396th Bombardment Group

396th Bombardment Group
Active	1943–1944
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Role	Training

The 396th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Third Air Force, being stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 May 1944.

Activated during World War II initially as a Second Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress operational training unit (OTU). Reassigned to Third Air Force in November 1943 as a replacement training unit (RTU) when Second Air Force switched to B-29 Superfortress training.

History

Lineage

• Constituted as 396th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 29 January 1943

Activated on 16 February 1943.

Inactivated on 1 May 1944

• II Bomber Command, 16 February 1943
• Second Air Force, 6 October 1943
• III Bomber Command, 5 November 1943 – 1 May 1944

Components

• 592d Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944
• 593d Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944
• 594th Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944
• 595th Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944

Stations Assigned

• Mountain Home AAFld, Idaho, 16 February 1943 – 10 April 1943
• Moses Lake AAB, Washington, 10 April 1943 – 5 November 1943
• Drew Field, Floria, 5 November 1943 – 1 May 1944

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.