453d Operations Group
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The 453rd Bombardment Group is an inactive
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 that was first organized in June 1943, 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 ...
, as a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
group. After training in the United States, it deployed to England in December 1943, and, starting in February 1944, participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany with
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 ...
. Its
733d Bombardment Squadron The 733d Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was assigned to the 453d Bombardment Group and last stationed at Fort Dix Army Air Base, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 12 September 1945. The squadron w ...
completed 82 consecutive missions without a loss, a record for Eighth Air Force bomber units.
James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality h ...
, of film fame, was group operations officer from 31 March to 1 July 1944. The group was programmed for redeployment to the Pacific and returned to the United States in May 1945 for training, however the Japanese surrender cancelled these plans and the group was inactivated in September 1945. The group was redesignated the 453rd Operations Group and activated at
Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned t ...
in June 1992 to command
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 ...
(AMC)'s air refueling units at
Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned t ...
, Washington. It was inactivated in July 1994, when the
92nd Bomb Wing The 92d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington (U.S. state), Washington. The wing is also the host unit at Fairch ...
at Fairchild became an air refueling unit and transferred from
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 AMC. It was converted to provisional status as the 453d Expeditionary Air Refueling Group in 2002.


History


World War II


Training in the United States

The 453rd Bombardment Group was activated at Wendover Field, Utah on 1 June 1943 with the 732nd,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 726-727 733rd, 734th and
735th Bombardment Squadron The 735th Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit. It was assigned to the 453d Bombardment Group and last stationed at Fort Dix Army Air Base, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 12 September 1945. The squadron ...
sMaurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 727 assigned as its original elements. It then moved to
Pocatello Army Air Field Pocatello Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located seven nautical miles (13  km) northwest of the central business district of Pocatello, a city in Bannock County, Idaho, United States. The airport is built on the ...
, Idaho, where it was brought up to strength and trained with
Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
s. The group completed its training at
March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the second of seven months to have a length of 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of Ma ...
, California, in December before departing for 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 ...
, with the ground echelon embarking on 2 December.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 328–329Freeman, p. 258


Combat in Europe

The ground echelon arrived at the group's combat station,
RAF Old Buckenham Royal Air Force Old Buckenham (RAF Old Buckenham) is a former Royal Air Force station located south east of Attleborough, Norfolk, England which was used during the Second World War by the United States for the strategic bombing campaign aga ...
, on 23 December 1943. By January 1944, it was fully established at Old Buckenham with the arrival of the air echelon. The 453rd flew its first mission against an
airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...
at
Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
on 4 February 1944. It then participated primarily in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Toward the end of February, the squadron took part in
Big Week Big Week or Operation Argument was a sequence of raids by the United States Army Air Forces and RAF Bomber Command from 20 to 25 February 1944, as part of the Strategic bombing during World War II#US bombing in Europe, European strategic bombin ...
, the concentrated attack on the German aircraft manufacturing industry. Other targets in Germany included a rail viaduct at
Altenbeken Altenbeken () is a municipality in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Altenbeken is situated in the Eggegebirge, approx. 15 km northeast of Paderborn. To the west of the town is the Altenbeken Viaduct, ...
, a fuel storage facility at Dulmen,
oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...
at
Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies ...
, an
ordnance Ordnance may refer to: Military and defense *Materiel in military logistics, including weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and maintenance tools and equipment. **The military branch responsible for supplying and developing these items, e.g., the Unite ...
depot at Glinde, an aircraft assembly plant at Gotha, a rail center at
Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...
, a chemical factory at Leverkusen, a commercial canal at
Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of Detm ...
, an airfield at Neumunster and marshalling yards at
Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...
. The group also engaged in air support and
air interdiction Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement of fr ...
missions. It bombed
V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Ministry of Aviation (Nazi Germany), Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buz ...
and
V-2 rocket The V-2 (german: Vergeltungswaffe 2, lit=Retaliation Weapon 2), with the technical name ''Aggregat 4'' (A-4), was the world’s first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed ...
launch sites, airfields and coastal defense guns to prepare for
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...
, the invasion of Normandy. On
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 ...
, it struck coastal fortifications between
Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
and Cherbourg Naval Base and enemy positions inland from the landing area. It made attacks on enemy troops to support
Operation Cobra Operation Cobra was the codename for an Offensive (military), offensive launched by the United States First United States Army, First Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Invasion of Norman ...
, the breakout at Saint Lo in July 1944. It bombed German lines of communication 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 ...
in December 1944 and January 1945. On two occasions, the squadron carried out
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 ...
missions. In September 1944, it flew rations, gasoline and blankets to advancing troops in France. During Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the
Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , so ...
near
Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighove ...
, it dropped medical supplies, food and ammunition to troops at the bridgehead. The squadron flew its last mission on 12 April 1945, and was withdrawn from combat to prepare for possible redeployment to the Pacific. James "Jimmy" Stewart, the Hollywood movie star, was group operations officer at Old Buckenham during the spring of 1944. The actor
Walter Matthau Walter Matthau (; born Walter John Matthow; October 1, 1920 – July 1, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and film director. He is best known for his film roles in '' A Face in the Crowd'' (1957), ''King Creole'' (1958) and as a coach of a ...
also served in the group as a radioman-gunner, rising to the rank of
staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...
. The group's 733rd Bombardment Squadron flew 82 consecutive missions without a loss, which was a record for Eighth Air Force bomber units. The group flew 259 combat missions, during which it lost 58 Liberators, against the claim of 42 enemy aircraft destroyed.


Return and inactivation

The 453rd Group was withdrawn from combat operations on 12 April 1945 to prepare for possible redeployment to the Pacific Theate. Personnel departed Old Buckenham for the port of embarkation on 9 May 1945, apparently leaving their aircraft behind. The squadron assembled at
New Castle Army Air Field New Castle National Guard Base is a United States Air Force installation under the control of the Delaware Air National Guard, located at New Castle Airport in New Castle County, Delaware. Overview The base is the home of the 166th Airlift Wi ...
, Delaware in late May, but soon moved to
Fort Dix Army Air Base A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, New Jersey. Initial plans to convert the unit to a very heavy bomber squadron were canceled following the Japanese surrender in August 1945, after which the unit was inactivated on 12 September.


Tanker operations

When
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 ...
was disestablished on 1 June 1992, its 92nd Wing at
Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned t ...
, Washington was transferred to the new
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 ...
and redesignated the 92d Bomb Wing as it lost its refueling elements. Its
92d Air Refueling Squadron The 92nd Air Refueling Squadron, sometimes written as 92d Air Refueling Squadron, is a squadron of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing's 92nd Operations Group, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was first activated shortly before the ...
and its
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 were transferred to
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 ...
(AMC). The 453rd was redesignated the 453rd Operations Group and activated the same day as the headquarters for the
92d Air Refueling Squadron The 92nd Air Refueling Squadron, sometimes written as 92d Air Refueling Squadron, is a squadron of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing's 92nd Operations Group, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was first activated shortly before the ...
, which was assigned to it, along with the 453rd Operations Support Squadron. However, with the drawdown of the manned bomber force, it was decided that Fairchild would become an AMC tanker base. In anticipation of the increase of the refueling mission at Fairchild, the
97th Air Refueling Squadron The 97th Air Refueling Squadron is an active unit of the United States Air Force, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was most recently activated on 1 October 2019 and assigned to the 92nd Operations Group, 92nd Air Refueling W ...
moved to Fairchild from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana on 1 April 1994,Endicott, p. 703 and the 96th and
98th Air Refueling Squadron The 98th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 92d Operations Group at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1998. Two of the squadron's predeces ...
s were activated and assigned to the group the same day.Endicott, p. 699Endicott, p. 705 The transition was completed on 1 July 1994, when the 92nd Wing became the 92nd Air Refueling Wing as its 325th Bomb Squadron inactivated. The four refueling squadrons of the 453d transferred to the
92nd Operations Group The 92d Operations Group (92 OG) is the flying component of the 92d Air Refueling Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. During Wo ...
and the 453d GroupDepartment of the Air Force/XPM Letter 201s, Subject: United States Air Forces in Europe Expeditionary Units, 5 February 2001 and its support squadron inactivated.


Expeditionary unit

In February 2001, the group was converted to provisional status as the 453rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Group and assigned to
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 ...
to activate or inactivate as needed for contingency operations.


453rd Bomb Group Museum

In February 2015, it was announced that Old Buckenham Airport the modern civilian name for RAF Old Buckenham applied for permission to build a museum dedicated to the 453rd at their former base in England. The plans are for the erection of two Nissen huts, one of which will house an items described as having the potential to be the largest collection of 453rd Bomb Group memorabilia in existence.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 453rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 May 1943 : Activated on 1 June 1943 * Redesignated 453rd Bombardment Group, Heavy c.January 1944 : Inactivated on 12 September 1945Lineage through 1945 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 328-329. * Redesignated 453rd Operations Group and activated on 1 June 1992 : Inactivated 1 July 1994 * Converted to provisional status and redesignated 453d Expeditionary Air Refueling Group on 5 February 2001


Assignments

* II Bomber Command, 1 June – 2 December 1943 *
20th Combat Bombardment Wing The 20th Bombardment Wing is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force at MacDill Field, Florida, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1946. It was later disbanded in October 1948 History The ...
, 23 December 1943 *
2d Combat Bombardment Wing The Second Bombardment Wing, abbreviated as 2nd Bombardment Wing of the United States Army Air Forces is a disbanded unit whose last assignment was with the Continental Air Forces, based at McChord Field, Washington. It was last active in Novemb ...
, 8 January 1944 – 9 May 1945 * I Bomber Command, 18 June – 12 September 1945 *
43d Air Refueling Wing The Poor Relief Act 1601 (43 Eliz 1 c 2) was an Act of the Parliament of England. The Act for the Relief of the Poor 1601, popularly known as the Elizabethan Poor Law, "43rd Elizabeth" or the Old Poor Law was passed in 1601 and created a poor la ...
, 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1994 * United States Air Forces in Europe to activate or inactivate as needed after 5 February 2001


Components

* 92d Air Refueling Squadron, 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1994 * 96th Air Refueling Squadron, 1 April – 1 July 1994 * 97th Air Refueling Squadron, 1 April – 1 July 1994 * 98th Air Refueling Squadron, 1 April – 1 July 1994 * 453rd Operations Support Squadron, 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1994 * 732d Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 12 September 1945 * 733d Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 12 September 1945 * 734th Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 12 September 1945 * 735th Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 12 September 1945


Stations

* Wendover Field, Utah, 1 June 1943 * Pocatello Army Air Field, Idaho, 29 July 1943 * March Field, California, 30 September-2 December 1943 * RAF Old Buckenham (AAF-114), England, 23 December 1943 – 9 May 1945 144 * New Castle Army Air Field, Delaware, 25 May 1945 * Fort Dix Army Air Base, New Jersey, 18 June-12 September 1945Station information through 1945 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 328-329, except as noted. * Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 1 June 1992 – 1 July 1994


Aircraft

* Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945 * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1992–1994


Campaigns


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * * * ; Further reading * * Freeman, Roger A. (1991). ''The Mighty Eighth: The Colour Record''. Cassell & Co. . {{USAAF 4th Air Force World War II Operations groups of the United States Air Force