The 506th Air Expeditionary Group (506 AEG) 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. The group is assigned to the
United States Air Forces Central
The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
332d Air Expeditionary Wing
The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (332 AEW) is a Provisional Wing of Air Combat Command, currently active. It was last inactivated on 8 May 2012, and most recently reactivated on 19 May 2015.
The Wing's 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group (33 ...
, stationed at
Joint Base Balad
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
.
The 506 AEG secures the base, conducts safe flight operations and supports the nation builders in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and other US Air Forces Central and US Central Command contingency plans. As a provisional unit, the 506 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time.
The group's lineage begins in 1944 as the 301st Fighter Group which flew
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
s as part of
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.
20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...
in the Western Pacific. During the
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 ...
, the unit was 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 ...
fighter-escort unit and later active with
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
and the
Air Force Reserve
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
as a tactical fighter unit.
Units
The 506 AEG is composed of:
* 506th Expeditionary Medical Services Squadron
* 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron
* 506th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron
* 506th Expeditionary Logistic Readiness Squadron
* 506th Expeditionary Communications Squadron
* 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, inactivated 28 May 2010
* 506th Expeditionary Services Squadron
* Kirkuk Provincial Reconstruction Team, or PRT.
Approximately 1,000 active-duty, Reserve, and Air National Guard Airmen were assigned to the 506 AEG during any given Air and Space Expeditionary Force rotation. Additionally, approximately 5,000 Soldiers were assigned to Forward-Operating Base Warrior.
Among the base agencies the 506 AEG actively supported are:
*
52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron
The 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron was part of the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air Force. It operated Cessna and Beechcraft T-6A Texan II aircraft conducting flight training for members of the Iraqi Air Force. In late 2 ...
* 521st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, advised Iraqi Air Forces' 1st and 3rd Sqdns, inactivated 10 January 2010
* 521st Base Support Unit
*
727th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron, Detachment 1
History
World War II
The 506th AEG traces its history back to the 506th Fighter Group, Single Engine, which was established on 5 October 1944 and activated on 21 October 1944, at
Lakeland Army Air Field/Drane Field, Florida. The group consisted of three squadrons: 457th, 458th and the 462d Fighter Squadrons. From its activation, the planned mission of the 506th was very long range (VLR) escort missions of
B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
bombers in the
Pacific Theater
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
.
![P-51Ds at Iwo Jima](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/P-51Ds_at_Iwo_Jima.jpg)
Flying almost all models P-51 Mustang which could be sent to Lakeland for training, the group's training regiment centered on learning cruise control techniques that would produce maximum range from the Mustangs. It also included practice scrambles, assembly and landing procedures, escort formations, aerial gunnery and bombing practice, and an occasional dogfight. A month after the 506th started flying, the USAAF produced document 50–100, which was the training directive for Very Long Range operations. The group had already met many of the requirements by then, two glaring exceptions being instrument flying and rocket firing. The final weeks of training were concentrated on mastering those tasks.
On 19 February 1945 the air echelon of the 506th FG aboard a train bound for California, where the aircraft carrier
USS Kalinin Bay was waiting to carry them across the Pacific. The ship delivered the 506th to
Guam
Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...
on 17 March, and a week later the pilots flew their new P-51D-20s to
Tinian
Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...
. There they would stay for seven weeks, flying combat air patrols and practice missions while the field engineers on Iwo Jima prepared
North Field for them at the northern end of the island. The group was assigned to
Twentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.
20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...
, which, in turn, attached the unit to
VII Fighter Command
The VII Fighter Command was a command and control organization of the United States Army Air Forces. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces. The Headquarters were based at several locations with forward command moving with the campaigns ...
301st Fighter Wing
The 301st Fighter Wing (301 FW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Carswell Field, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Tex ...
. From Tinian the air echelon flew combat patrol missions under the control of Air Defense Command, Saipan, from 28 March to 28 April 1945.
The air echelon joined the ground echelon at Iwo Jima in May 1945. From Iwo Jima, the 506th's squadrons attacked airfields, antiaircraft emplacements, shipping, barracks, radio and radar stations, railway cars, and other targets in the
Bonin Islands
The Bonin Islands, also known as the , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic readi ...
and Japan. The group also provided air defense of Iwo Jima and escorted B-29s bombers in raids against Japan.
In December 1945 the group moved to Camp Anza, California, and was inactivated 16 December 1945.
Cold War
![506th Strategic Fighter Wing F-84G Thunderjets 1954](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/506th_Strategic_Fighter_Wing_F-84G_Thunderjets_1954.jpg)
The 506th was established as 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 ...
Strategic Fighter Wing on 20 November 1952 and was assigned to SAC's
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 ...
. Activated on 20 January 1953, at
Dow Air Force Base
Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army just before World War II and renamed Godfrey Army Airfield and later Dow Arm ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, the wing composed of the 457th, 458th and 462s Strategic Fighter Squadrons and was equipped with
F-84G Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thun ...
s.
SAC was founded by men who had flown bomb raids against Germany during World War II. They usually encountered swarms of enemy fighters and knew the importance of having fighter escorts, so they had fighter wings placed under their own operational control. Although assigned to SAC, the group was associated with
Air Defense Command
Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for continental air defense. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was est ...
and assisted in providing air defense of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
.
The wing was deployed to
Misawa Air Base
is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), the United States Air Force, and the United States Navy located in Misawa, Aomori, in the northern part of the island of Honshū of Japan. It is located northeast of Misawa railwa ...
, Japan between 13 August and 7 November 1953 to support SAC's rotational deployment of fighter units to northern Japan to perform air defense duties, relieving the
12th Strategic Fighter Wing. Under the self-supporting concept, the 506th SFW gained the KB-29P Superfortress 506th Air Refueling Squadron on 23 September 1953. The 506th ARS remained with the wing until 1 March 1955. Upon the wing's return to the United States, the 508th was re-equipped with new
F-84F Thunderstreak
The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...
s, in January 1954 becoming the first SAC fighter wing to be equipped with the swept-wing model.
The wing remained at Dow for just over a year until being reassigned to
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...
and was transferred to
Tinker AFB
Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City.
The base, originally ...
,
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
on 20 March 1955. At Tinker, the wing performed fighter-escort duty training to various SAC B-36 Peacemaker heavy and B-50 medium bomber wings as part of the peacetime readiness training mission of SAC. However, as the new
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
and
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 ...
bombers came into service, the mission of the fighter-escort wings of SAC became obsolete. The Thunderstreaks simply couldn't keep up with the speed and fly as high as the jet bombers.
In 1956 SAC got out of the fighter business and the 506th was reassigned to
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
on 1 July 1957. Under TAC, the wing was redesignated as the 506th Fighter-Day Wing and was re-equipped with new F-100D Super Sabres. From 1957 to 1958 the 506th participated in tactical exercises and rotated squadrons to Europe.
The wing was redesignated as the 506th Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 July 1958 as part of an Air Force-Wide redesignation of units. It was inactivated on 1 April 1959 due to budget constraints.
The 506th was reactivated and redesignated the 506th Tactical Fighter Group on 4 May 1972 and activated in the
Air Force Reserve
The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a MAJCOM, major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of ...
on 8 July 1972 at
Carswell Air Force Base
Carswell Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas. For most of its operational lifetime, the base's mission was to train and support heavy strategic bombing groups and wings.
Carswe ...
, Texas. The group was equipped with
F-105 Thunderchief
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...
s, being returned from
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
duty with the
355th Tactical Fighter Wing 355th may refer to:
Aviation
* 355th Fighter Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit
* 355th Fighter Wing, a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force
* 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron, a U.S. Ai ...
at
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base
Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) facility in central Thailand, approximately 144 miles (240 km) northwest of Bangkok in Takhli District, Nakhon Sawan Province.
Units
Takhli is the home of the Royal Tha ...
, Thailand. The Thuds assigned were largely war-weary and the model was being phased out of the inventory. The group was inactivated after just about a year of duty on 25 March 1973 as part of the drawdown after the end of United States involvement in Vietnam.
Global War on Terrorism
The 506th was redesignated the 506th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status on 22 April 2003, and assigned to Kirkuk AB. The group has been supporting
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 ...
ever since.
The 506th Air Expeditionary Group was assigned to Kirkuk Regional Air Base on 23 April 2003, nearly one month after Operation Iraqi Freedom started. At that time, the group flew
A-10 Thunderbolt
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft developed by Fairchild Republic for the United States Air Force (USAF). In service since 1976, it is named for the Republic ...
s, which flew close air support and focused intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The last A-10 departed the base in the Spring of 2004.
By May 2006, the unit was attempting to discuss turnover of base fence guard and other associated duties to the
New Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Ground Forces (Arabic: القوات البرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Army (Arabic: الجيش العراقي), is the ground force component of the Iraqi Armed Forces. It was known as the Royal Iraqi Army up until the coup ...
,
Iraqi National Police
The Iraqi Police (IP) is the uniformed police force responsible for the enforcement of civil law in Iraq. Its organisation, structure and recruitment were guided by the Coalition Provisional Authority after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and it is ...
, and an Iraqi strategic/security infrastructure unit that was in the area. However, the U.S. Air Force still retained forces to guard the base. Only in late May 2010 were guard duties transferred to the
1st Special Troops Battalion, Ready First Combat Team of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. On 28 May 2010 the 506th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron was inactivated.
Air Force Security transfers responsibility to Army
31 May 2010.
Lineage
* Constituted as 506th Fighter Group on 5 October 1944
: Activated on 21 October 1944
: Inactivated on 16 December 1945
* Established as 506th Strategic Fighter Wing on 20 November 1952
: Activated on 20 January 1953 by redesignation of 4004th Air Base Squadron
: Redesignated: 506th Fighter-Day Wing on 1 July 1957
: Redesignated: 506th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 1 January 1958
: Redesignated: 506th Tactical Fighter Wing on 1 July 1958
: Inactivated on 1 April 1959
* Redesignated as 506th Tactical Fighter Group on 4 May 1972
: Activated in the reserve on 8 July 1972
: Inactivated on 25 March 1973
* Redesignated 506th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status on 22 April 2003
Assignments
* III Fighter Command
The III Fighter Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.
History Background
GHQ Air Force (GHQ,AF) had been established with two major combat ...
, 21 October 1944 – 16 February 1945
* 301st Fighter Wing
The 301st Fighter Wing (301 FW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Carswell Field, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Tex ...
, 24 April – 3 December 1945
* Army Service Forces
The Army Service Forces was one of the three autonomous components of the United States Army during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces, created on 9 March 1942. By dividing the Army into three large comman ...
, 15–16 December 1945
* 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 ...
, 20 January 1953
: Attached to 39th Air Division
The 39th Air Division (39th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Fifth Air Force at Misawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated on 15 January 1968.
History
"Throughout the 1950s and 1960s the 3 ...
efense 13 August – 7 November 1953
* Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...
, 1 April 1955
* Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
, 1 July 1957
* Eighteenth Air Force
Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 Janu ...
, 1 October 1957
* Twelfth Air Force
The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona.
The command is the air component to U ...
, 1 January 1958 – 1 April 1959
* 301st Tactical Fighter Wing
The 301st Fighter Wing (301 FW) is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Carswell Field, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texa ...
, 8 July 1972 – 25 March 1973
* Allocated to 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 ...
to activate or inactivate any time after 22 April 2003
: Attached to: 332d Air Expeditionary Wing
The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (332 AEW) is a Provisional Wing of Air Combat Command, currently active. It was last inactivated on 8 May 2012, and most recently reactivated on 19 May 2015.
The Wing's 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group (33 ...
, 22 April 2003
Components
* 457th Fighter (later Strategic Fighter; Fighter-Day; Fighter-Bomber) Squadron, 21 October 1944 – 16 December 1945; 20 January 1953 – 1 April 1959 (detached 20 March–c. 19 August 1958)
* 458th Fighter (later Strategic Fighter; Fighter-Day; Fighter-Bomber) Squadron, 21 October 1944 – 16 December 1945; 20 January 1953 – 1 April 1959 (detached c. 13 August 1958–c. 18 February 1959)
* 462d Fighter (later Strategic Fighter; Fighter-Day; Fighter-Bomber) Squadron, 21 October 1944 – 16 December 1945; 20 January 1953 – 1 April 1959.
* 470th Fighter-Day (later Fighter-Bomber) Squadron, 25 September 1957 – 1 April 1959
* 506th Air Refueling Squadron
The 506th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 42d Air Division at Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas where it was inactivated on 1 July 1957 and its personnel and equipment transferred to ...
: 25 September 1953 – 1 March 1955
Stations
* Lakeland Army Airfield
Lakeland Army Airfield, was a World War II United States Army Air Force located 5.3 miles southwest of Lakeland, Florida. From 1960 to 2017 it was Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. In 2017 it was renamed Lakeland Linder International Airport.
H ...
, Florida, 21 October 1944 – 16 February 1945
* North Field, Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high.
...
, 24 April – 3 December 1945
* Camp Anza
Camp Anza was a United States Army installation, in what is now Riverside, California, during World War II. Construction began on July 3, 1942, and was completed on February 15, 1943. The camp was named after Juan Bautista de Anza, an early explor ...
, California, 15–16 December 1945
* Dow AFB
Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army just before World War II and renamed Godfrey Army Airfield and later Dow Arm ...
, Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, 20 January 1953
* Tinker AFB
Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City.
The base, originally ...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, 20 March 1955 – 1 April 1959
* Carswell AFB
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth (abbreviated NAS JRB Fort Worth) includes Carswell Field, a military airbase located west of the central business district of Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant Coun ...
, Texas, 8 July 1972 – 25 March 1973
* Kirkuk Air Base (later Joint Base Balad), Iraq, since 22 April 2003
Aircraft
* P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
, 1944–1945
* F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...
, 1953–1957
* KB-29 Superfortress
The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P.
The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Montha ...
(Tanker), 1954–1955
* F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of ...
, 1957–1958
* F-105 Thunderchief
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...
, 1972–1973
See also
* List of B-29 Superfortress operators
This is a list of B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information
Delivery ...
References
Citations
Bibliography
* Endicott, Judy G. (1999) Active Air Force wings as of 1 October 1995; USAF active flying, space, and missile squadrons as of 1 October 1995. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. CD-ROM.
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
506th Air Expeditionary Group at globalsecurity.org
External links
506th AEG's Factsheet
{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II
506
Year 506 (Roman numerals, DVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flavius Ennodius Messala, Messala and Areobindus Dagalai ...