The 55th Wing, host unit at Offut Air Force Base in Nebraska, is the largest wing in Air Combat Command and the second largest in the entire Air Force. In its 50-year history, the Fighting Fifty-fifth has had a wide variety of missions. As the 55th Fighter Group in World War II, they flew the first P-38s unit in the European Theater of Operation and were the first unit to fly over Berlin. By the end of the war, the 55th had destroyed more than 400 enemy aircraft and damaged another 100. The unit had 16 aces, with a total of 90 victories.

In the 50s the unit became the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group and converted to the RB-47E Stratojet. The 55th located at Offut Air Force Base in 1966, working with the Strategic Air Command. In 1986, they became the host unit at Offut. During this period, their mission was airborne command and control.

The 55th in the Persian Gulf

The wing went to the Persian Gulf in August of 1990 and began 24-hour-a-day reconnaissance of the region for Central Command Commander Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, under Operation Desert Shield. At the start of Operation Desert Storm in January, 1991, the wing continued to provide real-time information to theater commanders. They are still there today, continuing their mission.

Recently, the wing has also been performing airlift duties. The 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing became the 55th Wing on September 1, 1991. The name change was effected to recognize the wing's ability to perform a wide variety of missions.