5th Bomb Wing

Crest of the 5th Bomb Wing. The motto "Kiai o ka lewa" is Hawaiian for "Guardians of the Upper Realm"

In the United States Air Force, the 5th Bomb Wing (5BW) is a B-52 Stratofortress unit based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It is the host unit at the base. Its current commander is Colonel Eldon Woodie. The wing, one of only two B-52 wings in the US Air Force (the other being the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale Air Force Base), is a part of the Eighth Air Force, which in turn is under Air Combat Command.

Lineage

Established as 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 1 July 1949. Activated on 16 July 1949. Redesignated 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Heavy on 14 November 1950; 5th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 1 Oct 1955; 5th Wing on 1 September 1991; 5th Bomb Wing on 1 June 1992.

Assignments

5BW originated in Hawaii as the Second Reconnaisance Group of the US Army Air Force. [1] The unit was repeatedly redesignated.

In the newly independent US Air Force, 5BW was first known as the 311th Air Division, 16 Jul 1949; Second Air Force, 1 Nov 1949 (attached to 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 12 Nov 1949-); Fifteenth Air Force, 1 Apr 1950 (remained attached to 9th Bombardment Wing to 10 Feb 1951); 14th Air (later, 14th Strategic Aerospace) Division, 10 Feb 1951 (attached to 3d Air Division, 14 Jan-12 Apr 1955); 810th Strategic Aerospace Division, 25 Jul 1968; 47th Air Division, 30 Jun 1971; Fifteenth Air Force, 30 Nov 1972 (attached to 810th Air Division Provisional, 30 Nov 1972-14 Jan 1973); 47th Air Division, 15 Jan 1973; 57th Air Division, 22 Jan 1975; Fifteenth Air Force, 14 Jun 1991; Eighth Air Force, 1 Sep 1991-.

Components

• Groups.
  • 5th Strategic Reconnaissance Group (later, 5th Operations): 16 Jul 1949-16 Jun 1952 (detached 12 Nov 1949-10 Feb 1951); 1 Sep 1991-.

External link

• 5th Bomb Wing page at www.minot.af.mil