The group was first activated at Salt Lake City Army Air Base in November 1942, with the 536th, 537th, 538th and 539th Bombardment Squadrons assigned.

[6] In April 1943, the group moved to Pocatello Army Air Field, Idaho, where its mission changed to acting as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for Liberator aircrews.

[6] However, the Army Air Forces (AAF) was finding that standard military units like the 382d, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were not well adapted to the training mission.

[8] The group was again activated in late August 1944 at Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, unit, although until 19 September it had no squadrons assigned and was commanded by a second lieutenant.

The ground echelon returned to the United States in December 1945 and was inactivated after transit through the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation in January 1946.