The 488th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 unit. It was last assigned to the Third Air Force

Third Air Force

The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

, being stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 May 1944.

Activated during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 as a B-17 Flying Fortress aircrew replacement training unit, the vast majority of its graduates deployed to either Eighth

Eighth Air Force

The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....

 or Fifteenth Air Force

Fifteenth Air Force

The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....

 combat groups in England or Italy. Inactivated in early 1944 as the need for B-17 aircrews diminished.

Lineage

• Constituted as 488th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 September 1943

Activated on 1 October 1943

Disbanded on 1 May 1944

Assignments

• II Bomber Command
  II Bomber Command
  The II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
  
  , 1 October 1943
• III Bomber Command
  III Bomber Command
  The III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
  
  , 1 November 1943 – 1 May 1944

Components

• 818th (formerly 840th) Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944
• 841st Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944
• 842d Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944
• 843d Bombardment Squadron: 1943–1944.

Stations

• Geiger Field, Washington, 1 October 1943
• MacDill Field, Florida, 1 November 1943 – 1 May 1944