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

79th Flying Training Wing
Locations of airfields controlled by the 79th Flying Training Wing
Active 1943-1946
Country  United States
Branch   United States Army Air Forces
Type Command and Control
Role Training
Part of Army Air Forces Training Command
Engagements

World War II


  • World War II American Theater

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.

There is no lineage link between 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, and this organization.

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 fores 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 non-piercing ammunition that would break apart on contact. Also, older, non-combat 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

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. 1 2 Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas ASIN: B000NYX3PC
  2. 1 2 3 79th Flying Training Wing, lineage and history document Air Force Historical Agency, Maxwell AFB, Alabama
  3. ↑ "www.accident-report.com: Harlingen Army Airfield". Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  4. ↑ "www.accident-report.com: Laredo Army Airfield". Archived from the original on 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2014-03-21.
  5. ↑ www.accident-report.com: Matagorda Peninsula Army Airfield Archived October 8, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.

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