456th Bombardment Wing

The 456th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 14th Air Division of Strategic Air Command at Beale Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 30 September 1975. The wing's predecessor was the 456th Bombardment Group, a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization that flew from Italy while assigned to Fifteenth Air Force. It earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for valor in combat and participated in the strategic bombing campaign against oil production targets including those near Ploiești, Romania, attacks that resulted in high bomber losses. The group also served as a troop carrier unit in the Air Force Reserve from 1947 to 1949 and as the flying element of the wing from 1952 to 1955. The wing was activated in 1952 as the 456th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, operating Fairchild C 119 Flying Boxcar transports. In the fall of 1955 the wing deployed to Japan, where it supported reconnaissance operations by recovering capsules carried across the Soviet Union by high altitude balloons. The wing returned to the United States and was inactivated in July 1956, with its personnel forming the cadre for the 419th Troop Carrier Group, which was activated the same day. The wing was redesignated the 456th Strategic Aerospace Wing and was activated at Beale Air Force Base, California in February 1963. It flew Boeing B 52 Stratofortress bombers and Boeing KC 135 Stratotanker air refueling aircraft, and also commanded a HGM 25A Titan I squadron until 1965. Although it operated no intercontinental ballistic missiles after then, it was not until July 1972 that the wing was redesignated the 456th Bombardment Wing. The wing was inactivated in September 1975 and its personnel, equipment, and mission transferred to the 17th Bombardment Wing, which moved to Beale on paper from Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

The 456th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium was activated in October 1952 and assigned to Tactical Air Command. It was stationed at Miami International Airport, Florida, where it replaced the 435th Troop Carrier Wing, which was an Air Force Reserve unit called to active duty for the Korean War, assuming the 435th's mission, personnel, and equipment. The wing flew Fairchild C 119 Flying Boxcar troop carrier transports. The wing moved to Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina on 25 July 1953. Until 1955 It participated in numerous tactical exercise in the United States and overseas, mostly in conjunction with Army airborne forces. The wing was reorganized on 1 March 1955 when its tactical group and all support components were inactivated. WS119L payloads consisted of an AN/DMQ 1, which was a gondola containing two cameras. Between January and February 1956, 448 balloons were launched under this program from locations in Scotland, Norway, Germany and Turkey. Most came down prematurely, but about 80 reached the recovery zones after overflying the Soviet Union. 44 successful midair recoveries were made of the camera bearing gondolas. The program was terminated because of the low success rate. The 456th was awarded an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its participation in this program,\.