488th Bombardment Group

488th Tactical Missile Wing
Graduation photo of 17th Tactical Missile Squadron with TM-61 Matador Missile
Active	1943–1944; 1957-1958
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Bombardment and Tactical Missile Training
Commanders
588th Tactical Missile Group commander	Lt. Col. Bowers W. Espy.

The 488th Tactical Missile Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was formed by the consolidation of the 488th Bombardment Group and the 588th Tactical Missile Group in 1985, but has not been active since consolidation.

The 488th Bombardment Group was a United States Army Air Forces heavy bomber replacement training unit that served during World War II. It was last assigned to Third Air Force at MacDill Field, Florida, where it was disbanded on 1 May 1944.

The 588th Tactical Missile Group was a United States Air Force tactical missile training unit that served during the Cold War. It was last assigned to 4504th Missile Training Wing at Orlando Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated on 15 July 1958.

The 488th Bombardment Group was activated in the spring of 1943 with the 840th, 841st, 842d, and 843d Bombardment Squadrons assigned at Geiger Field, Washington. The group operated as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress operational training unit under Second Air Force. The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups. Toward the end of 1943 Second Air Force prepared to concentrate on Boeing B-29 Superfortress training and Geiger was transferred to Fourth Air Force and became a training base for Aviation Engineer units. The 488th was transferred to Third Air Force and moved to MacDill Field, Florida.