The 95th Wing was provisionally stood up on Oct. 1, 2024, and was formally activated Feb. 28, 2025. Upon its formal activation, the 253rd CACG and 610th CACS realigned under the 95th Wing for operational and tactical control.
The wing is headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, and aligned under Eighth Air Force and Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC).
History of the "Square B"
The 95th Wing traces its lineage to the 95th Bombardment Group, which was established in 1942 at Barksdale Field and flew the B-17 Flying Fortress. The 95th Wing honors its legacy with the adoption of the 95th BG’s original group emblem and “Square B” aircraft tail insignia from World War II. The emblem, selected by the original officer cadre of the 95th Bomb Group, was designed by Private Robert N. Robertson. The “Square B” insignia hails from WWII when 8th Air Force units utilized shapes with letter inserts to easily distinguish aircraft from various units. Due to the immense size of bomber and fighter formations during the air war in Europe, these identification markings were crucial in ensuring mission success over enemy skies. The black square identified the aircraft as belonging to the 3rd Air Division while the white “B” signified the 95th Bomb Group.
The 95th Bomb Group (H) began its storied lineage in the throes of World War II. Just fifty-two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 95th BG was activated at Barksdale Field, Louisiana, Jan. 28, 1942, with the 334th, 335th, 336th, and 412th Bombardment Squadrons assigned as its subordinate units. The newly formed group assembled at Geiger Field, Washington, on Aug. 28, 1942, where air and ground crews began training for eventual combat operations in the European Theater. Training concluded March 11, 1943, at Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, and the 95th BG began the arduous journey to England. Arriving in theater in early May 1943, the group was soon thrust into the chaos of the air war over Europe.
On May 14, 1943, 19 B-17F Flying Fortresses from the 95th Bomb Group departed RAF Alconbury to strike a Luftwaffe airfield near St. Omer, France. Results of this first raid were mixed as ordnance from the B-17s struck the St. Omer railyard in addition to the targeted airfield. However, all 19 B-17Fs returned from the mission with only two aircraft sustaining damage. This first raid taught the men of the 95th BG many lessons that they would soon put into practice for the remainder of the war.
The 95th BG would go on to earn a remarkable three Distinguished Unit Citations, the only 8th Air Force unit to do so, which included the first-ever daylight bombing raid over Berlin, Germany, on March 4, 1944.
On May 25, 1944, the 95th BG would fly their last combat mission over Europe. This date marked the 334 mission the group would accomplish. During these 8,625 sorties that would make up these missions, the 95th BG would drop over 19,000 tons of ordnance and destroy 425 enemy aircraft while also dealing crippling blows to enemy infrastructure critical to wartime mobilization.
On Aug. 28, 1945, the 95th BG was inactivated at Sioux Falls Army Airfield, South Dakota.
The group was deactivated until 1952, when Strategic Air Command re-activated as the 95th Bomb Wing, flying the B-35 Peacemaker and the B-52 Stratofortress. In the following years, it was inactivated and reactivated two more times with the most recent designation as the 95th Air Base Wing assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California.