72nd Fighter Wing

The 72d Fighter Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to Second Air Force, stationed at Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado. It was inactivated on 9 April 1946.[1]

72d Fighter Wing
Active	1943–1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Type	Fighter
Role	Command and control of Fighter Operational and Replacement Training Units

History

The wing was initially activated as a command and control organization for heavy bomber training. In 1943 it became single-engine fighter training organization for Second Air Force.[1] The wing had jurisdiction for fighter training Operational Training Units and Replacement Training Units in the midwest. Bases assigned to the wing included:

Abilene Army Air Field, Texas Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico Bruning Army Air Field, Nebraska Casper Army Air Field, Wyoming Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas

DeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana Galveston Army Air Field, Texas Harding Field, Louisiana Peterson Field, Colorado Pocatello Army Air Field, Idaho Scribner Army Air Field, Nebraska

Lineage

• Constituted as 72d Bombardment Operational Training Wing (Heavy) on 12 August 1943

Activated on 20 August 1943

Redesigned 72d Fighter Wing on 1 September 1943

Inactivated on 9 April 1946[1]

• Disbanded on 15 June 1983[2]
• Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesigned 372d Electronic Warfare Group[3]
• Disbanded on 9 September 1992

Assignments

• Second Air Force, 12 August 1943 – 9 April 1946[1]

Components

• 36th Fighter Group, 17 September 1943 – 4 April 1944
• 84th Fighter Group, 1 November 1943 – 1 April 1944
• 357th Fighter Group, 7 October – 9 November 1943
• 407th Fighter Group, 9 March 1943 – 21 March 1944
• 408th Fighter Group, 1 November 1943 – 1 April 1944
• 476th Fighter Group, 26 March-1 April 1944
• 507th Fighter Group, 12 October 1944 – 24 June 1945
• 508th Fighter Group, 12 October 1944 – 6 January 1945[1]

Stations

• Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, 20 August 1943
• Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado, 7 October 1943
• Peterson Field, Colorado, November 1943;
• Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado, December 1945-9 April 1946

Awards

• 
• American Theater of World War II

References

Notes

1. Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 406. ISBN 0-912799-02-1.
2. Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 498q, 15 June 1983, Subject: Disbandment of Certain Inactive Air Force Units
3. Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations

Bibliography

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

• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1.