398th Air Expeditionary Group
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
. The 398 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, its predecessor unit, the 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was a Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed at RAF Nuthampstead
RAF Nuthampstead
RAF Nuthampstead is a former World War II airfield in England. The airfield is located mostly in Hertfordshire between the villages of Nuthampstead and Anstey in Hertfordshire and Langley and Lower Green in Essex. The eastern part of the airfield including part of the East-West Runway, the Fuel...
. The group flew 195 combat missions, the last being on 25 April 1945.
Known operations
During Operation Iraqi Freedom the title 398 AEG was given to a collection of units and personnel operating from Souda BaySouda Bay
Souda Bay is a bay and natural harbour on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri peninsula and Cape Drapano, and runs west to east...
, Greece.
Later in 2003, the unit participated in Operation Shining Express
Operation Shining Express
Operation Shining Express was the July, 2003 deployment of a U.S. Naval task force based around the amphibious ship USS Kearsarge to rescue embassy personnel and American citizens from Liberia's civil war. The deployment was announced on 13 June 2003....
in Liberia, a rescue operation directed by United States European Command
United States European Command
The United States European Command is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and Israel...
to evacuate civilians from parts of Liberia affected by the Second Liberian Civil War
Second Liberian Civil War
The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighbouring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy , emerged in northern Liberia. In early 2003, a second rebel group, the Movement for Democracy in Liberia, emerged in the south, and...
. Among the groups contributions was delivering a United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
security forces team.
Known units
- 56th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron (2003–2008)
- 786th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron (2003–2008)
- 772d Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron (March–April 2008)
- 900th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron900th Expeditionary Air Refueling SquadronThe 900th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. It was last known to be assigned to the 398th Air Expeditionary Group, stationed at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey...
(March–April 2008)
World War II
600th Bombardment Squadron
The 600th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 398th Bombardment Group, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 September 1945-History:...
, 601st
601st Bombardment Squadron
The 601st Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 398th Bombardment Group, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 September 1945-History:...
, 602d
602d Bombardment Squadron
The 602d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 398th Bombardment Group, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 September 1945-History:...
, and 603d Bombardment Squadron
603d Bombardment Squadron
The 603d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 398th Bombardment Group, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 1 September 1945.-History:...
s. The Group assembled at Blyth Army Airfield, Cal. and then moved to Geiger Fd, Wash. on 20 April 1943 to complete training. On 20 June 1943 moved to Rapid City AAB, SD. to take up Replacement Training Unit duties. Trained 326 B-17 crews from Aug. to Dec. 1943 but at the beginning of the New Year reverted to training for combat. Ground echelon began movement overseas on 4 April 1943. The unit moved to Camp Myles Standish, Mass. on 7–12 April 1943. Personnel embarked on USS Wakefield. Sailed to Boston on the 13 April, and arrived in Liverpool on the 21 April 1944.
Moved to England in April 1944 and assigned to Eighth AF. The 398th BG entered combat in May 1944, and until V-E Day operated primarily against strategic objectives in Germany, attacking targets such as factories in Berlin, warehouses in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, marshalling yards in Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
, shipping facilities in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, oil refineries in Merseburg
Merseburg
Merseburg is a town in the south of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt on the river Saale, approx. 14 km south of Halle . It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese founded by Archbishop Adalbert of Magdeburg....
, and aircraft plants in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
.
The group temporarily suspended strategic missions to attack coastal defenses and enemy troops on the Cotentin Peninsula
Cotentin Peninsula
The Cotentin Peninsula, also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy, forming part of the north-western coast of France. It juts out north-westwards into the English Channel, towards Great Britain...
during the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944. The group struck gun positions near Eindhoven in support of the air attack on Holland in September 1944, and raided power stations, railroads, and bridges during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, December 1944 – January 1945. The group flew missions attacking airfields to aid the Allied assault across the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
in March 1945.
The 398th flew its last combat mission, attacking an airfield in Pilsen, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, on 25 April 1945. After V-E Day the group transported liberated prisoners from Germany to France.
From Nuthampstead, the 398th Bomb Group flew 195 combat missions. Redeployed USA in May/Jun. 1945. The aircraft left on 21–27 May 1945. The Ground unit went to Greenock on 22 June 1945 and sailed on Queen Elizabeth arriving in New York on 29 June 1945. After 30 days R & R some personnel assembled at Drew Fd, Fla, where the Group was inactivated on 1 September 1945
Post Cold War
The 398th BG was redesignated as the 398th Operations Group and activated 1 June 1992. Reactivated in 1992 as 398th Operations Group. Assigned first to 340th Air Refueling Wing, later to 97th Air Mobility Wing as a KC-135 air refueling group. From 1 Jun 1992 – 31 Mar 1995 the 93d Air Refueling Squadron93d Air Refueling Squadron
The 93d Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 92d Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.-World War II:...
was part of the group. The 398th OG was inactivated on 31 March 1995.
- Redesignated 398th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status 2003 (date TBD)
- Activated in 2003 (date TBD)
- Inactivated in 2003 (date TBD)
- Activated in 2008 (date TBD)
- Inactivated in 2008 (date TBD)
Air Expeditionary Service during Global War On Terrorism, with JTF-Liberia 2003; 2008. During this period the group flew the HH-60 helicopter, and Marine units attached to the group in 2003 operated the AV-8B Harrier.
Assignments
- II Bomber CommandII Bomber CommandThe II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, 1 March 1943 – 4 April 1044 - 1st Combat Bombardment Wing, 22 April 1944 – 22 June 1945
- III Bomber CommandIII Bomber CommandThe III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, 3 July-1 September 1945 - 340th Air Refueling Wing, 1 June-1 October 1992
- 97th Air Mobility Wing97th Air Mobility WingThe 97th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Education and Training Command Nineteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus...
, 1 October 1992 – 31 March 1995 - United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
to activate or inactivate at any time after 2003 (date TBD)
Stations
- Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 1 March 1943
- Blythe Army Air Base, California, 5 April 1943
- Geiger Field, Washington, 29 April 1943
- Rapid City Army Air Base, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 10 June 1943 – 4 April 1944 - RAF NuthampsteadRAF NuthampsteadRAF Nuthampstead is a former World War II airfield in England. The airfield is located mostly in Hertfordshire between the villages of Nuthampstead and Anstey in Hertfordshire and Langley and Lower Green in Essex. The eastern part of the airfield including part of the East-West Runway, the Fuel...
(AAF-131), England, 22 April 1944 – 26 May 1945 - Drew Field, Florida, 3 July-1 September 1945
- Altus AFB, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 1 June-1 October 1992; 1 October 1992 – 31 March 1995 - Souda BaySouda BaySouda Bay is a bay and natural harbour on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrotiri peninsula and Cape Drapano, and runs west to east...
, Greece (2003) - Lungi International AirportLungi International Airport-Incidents and accidents:On August 11th, 2004 at around 2:30 p.m. a Boeing 737 plane operated by Air Guinee Express crashed while failing to take off at Lungi Airport. None of the 70 passengers aboard were killed....
, Sierra Leone (2003) - DakarDakarDakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Senegal 2003 - Undetermined, 2008
External links
- "USAFE commander, CCM visit deployed troops", Maj. Scott Vadnais
- Operation Shining Express
- "Rain presents a challenge for Air Force crews in Liberia", Marni McEntee, Stars and Stripes European edition, 24 July 2003
- "USAFE forces deliver U.S. Marines to Liberia, evacuate 23 people", Capt. Kristi Beckman, USAFE News
- "Tankers deploy to Hungary, Bulgaria for Operation Noble Endeavor", Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky, 100 ARW Public Affairs