315th Bombardment Wing

Constituted as 315th Bombardment Wing (Very Heavy) on 7 Jul 1944 and activated on 17 Jul. Moved to Guam, Mar-Apr 1945. Assigned to Twentieth AF. Engaged in very heavy bombardment operations from Jun to Aug 1945. Redesignated 315th Composite Wing in Jan 1946. Assigned to Far East Air Forces. Moved to Japan in May 1946. Inactivated on 20 Aug 1948.

Redesignated 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo). Activated in Japan on 25 Jan 1951. Assigned to Far East Air Forces. Participated in aerial supply and evacuation operations for United Nations forces in Korea, 1951-1953. Assisted the French in Indochina, 1953-1954.

Components. Groups. 8th Fighter: 1946-1947. 16th Bombardment: 1944-1946. 38th Bombardment: 1946-1948. 331st Bombardment: 1944-1946. 501st Bombardment: 1944-1946. 502d Bombardment: 1944-1946.

Wings. 315th Troop Carrier: 1952-1954. 374th Troop Carrier: 1951-. 403d Troop Carrier: 1952. 437th Troop Carrier: 1951-1952. 483d Troop Carrier: 1954-.

Stations. Peterson Field, Colo, 17 Jul 1944-7 Mar 1945; Northwest Field, Guam, 5 Apr 1945; Ashiya, Japan, 30 May 1946; Itazuke, Japan, 3 Sep 1946-20 Aug 1948. Ashiya, Japan, 25 Jan 1951; Fuchu, Japan, 4 Feb 1951; Tachikawa, Japan, 24 Apr 1954-.

Commanders. Lt Col Robert A Koeper, 28 Jul 1944; Lt Col Stanley A Zidiales, 11 Aug 1944; Brig Gen Frank A Armstrong Jr, 18 Nov 1944; Col Leland S Stranathan, 25 Jan 1946; Col Vincent M Miles Jr, 15 Apr 1946; Col Hugh A Parker, c. Sep 1946; Col Travis M Hetherington, 7 Jun 1947; Col Joshua H Foster Jr, 19 Jun 1948; Col Marden M Munn, Jul -20 Aug 1948. Maj Gen William H Tunner, 25 Jan 1951; Brig Gen John P Henebry, 8 Feb 1951; Col Cecil H Childre, 26 Feb 1952; Maj Gen Chester E McCarty, 10 Apr 1952; Maj Gen Russell L Waldron, 3 Dec 1954-.

Campaigns. World War II: Air Offensive, Japan; Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific. Korean War: 1st UN Counter-offensive; CCF Spring Offensive; UN Summer-Fall Offensive; Second Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1952; Third Korean Winter; Korea Summer-Fall, 1953.

Decorations. Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation: 1 Jul 1951-27 Jul 1953.

Insigne. A white disc charged in base with a medium blue representation of Mt. Fujiyama, between a lagged lightning flash in dexter fesse and a like flash in sinister fesse of the last, each passing through a yellow, quarter moon, all within a border of the second, and surmounted by a large, dark red Torn pierced at center with a chevron couped inverted, above a sphere of the second outlined, marked, and charged with the Southern Cross constellation of the first, at the center of a stylized pair of golden orange wings in base. (Approved 25 Apr 1947. This insigne was modified 11 Oct 1954.)

Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986