The 398th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

unit assigned to the

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...

. The 398 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, its predecessor unit, the 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

unit in England, stationed at

RAF Nuthampstead Royal Air Force Station Nuthampstead or more simply RAF Nuthampstead is a former Royal Air Force station in England. The airfield is located mostly in Hertfordshire between the villages of Nuthampstead and Anstey and the hamlet of Morri ...

. The group flew 195 combat missions, the last being on 25 April 1945.

History

World War II

The group was constituted as the 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 15 February 1943, and equipped with the

. It was activated 1 March 1943 at

Ephrata Army Air Base Ephrata Municipal Airport is a public use airport located southeast of the central business district of Ephrata, a city in Grant County, Washington, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 ...

, Wash., with the 600th, 601st, 602d, and 603d Bombardment Squadrons. The Group assembled at Blythe Army Airfield, California, and then moved to

Geiger Field Spokane International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately west-southwest of downtown Spokane, Washington, United States. It is the primary airport serving the Inland Northwest, which consists of 30 counties and includes areas ...

, Washington, on 20 April 1943 to complete training. On 20 June 1943 moved to

Rapid City Army Air Base Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

, South Dakota, to take up Replacement Training Unit duties. Trained 326 B-17 crews from August to December 1943 but at the beginning of the New Year reverted to training for combat. Ground echelon began movement overseas on 4 April 1944. The unit moved to

Camp Myles Standish Camp Myles Standish was a U.S. Army camp located in Taunton, Massachusetts during World War II. It was the main staging area for the Boston Port of Embarkation, with about a million U.S. and Allied soldiers passing through the camp on their way ...

, Massachusetts, on 7–12 April 1944. Personnel embarked on USS Wakefield. Sailed to Boston on 13 April, and arrived in Liverpool on 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 Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...

operated primarily against strategic objectives in Germany, attacking targets such as factories in Berlin, warehouses in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, marshalling yards in

Saarbrücken Saarbrücken (; french: link=no, Sarrebruck ; Rhine Franconian: ''Saarbrigge'' ; lb, Saarbrécken ; lat, Saravipons, lit=The Bridge(s) across the Saar river) is the capital and largest city of the state of Saarland, Germany. Saarbrücken is S ...

, shipping facilities in

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

, oil refineries in

Merseburg Merseburg () is a town in central Germany in southern Saxony-Anhalt, situated on the river Saale, and approximately 14 km south of Halle (Saale) and 30 km west of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Saalekreis district. It had a diocese ...

, and aircraft plants in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

. The group temporarily suspended strategic missions to attack coastal defenses and enemy troops on the

Cotentin Peninsula The Cotentin Peninsula (, ; nrf, Cotentîn ), also known as the Cherbourg Peninsula, is a peninsula in Normandy that forms part of the northwest coast of France. It extends north-westward into the English Channel, towards Great Britain. To its w ...

during the

Invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

in June 1944. The group struck gun positions near

Eindhoven Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,air attack on Holland in September 1944, and raided power stations, railroads, and bridges during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

, December 1944 – January 1945. The group flew missions attacking airfields to aid the Allied assault across the Rhine in March 1945. The 398th flew its last combat mission, attacking an airfield in Pilsen,

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, on 25 April 1945. After

the group transported liberated prisoners from Germany to France. From Nuthampstead, the 398th Bomb Group flew 195 combat missions. Redeployed USA in May/June 1945. The aircraft left on 21–27 May 1945. The Ground unit went to

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

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 Field Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective December 30, 2021. The ...

, Florida, 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 June 1992 – 31 March 1995 the 93d Air Refueling Squadron was part of the group. The 398th OG was inactivated on 31 March 1995. During

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

the title 398th Air Expeditionary Group was given to a collection of units and personnel operating from

Naval Support Activity Souda Bay A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

, Greece. Colonel Marcelyn A. Atwood commanded the group. Later in 2003, the unit participated in Operation Shining Express in Liberia, a rescue operation directed by

United States European Command The United States European Command (EUCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russi ...

to evacuate civilians from parts of Liberia affected by the

Second Liberian Civil War The Second Liberian Civil War was a conflict in the West African nation of Liberia lasted from 1999 to 2003. It was preceded by the First Liberian Civil War, which ended in 1996. President Charles Taylor came to power in 1997 after victory in t ...

. Among the groups contributions was delivering a

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

security forces team.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 398th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 15 February 1943Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons , p. 284 :Activated on 1 March 1943 : Redesignated 398th Bombardment Group, Heavy c. 20 August 1943 : Inactivated on 1 September 1945 * Redesignated 398th Operations Group in 1992 : Activated on 1 June 1992 : Inactivated on 31 March 1995 * Redesignated 398th Expeditionary Air Refueling Group and converted to provisional status on 5 February 2001 * Redesignated 398th Air Expeditionary Group on 18 March 2003 : Activated in c. 13 July 2003 : Inactivated on 8 October 2003 : Activated in 2004 : Inactivated on 17 June 2004 : Activated on 25 March 2006 : Inactivated on 8 April 2006 : Activated on 14 March 2008 : Inactivated on 30 April 2008 Air Expeditionary Service with Joint Task Force Liberia 2003; 2008. During this period the group flew the

HH-60 The Sikorsky MH-60G/HH-60G Pave Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It is a derivative of the UH-60 Black Hawk and incorporates the US Air Force PAVE electronic systems ...

helicopter, and Marine units attached to the group in 2003 operated the AV-8B Harrier.

Assignments

Combined Air Forces North Fact Sheet April 2003

II Bomber Command The II Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command heavy bomber units assigned to Second Air Force. Following the entry of the United St ...

, 1 March 1943 – 4 April 1944 * 1st Combat Bombardment Wing, 22 April 1944 – 22 June 1945 *

III Bomber Command The III Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force headquarters. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command bomber units assigned to 3rd Air Force. Following the entry of the United St ...

, 3 July - 1 September 1945 *

340th Air Refueling Wing 34 may refer to: * 34 (number), the natural number following 33 and preceding 35 * one of the years 34 BC, AD 34, 1934, 2034 * ''34'' (album), a 2015 album by Dre Murray * "#34" (song), a 1994 song by Dave Matthews Band * "34", a 2006 song by Sa ...

, 1 June - 1 October 1992 *

97th Air Mobility Wing The 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW) is a United States Air Force (USAF) unit assigned to Nineteenth Air Force of Air Education and Training Command. It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The wing is also the host unit at Altus. It ...

, 1 October 1992 – 31 March 1995 *

to activate or inactivate at any time after 5 February 2001 :: 16th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force, circa 16 April 2003 :: 3d Expeditionary Air and Space Task Force, c. 13 July - 8 October 2003 :: Attached to

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in E ...

, 2004 - 17 June 2004 :: Attached to Air Command Europe, 25 March - 8 April 2006 ::

323d Air Expeditionary Wing The 323rd Air Expeditionary Wing (323 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time. It was last known to be active fr ...

, 14 March - 30 April 2008

Components

* 56th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, c. 13 July - 8 October 2003 * 93d Air Refueling Squadron, 1 June 1992 - 31 March 1995 *

600th Bombardment Squadron 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second smalles ...

, 1 March 1943 - 1 September 1945 * 601st Bombardment Squadron, 1 March 1943 - 1 September 1945 *

602d Bombardment Squadron 6 (six) is the natural number following 5 and preceding 7. It is a composite number and the smallest perfect number. In mathematics Six is the smallest positive integer which is neither a square number nor a prime number; it is the second small ...

, 1 March 1943 - 1 September 1945 * 603d Bombardment Squadron, 1 March 1943 - 1 September 1945 *

712th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron The 712th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. In February 2001, the squadron was converted to provisional status and assigned to United States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed ...

, 18 March – 30 April 2008 * 772d Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, c. 13 July - 8 October 2003 * 786th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, c. 13 July - 8 October 2003

Stations

, Washington, 1 March 1943 * Blythe Army Air Base, California, 5 April 1943 *

, Washington, 29 April 1943 *

, South Dakota, 10 June 1943 – 4 April 1944 *

(AAF-131), England, 22 April 1944 – 26 May 1945 *

, Florida, 3 July - 1 September 1945World War II stations in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 284 *

Altus Air Force Base Altus Air Force Base (Altus AFB, AAFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-northeast of Altus, Oklahoma. The host unit at Altus AFB is the 97th Air Mobility Wing (97 AMW), assigned to the Nineteenth Air Force (19 AF ...

, Oklahoma, 1 June 1992 – 31 March 1995 *

, Greece, circa 16 April 2003 *

Lungi International Airport Freetown International Airport (officially), locally known as Lungi International Airport, is an international airport located in the coastal town of Lungi, Sierra Leone. It is the only international airport in Sierra Leone. The Sierra Leone Rive ...

, Sierra Leone, 13 July 2003 - 8 October 2003 *

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

, Senegal 2004 - 17 June 2004 *

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

, Tunisia, 25 March - 8 April 2006 * Budapest Ferihengy International Airport, 14 March - 30 April 2008

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. * * * *

External links

"USAFE commander, CCM visit deployed troops", Maj. Scott Vadnais"Rain presents a challenge for Air Force crews in Liberia"
Marni McEntee, Stars and Stripes European edition, 24 July 2003

*[http://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/255575/tankers-deploy-to-hungary-bulgaria-for-operation-noble-endeavor/ "Tankers deploy to Hungary, Bulgaria for Operation Noble Endeavor", Tech. Sgt. Eric Petosky, 100 ARW Public Affairs] {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II Air expeditionary groups of the United States Air Force, 398