304th Air Division

304th Air Division
Wing B-24 Liberator showing wing diamond on the tail
Active	1943–1945; 1947-1949
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Command of bombardment units
Part of	Continental Air Command
Engagements	Mediterranean Theater of Operations
Commanders
Col John K. Brown Jr.	c. 29 December 1943
Brig Gen Fay R. Upthegrove	27 January 1944
Lt Col William R. Boutz	5 July 1945-1945
Insignia
World War II tail and horizontal stabilizer marking	Diamond (white on camouflaged aircraft, black on unpainted aircraft)

The 304th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Fourth Air Force at Long Beach Airport, California, where it was inactivated in June 1949.

The division was initially activated as the 304th Bombardment Wing at Cerignola Airfield, Italy in December 1943. It was assigned four Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombardment groups the following month and conducted strategic bombing from bases in Italy against Germany and occupied Europe. The wing's groups were occasionally diverted to interdiction targets to support ground operations. After VE Day, the wing returned to the United States and was inactivated. It was activated as a reserve unit in 1947.

The personnel that would form the cadre for the wing were assembled in early December 1943 at Topeka Army Air Field, Kansas for shipment overseas. Upon their arrival in Italy, the 304th Bombardment Wing was activated at Cerignola Airfield, Italy in late December, although its personnel were located with Fifteenth Air Force at Bari at the time and did not arrive at the wing's permanent station until 4 January 1944. It was assigned its first combat units in late January, although not all of them were in place until February, and none had combat experience. The wing and its groups were located at various bases in the Foggia Airfield Complex in Apulia. The wing's first combat mission, against an airfield near Orvieto, was flown in February.