72nd Strategic Recon Wing
72nd Bombardment Wing

No known motto
PRIMARY WINGS

Based at: Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico
Aircraft: RB-36,  KC-135, B-52
Status: Inactivated June 1971
Bomb Squadrons: 60BS, 73BS, 301BS, 915ARS

Activation
    Established as the 72nd Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Heavy, on June 4, 1952.  Activated June 16 at Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico.  Not operation until it absorbed the residual resources of the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance  Wing in October.  
B-36 Peacemaker  
     Conducted global strategic reconnaissance from 1953 to 1955, flying the RB-36. Gradually shifting to bombardment training mission beginning in 1954.  Redesigned 72nd Bombardment Wing, Heavy on October 1, 1955.  
The Jet Age
     Acquired KC-135 jet tankers in 1958 and the B-52 Stratofortress the following year.  In 1959, two of it's three B-52 squadrons were assigned to strategic wings.  the 72nd then had only one B-52 squadron of fifteen aircraft and one squadron of tankers.  It was, in effect, a strategic wing, but not redesignated as such.  
Status
     Inactivated Jun 30, 1971.
Components
Squadrons
  60  BS: Attached June 16, 1952 - June 30, 1971 (Not operational June 16 - Oct 4, 1952 and 
        Nov.18, 1958 - Aug 13,1959
  73 BS: Attached  June 16, 1965 - Jan 5,1959 (Not operational June 16, 1952 - Jan 7, 1953 and
       Sept 1, 1958 - Jan 5, 1959.  Transferred to the
4241st Strategic Wing
301 BS:  Attached June 15, 1952 - June 17,1959 (Not operational June 15, 1952 - March 15, 1953 and
       Sept 11, 1958 - June 17, 1959.  On April 1, 1958, planes and personnel were transferred to
       the newly formed 4135th Strategic Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida.
915 AR: Attached: Sept 1, 1958 - June 30 ,1971