11th Wing, US Air Force

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11TH WING, US AIR FORCE

History: Established as 11 Observation Group on 1 October 1933. Redesignated as 11 Bombardment Group (Medium) on 1 January 1938. Activated on 1 February 1940. Redesignated as: 11 Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 1 December 1940; 11 Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 3 August 1944; 11 Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 30 April 1946. Inactivated on 20 October 1948. Redesignated as 11 Bombardment Group, Heavy, and activated, on 1 December 1948. Inactivated on 16 June 1952. Redesignated as 11 Strategic Group on 25 October 1978. Activated on 15 November 1978. Consolidated (31 March 1982) with the 11 Bombardment Wing, Heavy, which was established on 18 November 1948. Activated on 16 February 1951. Redesignated as: 11 Strategic Aerospace Wing on 1 April 1962; 11 Air Refueling Wing on 2 July 1968. Inactivated on 25 March 1969. Consolidated unit retained designation 11 Strategic Group and inactivated on 7 August 1990. Redesignated as 11 Support Wing on 2 June 1994. Activated on 15 July 1994. Redesignated as 11 Wing on 1 March 1995. Flew patrol and search missions off the Hawaiian Islands after the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941. Moved to the New Hebrides and bombed airfields, supply dumps, ships, docks, troop positions, and other objectives in the South Pacific, July-November 1942. Attacked Japanese airfields, installations, and shipping in the Solomons until late March 1943. Returned to Hawaii and trained with B-24s. Resumed combat in November 1943 and participated in the Allied offensive through the Gilberts, Marshalls, and Marianas. In October 1944, began attacking shipping and airfields in the Volcano and Bonin Islands. Took part in the final phases of the air offensive against Japan, bombing railways, airfields, and harbor facilities on Kyushu and striking airfields in China. After the war, flew reconnaissance and surveillance missions to China and ferried liberated prisoners of war from Okinawa to Luzon. Remained in the theater as part of Far East Air Forces but had no personnel assigned after mid-December 1945. In May 1946, remanned, and equipped with B-29s. Terminated training and operations in Oct 1946. From December 1948 through mid-1952, conducted B-36 training. When activated in February 1951, the wing obtained its resources from the group. The 11 Bombardment Wing conducted strategic bombardment training, 1951-1968. Deployed at Nouasseur AB, French Morocco, 4 May-2 July 1955. Won the SAC Bombing Competition and the Fairchild Trophy in 1954, 1956 and 1960. Added air refueling to its mission in December 1957. Gained a strategic missile squadron in June 1961. Phased out Atlas missiles in January 1965 and B-52s in mid-1968, completing its final nine months of activation as an aerial refueling wing. The 11 Strategic Group received its first KC-135 aircraft in September 1979 and began aerial refueling support for USAF operations, deployments and redeployments, as well as participating in NATO exercises, until 1990. Aircraft, aircrews and crew chiefs on temporary duty to the European Tanker Task Force on a rotational basis operated out of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Keflavik, Iceland; Zaragosa, Spain; Lajes Field, Azores; Sigonella NAS, Italy; and Hellenikon, Greece. A Direct Reporting Unit, the wing directly served as the support organization for HQ USAF from July 1994 until assigned to the newly activated Air Force District of Washington in June 2005. Defended national leaders; provided presidential support to airmen and their families; showcased USAF; flew rotary-wing aircraft for the National Capital Region, October 2010-.


Coat of arms (crest) of 11th Wing, US Air Force

(Historical - 11th Bombardment Group)
Coat of arms (crest) of 11th Wing, US Air Force

(Modern)
Official blazon
English blazon wanted

Origin/meaning

Approved on 11 June 1941; modified to add motto on 17 July 1995.

Literature: Images from Air Force Combat Units of World War II and Wikimedia Commons. Information from https://www.afhra.af.mil/


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