 The 49th Air Division was established and activated at Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina in March 1943 as a medium bomber (North American B-25 Mitchell) operational training wing.It was reassigned to Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina in April where it commanded training of B-25 bomb groups in the southeast prior to their overseas deployment.It was decided to redesignate the wing as the 49th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) and prepare it to command Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomb groups as part of Fifteenth Air Force in late 1943.