93rd Bomb Wing - SAC - Castle AFB, Calif.

Based at: Castle AFB
Aircraft: B-29, B-50, B-47, B-52, KB-29, KC-97, KC-135
Status: Inactivated 1993
Bomb Squadrons: 328th, 329th, 330th
Links:

Initial SAC Bomb Group
     The 93rd Bomb Group flew B-24s with the 8th Air Force and was instrumental in the defeat of Nazi Germany. At the end of the war, it was assigned to the 15th Air Force, which was assigned to the newly formed Strategic Air Command on March 31, 1946. The 93rd was one of SAC's first ten bomb groups. All but it and the 509th Bombardment Wing were deactivated in 1946. (See Original Bomb Groups).
The Early Days
      It was established as the 93rd Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy on July 28, 1947. It was then stationed at Castle Field, California, which was renamed Castle Air Force Base on July 12, 1948. During 1947-1948, it flew B-29s, but soon received the B-50. In 1948, the entire wing deployed to Okinawa, making it the first SAC bomb wing to deploy to the Far East in full strength.  The B-36 Peacemaker entered SAC's inventory in 1948. The huge plane dwarfed the earlier bombers. The 93rd, along with all other B-29 and B-50 bomb groups was redesignated "Medium." Only the B-36 groups were "Heavy."
Aerial Refueling
     Aerial refueling began in October 1950 with the assignment of KB-29 tankers. From 1953 to 1955, the wing flew KC-97s. KC-135s came on line in 1957.
The Jet Age
      The 93rd Bombardment Wing, Medium, received B-47s in May 1954, but it's involvement with the new Stratojet was curtailed on June 29, 1955, when the wing received the first production line B-52B, making it the first SAC bomb wing to receive the new aircraft. In preparation for the conversion, the wing had been redesignated "Heavy" six months earlier. The wing was declared combat ready on March 12, 1956, but its primary mission was actually the training of future B-52 crews. For this purpose, it set up the 4017th Combat Crew Training Squadron which was supposed to handle all B-52 crew training for the next few years. When the mission of B-52 training became too great a task for just one squadron, the Wing's other three squadrons took over the flight training role and the 4017th assumed responsibility for ground instruction in 1956. The 93rd was SAC's primary B-52 training organization. The 93rd retained some of it's B-47s until 1956 for crew training purposes. It was one of the few wings to have both jet bombers.
     In 1956, the wings three bombardment squadrons - 328th, 329th and 330th began receiving the new B-52D. The following year, they began receiving the E models. Some B-52Bs remained with the 93rd BW until well into the 1960s, although some of the B-52Bs were redistributed to the 95th BW at Biggs AFB in Texas and the 22nd BW at March AFB in California.
Achievements
     On November 24 and 25, 1956, in a spectacular operation known as Quick Kick, four B-52Bs of the 93rd BW joined four B-52Cs of the 42nd BW for a nonstop flight around the perimeter of North America. Four in-flight refuelings by KC-97 tankers were required for the 13,500 nautical mile journey.
     In January 1957, three aircraft of the 93rd Bombardment Wing commanded by Major General Archie Olds, flew nonstop around the world with the help of several KC-97 in-flight refuelings. Five aircraft, including two spares, took off on January 16 from Castle AFB. They flew via Newfoundland, Casablanca, Dhahran, Ceylon, the Malay Peninsula, Manila and Guam. Bad weather forced them to land at March AFB. One spare had to divert to Goose Bay when the in-flight refueling receptacle iced over. The second made a planned landing in England. The 24,235 mile flight was completed in 45 hours 19 minutes. The commander of the lead aircraft, Lt. Col. James H. Morris had been copilot of the Lucky Lady II which had made the first round-the-world flight in 1949.
Status
     Inactivated and replaced by 7th Bombardment Wing in 1993
Components
Groups
93 BG: Assigned Aug 15, 1947-July 12, 1949 (detached May 15- July 12, 1948: July 12,1948 -
        June 15, 1952 (Detached June 2 - Aug 25, 1948 and July 5, 1950-Jan 30, 1951; Not operational
        Feb 10, 1951 - June 16, 1952
Squadrons:
328 BS: Attached Feb. 10 1951 - June 15, 1952. Assigned June 16,1952 - June 15, 1994.
        Flew B-52B (June 1955 - 1965), B-52D (June 1956 - 1958), B-52E (1957-1958 and 1967-70),
        B-52F (1958 - 1974), B-52G (1966 - 1967 and 1974-94) and B-52H (1974-1993)
        Inactivated June 15, 1994.
329 BS: Attached Feb. 10,1951 - June 15, 1952. Assigned June 16, 1952 - Sept. 30 1971
        (not operational Sept 14 - 30, 1971). Flew B-52B (June 1955 - 1965), B-52D (June 1956 - 1958
        and 1965 - 1971); B-52E (1957 - 1958 and 1967 - 1970); B-52F (1958 - 1971) and B-52G
        (1966-67).   Inactivated Sept 30, 1971
330 BS: Attached Feb. 10,1951 - June 15, 1952. Assigned June 16, 1952 - Sept. 15, 1963.
        Flew B-52B (June 1955 - 1963); B-52D (June 1956-1958); B-52E (1957 - 1958) and
        B-52F (1958 - 1963). Inactivated Sept. 5, 1963.
90 AR: Assigned Jan 18, 1954 - Aug 5, 1955 (Detached April 3,- May 18, 1954 and April 1 -
       July 16, 1955; Not operational July 20 - August 5, 1955)
93 AR: Attached July 15, 1950-Jan 30, 1951; Feb. 10, 1951-June 15, 1952. Assigned June 16, 1952 -
        (Detached April 1 - May 15, 1954; June 29 - Aug 14, 1954; Jan 19 - March 15, 1955, Jun 18 -
       July 3, 1955; Nov 2, 1955 - Jan 5, 1957 and Sept 27 - Dec. 24, 1956
340 AR: Attached Oct 20, 1952 - Jan 18, 1954 (Not operational Oct 20, 1952- Jan 15. 1953)
341 AR: Attached June 11, 1954 - Aug 15, 1955 (Not operational June 11-1954 - July 20, 1955)
924 AR July 1 1959 -
329 CCTS: Assigned from an unknown date to an unknown date. Probably replaced the 4017th CCTS?
4017 CCTS: Established August 1, 1955 and operated B-52B from June 1955 until 1956, when
                it assumed a ground training role.