42nd Air Base Wing
The 42nd Air Base Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air University of Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama and is the host unit for Maxwell-Gunter. The wing's primary mission is to support all activities of Air University, the 908th Airlift Wing and other tenant units stationed at Maxwell-Gunter.
The wing was first activated shortly before the beginning of World War II as the 42nd Bombardment Group, a medium bomber unit. It conducted antisubmarine patrols off the Pacific coast following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The group provided units to reinforce the defenses of Alaska and to conduct patrols against German U-boats in the Caribbean Sea. It was brought up to strength by the transfer of veteran squadrons in 1943 when it moved to the Southwest Pacific Theater as part of Thirteenth Air Force. The 42nd saw combat in the Solomon Islands, Russell Islands, New Guinea and the Philippines. The group was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its pre-invasion bombing of Balikpapan from 23 to 30 June 1945. Its missions during the campaign in the Philippines earned it a Philippine Presidential Unit Citation. The 42nd was inactivated in Japan in the spring of 1946 after serving as part of the occupation forces there.
The 42nd Bombardment Wing was initially activated in 1953 with Convair B-36 Peacemakers as a component of Strategic Air Command's heavy bomber force. After two years flying the Peacemaker, it became the second wing to fly the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, and the first to convert to the B-52 from propeller-driven bombers. The wing maintained half of its planes on alert throughout the Cold War, and increased its alert commitment for the Lebanon crisis of 1958 and the Cuban Missile Crisis. The wing also provided aircraft and crews for the Vietnam War and First Gulf War. The wing was consolidated with the group into a single unit in 1985. The consolidated unit was inactivated when its home station, Loring Air Force Base, closed in 1994.
The wing was activated several months later as 42nd Air Base Wing, replacing the 502nd Air Base Wing as the host organization for Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. It has supported all Air Force units in the Montgomery, Alabama region since that time.
Mission
The 42nd Air Base Wing is commanded by Col Shamekia N. Toliver. Its Vice Commander is Col Abigail Frander. Its Command Chief Master Sergeant is Chief Master Sergeant Caleb Vaden. The wing is the host unit for Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. It provides the foundation for Air University, the intellectual and leadership center of the Air Force; the 908th Airlift Wing; the Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate; and more than 30 tenant units.The wing ensures airmen are ready to deploy in support of U.S. military operations worldwide and promotes their professional and personal growth. The wing is also responsible for the safety and security of the base, which it accomplishes through force protection, maintaining and modernizing facilities and infrastructure, and seeking efficient new ways of conducting operations. It supports more than 12,500 active duty, reserve, civilian and contractor personnel.
Units
; 42nd Mission Support GroupThe 42nd Mission Support Group consists of over 2,200 military and civilian employees organized into seven squadrons. The group provides contracting, security, civil engineering, operations/airfield support, personnel, communications, transportation, supply, fuels and services for 45,000 personnel. In addition, the group is responsible for maintaining a $2.2 billion physical plant including 4,106 acres, 859 buildings, 2,300 lodging rooms, utilities and communications. The group oversees a large support contract, which provides base operating support services through a multi-year contract.
World War II
The 42nd Bombardment Group was first activated at Fort Douglas, Utah on 15 January 1941, drawing its cadre from the 7th Bombardment Group. Its original squadrons were the 75th, 76th and 77th Bombardment Squadrons and the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron, which was attached to the group. During its time at Fort Douglas, the group was without aircraft and spent its time in ground training and adding personnel to bring it up to strength. Shortages of equipment in the pre-war Army meant that even drill was performed with broomsticks taking the place of rifles.In May the group began its move to Army Air Base, Boise. Gowen was not ready for occupancy when the advance echelon arrived, so they were initially quartered at a National Guard armory near Boise, Idaho, named Camp Bonneville. By 4 June the group was assembled at Gowen Field. By August the group received its first six Douglas B-18 Bolos and was able to begin flying training. The group was notified in October that it would be equipped with the Martin B-26 Marauder. Several crews were sent to Patterson Field, Ohio, where they participated in the service testing of the Marauder. Once the testing was complete, the group began to pick up brand-new B-26s at the Martin plant.
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the group initially moved most of its available B-26s to Muroc Army Air Base, California. However, soon priority was given to bringing the 77th squadron up to full strength when it was alerted for immediate movement to Alaska. On 19 December the squadron departed for Elmendorf Field and by February it had been reassigned out of the group. At the beginning of the new year the remainder of the group dispersed to the Pacific Northwest, with group headquarters and the 76th Bombardment Squadron at McChord Field, Washington, the 75th at Portland Army Air Base, Oregon and the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron at Paine Field, Washington. To provide greater coverage for antisubmarine patrols, detachments were organized to fly out of smaller fields. The group primarily used Lockheed A-29 Hudsons for its antisubmarine work, but also flew several other types.
Meanwhile, a number of the senior officers of the group headquarters moved to Seattle, where they formed an advanced echelon for IV Bomber Command, which was taking over all Pacific coast antisubmarine operations, including those along the northern coast, which had been controlled by Second Air Force. In March, the place of the departed 77th was taken by the newly activated 390th Bombardment Squadron. Most of the initial personnel of the 390th were drawn from the group's headquarters squadron. At the same time, the 16th Reconnaissance Squadron was formally assigned to the group, changing its name to the 406th Bombardment Squadron. However, in May group strength was again reduced to three squadrons, when the air echelon of the 76th squadron departed for Miami, Florida and was attached to the 45th Bombardment Group as antisubmarine efforts focused on the German U-boat threat in the Caribbean Sea. The group shrank again the following month as the 406th's air echelon was dispatched to join the 77th in Alaska, where it was attached to the 28th Composite Group.
While antisubmarine patrols continued, the group trained North American B-25 Mitchell combat crews for the Alaskan Defense Command. The group's 390th squadron also tested incendiary bombs and bombing techniques at the ranges of Las Vegas Army Air Field. In February 1943 the group was alerted for overseas movement. Reorganizing for shipment overseas, the 76th and 406th squadrons, which had been on detached service since the previous spring were formally reassigned, while the 69th and 70th Bombardment Squadrons, which were already in the Southwest Pacific Theater with the 38th Bombardment Group, were transferred to the group. Crews from the group's 75th and 390th squadrons trained with B-25s at Hammer Field and McClellan Field in California before the air echelon departed for its new assignment on 6 March. One aircraft was lost en route to Hickam Field on the first leg of this shipment.
The group's ground echelon assembled at Camp Stoneman for overseas shipment aboard the and the, departing for Noumea on 27 and 28 March.
Combat in the Pacific
The air echelon arrived at Nandi Airfield in late April 1943, where it joined its 69th and 70th Bombardment Squadrons, which were already there. After additional training and the conversion of the 70th squadron to the B-25, the air echelon of the group headquarters and two squadrons moved to Carney Field, Guadalcanal in June and joined the ground echelon which had arrived the previous month. Although assigned to Thirteenth Air Force upon arrival, operational control of the group was vested in Commander, Air Solomons, or ComAirSols. The group launched its first attack on 14 June, when eighteen bombers of the 69th squadron with Navy Chance Vought F4U Corsairs flying top cover, struck the support areas of Vila Airfield, on Kolombangara.The 42nd attacked Japanese airfields, personnel areas, gun positions, and shipping. Shipping attacks relied on what were referred to as "snooper" missions, armed reconnaissance sorties, flown at night, searching for Japanese shipping to attack. On 20 July, the group made a successful attack on Japanese combatant ships:
"ight Mitchells of the 69th Squadron ... on all night shipping alert were dispatched to intercept the Tokyo Express making its way down the Slot... The force, sighted by Black Cat patrol plane earlier in the evening, was estimated to consist of four destroyers, one light cruiser, and an unknown number of transports... nder a bright tropical moon which adequately illuminated the target, launched their attacks. Repeated skip-bombing attacks, with quarter-ton bombs driven into the face of a terrific barrage of automatic weapons fire from the warships, were observed by the Mitchell crews and the naval crews aboard the patrol plane to have accomplished the following results: Enemy losses-one light cruiser left burning and dead in the water; two direct hits scored on a destroyer, causing large explosions and certain destruction; damaging hits or near misses on a 300-foot freighter. Our losses: one Mitchell shot down by antiaircraft." At 0720 eight Mitchells of the 390th Squadron found the cruiser damaged in the previous night's action creeping to friendly waters at a speed of 2 knots. Although sorely wounded, her defense was still vicious, pouring anti-aircraft fire from at least 30 stations. Feints at various quarters divided the fire and allowed individual planes to launch masthead attacks. Lieut. Schauffler ended the fray when one of his bombs exploded in the ship's magazine. Two minutes later she slipped into the depths, carrying with her at least 75% of her crew."
During most of this period, the group could maintain only two squadrons in the Solomons at a time, and at the end of July 1943, the 70th and 75th squadrons moved forward, while the 69th and 390th moved to rear areas to refit. In October, Munda was taken from the Japanese and the Crusaders could now stage through that base, extending their range and the number of targets they could attack. On 6 October, the group made an attack against the Japanese field at Kahili. Because of the critical need to avoid detection, this involved flying over 300 miles at minimum altitude over a route designed to avoid islands along the way from which the group's Mitchells could be spotted. The successful strafing and parafrag attack shut down all enemy air forces in the area for the next two days, enabling the Navy to withdraw two crippled destroyers and continue rescue operations and permitting cargo ships to offload troops and supplies at Barakoma airfield without air opposition. The group moved forward to the Russell Islands in October, locating at Renard Field. Russell Islands. Shortly thereafter, the 75th squadron moved to Renard as well.
In December 1943, a shipment of 440 enlisted men and ten officers arrived from advanced B-25 training, mostly at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. These replacements permitted most of the ground echelon of the 69th and 70th squadrons, which had been engaged in combat since before the group arrived in the theater, to rotate back to the United States. At the beginning of 1944, the group added a fifth squadron, the 106th Reconnaissance Squadron. It began using the new airfield on Stirling Island as a staging point for strikes in early January and relocated there before the end of the month. Until July 1944, the group engaged primarily in the neutralization of enemy airfields and harbor facilities on New Britain, but also supported ground forces on Bougainville Island and attacked shipping in the northern Solomons and the Bismarck Archipelago.