Misplaced Pages

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.

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.

Lineage

• Established as 79th Flying Training Wing on 14 August 1943

Activated on 25 August 1943

Disbanded on 30 December 1945

Assignments

• Army Air Forces Central Flying Training Command, 25 August 1943
• Army Air Forces Eastern Flying Training Command, 15 October-30 December 1945

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.

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

• Harlingen Army Airfield, Texas, 25 August 1943
• Maxwell Field, Alabama, 15 October–30 December 1945

References

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

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. ^ 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 8 October 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
4. "www.accident-report.com: Laredo Army Airfield". Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
5. www.accident-report.com: Matagorda Peninsula Army Airfield Archived 8 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine

v t e Army Air Forces Training Command
Flying training	Flying schools Eastern Flying Training Command Central Flying Training Command Western Flying Training Command Specialized schools Bombardier Contract Flying Glider Training Gunnery Navigator
Technical training	Eastern Technical Training Command Central Technical Training Command Western Technical Training Command

• Aviation

• Training wings of the United States Army Air Forces
• Military units and formations established in 1943
• Military units and formations disestablished in 1945
• 1943 establishments in Texas
• 1945 disestablishments in Alabama