Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) was the second-largest user of the B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II. There were a total of six combat groups (twenty-four squadrons) equipped with the bomber assigned to the Theater. Initially equipped with the B-17F Fortress, two bombardment groups (97th and 301st) were flown from airfields in England to Algiers and Oran in Algeria in November 1942 after the Operation Torch landings. They were assigned to the 5th Bombardment Wing, XII Bomber Command, Twelfth Air Force. The initial two combat groups were
76th Flying Training Wing (World War II) 76th Flying Training Wing (World War II) The 76th Flying Training Wing was a wing of the United States Army Air Forces. It was assigned to the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, and was stationed from 1943-46 at Smyrna Army Airfield, Tennessee. There is no lineage between the United States Air Force 76th Maintenance Wing, established on 5 February 1942 as the 76th Observation Group at MacDill Field, Florida and this organization. The wing was a heavy bomber training wing of Eastern Flying Training Command. Its schools provided four-engine heavy bomber transition training for experienced pilots who were moving