55th Bomb Wing

Brief History of the 55th Bomb Wing

INTRODUCTION

*Numbers in parentheses refer to numbered photographs.

The 55th Bombardment Wing (HV) located in Spinazzola, Italy, has its headquarters in the school building of that city of approximately 12,000 population (see City Plan and Street Scenes). This building (1-4), the only local monument of the Fascist regime, dedicated by Il Duce at which time a collection of gold jewelry was made with appropriate exchange of iron for gold wedding rings, has proved admirably suited, as adapted, for its present purpose. The building is rectangular, measuring approximately 320 x 280 feet, and is built about a central courtyard. The building consists of two stories and a basement. Its facilities required extension as well as adaptation, for example, by the construction of shower baths.

Of the basement section of the building, the Wing uses space for the Squadron Orderly Room (71-74), Squadron Mess (75-78), Squadron Supply (80, 91), and barracks for enlisted men (79) and shares the use of the theater (66) with the 323rd Service Group. The ground floor of the Headquarters building is used by the 323rd Service Group, except that the gymnasium (65) is used jointly by the Service Group and Wing. The courtyard was used during the summer for athletics and ceremonies. The shower baths are on the ground floor.

The Chart included locates the assignment of space of the 55th Bombardment Wing Headquarters. The office of the Wing Commander and the Wing Executive Officer is situated a the midpoint of the building (5,6), and the Adjutant's Section (7,8) is immediately to the south. The A-1 (9,10) and the A-4 (36,37) Sections were placed to the north of the Wing Commander's office; the A-3 (28-32) and the A-2 (11-17) are to the south. To secure the most immediate relationship and coordination between Operations and Intelligence a doorway was cut through the tufa block wall between these two sections which are necessarily involved in the planning of missions. It was with primary reference to the needs of operational planning that the large room at the southeast corner of the building was assigned for use as a War Room (18-230 and for use in the planning of missions (33). Similarly, inasmuch as the reception and distribution of maps, target charts, photographs and other target materials (including various types of Intelligence and Operations reports) is an extensive function of the Wing's combat activity, this element being a subordinate activity of A-2, the large room at the opposite corner was assigned as the Map and Distribution Room (24-27).

The Special Staff Sections were assigned in convenience locations of the two extensions from the base of the generally U-shaped upper floor of the building. In the north wing are located (in order distant from the main corridor) the inspections section (42), Ordnance Section (410, Statistical Officer (54), Public Relations Officer (59) and Special Services Officer (62), Chemical Warfare Section (49), Publications (55) and Chaplain (61).

In the south wing( in order of distance from the main corridor) are the code room (no photographs have been taken), Message Center and Teletype Room (44), Radio Room (45-48), Signal Section (43) Weather Section (38,39), Wing Surgeon (50), and Dispensary (51-53). The roof of the building is also used. On it is installed a VHF Radio Telephone which is used for instructions of Bombardment Groups in their assembly and rendezvous (34,35) and certain equipment of the Weather Section (40).

The War Room is used for a variety of purposes. As has been noted, most important of these is its use for the planning of missions (33). The back board space of the Map Panel installation (18) is fitted with 1:500,000 Europe Air map sectionals of the entire Fifteenth Air Force theater of operations, and on this set of maps the route of each mission is plotted and indicated with colored yarn. A-3 and A-2 personnel concerned in mission planning meet and from the results attained the Operations Order and the Intelligence Annex are written. The room is also used for a daily meeting of the officers of the Wing and the Service Group at 1315 for presentation of the global war situation (19,20). A similar service is afforded the enlisted men weekly on Sundays at 1500. For use in this connection maps of each theater are spread upon sliding panels and the battle line is entered and kept currently posted by two clerks assigned to that duty. The War Room is further used as the place to hold critiques of missions. In addition to these operational uses of the War Room it is used as a convenience conference or lecture room when it is necessary to hold meetings of Wing or Bombardment Group personnel.

The billeting of officers and enlisted men has had a considerable evolution. Upon the arrival of the full complement of the Wing personnel, several of the more commodious homes of the city (see example in “Street Scenes”) were requisitioned for such use, and space was similarly secured for the housing of the Officers Club and the Enlisted Men's Club. These arrangements proved to be generally unsatisfactory, usually because of resultant overcrowding. A completely satisfactory arrangement was effected in November by take over an extensive villa (90) formerly occupied by the family Spada, and adapting it for use as a Club* and Mess for Officers and for quarters of officers of field grade This enabled the assignment of officers of company grade to the better of the homes in the city without the previous overcrowding. The former Officers Club was taken over by the 323rd Service Group and used for the same purpose by them, while their former club and mess was thereupon utilized by the enlisted men of the Wing to house “Club 55” (93,94).

The Red Cross facilities, although of course they are not an integral part of the Wing's physical set-up, require mention. These were begun shortly after the arrival of the Advance Party of the Wing in Spinazzola, under the direction of Miss Lillian Seller, who brought great capabilities and abundant zeal to this task. Properly placing primary emphasis upon facilities for enlisted men, her first achievement was setting up of an excellent Red Cross Club for them (95-97), and subsequently a Red Cross Snack Bar for officers (98). These facilities are conveniently located with reference to Wing Headquarters, and are available for the use of all military personnel in the vicinity of SPINAZZOLA. *See photographs of the Club's “housewarming.”

The physical contact between Wing and Bombardment Group headquarters was difficult and involved the surmounting of not a few problems and difficulties. The Signal Section (43,44), with the aid of the 342nd Signal Company (Wing) successfully established and maintained field telephone and teletype communications. But the required travel of personnel to and from the Groups has never been a simple matter. The 460th Bombardment Group, located on Spinazzola Field, is in closest proximity to the Wing of all its assigned groups, and is fortunately, located on a main road, but it is at a distance of little short of ten miles from Wing Headquarters. It is 18 miles to Venose Field, on which the 485th Bombardment Group is located, and 22 miles to the 464th and 465th Bombardment Groups which are located on the double-runway field at Pantenella (for reference to locations, see Road Map and for views of the Air Fields see aerial photographs). Each of the last three Groups is so located that a visit to its headquarters requires the covering of some distance on dirt “roads” which are all but impassible in rain or snow. The transportation available has never been adequate either in number or quality of vehicles. A further detail is that the Flight Section (82-90) of the Headquarters Squadron, although located on the nearest field, is nevertheless situated about nine miles from Wing Headquarters. (See Photograph no. 5 of Spinazzola Air Field.)

In spite of these difficulties and obstacles, contact with the Bombardment Groups has been maintained. Regular courier service is maintained daily, and scheduled inspection tours are made, besides which in any particular need personnel manage to travel as required. This has required herculean labor by the Transportation Section (56-58), both in driving the vehicles and in the maintenance of the mostly battle-worn rejects assigned to the Wing and the Groups for their transportation requirements.

While it is of quite secondary importance, one regrettable feature of the Wing's physical set-up is the fact that it is located in a typically dirty Italian city of the provincial type (see “Street Scenes”). Since the Wing with the assistance of the Red Cross, is self sustaining in providing its entertainment features it is of less importance that Spinazzola has absolutely nothing to offer in environmental values, but it was a serious matter that the requirements of maintaining the Army's sanitary standards were thus made more difficult. The Medical Section has been rigorous in its inspection of all civilian personnel employed (53), in the chlorination of the city's water supply, and in the safeguards take for malaria control.

This it may be said that in spite of the negative features of the environment of the Wing, its headquarters, its billets, and its adjunct facilities are surprisingly good and highly efficient. While it is not probable that any of the personnel assigned will desire to revisit the place after peace has been enabled their return to the United States, it is certain that all are convinced that their combat experience in Italy is in a situation in which their duty assignments are performed under highly favorable conditions and with recreational and social facilities entirely adequate to their needs.

PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION

A. Orientation
1. Section of the 1:500,000 map, showing location of the 55th Bomb Wing and it's Bombardment Groups in relation to Headquarters Fifteenth Air Force and other Strategic Air Force Units.
2. Section of 1:100,000 map, showing area of 55h Bombardment Wing and its Bombardment Groups.
3. 3. Map substitute of Road Map showing road connections between Headquarters 55th Bombardment Wing and its assigned units.
4. Chart of the city of Spinazzola.
5. Street scenes of Spinazzola .

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Brief History of the 55th Bomb Wing

INTRODUCTION

PHOTOGRAPHIC SECTION

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