In 1948, the United States Air Force reorganized its wings under the Wing Base Reorganization. In this reorganization, a wing commanded a single combat group, along with the medical, maintenance, and support elements associated with the combat group. Prior to this reorganization, wings were operational headquarters, controlling several groups, while support units reported to a separate headquarters.Ravenstein, Introduction, p. xxi Support units sometimes came from other Army branches, including quartermaster, ordnance, military police and signal units. The following lists numbered wings organized under the Air Service, Air Corps, and Army Air Forces prior to this reorganization. There were also a number of named wings during this period. In 1983 and 1984, several of the wings listed here were consolidated with post 1948 wings.Ravenstein, Introduction, p. xxiii
A handful of wings were organized in the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I. Only the 1st Pursuit Wing was active after that war.Maurer, pp. 373-374
While each wing has its own unique lineage, there are a few common dates that mark major organizational changes in the United States air arm that had major effects on wings.
Most wings prior to World War II were created in the Organized Reserve.Clay pp. 12421259 Few were active after Air Corps units were reorganized on 1 October 1933. All that had not been disbanded by then were disbanded on 31 May 1942. In 1932 General Headquarters Air Force organized three wings that commanded all operational groups in the United States. Wings were also organized to control operational units in Hawaii and the Canal Zone.
In the fall of 1940, as the United States expanded its military before World War II, additional wings were organized. Almost all were inactivated in 1941 and their resources used to form numbered commands organized under the Numbered Air Forces in the United States and its possessions. Many of them were reactivated in 1942 as intermediate command elements between the numbered commands and combat groups.
In 1943, Army Air Forces Flying Training Command organized 22 flying training wings and Army Air Forces Technical Training Command activated 39 training wings at its basic training centers. Although the flying training wings were numbered in the single series along with other operational wings, the training wings were numbered separately, with the first digit in their designations duplicating the basic training center to which they were assigned.
In April 1948, as the Air Force was reorganizing its wings under the wing/base system, reserve wings were redesignated as air divisions until they were inactivated in 1949, when the reserve converted to the Wing/Base Organizational System. Wings that had been activated in the Air National Guard were inactivated in October 1950, when the Guard adopted the wing/base system.
The list is arranged numerically. When more than one wing had the same number, they are arranged chronologically.
In addition to the training wings organized in 1943, balloon wings of the early 1920s and air defense wings of 1942-1943 were numbered in a separate series, but the air defense wings were later renumbered in the single series of wing numbers.Maurer, pp. 400-04; Clay, pp. 1243-44
In addition to the reserve wings, several other AAF wings were later activated as air divisions.
Unified list of numbered wings