306th Strategic Wing

"306th Bombardment Wing" redirects here. For 306th Bombardment Wing of World War II, see 306th Fighter Wing.

306th Strategic Wing
B-52D Stratofortress on display at B-52 Memorial Park, Orlando International Airport, Florida, the former McCoy Air Force Base.
Active1950–1974; 1976–1990
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
RoleCommand and control of rotational SAC aircraft
Part of7th Air Division
Motto(s)Abundance of Strength[1]
DecorationsAir Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
Patch with 306th Strategic Wing emblem (approved 10 November 1977)[1]
Patch with 306th Bombardment Wing emblem (approved 2 October 1951)[2]

The 306th Strategic Wing, previously the 306th Bombardment Wing, is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Strategic Air Command at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk and was inactivated on 1 February 1992. The wing's mission was to coordinate all SAC air refueling and reconnaissance resources in the European Theater with the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). It assumed the mission of the 98th Strategic Wing when that unit was inactivated in 1976.

The wing's World War II predecessor unit, the 306th Bombardment Group, was the first operational bombardment group in VIII Bomber Command. It was stationed at RAF Thurleigh, UK, from 6 September 1942 until 25 December 1945, the longest tenure at one station for any one Eighth Air Force group. That unit's lineage and history is held by the present-day 306th Flying Training Group, Air Education and Training Command, active at the United States Air Force Academy.[3][4] From 1954 until the wing was inactivated, it was temporarily bestowed with the honors and heritage of the 306th Bomb Group.[5]

During the Cold War, Strategic Air Command (SAC) initially established the 306th Bombardment Wing as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress medium bombardment wing at MacDill AFB, Florida in 1950. It later flew Boeing B-50, Boeing KC-97 and Boeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft at MacDill.

The wing moved to McCoy AFB, Florida in 1963, where it was a redesignated as a heavy bombardment wing flying Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and Boeing KC-135A and KC-135Q Stratotanker aircraft. The 306th forward deployed to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s. As a result of post-Vietnam reductions in force, the wing was inactivated in late 1974 with the concurrent closure of McCoy AFB.

the 306th was activated once again as the 306th Strategic Wing at Ramstein AB, West Germany, assuming operational control for SAC air refueling and reconnaissance resources in the European Theater. In 1978, the 306th moved to RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom. For most of this period the 306 SW controlled KC-135, KC-10 Extender, RC-135 Rivet Joint, SR-71 and U-2 aircraft deployed from the United States to the United Kingdom. In 1992 it was inactivated and its mission transferred to the 100th Air Refueling Wing under United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE).

  1. ^ a b Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 151–153
  2. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 179–180
  3. ^ "306th Flying Training Group History".
  4. ^ "306th Flying Training Group Open House" (PDF). United States Air Force Academy. 1 September 2017.
  5. ^ Ravenstein, Combat Wings, Appendix V