386th Air Expeditionary Wing
Encyclopedia
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit assigned to United States Air Forces Central. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time. It is currently stationed at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait in Southwest Asia. During World War II, the group's predecessor unit, the 386th Bombardment Group (Medium) was a B-26 Marauder
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
bombardment group assigned to the Eighth
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
and later Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
. During the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, it supported Allied forces at Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
, and participated in the massive blows against the enemy at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
on 25 July 1944. Knocked out targets to help clear the Falaise pocket
Falaise pocket
The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
of German forces in August 1944 and hit strong points at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
during September.
Mission
The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing has a diverse mission which canvases the CENTCOM AOR. The 386th AEW is the primary aerial hub for Operation Iraqi Freedom and provides airlift support for Operation Enduring Freedom and the Horn of Africa. The wing comprises the 386th Expeditionary Maintenance, Mission Support, Medical and Operations Groups and the 586th Expeditionary Mission Support Group.The 386th AEW is composed of Airmen from the National Guard, Air Force Reserve and active duty. They provide security at the largest Theater Internment Facility in Iraq, security for convoys, and serve as drivers for convoys.
The wing is also home to one of two contingency aeromedical staging facilities (CASF) in the theater. The CASF serves as a gateway for patients airlifted to Germany or the United States for further medical treatment.
Units assigned
- 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Group
- 386th Expeditionary Medical Group
- 386th Expeditionary Operations Group
- 386th Expeditionary Mission Support Group
- 387th Air Expeditionary Group387th Air Expeditionary GroupThe 387th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait under USAFCENT...
World War II
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
medium bomber. Its operational squadrons were the 552d (RG), 553d (AN), 554th (RU) and 555th
555th Fighter Squadron
The 555th Fighter Squadron is part of the 31st Operations Group at Aviano Air Base, Italy. It operates F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting an air superiority mission.-Mission:...
(YA)
After training at several airfields in the United States, the group was deployed to Europe in June 1943 and was assigned initially to the 3rd Bombardment Wing
98th Bombardment Wing (World War II)
The 98th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Force Reserve, based at Bedford Field, Massachusetts...
of the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
at RAF Snetterton Heath
RAF Snetterton Heath
RAF Snetterton Heath is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located on the A11, 6 miles SW of Attleborough in Norfolk.-Overview:...
, England. The group remained at Snetterton Heath only a few days, being transferred to RAF Boxted
RAF Boxted
RAF Boxted is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Colchester; about northeast of London...
in north Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
on 10 June 1943 where the Martin B-26 Marauder groups were being consolidated for operations and retrained in medium altitude bombing after low level tactics had produced disastrous losses. The group flew its first mission on 30 July, with operations concentrating on airfields but also attacked marshalling yards and gun positions along the channel coast.
The 386th was again transferred to RAF Great Dunmow
RAF Great Dunmow
RAF Station Great Dunmow is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately mi west of Great Dunmow, north of the A 120; about miles northeast of London...
on 24 September 1943. Missions of the 386th concentrated on airfields but also bombed marshalling yards and gun positions during the first months of combat. In common with all B-26 Marauder units of the Eighth Air Force, the 386th was transferred to Ninth Air Force
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
on 16 October 1943.
Tactical operations were carried out against V-weapon sites along the coast of France in the winter of 1943–1944, and bombed airfields in Holland and Belgium during Big Week
Big Week
Between February 20–25, 1944, as part of the European strategic bombing campaign, the United States Strategic Air Forces launched Operation Argument, a series of missions against the Third Reich that became known as Big Week. The planners intended to lure the Luftwaffe into a decisive battle by...
, 20–25 February 1944.
Great Dunmow was the first airfield visited by General Eisenhower in his USAAF airfield tour on Tuesday, 11 April 1944, and he arrived in time to see thirty-nine Ninth Air Force Marauders take off at twenty second intervals for a mission to attack the marshalling yards in Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
Belgium.
The 386th hammered gun positions, and airfields preceding the invasion of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
and made numerous assaults on bridges of the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
late in May. Struck coastal batteries on D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and hit bridges, supply and fuel stores, gun positions, and defended areas during the remainder of the Battle of Normandy
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
. Supported Allied forces at Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
, and participated in the massive blows against the enemy at Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
on 25 July 1944. Knocked out targets to help clear the Falaise pocket
Falaise pocket
The battle of the Falaise Pocket, fought during the Second World War from 12 to 21 August 1944, was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy...
of German forces in August 1944 and hit strong points at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
during September.
In July 1944, the 553d Bomb Squadron was selected to perform operational testing on the new Douglas A-26 Invader
A-26 Invader
The Douglas A-26 Invader was a United States twin-engined light attack bomber built by the Douglas Aircraft Co. during World War II that also saw service during several of the Cold War's major conflicts...
. However due to technical troubles with the aircraft, the type was withdrawn in September. Several damaged aircraft were moved to one side of the airfield, being abandoned along with wrecks of several Marauders and a Boeing B-17 which crash-landed at the airfield.
On 2 October 1944, the 386th Bomb Group moved to Beaumont-sur-Oise (A-60) Airfield, in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
France. On the continent, the 386th BG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:
- A-60 Beaumont-sur-Oise France 2 October 1944
- A-92 St Trond Belgium 9 April – July 1945
After V-E Day the group returned to the United States, where its Marauder aircraft were sent to Walnut Ridge
Walnut Ridge Regional Airport
Walnut Ridge Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located four nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Walnut Ridge, a city in Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
for disposal. The 386th Bomb Group was deactivated on 7 November 1945.
Cold War
The 386th Fighter-Bomber Group was activated on 8 April 1956 at Bunker Hill AFB, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
as part of the 323d Fighter-Bomber Wing. It was assigned to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
The group had three squadrons, 552d, 553d and 554th. Initially training with North American F-86Fs, these were quickly upgraded to the North American F-86H Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
and then to the North American F-100A
F-100 Super Sabre
The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
to become proficient in tactical air operations.
The wing's aircraft wore a band on the tail, and around the nose edged with small black checkers.
In 1955, Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC) began stationing units at the base, and the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
claimed jurisdiction of Bunker Hill AFB in September 1957. With the turnover of the base to SAC, the 323d was phased down and replaced by the SAC 401st Air Base Group on 1 September 1957.
War in Iraq
In 1998, in preparation for Operation Desert Fox, the 9th Air Expeditionary Group stood up and in 2001 was redesignated as the 386th Air Expeditionary Group. The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing was activated as part of the War on TerrorismWar on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
at as a result of the inactivation of the 363d Air Expeditionary Wing
363d Air Expeditionary Wing
The 363d Air Expeditionary Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 363d Air Expeditionary Wing, stationed at Prince Sultan AB, Saudi Arabia...
.
This unit was literally at the forefront of Operation Southern Watch. For several years following the Persian Gulf War, the base was a sleepy radar site, manned by just a handful of Air Force people monitoring air traffic in the southern no-fly zone. The 74th Air Control Squadron deployed from August to November 1995 to set up and operate a radar site—the only source of a 24-hour air picture in-theater – as part of Vigilant Sentinel. Exactly one year later, 74th ACS personnel deployed once again, this time for 120 days in support of Southern Watch and Operation Desert Strike.
After tensions in the region flared in late 1997, coalition forces started massing at the base. When the buildup renewed in November 1998, prior to Operation Desert Fox, the base doubled in size to a population of 1,500.
The 9th Air Expeditionary Group provided air surveillance and control through that same radar site, while a fleet of C-130 Hercules provide theater airlift and, if necessary, combat search and rescue and aeromedical evacuation for Operation Southern Watch forces. The 9th AEG brought all those functions under one umbrella. Life on The Rock was austere, even by the standards of Southwest Asia's deployed locations. Many Air Force people at other Southern Watch bases lived and worked in permanent buildings but The Rock was almost entirely a tent city, with very few actual buildings. Most "buildings" were Quonset-shaped, foldable general purpose structures.
During the summer of 2001, Airmen from all over the world were called to participate in Operation Southern Watch's AEF-6, also called the 386th Air Expeditionary Group. From the late spring to early fall, the active duty Airmen were joined by members of the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. Although from different divisions of the same service, they personified the "seamless air force" concept.
Air Expeditionary Force Eight came to a hot start under the desert sun when members of the 729th Air Control Squadron from Hill AFB, Utah, arrived in August 2001. There was a two-thirds changeover of base personnel due to AEF Eight rotations. Approximately one-third of the members assigned to the 729th ACS deployed to here assuming duties as the 386th Expeditionary Air Control Squadron for the next 90 days.
The 386th EACS began focused preparations for the deployment about six months earlier. Their wartime mission was to deploy to potentially austere environments, so the base here was not much of a departure. The 386th EACS also conducted field training in the desert environment of Western Utah to practice chemical warfare, security and other combat skills.
In 2000, the first hardened structures were built here. Hardened structures continue to be built on The Rock.
Lineage
- Established as 386th Bombardment Group (Medium) on 25 November 1942
- Activated on 1 December 1942
- Redesignated: 386th Bombardment Group, Medium, on 20 August 1943
- Redesignated: 386th Bombardment Group, Light, on 23 June 1945
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Redesignated 386th Fighter-Bomber Group on 31 October 1955
- Activated on 8 April 1956
- Inactivated on 8 July 1957
- Redesignated 386th Tactical Fighter Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
- Redesignated 386th Air Expeditionary Group, and converted to provisional status, on 25 July 2000
Assignments
- III Bomber CommandIII Bomber CommandThe III Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at MacDill Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, 1 December 1942 - Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, c. 2 June 1943 - 3d Bombardment Wing, 4 June 1943
- IX Bomber Command, 16 October 1943
- 98th Combat Bombardment (later, 98th Bombardment) Wing98th Bombardment Wing (World War II)The 98th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the United States Air Force Reserve, based at Bedford Field, Massachusetts...
, 5 December 1943 - First Air ForceFirst Air ForceThe First Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida....
, August-7 November 1945 - Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, 8 April 1956 – 8 July 1957 - Air Combat CommandAir Combat CommandAir Combat Command is a major command of the United States Air Force. ACC is one of ten major commands , reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force ....
to activate or inactivate any time after 25 July 2000
Components
- 552d Bombardment (later Fighter-Bomber) Squadron552d Fighter-Bomber SquadronThe 552d Fighter-Bomber Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 386th Fighter-Bomber Group, stationed at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana. It was inactivated on 8 July 1957-History:...
(RG), 1 December 1942 – 7 November 1945; 8 April 1956-8 July 1957 - 553d Bombardment (later Fighter-Bomber) Squadron553d Fighter-Bomber SquadronThe 553d Fighter-Bomber Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 386th Fighter-Bomber Group, stationed at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana. It was inactivated on 8 July 1957-History:...
(AN), 1 December 1942 – 7 November 1945; 8 April 1956-8 July 1957 - 554th Bombardment (later Fighter-Bomber) Squadron554th Fighter-Bomber SquadronThe 554th Fighter-Bomber Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 386th Fighter-Bomber Group, stationed at Bunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana. It was inactivated on 8 July 1957-History:...
(RU), 1 December 1942 – 7 November 1945; 8 April 1956-8 July 1957 - 555th Bombardment Squadron (YA), 1 December 1942 – 7 November 1945
- 586th Expeditionary Mission Support [later Air Expeditionary] Group, September 2005 - 17 June 2010
- 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, ? - December 2008
- 886th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, ? - May 2008
- 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, ? - December 2009
- 586th Expeditionary Support Squadron, ? - 2010
Bases Assigned
- MacDill Field, Florida, 1 December 1942
- Lake Charles AABChennault International AirportChennault International Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles east of the central business district of Lake Charles, a city in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States...
, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 9 February-8 May 1943 - RAF Snetterton HeathRAF Snetterton HeathRAF Snetterton Heath is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located on the A11, 6 miles SW of Attleborough in Norfolk.-Overview:...
(AAF-138), England, 3 June 1943 - RAF BoxtedRAF BoxtedRAF Boxted is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately north-northeast of Colchester; about northeast of London...
(AAF-150), England, 10 June 1943 - RAF Great DunmowRAF Great DunmowRAF Station Great Dunmow is a former World War II airfield in Essex, England. The airfield is located approximately mi west of Great Dunmow, north of the A 120; about miles northeast of London...
(AAF-164), England, 24 September 1943 - Beaumont-sur-Oise Airfield (A-60), France 2 October 1944
- Sint-Truiden Airfield (A-92), Belgium, 9 April – 27 July 1945
- Seymour Johnson Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 7 August 1945 - Westover Field, MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, 30 September – 7 November 1945 - Bunker Hill AFB, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, 8 April 1956 – 8 July 1957 - Ali Al Salem Air BaseAli Al Salem Air BaseAli Al Salem Air Base is a military airbase situated in Kuwait, approximately 23 miles from the Iraqi border. The airfield is owned by the Government of Kuwait, and during Operation Southern Watch and Operation Telic / Operation Iraqi Freedom hosted Royal Air Force , United States Air Force and...
, Southwest Asia September 2000–present
Major Aircraft Flown
- Martin B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
, 1942–1945 - North American F-86F/H Sabre, 1956–1957
- North American F-100 Super SabreF-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. The first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was the first USAF fighter capable of...
, 1957 - 2003 – January – GR-4, C-130E, RQ-1B, RC-12, MQ-1
- 2003 – December – C-130H, C130E, C-12, UC-35, C-23
- 2004 – April – C-130H, C-12, UC-25, C-23
- 2004 – June–Present – C-130E, C-130H, EC-130