Activated 1 June 1942 at Orlando AB, Florida. Originally scheduled to be a B-24 group. Formation did not commence until late October 1942 at Gowan Field Idaho, thereafter the Group was transferred to Walla Walla AAb, Washington on 1 Nov 1942 and received their first B-17s for training. Then the group moved to Wendover field in Utah on the 30th of November 1942 until 28 December 1942 when they moved to Sioux City AAB, Iowa. At the end of January 1943 they moved again to Kearney AAFd Nebraska. the ground unit left Kearney on the 2 May 1943 and sailed on the Queen Elizabeth, arriving in Greenock on the 2nd of May 1943 Utah before taking the northern ferry route to England on the 21st of May 1943.