16th Bombardment Wing (World War II)

16th Bombardment Wing
Emblem of the 16th Bombardment Wing
Active	1940–1946
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Type	Bombardment Training
Role	Command
Engagements	American Theater of World War II

The 540th Combat Crew Replacement Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last active in 1946 at Colorado Springs, assigned to Continental Air Forces.

The 16th Bombardment Wing was first activated at Langley Field, Virginia, in 1940 as part of the expansion of the Air Corps expansion in response to the war in Europe (Woodring Plan). It moved to Bowman Field, Kentucky, in the spring of 1941. However, it apparently it did not have sufficient personnel for effective training and operations. It was inactivated in September 1941 and its personnel and equipment and mission transferred to the 5th Air Support Command.

The wing was again activated on 23 June 1942 at Wendover Field, Utah, replacing the inactivating 102nd Bombardment Wing (Provisional). The 16th Wing was responsible for the supervision and control of the operational training of heavy bombardment groups (Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator) during the second phase of their operational training. The 16th Wing inherited control from the 102nd Wing of Walla Walla Army Air Field, Ephrata Army Air Field and Geiger Field in Washington; Muroc Army Air Field in California as well as Wendover. The 16th Wing controlled the training of the following units, which on completion moved to the 17th Bombardment Wing for third phase training.