456th Bombardment Wing: Difference between revisions

The origins of the '''4126 Strategic Wing''' can be traced to 1 July 1956 when [[Continental Air Command]] transferred [[Beale Air Force Base]] California to [[Strategic Air Command]] (SAC) which put Beale under the control of the 4126th Air Base Squadron<ref name=Mueller>Mueller, pp. 25–27</ref> to prepare the base for SAC's plan to disperse its [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]] heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the [[Soviet Union]] to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/data/001/056/917.xml|title=Abstract (Unclassified), Vol 1, History of Strategic Air Command, Jan–Jun 1957 (Secret)|publisher=Air Force History Index|urlaccess-status=live |accessdatedate=4 March 2014}}</ref> As SAC's strength at Beale expanded, the 4126th became the 4126th Combat Support Group on 8 February 1959<ref name=Mueller/> and was assigned along with the 856th Medical Group to the newly organized '''4126th Strategic Wing''', which was assigned to the [[14th Air Division]].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=10069 |title=Factsheet 14 Air Division |publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency |archiveurlarchive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120929013824/http://www.afhra.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=10069 |date=4 October 2007|archivedatearchive-date=29 September 2012|accessdateaccess-date=17 March 2014}}</ref> The wing gained its first operational squadron on 1 April 1959 when the [[903d Air Refueling Squadron]], flying [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker]]s was activated at Beale.<ref name=Mueller/>

The wing became fully organized on 26 October 1959 when the [[31st Bombardment Squadron]] (BS), consisting of 15 [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress]]es moved to Beale from [[Travis Air Force Base]], California where it had been one of the three squadrons of the [[5th Bombardment Wing]]<ref>Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 152–153</ref> along with the 63d Aviation Depot Squadron<ref name=Mueller/> whose mission was to oversee the wing's special weapons. Starting in 1960, one third of the wing's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute [[alert state|alert]], fully fueled, armed and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the wing's aircraft in 1962.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.airforcehistoryindex.org/data/001/010/802.xml|title=Abstract (Unclassified), History of the Strategic Bomber since 1945 (Top Secret, downgraded to Secret)|date=1 April 1975|publisher=Air Force History Index|urlaccess-status=live |accessdatedate=4 March 2014}}</ref> The 4126th (and later the 456th) continued to maintain an alert commitment until inactivation. The wing's parent 14th Air Division also moved to Beale and the 4126th became responsible to provide support to the division as well as the [[San Francisco Air Defense Sector]] of [[Air Defense Command]], which activated at Beale in 1959.<ref name=Mueller/> The wing added the [[Intercontinental ballistic missile]] mission on 1 February 1961, when the [[851st Strategic Missile Squadron]] equipped with [[HGM-25A Titan I]] missiles was activated and assigned to the wing.<ref name=Maurer781>Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 781–782</ref> In 1962, the wing's [[bomber]]s began to be equipped with the [[GAM-77 Hound Dog]] and the [[GAM-72 Quail]] air-launched [[cruise missiles]], The 4126th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was activated in November to maintain these missiles

* {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Air Force Combat Units of World War II|origyearorig-year= 1961|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf|accessdateaccess-date= 17 December 2016|edition= reprint|year=1983|publisher= Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-02-1|lccn=61060979}}

* {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|origyearorig-year=1969|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |edition= reprint|accessdateaccess-date= 17 December 2016|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402}}

* {{cite web |url= http://www.usafpatches.com/pubs/AFP900-2Vol1Bk2.pdf |title= AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits |date=15 June 1971|publisher= Department of the Air Force|location= Washington, DC|urlaccess-status=live |accessdatedate=11 August 2016}}

* {{cite book|last=Cantwell|first=Gerald T.|title=Citizen Airmen: a History of the Air Force Reserve, 1946–1994|url=https://archive.org/details/citizenairmenhis00cant|accessdateaccess-date=1 October 2014|year=1997|publisher=Air Force History and Museums Program|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=0-16049-269-6|url-access=registration}}

* {{cite book|author=Anonymous|title=456th Bomb Group - Steed's Flying Colts|edition= Turner Limited |origyearorig-year=1945|year=1997