 It was also assigned four bombardment maintenance squadrons (one paired with each of its operational squadrons) and a photographic laboratory,

The group moved to Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas in December 1943 to begin training.Due to a shortage of B-29 Superfortresses, the group was equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses already at Smoky Hill that had been previously used for training heavy bomber replacements.In the spring of 1944, the 499th finally received newly manufactured B-29s.