The United States Air Force Historical Research Center and its predecessor organizations have over the years received thousands of requests for brief histories of Air Force organizations. Wing commanders ask for historical data that can be used to introduce the unit to new personnel, build morale, and improve "esprit de corps." Headquarters USAF and the major commands require historical information to plan organizational changes. Officers throughout the Air Force need historical material for public affairs purposes. Former members of the Army Air Forces and the Air Force are interested in the heritage and history of the organizations in which they served. Government agencies and private individuals, for a variety of reasons, also want to know about Air Force establishments and units and their histories. Because of the interest in these lineage and honors histories, the USAF Historical Division in the late 1950s compiled a reference volume of Air Force combat organizations-groups, wings, divisions, commands, and air forces. Published in 1961, this volume focused exclusively on organizations active during World War II. Historians traced each organization from its origin to 1 January 1956. A companion volume followed, containing the histories of combat squadrons active between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. These squadron histories were carried through 5 March 1963 (the fiftieth anniversary of the 1st Aero Squadron, the first Army unit to be equipped with aircraft for tactical operations). This present volume, the third in the series, is devoted to the Air Force-controlled (AFCON) combat wings of the post-World War II United States Air Force. All of these wings feature numerical designations up to three digits (1 through 706); only five possess history and honors from World War II. Each wing's history is traced from its origin through September 1977, when the Air Force celebrated its thirtieth anniversary as a separate service.

This manuscript is part of a continuing series of historical volumes produced by the Office of Air Force History in direct support of Project Warrior. Since its beginning in 1992, Project Warrior has captured the imagination of Air Force people around the world and reawakened a keener appreciation of our fundamental purpose as Service: to deter war, but to be prepared to find and win should deterrence fail.