308th Bombardment Wing (World War II)

308th Bombardment Wing
North American B-25 Mitchell attacking enemy shipping in New Guinea
Active	1944–1948
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Motto(s)	We Lead
Engagements	South West Pacific Theater of World War II
Decorations	Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation

The 308th Bombardment Wing (308th BW) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces at Nagoya, Japan, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1948.

The wing served in combat with Fifth Air Force from February 1944 to August 1945, operating as a task force with various groups and squadrons that were attached for brief periods. It earned a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for its actions on Leyte and Luzon. The 308th became part of the occupation force from 1945 to 1947 when it was stripped of all personnel, remaining a paper unit until it was inactivated.

General George C. Kenney, commander of Far East Air Forces (FEAF), developed the concept in late 1942 for an “Air Task Force“ to be located at an advanced base. The Air Task Force was to be a streamlined operational organization free from administrative duties so that it could concentrate on a given operation. Once the operation was complete, components of the force could be returned to their parent organizations. To implement this concept, the Buna Task Force (later renamed the 1st Air Task Force) was formed at Dobodura as a provisional organization, with its personnel drawn from the Fifth Air Force Advanced Echelon (ADVON), already located there. The task force defended installations at Dobodura from enemy air and sea attack, attacked Japanese forces at Rabaul and dropped supplies to advanced forces fighting at Lae and Saidor.