79th_Flying_Training_Wing_(U.S._Army_Air_Forces)

79th Flying Training Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces)

79th Flying Training Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces)

Military unit

The 79th Flying Training Wing was a unit of the United States Army Air Forces. It was last assigned to the Eastern Flying Training Command, and was disbanded on 16 June 1946 at Midland Army Airfield, Texas.

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It has no lineage link with the United States Air Force 79th Medical Wing, established on 13 January 1942 as the 79th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) at Dale Mabry Army Airfield, Florida.

History

As a gunnery training wing, both enlisted flexible gunnery schools for bomber-crew defensive gunners, and pilot-training, fixed-gunnery schools were included. After graduation, air cadets were commissioned as second lieutenants, received their "wings", and were reassigned to operational or replacement training units operated by one of the four numbered air forces in the zone of interior.[1]

Lineage

  • Established as 79th Flying Training Wing on 14 August 1943
Activated on 25 August 1943
Disbanded on 30 December 1945[2]

Assignments

Training aircraft

The schools of the wing used Beechcraft AT-11 and Lockheed AT-18s for airborne gunnery trainers. Trainee gunners fired at modified AT-6s and Bell RP-39Qs with nonpiercing ammunition that would break apart on contact. Also, older, noncombat-suitable B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses were used in the latter part of training.[1]

Fixed gunnery training at Matagorda Island used North American AT-6s to attack fixed targets on the range with machine guns and concrete practice bombs.

Assigned schools

Stations

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. [1]
    Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas OCLC 71006954, 29991467
  2. [2]
    79th Flying Training Wing, lineage and history document Air Force Historical Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  3. [3]
    "www.accident-report.com: Harlingen Army Airfield". Archived from the original on 8 October 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  4. [4]
    "www.accident-report.com: Laredo Army Airfield". Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  5. [5]
    www.accident-report.com: Matagorda Peninsula Army Airfield Archived 8 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine
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