page_title: 306th Flying Training Group
section_title: Cold War
hierarchical_section_title: 306th Flying Training Group / History / Cold War
caption_attribution_description: Boeing B-47B-40-BW (S/N 51-2212) of the 306th Bomb Wing (Medium) landing with drag chute.
context_page_description: The 306th Flying Training Group is a unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to Air Education and Training Command. The group is stationed at the United States Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
  The 306 FTG is the airmanship training unit of the USAFA. The group replaced the 34th Operations Group in 2004. The designation "306th" was deliberately selected by the historian of AETC to connect the training mission of the current group with its relationship to the book and movie Twelve O'Clock High.
  During World War II, the group, as the 306th Bombardment Group, was the first operational bombardment group in the VIII Bomber Command. It was stationed at RAF Thurleigh, England from 6 September 1942 until 25 December 1945, the longest tenure at one station for any one Eighth Air Force group.
  Staff Sergeant Maynard H. Smith of the 423d Bomb Squadron was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that helped save the lives of six of his wounded comrades on 1 May 1943.
context_section_description: The group was reactivated as a Strategic Air Command (SAC) Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment group but was redesignated in 1948 as a medium bombardment group when the B-29 was reclassified as a medium bomber. The group trained in the United States for strategic bombardment operations.
  Deliveries of the new Boeing B-47 Stratojet to the USAF began in December 1950, and the aircraft entered service in May 1951 with the group at MacDill AFB, Florida. The 306th was intended to act as a training organization in to prepare future B-47 crews and the 306th's B-47As were primarily training aircraft and not considered as being combat ready; none of the B-47As ever saw any operational duty.
  On 19 November 1951, the 306th received its first operational Boeing B-47B and christened it "The Real McCoy" in honor of Colonel Michael N. W. McCoy, the 306th's wing commander, who flew it from the Boeing Wichita plant to MacDill AFB.
  In 1950 the group added the air refueling mission when the 306th Air Refueling Squadron was activated and assigned to the group.  The first Boeing KC-97E Stratotanker tanker aircraft assigned to Strategic Air Command was delivered to this squadron in 1951.  In February 1951, the group became non-operational and its squadrons were attached to the 306th Bombardment Wing at MacDill AFB, Florida. The 306th was inactivated as a group on 16 June 1952 and its operational squadrons were reassigned to the 306th Bombardment Wing as SAC converted its bomb groups to the dual deputy organization.
caption: B-47B of the 306th Bomb Wing (Medium) landing at MacDill AFB.
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