Bombers, recon, bombers and missiles

Published July 10, 2013
By Tech. Sgt. Mark Bell
Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- A long time ago, in an era far, far away, while the Nazi empire led by Adolf Hitler was taking hold of neighboring countries by force, the allies were preparing for war to stop them.

The 91st Bombardment Group initially stood up in April 1942, just six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and Germany's declaration of war against the United States. The group was assigned to the Eighth Air Force and it began flying B-17 missions on German targets in November 1942.

At the height of its strength and power, the Luftwaffe inflicted heavy losses on the 91st BG during their first two years of combat operations.

Eighth Air Force's 91st BG was known for being the home of the Memphis Belle. The Belle and her crew earned fame after being one of the first to complete 25 bombing missions over Europe, and she was the first to be sent back to the United States.

The number of missions required to return home was later increased to 40, as allied fighter protection improved, leading to the Luftwaffe's decimation.

By the end of June 1945, nearly all of the 91st BG assets had returned stateside. The group was inactivated in November of that year.

In the later months of 1947, the 91st BG was reactivated and redesigned the 91st Reconnaissance Group assigned to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. The wing only existed on paper in 1947, but in 1948 it activated at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., under Strategic Air Command.

Its mission now was to fly global strategic reconnaissance missions focusing on aerial mapping and photography.

In World War II, groups were the primary combat element in the Air Force. They had all the people and functions that wings have today. The Air Force decided that they would change the structure of units and their purpose, and the combat-group structure was phased out.

The wings eventually became the primary combat element in the Air Force. Headquarters AF inactivated the strategic reconnaissance groups in SAC and assigned the squadrons directly to the wing.

Aviation technology was rapidly changing, and the Air Force needed to change with it. In WWII the aircraft were relatively simple, and the maintenance personnel belonged to the flying squadrons.

Fast forward to the introduction of jet aviation and suddenly there was a need for more personnel, which meant more squadrons. According to Daniel DeForest, 91st Missile Wing historian, newer technology required a wider range of expertise, like specialized engine mechanics and fuels technicians.

"There was still a mission for the commands in the Air Force at the time, everyone still had their specific rolls to play, SAC just reorganized the way it was done," said DeForest.

The history of the 91st BG transcended its Air Force designator when the 91st SRW stood up and essentially absorbed the group. At their inception, the wings had no heritage or history of their own. They were shells that would be filled by the group's assets and personnel.

"The Air Force took the like-numbered groups and wings, melding the two together, bestowing the lineage and honors of the WWII groups on the new wings," said DeForest.

In 1949 the lineage of the 91st moved to Barksdale AFB, La., and began flying reconnaissance missions, updating maps and assisting disaster relief agencies with aerial imagery.

When the Korean War began in 1950, the wing sent the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, equipped with RB-29s and a detachment of three RB-45Cs, to fly reconnaissance missions over Korea, including aerial mapping missions over the Sea of Japan. The detachment remained in Korea until the end of the conflict. The squadron was reassigned to another wing before the war was over.

The 91st made history again in 1951 by being the first to refuel a bomber, an RB-45C aircraft, in the air under combat conditions.

Stories of the 91st lineage and its wing, group and squadrons are plentiful, but let's fast forward to Nov. 8, 1957, the day the 91st SRW was inactivated after eight years of service.

After the Vietnam conflict began and after almost exactly five years of inactivity, the sleeping giant awoke as the 91st Bombardment Wing based out of the now deactivated Glasgow AFB, Mont.

Subsequently, the 91st BW then played an important role in Vietnam by deploying the majority of the wing and its B-52 and KC-135 aircraft in 1966 and again in 1968, explained DeForest. They bombed North Vietnamese transportation routes using B-52Ds, while supporting ground forces with more than 1,000 combat sorties he added.

In June 1968, SAC moved to close Glasgow AFB, and the decision was made to redesignate the 91st Bombardment Group as the 91st Strategic Missile Wing, and moved the wing, sans personnel and equipment, to Minot AFB, N.D., replacing the 455th Strategic Missile Wing. In essence, it just moved the name. The wing has been at Minot AFB and has since transferred commands several times, from SAC to Air Combat Command to Air Force Space Command and finally to Air Force Global Strike Command.

While under SAC in 1991, the 91st SMW became the first to make the move to the Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, tripling the wing's striking power and America's deterrence. To mix things up some more, in 1997 the Air Force changed the 91st Missile Wing to the 91st Space Wing. Then in 2008, changed again back to the 91st Missile Wing, said DeForest.

In 1992, groups in the Air Force made their comeback after a test period ordered by Headquarters AF. SAC and local commanders disagreed with returning to the group concept, but Air Force leaders still made the change, and shifted the groups under the wings command.

Lines between the WW II group and today's wing heritage gets pretty blurred and not many understand Air Force lineage. The important thing to remember is that the Airmen of the 91st have accomplished great things whether they were assigned to a wing, group, detachment or squadron.

From bombing Axis targets in WWII, to strategic reconnaissance missions during the Korean Conflict and Cold War, to today's never-fail mission of deterrence, the 91st played, and continues to play, a vital role in the defense of our country.

Vapor trails of B-17’s from the 91st Bombardment Group