The 404th Air Expeditionary Group (404 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 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 ...

. It is attached to Seventeenth Air Force ir Forces Africa stationed at

Ramstein Air Base Ramstein Air Base or Ramstein AB is a United States Air Force base in Rhineland-Palatinate, a state in southwestern Germany. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA) and also ...

, Germany. The 404 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time. Last activated on 1 October 2008, it currently provides intertheater airlift in support of US Africa Command (USAFRICOM) taskings since 1 October 2008. The 404 AEG added, in provisional status, the 459th Expeditionary Air Medical Squadron. During contingency operations, the group forward-deploys to facilitate air and support operations for varied missions, ranging from humanitarian airlift to presidential support. The 404th AEG deployed to

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

in January 2009 to provide airlift for peacekeeping equipment in support of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur. In July 2009, the 404th AEG deployed to

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

to provide aerial port and aircraft maintenance teams, along with forward communications, early warning, and air domain safety and security elements for U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's visit.

History

World War II

Established as the 100th Fighter Wing and organized in England in late 1943. Assigned to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...

(ETO), IX Fighter Command, Ninth Air Force. Began operational missions in April 1944, mission of the Wing was to receive operational orders from Headquarters, IX Fighter Command and direct subordinate groups in attacking enemy targets in

Occupied France The Military Administration in France (german: Militärverwaltung in Frankreich; french: Occupation de la France par l'Allemagne) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zo ...

and the

Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...

in preparation for the

Normandy Invasion 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 Norma ...

in June 1944. Targets included bridges, roads, railroads and enemy interceptor aircraft both on the ground as well as in air-to-air combat. After the

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

invasion, was reassigned to IX Tactical Air Command (IX TAC) and directed to provide ground support for advancing United States First Army forces in France, attacking enemy targets initially in the Cotentin Peninsula, then supported Operation Cobra, the breakout of Normandy and attacked enemy forces in the Falaise-Argentan Gap. Wing headquarters and subordinate units operated primarily from liberated airfields and newly built temporary

Advanced Landing Ground Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) were temporary advance airfields constructed by the Allies during World War II during the liberation of Europe. They were built in the UK prior to the invasion and thereafter in northwest Europe from 6 June 19 ...

s in France, moved into north-central France, its groups attacking enemy targets near

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

then north-west into

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and the southern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In December 1944/January 1945, engaged enemy targets on the north side of 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 ...

, then moved eastward into the Northern

Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...

as part of the

Western Allied invasion of Germany The Western Allied invasion of Germany was coordinated by the Allies of World War II, Western Allies during the final months of hostilities in the European theatre of World War II, European theatre of World War II. In preparation for the Allied ...

. Supported First Army as it crossed the

Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...

at Remagen then moved north to attack ground targets in the

Ruhr The Ruhr ( ; german: Ruhrgebiet , also ''Ruhrpott'' ), also referred to as the Ruhr area, sometimes Ruhr district, Ruhr region, or Ruhr valley, is a polycentric urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population density of 2,800/km ...

, providing air support as Allied ground forces encircled enemy forces in the Ruhr Pocket, essentially ending organized enemy resistance in Western Germany. First Army halted its advance at the Elbe River in late April 1945, the wing engaging targets of opportunity in enemy-controlled areas until combat was ended on 5 May 1945. It remained in Europe for four months after VE Day, as part of

. It performed occupation duty and the destruction or shipment to the United States of captured enemy combat equipment - Operation Lusty. It was inactivated in Germany in August 1945.

From 1957

The 704th Strategic Missile Wing activated on 1 July 1957 at Vandenberg AFB, California, but was not operational until mid-November 1957. While it had two operational squadrons, its task was training on the SM-65 Atlas, PGM-19 Jupiter, and the PGM-17 Thor from November 1957 – April 1959. Not operational 6 April – 1 July 1959. The wing then was redesignated as the 404th Tactical Missile Wing on 31 July 1985. This was a "paper" administrative redesignation, and it was never activated while under this name. As an Air Expeditionary unit, it has been activated and inactivated on several occasions by USAFE from 2003–2008. In June–July 2003 it was activated at RAF Mildenhall, UK. It was part of the 323rd AEW from 14 March – 30 April 2008 at Balotesti,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, when the 323 AEW served briefly as the USAF headquarters for a

NATO Summit A NATO summit is a summit meeting that is regarded as a periodic opportunity for heads of state and heads of government of NATO member countries to evaluate and provide strategic direction for Alliance activities. NATO summits are not regular ...

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 ...

, http://www.eucom.mil/English/FullStory.asp?art=1662 , accessed March 2009

Operations and Decorations

* Combat Operations: Combat in European Theater of Operations (ETO), 15 April 1944-May 1945. * Campaigns: Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe

Lineage

* Established as 100th Fighter Wing on 8 November 1943 : Activated on 24 November 1943 : Inactivated on 7 November 1945 : Disestablished on 15 June 1983 * Reestablished, and consolidated (31 July 1985) with the 704th Strategic Missile Wing : Established on 20 May 1957 : Activated on 1 July 1957 : Redesignated 704th Strategic Missile Wing (ICBM) on 1 April 1958 : Inactivated on 1 July 1959 * Redesignated: 404th Tactical Missile Wing on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive) * Redesignated: 404th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status on 24 March 2003 : Activated on 16 June 2003; Inactivated on 8 July 2003 : Activated on 27 August 2003; Inactivated on 19 September 2003 : Activated on 27 May 2005; Inactivated on 22 June 2005 : Activated on 28 June 2007; Inactivated on 30 July 2007 : Activated on 14 March 2008; Inactivated on 30 April 2008 : Activated on 21 August 2008; Inactivated on 15 September 2008 : Activated on 1 October 2008.

Assignments

* Ninth Air Force, 24 November 1943 * IX Fighter Command, 27 November 1943 * IX Air Support Command, 12 December 1943 * IX Fighter Command, 4 January 1944 * IX Air Support Command, 1 February 1944 * IX Fighter Command, 1 March 1944 * XIX Air Support (later, XIX Tactical Air) Command, 15 April 1944 – 28 June 1945 : Under operational control of IX Fighter Command, 15 April – 31 July 1944 *

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the Co ...

, 6 September – 7 November 1945 * Air Research and Development Command, 1 July 1957 : Attached to Air Force Ballistic Missile Division, 1–31 July 1957 *

1st Missile Division First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

, 1 August 1957 – 1 July 1959 *

, for activation or inactivation any time after 24 March 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 ...

, 16 June – 8 July 2003 : Attached to

Sixteenth Air Force The Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) (16 AF) is a United States Air Force (USAF) organization responsible for information warfare, which encompasses intelligence gathering and analysis, surveillance, reconnaissance, cyber warfare and ele ...

, 27 August – 19 September 2003 : Attached to

, 27 May – 22 June 2005 : Attached to Third Air Force ir Forces Europe 28 June – 30 July 2007 *

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 ...

: Attached to Third Air Force ir Forces Europe 14 March – 30 April 2008 *

: Attached to

48th Fighter Wing The 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) is part of the United States Air Force's Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe ( USAFE). It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England. The 48 FW is the only F ...

, 21 August – 15 September 2008 : Attached to Seventeenth Air Force ir Forces Africa 1 October 2008–present

Units

World War II Groups

354th Fighter Group The 354th Fighter Group was an element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Ninth Air Force during World War II. The unit was known as the Pioneer Mustang Group and was the first to fly the P-51B Mustang in combat. The group served as bombe ...

: (P-51 Mustang), 27 November – 2 December 1943; 15 April 1944 – 4 July 1945 : Under operational control of 70th Fighter Wing, 22 June – 19 August 1944 *

362d Fighter Group 36 may refer to: * 36 (number), the natural number following 35 and preceding 37 * One of these years of Gregorian or Julian calendars: ** 36 BC, 1st century BCE ** AD 36, 1st century ** 1936, 20th century ** 2036, 21st century Arts and entertain ...

: (P-47 Thunderbolt), 1 August 1944 – August 1945 : Attached to XIX Tactical Air Command entire period *

363d Fighter Group 363rd or 363d may refer to: * 363d Expeditionary Operations Group, inactive United States Air Force unit * 363d Bombardment Squadron or 19th Antisubmarine Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 363d Fighter Squadron or 164th Airlift Squa ...

: (P-38/F-5 Lightning), August–October 1944 : Re-designated as 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group 4 September 1944 *

371st Fighter Group 371st may refer to: * 371st Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *371st Engineer Construction Battalion or 371st Engineer Battalion, activated as a Special Service Regiment in the United States Army in 1944 * 371st Fighter Gr ...

: (P-47 Thunderbolt), 1 August – 29 September 1944 : Attached to XIX Tactical Air Command entire period *

405th Fighter Group 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 ...

: (P-47 Thunderbolt), 1 October 1944 – 8 February 1945 : Attached to XIX Tactical Air Command entire period *

406th Fighter Group 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 ...

: (P-47 Thunderbolt), 1 October 1944 – 8 February 1945 : Attached to XIX Tactical Air Command entire period

Squadrons

* 576th Strategic Missile Squadron: 1 April 1958 – 1 July 1959 (detached 6 April – 1 July 1959) * 644th Strategic Missile Squadron: 15 January – 1 July 1959 (detached 6 April – 1 July 1959) * 672d Strategic Missile (later, 672d Technical Training) Squadron: 1 January – 20 May 1958 * 864th Strategic Missile (later, 864th Technical Training) Squadron: 23 February 1958 – 1 July 1959 (detached 1 November 1958 – 1 July 1959) * 865th Strategic Missile (later, 865th Technical Training) Squadron: 1 July 1958 – 1 July 1959 (detached 1 November 1958 – 1 July 1959) * 866th Strategic Missile Squadron: 1 September 1958 – 1 July 1959 (detached 1 November 1958 – 1 July 1959) *

37th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron The 37th Airlift Squadron is part of the 86th Airlift Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It operates Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules aircraft providing theater airlift. Mission Conduct airlift, airdrop and aeromedical evacuation operations. ...

: 28 June – 30 July 2007 * 42d Expeditionary Airlift Squadron: 1 October 2008–present *

336th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron The 336th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 452d Operations Group, stationed at March Joint Air Reserve Base, California. The squadron shares its aircraft and facility with the 912th Air Refue ...

: 21 August – 15 September 2008 *

351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron The 351st Air Refueling Squadron (351st ARS) is part of the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, England. Since 1992, it has operated the Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotanker aircraft conducting primarily aerial refueling but also airlift and ...

: 21 August – 15 September 2008 *

492d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron The 492nd Fighter Squadron (492nd FS), nicknamed "the Bolars" and "the Madhatters", is part of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England, where they operate the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. Mission The 492nd Fighter Squadron is ...

: 14 March – 7 April 2008 *

493d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron ("Death to the Enemy") , colors= Black/Gold , march= , mascot= , equipment = , battles= European Theater of OperationsWar in Kosovo Global War on Terror , notable_commanders= , anniversaries= , decorations= Distinguished Unit CitationNavy Meritori ...

: 14 March – 7 April 2008

Stations

* RAF Boxted (AAF-150), England, 24 November 1943 *

RAF Greenham Common Royal Air Force Greenham Common or RAF Greenham Common is a former Royal Air Force station in the civil parishes of Greenham and Thatcham in the English county of Berkshire. The airfield was southeast of Newbury, about west of London. Opened ...

(AAF-486), England, 6 December 1943 *

RAF Ibsley Royal Air Force Ibsley or more simply RAF Ibsley is a former Royal Air Force station in Hampshire, England. The airfield is near the village of Ibsley, about north of Ringwood and about southwest of London. A perimeter track with three run ...

(AAF-347), England, 13 January 1944 *

RAF Lashenden The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(AAF-410), England, c. 15 April – June 1944 *

Cricqueville Airfield Cricqueville en Bessin Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Cricqueville-en-Bessin in the Normandy region of northern France. Located just outside Cricqueville-en-Bessin, the United State ...

(A-2), France, 1 July 1944 *

Saint-Pierre-Église Saint-Pierre-Église () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France. A market takes place in Saint-Pierre-Église every Wednesday. Inter ...

, France, 10 July 1944 *

Rennes Airfield Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department. ...

(A-27), France, 8 August 1944 * Le Mans Airfield (A-35), France, 30 August 1944 * St-Dizier Airfield (A-64), France, 19 September 1944 * Metz Airdrome (Y-34), France, 29 December 1944 * Königstein, Germany, 14 April–August 1945 * Seymour Johnson AAF,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, 6 September – 7 November 1945 * Cooke (later, Vandenberg) AFB, California, 1 July 1957 – 1 July 1959 * RAF Mildenhall, England, 16 June – 8 July 2003 *

Graf Ignatievo Air Base Graf Ignatievo Air Base is located in the village of Graf Ignatievo, about north of Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city. It is the sole remaining fighter base of that state and houses two squadrons of jet aircraft. Early years Graf Igna ...

, Bulgaria, 27 August – 19 September 2003 *

31st Tactical Air Base The 31st Tactical Air Base (Polish: 31 Baza Lotnictwa Taktycznego – 31.BLoT) is the biggest military unit of Polish Air Force. The unit was created in 2008 as a result of fusion of three previous units: 31st Air Base, 3rd Tactical Squadron ...

, Krzesiny,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, 27 May – 22 June 2005 * Ramstein AB, Germany, 28 June – 30 July 2007 * Câmpia Turzii, Romania, 14 March – 30 April 2008 * Keflavik AS, Iceland, 21 August – 15 September 2008 * Ramstein AB, Germany, 1 October 2008–present

Known aircraft and missiles

P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...

, 1944–1945 *

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

, 1944–1945 *

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 * SM-65 Atlas, 1958–1959 * PGM-19 Jupiter, 1958 * PGM-17 Thor, 1958–1959 * HGM-25A Titan I, 1959 *

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

, 2008–present

References

* * *
404th Air Expeditionary Group Factsheet

404th AEG gets new commander

External links

United States Air Forces in Europe

United States African Command
{{USAAF 9th Air Force UK

404 404 may refer to: * 404 (number) * AD 404 * 404 BC * HTTP 404, the HTTP error response status for "Not Found" Cars * Peugeot 404 * Bristol 404, produced in the 1950s * Unimog 404 Highways * A404(M) motorway, in England * Ontario Highway 40 ...