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The 95th Combat Bombardment Wing is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was activated in England in 1943 and engaged in strategic bombing campaign against Germany from June through August 1944. It returned to the United States in July 1945 and was disbanded in late August 1945.
The 95th Combat Bombardment Wing was activated at RAF Attlebridge, England in December 1943, but was only an administrative headquarters, with no combat units assigned. In February 1944, the wing was assigned to the 2d Bombardment Division and moved to the division's station of Ketteringham Hall.[2]
The wing finally received combat elements in late April 1944, when two newly arrived Consolidated B-24 Liberator groups, the 489th and 491st Bombardment Groups were assigned to the wing. The 95th Wing moved its headquarters to RAF Halesworth in early May as its groups prepared for combat. The 491st Group arrived with only an air element assigned, and was filled out by ground support personnel drawn from 2d Bombardment Division groups assigned to other wings. The 489th flew its first combat mission on 30 May, and the 491st on 2 June. Although the wing's groups were deployed to engage in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, their immediate missions were flown in support of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. They supported the D-Day landings, and bombed coastal defenses, airfields, bridges, railroads, and V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket launch sites (Operation Crossbow). They also participated in the saturation bombing of German lines just before Operation Cobra, the breakthrough at Saint-Lô in July. It was late July before the wing turned to strategic targets.[3][4][5]
同航空団の戦闘参加は短期間であった。8月中旬、第489群は第20戦闘爆撃航空団[ 3 ]に、第491群は第14戦闘爆撃航空団[ 6 ]に配属され、航空団はヘイルズワースの本部を閉鎖し、ケタリンガム・ホールに戻った。戦闘部隊を持たないまま、1945年7月までそこに留まり、VEデー後のヨーロッパからの部隊再配置の一環として、サウスダコタ州スーフォールズ陸軍飛行場へ移動した。1945年8月の日本の降伏後、航空団は解散した[ 2 ] 。
この記事には、空軍歴史研究局のパブリックドメイン資料が含まれています。