407th Air Expeditionary Group
Encyclopedia
The 407th Air Expeditionary Group (407 AEG) is a provisional United States Air Force
unit assigned to the United States Air Forces Central 321st Air Expeditionary Wing
. It is stationed at Ali Air Base
, Iraq. As a provisional unit, the 407 AEG may be inactivated or activated at any time by Air Combat Command
.
The 407 AEG provides air operations support for coalition air dominance, battlespace control, and security to advance the stabilization of southern Iraq. It provides coalition tactical airlift support with aerial port operations. The 407 AEG was the first Air Force unit to stand up combat operations within Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The group traces its history back to the World War II 407th Bombardment Group (Dive) which was established 23 March 1943, at Drew Field, Florida. The air echelon was attached to Eleventh Air Force
in Amchitka
, Alaska, from 19 July to 15 August 1943, where it performed combat operations against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands.
In addition to its operational commitments, the 407 AEG is the Senior Airfield Authority at Ali Air Base, and is responsible for the defense, control, operations and maintenance of the airfield, land and facilities whose proximity affects airfield operations
in Amchitka
, Alaska, from 19 July to 15 August 1943, where it performed combat operations against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands.
The 407th was redesignated the 407th Fighter-Bomber Group on 15 August 1943. At that time, the 632d, 633d and 634th were redesignated the 515th, 516th and 517th Fighter-Bomber Squadrons, respectively, and the 635th was disbanded. In 1943, the 407th flew the Douglas A-24 Banshee dive bombers; North American A-36 Invader dive bombers, P-51D Mustangs, and the P-47 Thunderbolt
from 1943 to 1944 as part of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics. In October 1943 the group moved the Lakeland Army Airfield, Florida, and then to Galveston Army Airfield, Texas in November where it trained for combat, and functioned as a replacement unit until 1 April 1944, when it was disestablished.
407th Strategic Fighter Wing at Great Falls AFB, Montana
on 18 December 1953. The wing was assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force
and composed of the 407th Air Refueling Squadron with KB-29 Superfortress tankers and the 515th, 516th and 517th Strategic Fighter Squadrons, equipped with the Republic F-84G Thunderjet. Also assigned to the wing in "attached" status was the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (20 December 1954 – 17 July 1955) with RF-84Ks.
Delays in delivery of the F-84Gs to the wing led to operational training not commencing until June 1954. Once operational, From August to November 1954, the 407th deployed to Misawa Air Base
, Japan, where it provided air defense of northern Japan. Returning to the United States, the wing sent its straight-winged F-84Gs to AMARC, and was re-equipped with newer and faster swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreaks. From Great Falls, the 407th provided long-range fighter escort and refueling for B-36 Peacemaker and B-50 Superfortress
bombers.
The wing had a short life, as the strategic figher doctrine was being phased out of SAC beginning in 1956. The 407th SFW was inactivated on 1 July 1957.
The 407th was redesignated the 407th Air Expeditionary Group and later activated at Tallil Air Base (now Ali Base) Iraq on 14 April 2003 as a subordinate to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which was stationed at Al Jaber AB, Kuwait.
Throughout the summer of 2003, the mission at Ali Base (Tallil AB) expanded. The flightline became home to A-10s, C-130s and Predators. The 332nd AEW then transferred from Al Jaber AB, Kuwait, to Ali Base 5 Aug. 2003. During that period, the wing's A-10s destroyed more than 1,100 targets during major combat operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was also here that U.S. Special Forces staged and planned the rescue of Army Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch, and where the private was flown out of Iraq.
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 Central 321st Air Expeditionary Wing
321st Air Expeditionary Wing
The 321st Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisional United States Air Force United States Air Forces Central unit. The unit was reestablished on 1 Nov 2008. The unit is a nexus of all Coalition Air Force Training Teams and the Iraqi Air Force....
. It is stationed at Ali Air Base
Ali Air Base
Ali Air Base is a military airbase located near Nasiriyah, Iraq. It is also known as Tallil Air Base. At present, the base is being used by United States Armed Forces. It is called Camp Adder by the U.S. Army; the name "Ali Air Base" is used chiefly by the U.S...
, Iraq. As a provisional unit, the 407 AEG may be inactivated or activated at any time by Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command
Air Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
.
The 407 AEG provides air operations support for coalition air dominance, battlespace control, and security to advance the stabilization of southern Iraq. It provides coalition tactical airlift support with aerial port operations. The 407 AEG was the first Air Force unit to stand up combat operations within Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The group traces its history back to the World War II 407th Bombardment Group (Dive) which was established 23 March 1943, at Drew Field, Florida. The air echelon was attached to Eleventh Air Force
Eleventh Air Force
The Eleventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska....
in Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
, Alaska, from 19 July to 15 August 1943, where it performed combat operations against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands.
Overview
Approximately 500 active-duty Air Force, Guard and Reserve members are assigned to the 407 AEG during any given Air and Space Expeditionary Force rotation. It consists of the following squadrons:- 361st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron
- 407th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron
- 407th Expeditionary Communications Squadron
- 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron
- 407th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron
- 407th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron
- 407th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron
In addition to its operational commitments, the 407 AEG is the Senior Airfield Authority at Ali Air Base, and is responsible for the defense, control, operations and maintenance of the airfield, land and facilities whose proximity affects airfield operations
Lineage
- Constituted as 407th Bombardment Group (Dive) on 23 March 1943
- Activated on 28 March 1943.
- Redesignated 407th Fighter-Bomber Group in August 1943
- Disbanded on 1 April 1944
- Reestablished and consolidated with the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing, 23 March 1953
- Activated on 18 December 1953
- Inactivated on 1 July 1957
- Redesignated as 407th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status, 14 April 2003
Assignments
- 22nd Bombardment Training Wing22d Strategic Aerospace DivisionThe 22d Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force, stationed at Walker Air Force Base, New Mexico...
, 28 March 1943 - III Fighter CommandIII Fighter CommandThe III Fighter 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:...
, 15 August 1943 - 72d Fighter Wing72nd Fighter Wing (World War II)The 72d Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Second Air Force, based at Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado...
, 9 March 1943 - Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 21 March – 1 April 1944 - Fifteenth Air ForceFifteenth Air ForceThe Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
, 18 December 1953 – 1 July 1957
- Attached to the 39th Air Division (Defense), 8 August – 10 November 1954
- Allocated to Air Combat CommandAir Combat CommandAir Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
to activate or inactivate any time after 14 April 2003
- Allocated to Air Combat Command
- Attached to United States Air Forces Central, since 14 April 2003
- Further attached to the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, 14 April 2003 – 24 April 2010
- Transferred under the 321st Air Expeditionary Advisory Wing, since 24 April 2010
Components
- 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron: Attached Dec. 1954 – July 1955
- 407th Air Refueling Squadron: 18 Dec. 1953 – 1 July 1957
- 495th Bombardment Squadron: 1944
- 515th (formerly 632d) Bombardment (later Strategic Fighter) Squadron: 1943–1944; 18 December 1953 – 1 July 1957
- 516th (formerly 633d) Bombardment (later Strategic Fighter) Squadron516th Strategic Fighter SquadronThe 516th Strategic Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing stationed at Great Falls AFB, Montana...
: 1943–1944; 18 December 1953 – 1 July 1957 - 517th (formerly 634th) Bombardment (later Strategic Fighter) Squadron517th Strategic Fighter SquadronThe 517th Strategic Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 407th Strategic Fighter Wing stationed at Great Falls AFB, Montana...
: 1943–1944; 18 December 1953 – 1 July 1957 - 635th Bombardment Squadron: 1943
Stations
- Drew Field, Florida, 28 March 1943
- Lakeland Army Airfield, Florida, 2 October 1943
- Galveston Army Airfield, Texas, 9 November 1943 – 1 April 1944
- Great Falls Army Air Base, MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, 18 December 1953 – 1 July 1957
- Deployed to: Misawa AB, Japan, 8 August – 10 November 1954
- Ali Air BaseAli Air BaseAli Air Base is a military airbase located near Nasiriyah, Iraq. It is also known as Tallil Air Base. At present, the base is being used by United States Armed Forces. It is called Camp Adder by the U.S. Army; the name "Ali Air Base" is used chiefly by the U.S...
, Iraq, since 14 April 2003
- Ali Air Base
Aircraft
- A-24, 1943
- A-36, 1943
- P-47, 1943–1944
- P-51, 1943
- F-84, 1954–1957; RBF-84, 1955
- KB-29, 1954–1957
- KC-97, 1957
- C-130H, 2004–2008
- RQ-1, ???-Present
World War II
The 407th AEG traces its history back to the 407th Bombardment Group (Dive) which was established 23 March 1943, at Drew Field, Florida. Its subordinate squadrons at that time included the 632d, 633d, 634th and 635th Bombardment (Dive) Squadrons. The air echelon was attached to Eleventh Air ForceEleventh Air Force
The Eleventh Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska....
in Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
, Alaska, from 19 July to 15 August 1943, where it performed combat operations against the Japanese in the Aleutian Islands.
The 407th was redesignated the 407th Fighter-Bomber Group on 15 August 1943. At that time, the 632d, 633d and 634th were redesignated the 515th, 516th and 517th Fighter-Bomber Squadrons, respectively, and the 635th was disbanded. In 1943, the 407th flew the Douglas A-24 Banshee dive bombers; North American A-36 Invader dive bombers, P-51D Mustangs, and the P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
from 1943 to 1944 as part of the Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics. In October 1943 the group moved the Lakeland Army Airfield, Florida, and then to Galveston Army Airfield, Texas in November where it trained for combat, and functioned as a replacement unit until 1 April 1944, when it was disestablished.
Strategic Air Command
The 407th was reactivated as the Strategic Air CommandStrategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
407th Strategic Fighter Wing at Great Falls AFB, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
on 18 December 1953. The wing was assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
and composed of the 407th Air Refueling Squadron with KB-29 Superfortress tankers and the 515th, 516th and 517th Strategic Fighter Squadrons, equipped with the Republic F-84G Thunderjet. Also assigned to the wing in "attached" status was the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (20 December 1954 – 17 July 1955) with RF-84Ks.
Delays in delivery of the F-84Gs to the wing led to operational training not commencing until June 1954. Once operational, From August to November 1954, the 407th deployed to Misawa Air Base
Misawa Air Base
right|thumb|A US Navy C-2 at Misawa is a United States military facility located northeast of the railway station in Misawa, west of the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Towada, northwest of Hachinohe, and north of Tokyo, in Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region in the northern part of the...
, Japan, where it provided air defense of northern Japan. Returning to the United States, the wing sent its straight-winged F-84Gs to AMARC, and was re-equipped with newer and faster swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreaks. From Great Falls, the 407th provided long-range fighter escort and refueling for B-36 Peacemaker and B-50 Superfortress
B-50 Superfortress
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber was a post-World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber designed by Boeing for...
bombers.
The wing had a short life, as the strategic figher doctrine was being phased out of SAC beginning in 1956. The 407th SFW was inactivated on 1 July 1957.
Modern era
Throughout the summer of 2003, the mission at Ali Base (Tallil AB) expanded. The flightline became home to A-10s, C-130s and Predators. The 332nd AEW then transferred from Al Jaber AB, Kuwait, to Ali Base 5 Aug. 2003. During that period, the wing's A-10s destroyed more than 1,100 targets during major combat operations of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was also here that U.S. Special Forces staged and planned the rescue of Army Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch, and where the private was flown out of Iraq.