was transferred to Casablanca in French Morocco, where it remained until July 25, 1945 at which time it was inactivated.

Nov. 1, 1955, the 379th Bombardment Wing (Medium) was activated at Homestead Air Force Base, Fla. The 379th was equipped with the B-47 Stratojet and gained a second mission when it was equipped with the KC-97 Stratotanker. The 379th was now part of the Strategic Air Command's alert commitment. As the wing performed its mission as part of SAC, it also continued its brief association with Morocco, when it deployed to Sidi Slimane Air Base from March to May 1957.

The year 1961 brought another series of significant changes to the 379th. The wing moved from Homestead AFB to Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Mich. in January and was redesignated the 379th Bombardment Wing, Heavy. The wing also received two new weapons systems. The first was the B-52 Stratofortress and the second, the KC-135 Stratotanker. The wing, now called the 379th Bombardment Wing (Heavy), provided KC-135 tankers and crews for the war in Southeast Asia from 1965 to 1975 and bomber crews from 1970 to 1975.

In 1984, the 379th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) was consolidated with the 379th Bombardment Group, which united the World War II and SAC heritages of the wing. During the remainder of the 1980s, the wing continued its SAC alert mission and participated in several nuclear weapons employment tests.

With Operation Desert Storm, the bombers of the 379th once again went into action. Ten of the 379th's B-52 aircraft deployed to Saudi Arabia and struck targets in Iraq, including the Iraqi Republican Guard. Personnel from the 379th were among the advance team forming the 1708 Provisional Bomb Wing at Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The air refuelers of the 379th also provided support for air operations during the operation.

Following Desert Storm, the wing prepared to inactivate as Wurtsmith AFB closed in June 1993. In June 1992, the 379th's air-refueling mission transferred out and the last B-52 departed in December 1992. The wing was officially inactivated June 20, 1993.

In December 2001, the 379th Bomb Wing, as it had last been designated, was redesignated the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and made a provisional unit in preparation for another, more permanent, deployment to the desert.

Members of the 379th AEW share a special tie with those who have gone before us. As we perform the mission given to us, we can take pride in being a part of such a wing and ensure that the record we leave behind will be as rich as that which has been left to us.