During World War II the 345th Bombardment Group operated in the Southwest Pacific Theater as a North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber unit assigned to Fifth Air Force.

Operations until July 1944 included bombing and strafing Japanese airfields and installations in New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago; attacking shipping in the McCluer Gulf, Ceram Sea, and Bismarck Sea; supporting ground forces in the Admiralties; dropping supplies to ground troops; and flying courier and reconnaissance missions in the area.

Received a Distinguished Unit Citation for a series of attacks against flak positions, shore installations, and barracks at Rabaul, New Britain, on 2 November 1943.

[3] The following month, the federalized 115th,[4] 117th and 122d Bombardment Squadrons of the Air National Guard, flying B-26s were assigned to the group.

[8] Trained to maintain combat proficiency in locating, attacking, and destroying targets from all altitudes and under all conditions of weather and light.

The 345th BW was about to inactivate at Langley AFB when one of its squadrons had to be hastily deployed in July 1958 to Incirlik Air Base, commanded by Lt. Col. C. T. Garvin, in Turkey to make a show of force in response to a crisis in Lebanon.

In August 1958, Mainland Chinese forces began bombarding the Nationalist-held island of Quemoy.

In late August, the 345th BG sent a detachment of B-57Bs to Okinawa, once again commanded by Lt. Col. C. T. Garvin, to stay on alert just in case mainland forces tried to invade Taiwan.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency Further reading