The 416th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) is a provisional unit assigned to the

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

of the United States Air Force to activate or inactivate as needed. The wing began life in World War II as the 416th Bombardment Group (BG). The group was a Douglas A-20 Havoc light bomb group assigned to Ninth Air Force in Western Europe. It was awarded a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

for its actions in France when, in spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the German retreat through the Falaise-Argentan gap. It converted to Douglas A-26 Invaders while engaged in combat and continued to support ground forces through the end of the war. The group's heritage was continued by the 416th Bombardment Wing (BW), a

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

wing that conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations on a global scale based at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York. 416th BW crews and aircraft deployed to the Pacific during the Vietnam War era to support SAC operations during the conflict. In 1984, the wing and group were consolidated and became a single unit. In 1991, wing tanker crews and KC-135R aircraft participated in the war in Southwest Asia. The 416th was inactivated as part of the Post-

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

drawdown of United States strategic forces in 1995 (BRAC 1993) and the closure of

Griffiss AFB Griffiss Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force installation in the northeastern United States, located in Central New York state at Rome, about northwest of Utica. Missions included fighter interceptors, electronic research, i ...

. In 2002 the wing was converted to provisional status as the 416th Air Expeditionary Group It served as the host unit at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (K2), in Qarshi, Uzbekistan, from 2002 to 2005, where it supported operations against the Taliban and

al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

in Afghanistan. It was redesignated as the 416th Air Expeditionary Wing in 2010, but the current status of this unit is not publicly known.

History

World War II

416th Bombardment Group Douglas A-26 Invader 1945

Training in the United States

The wing was first activated on 5 February 1943Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 299–300 without personnel, at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma as the 416th Bombardment Group (Light) (BG).The authority for the organization of this group was contained in General Orders #3, Headquarter Army Air Base, Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 4 February 1943. The original squadrons of the group were the 668th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 698 669th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 698–699 670th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 699–700 and 671st Bombardment SquadronsMaurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 700 Fifty-one officers and two hundred and forty-one (241) enlisted men were transferred to the group on 15 February 1943. The source of the

cadre Cadre may refer to: *Cadre (military), a group of officers or NCOs around whom a unit is formed, or a training staff *Cadre (politics), a politically controlled appointment to an institution in order to circumvent the state and bring control to th ...

was the 46th Bombardment Group and units from Will Rogers Field;

Blythe AAF Blythe Airport is seven miles west of Blythe, in Riverside County, California, United States. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a '' general aviation'' facility. History Blythe Airport was establ ...

, California; Barksdale Field, Louisiana and a number of men with considerable overseas experience from the Third Air Force Replacement Center, Plant Park, Florida. On that date, the 46th BG moved to the North side of Will Rogers Field, leaving the South side to the 416th BG. The group originally operated as an Operational Training Unit under the III Air Support Command, providing a portion of the initial cadre of the

417th Bombardment Group The 417th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with V Bomber Command at Itami Airfield, Japan, where it was inactivated on 5 November 1945. During World War II, the group operated in the So ...

. The group fell back on the 46th BG for assistance with its training. Pilots were attached to the 46th BG for transition flying during the first three months of its existence. On 11 May, the first eight (8) planes were assigned to the 416th Group. One

North American B-25C Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in e ...

and one Douglas A-20B Havoc was given to each of the 668th and 669th Squadrons. Two A-20B's were assigned to each of the 670th and 671st Squadrons. Classes in all the military occupational specialties were conducted by the 46th until 1 June 1943. The Pilots attended Ground School, for five hours a day, in the following subjects: code, link trainer, aircraft recognition, operation and maintenance of the A-20 and B-25, air navigation, radio, instrument procedure, etc. The Intelligence personnel attended classes for one hour a day.

Combat in the European Theater

The

bombardment group A bombardment group or bomb group was a unit of organizational command and control group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. A bombardment group was normally commanded by a colonel. The table of allowances (TOA) for p ...

moved to England in January to February 1944, and was assigned to Ninth Air Force. It entered combat in March 1944, and during the next several weeks directed most of its attacks against

V-1 V1, V01 or V-1 can refer to version one (for anything) (e.g., see version control) V1, V01 or V-1 may also refer to: In aircraft * V-1 flying bomb, a World War II German weapon * V1 speed, the maximum speed at which an aircraft pilot may abort ...

and V-2 sites in France. In addition to the assigned code markings assigned to each of its squadrons, the 416th's aircraft were marked with a "white diagonal stripe emanating outwards from the

railing Railing or railings may refer to: * Railings (horse), a racehorse * Guard rail, a structure blocking an area from access ** Cable railings, a type of guard rail * Handrail, a structure designed to provide support on or near a staircase * Grab b ...

edge of the ... rudder." The 416th flew a number of missions against airfields and coastal defenses to help prepare for 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 ...

. It supported the invasion in June 1944 by striking road junctions,

marshalling yard A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ya ...

, bridges, and railway overpasses. The group assisted ground forces at

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Saint-Lô in July and at Brest later in the summer, by hitting transportation facilities, supply dumps, radar installations, and other targets. In spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the enemy's retreat through the Falaise gap, 6–9 August 1944, and received a

for the missions. The group assisted the airborne attack on the Netherlands in September. It also supported the assault on the

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall'', was a German defensive line built during the 1930s (started 1936) opposite the French Maginot Line. It stretched more than ; from Kleve on the border with the Netherlands, along the west ...

by pounding transportation, warehouses, supply dumps, and defended villages in Germany. in November, the group converted to Douglas A-26 Invader aircraft. With its new aircraft it attacked transportation facilities, strong points, communications centers, and troop concentrations during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945. It aided the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

thrust into Germany by continuing its strikes against transportation, communications, airfields, storage depots, and other objectives, February—May 1945. It also bombed flak positions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. The group returned to the US between July and October 1945 and was inactivated at the port of embarkation on 24 October 1945.

Cold War

4039th Strategic Wing

Boeing B-52G in flight 061026-F-1234S-021

The origins of the 416th Bombardment Wing begin on 1 August 1958 when

established the 4039th Strategic Wing at

, New YorkMueller, pp. 205–210 as part of SAC's plan to disperse its

heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The wing remained a headquarters only until 5 January 1959 when the 41st Air Refueling Squadron, flying

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpor ...

s and three maintenance squadrons were activated and assigned to the wing and the wing was transferred from

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 ...

to the 820th Air Division. In July, the 56th Aviation Depot Squadron was activated to oversee the wing's special weapons. It became fully organized on 15 October 1959 when the

75th Bombardment Squadron The 75th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 4039th Strategic Wing at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated on 1 February 1963. History World War II Establishe ...

(BS), consisting of 15

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...

es moved to Griffiss from Loring AFB, Maine where it had been one of the three squadrons of the

42d Bombardment Wing 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. The 4039th (and later the 416th) continued to maintain an alert commitment until December 1991. On 1 April 1961 the wing was reassigned from the 820th to the

6th Air Division The 6th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Thirteenth Air Force, based at Clark Air Base, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 December 1969. Heraldry On a shield per chevron argent and ...

, which was activated at Dow. In 1962, the wing bombers began to be equipped with the

GAM-77 Hound Dog The North American Aviation AGM-28 Hound Dog was a supersonic, turbojet-propelled, nuclear armed, air-launched cruise missile developed in 1959 for the United States Air Force. It was primarily designed to be capable of attacking Soviet groun ...

and the GAM-72 Quail air-launched cruise missiles, The 4039th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was activated in November to maintain these missiles. However, SAC Strategic Wings could not carry a permanent history or lineage and SAC looked for a way to make its Strategic Wings permanent.

416th Bombardment Wing

Boeing B-52H Stratofortress, USA - Air Force AN1572112

In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its Major Command controlled (MAJCON) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history. The 4039th SW was replaced by the newly constituted 416th Bombardment Wing (416th BW) on 1 February 1963 and was assigned to SAC's 6th Air Division.Although the 416th Wing was a new organization, it continued, through temporary bestowal, the history, and honors of the World War II 416th Bombardment Group. It was also entitled to retain the honors (but not the history or lineage) of the 4039th. This temporary bestowal ended in January 1984, when the wing and group were consolidated into a single unit. The 75th BS was also replaced by the 668th Bombardment Squadron, one of the unit's World War II historical bombardment squadrons. The 41st Air Refueling Squadron and 56th Munitions Maintenance Squadron transferred to the 416th. The 4039th's maintenance and security squadrons were replaced by ones with the 416th numerical designation of the newly established wing. Each of the new units assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of its predecessor. Under the Dual Deputate organization, all components were directly assigned to the wing, no operational or maintenance group element was activated. The history, lineage and honors of the 416th Bombardment Group were temporarily bestowed upon the newly established wing upon activation. The 416th Bomb Wing continued to conduct strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations to meet operational commitments of

, including deployments to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War with tankers and crews from December 1964 through December 1975 and with bomber crews from June 1968 through 1975. The 416th BW assumed host wing responsibility at Griffiss AFB, New York on 1 July 1970, when the base was transferred from

Air Force Systems Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. Ove ...

to SAC. In 1988, the wing began to prepare for a primarily conventional warfare role. In June 1990, the wing added a second air refueling squadron when the

509th Air Refueling Squadron 5 (five) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number, and cardinal number, following 4 and preceding 6, and is a prime number. It has attained significance throughout history in part because typical humans have five digits on eac ...

moved to Griffiss from Pease AFB, New Hampshire and became part of the wing. Shortly afterward, in August, it began to deploy KC-135s to

Seeb International Airport Muscat International Airport , formerly Seeb International Airport, is the main international airport in Oman and is located in Seeb, 32 km from the old city and capital Muscat within the Muscat metropolitan area. The airport serves as t ...

and B-52s to Spain, Diego Garcia, and England. From January to April 1991 the wing flew combat missions in Southwest Asia. In September 1991, the wing ended its support of worldwide air refueling operations. The wing was assigned to

(ACC) after inactivation of SAC on 1 June 1992 and its refueling squadrons, while physically remaining at Griffiss, were assigned to the 380th Operations Group, Plattsburgh AFB of

Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...

. Wing aircraft carried ACC Tail Code "GR". The wing was inactivated in 1995 due to closure of Griffiss AFB. The 416th transferred the last two of its B-52Hs to the

5th Bomb Wing The 5th Bomb Wing (5 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot. The 5 BW is one of only ...

at Minot AFB, North Dakota on 15 November 1994 in preparation for inactivation in 1995 with the closure of Griffiss AFB.

Post Cold War era

The wing became a provisional air expeditionary group as part of the Global War on Terrorism in 2002. It was assigned to Uzbekistan as an

unit in early 2002. There it operated the base, which was used for transshipments of cargo and supplies from United States, for onward tactical

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distanc ...

to combat forces in Afghanistan fighting Taliban and

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

forces. The group was inactivated in November 2005 after the Uzbek government requested the United States withdraw its forces from their territory. In 2010, the group was upgraded to wing but is not known to have been active under that designation.

Lineage

416th Bombardment Group * Constituted as 416th Bombardment Group (Light) on 25 January 1943 : Activated on 5 February 1943 : Redesignated 416th Bombardment Group, Light on 20 August 1943 : Inactivated on 24 October 1945 * Consolidated with the 416th Bombardment Wing, Heavy on 31 January 1984 as the 416th Bombardment Wing, Heavy 416th Bombardment Wing * Constituted as 416th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, on 15 November 1962 : Activated on 15 November 1962 : Organized on 1 February 1963 : Consolidated with the 416th Bombardment Group, Light on 31 January 1984 : Redesignated 416th Wing on 1 September 1991 : Redesignated 416th Bomb Wing on 1 June 1992 : Inactivated on 30 September 1995 * Redesignated 416th Air Expeditionary Group, and converted to provisional status, on 3 May 2002 : Redesignated 416th Air Expeditionary Wing on 23 February 2010

Assignments

* III Air Support Command, 5 February 1943 * III Bomber Command (attached to II Tactical Air Division 1 November 1943 – 22 November 1943), 6 August 1943 * IX Bomber Command ''ca''. 1 February 1944 * 97th Combat Bombardment Wing (later 97th Bombardment Wing) (under operational control of 99th Combat Bombardment Wing until 20 March 1944, IX Bomber Command, 11–18 September 1944, 99th Combat Bombardment Wing – 28 September 1944), 4 February 1944 * Assembly Area Command, c. 27 July 1945 – 24 October 1945 * Strategic Air Command, 15 November 1962 * 6th Air Division, 1 February 1963 * 57th Air Division, 2 July 1966 *

817th Air Division The 817th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1971. The ...

, 2 September 1966 *

45th Air Division The 45th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire. It was inactivated on 14 June 1989. History As the 45th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one ...

, 2 July 1969 *

40th Air Division The 40th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Fifteenth Air Force at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. It was inactivated on 14 June 1991. As the 40th Bombardment Wing, the unit was one of the p ...

, 30 June 1971 * 45th Air Division, 1 July 1973 * 40th Air Division, 1 December 1982 *

, 8 June 1988 – 30 September 1995 *

to activate or inactivate any time after September 2001 : Attached to: United States Central Command Air Forces, 2002–2005

Components

Groups * 416th Combat Support Group (later 416th Support Group), 1 July 1970 – 30 September 1995 * 416th Logistics Group, 1 September 1991 – 30 September 1995 * 416th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – 30 September 1995 Operational Squadrons * 41st Air Refueling Squadron: 1 February 1963 – 1 September 1991 * 509th Air Refueling Squadron: 30 June 1990 – 1 September 1991 * 668th Bombardment Squadron: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945; 1 February 1963 – 1 September 1991 * 669th Bombardment Squadron: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945 * 670th Bombardment Squadron: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945 * 671st Bombardment Squadron: 5 February 1943 – 24 October 1945 Support Squadrons * 56th Munitions Maintenance Squadron, 1 February 1963 – 1 October 1972 * 416th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron, 1 February 1963 – 30 September 1974 * 416th Armament & Electronics Maintenance Squadron (later 416th Avionics Maintenance Squadron, 416th Intermediate Level Maintenance Squadron), 1 February 1963 – 1 September 1991 * 416th Combat Defense Squadron (later 416th Security Police Squadron), 1 February 1963 – 1 July 1970 * 416th Field Maintenance Squadron, 1 February 1963 – 1 September 1991 * 416th Munitions Maintenance Squadron, 1 October 1972 – 1 September 1991 * 416th Organizational Maintenance Squadron, 1 February 1963 – 1 September 1991 Detachments * Detachment 1 : Otis AFB Massachusetts 2 Alert KC-135A's (Shared with Detachment), 99th Bombardment Wing from

Westover AFB Westover Air Reserve Base is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Established at the outset of World War II, today West ...

, Massachusetts also with 2 Alert KC-135A's, 2 April 1969 – 31 December 1971 * Detachment : Minot AFB, North Dakota 2 Alert B-52G's & 2 KC-135A's (Shared with a Detachment

380th Bombardment Wing 38 may refer to: *38 (number), the natural number following 37 and preceding 39 *one of the years 38 BC, AD 38, 1938, 2038 *.38, a caliber of firearms and cartridges **.38 Special, a revolver cartridge *'' Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transfor ...

from

Plattsburgh AFB Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km²) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burlingto ...

, New York with 2 Alert KC-135A's Relocated after April 1972 but prior to October 1973 Attached to the

5th Bombardment Wing The 5th Bomb Wing (5 BW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. The wing is also the host unit at Minot. The 5 BW is one of onl ...

Stations

* Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 5 February 1943 * Lake Charles Army Air Field, Louisiana, 4 June 1943 *

Laurel Army Airfield Hesler-Noble Field is a public airport in Jones County, Mississippi. It is owned by Laurel Airport Authority and is three miles southwest of Laurel, Mississippi. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''ge ...

, Mississippi, November 1943 – 1 January 1944 * RAF Wethersfield (AAF-170),Station number from Anderson England, 1 February 1944 * Melun/Villaroche Airfield (A-55),Station number from Johnson France, 23 September 1944 * Laon/Athies Airfield (A-69), France, ''ca''. 12 February 1945 * Cormeilles en Vexin Airfield (A-59), France, 24 May 1945 *

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

, France, ''ca''. 15 July 1945 * Camp Chicago (near Laon), France, 27 July 1945 – September1945 * Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, 23 October 1945 – 24 October 1945 *

, New York, 15 November 1962 – 30 September 1995 * Karshi-Khanabad Air Base (K2), Uzbekistan, 2002 – November 2005.

History

World War II

Training in the United States

Combat in the European Theater

Cold War

4039th Strategic Wing

416th Bombardment Wing

Post Cold War era

Lineage

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft

Awards and campaigns

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography