When its parent group deployed to the Marianas in early November 1944, the squadron was assigned directly to the Second Air Force until creation of the 509th Composite Group. On 14 September 1944, the 393d Bombardment Squadron arrived at Wendover from its former base at Fairmont Army Air Base, Nebraska, where it had been in group training with the 504th Bombardment Group since 12 March. On 8 September, working with the Manhattan Project at Site Y in Los Alamos, New Mexico, Tibbets selected Wendover for his training base over Great Bend Army Airfield, Kansas, and Mountain Home Army Airfield, Idaho, because of its remoteness. Because the organization developed by Tibbets was self-sustained, with flying squadrons of both Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers and transport aircraft, the group was designated as a "composite" rather than a "bombardment" unit. In the first week of September Tibbets was assigned to organize a combat group to develop the means of delivering an atomic weapon by airplane against targets in Germany and Japan, then command it in combat. It was initially assumed that the group would divide in two, with half going to Europe and half to the Pacific.
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Tibbets, who received promotion to full colonel in January 1945.
It was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Paul W. The 509th Composite Group was constituted on 9 December 1944, and activated on 17 December 1944, at Wendover Army Air Field, Utah. History See the 509th Operations Group for additional group history and lineage.