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

Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...

of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

to activate or inactivate as needed. The wing began life in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as the 416th Bombardment Group (BG). The group was a

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

light bomb

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

assigned to

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 D ...

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

. It was awarded a

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

for its actions in France when, in spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the German retreat through the Falaise-Argentan gap. It converted to

Douglas A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and attack aircraft, ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during ...

s while engaged in combat and continued to support ground forces through the end of the war. The group's heritage was continued by the 416th Bombardment Wing (BW), a

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was 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 compon ...

B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, 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 ...

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

that conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations on a global scale based at

Griffiss Air Force Base Griffiss International Airport is a public airport in the northeastern United States, located east of the central business district of Rome, a city in Oneida County, New York. Publicly-owned by the county, the airport is located on the form ...

in New York. 416th BW crews and aircraft deployed to the Pacific during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

era to support SAC operations during the conflict. In 1984, the wing and group were consolidated and became a single unit. In 1991, wing tanker crews and KC-135R aircraft participated in the war in Southwest Asia. The 416th was inactivated as part of the Post-

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

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

Griffiss AFB Griffiss International Airport is a public airport in the northeastern United States, located east of the central business district of Rome, a city in Oneida County, New York. Publicly-owned by the county, the airport is located on the form ...

. In 2002 the wing was converted to provisional status as the 416th Air Expeditionary Group It served as the host unit at

Karshi-Khanabad Air Base Karshi-Khanabad (or K2) is an air base in southeastern Uzbekistan, just east of Karshi. It is home to the 60th Separate Mixed Aviation Brigade of the Uzbek Air Force. The airport is above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 07/25 wi ...

(K2), in

Qarshi Qarshi ( ; ) is a city in southern Uzbekistan. It is the capital of Qashqadaryo Region. Administratively, Qarshi is a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlement Qashqadaryo. It has a population of 278,300 (2021 estimate). It ...

, Uzbekistan, from 2002 to 2005, where it supported operations against the

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

and

al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

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

History

World War II

416th Bombardment Group Douglas A-26 Invader 1945

Training in the United States

The

was first activated on 5 February 1943Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 299–300 without personnel, at

Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Oklahoma as the 416th Bombardment Group (Light) (BG).The authority for the organization of this group was contained in General Orders #3, Headquarter Army Air Base, Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 4 February 1943. The original

squadrons Squadron(s) may refer to: Military * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 ...

of the

were the 668th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 698 669th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 698–699 670th,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 699–700 and

671st Bombardment Squadron The 671st Bombardment Squadron is a former United States Army Air Forces unit, assigned to the 416th Bombardment Group. The squadron was activated a medium bomber unit during World War II. It trained in the United States before deploying to ...

sMaurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 700 Fifty-one officers and two hundred and forty-one (241) enlisted men were transferred to the group on 15 February 1943. The source of the cadre was the 46th Bombardment Group and units from Will Rogers Field; Blythe AAF, California;

Barksdale Field Barksdale may refer to: Places * Barksdale, Mississippi, an unincorporated community *Barksdale, Texas, an unincorporated community * Barksdale, Wisconsin, a town ** Barksdale (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community *Barksdale Air Force ...

, Louisiana and a number of men with considerable overseas experience from the

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, 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 ...

Replacement Center, Plant Park, Florida. On that date, the 46th BG moved to the North side of Will Rogers Field, leaving the South side to the 416th BG. The group originally operated as an Operational Training Unit under the

III Air Support Command The III Tactical Air Command was a United States Army Air Forces formation. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Barksdale Field, Louisiana. It was disbanded on 24 October 1945. The command was established in 1941 as the 3 ...

, providing a portion of the initial cadre of the

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

. The group fell back on the 46th BG for assistance with its training. Pilots were attached to the 46th BG for transition flying during the first three months of its existence. On 11 May, the first eight (8) planes were assigned to the 416th Group. One North American B-25C Mitchell and one Douglas A-20B Havoc was given to each of the 668th and 669th Squadrons. Two A-20B's were assigned to each of the 670th and 671st Squadrons. Classes in all the military occupational specialties were conducted by the 46th until 1 June 1943. The Pilots attended Ground School, for five hours a day, in the following subjects: code, link trainer, aircraft recognition, operation and maintenance of the A-20 and B-25, air navigation, radio, instrument procedure, etc. The Intelligence personnel attended classes for one hour a day.

Combat in the European Theater

The

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

moved to England in January to February 1944, and was assigned to

. It entered combat in March 1944, and during the next several weeks directed most of its attacks against V-1 and

V-2 The V2 (), with the technical name '' Aggregat-4'' (A4), was the world's first long-range guided ballistic missile. The missile, powered by a liquid-propellant rocket engine, was developed during the Second World War in Nazi Germany as a " ven ...

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

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

edge of the ... rudder." The 416th flew a number of missions against

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip 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 public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

s and coastal defenses to help prepare for the

invasion of Normandy Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...

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

marshalling yard A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway y ...

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

Caen Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...

and

Saint-Lô Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.Brest later in the summer, by hitting transportation facilities, supply dumps,

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

installations, and other targets. In spite of intense resistance, the group bombed bridges, railways, rolling stock, and a radar station to disrupt the enemy's retreat through the Falaise gap, 6–9 August 1944, and received a

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

Siegfried Line The Siegfried Line, known in German as the ''Westwall (= western bulwark)'', was a German defensive line built during the late 1930s. Started in 1936, opposite the French Maginot Line, it stretched more than from Kleve on the border with the ...

by pounding transportation, warehouses, supply dumps, and defended villages in Germany. in November, the group converted to

aircraft. With its new aircraft it attacked transportation facilities, strong points, communications centers, and troop concentrations during the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

from December 1944 through January 1945. It aided the Allied thrust into Germany by continuing its strikes against transportation, communications, airfields, storage depots, and other objectives, February—May 1945. It also bombed flak positions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. The group returned to the US between July and October 1945 and was inactivated at the port of embarkation on 24 October 1945.

Cold War

4039th Strategic Wing

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

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

established the 4039th Strategic Wing at

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

heavy bombers over a larger number of bases, thus making it more difficult for the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. The wing remained a headquarters only until 5 January 1959 when the 41st Air Refueling Squadron, flying

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

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

Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...

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

75th Bombardment Squadron The 75th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first established as a bombardment squadron shortly before World War II. It was reactivated during the Cold War as a Strategic Air Command (SAC). Its last assignm ...

(BS), consisting of 15

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, 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 ...

es moved to Griffiss from

Loring AFB Loring Air Force Base was a United States Air Force installation in northeastern Maine, near Limestone and Caribou in Aroostook County. It was one of the largest bases of the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command during its existence, and was ...

, Maine where it had been one of the three squadrons of the 42d Bombardment Wing. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. The 4039th (and later the 416th) continued to maintain an alert commitment until December 1991. On 1 April 1961 the wing was reassigned from the 820th to the 6th Air Division, which was activated at Dow. In 1962, the wing

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

s began to be equipped with the

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

and the GAM-72 Quail air-launched

cruise missiles A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...

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

416th Bombardment Wing

In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious

records, Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its Major Command controlled (MAJCON) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate Air Force controlled (AFCON) units, most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history. The 4039th SW was replaced by the newly constituted 416th Bombardment Wing (416th BW) on 1 February 1963 and was assigned to SAC's 6th Air Division.Although the 416th Wing was a new organization, it continued, through temporary bestowal, the history, and honors of the World War II 416th Bombardment Group. It was also entitled to retain the honors (but not the history or lineage) of the 4039th. This temporary bestowal ended in January 1984, when the wing and group were consolidated into a single unit. The 75th BS was also replaced by the 668th Bombardment Squadron, one of the unit's

historical bombardment squadrons. The 41st Air Refueling Squadron and 56th Munitions Maintenance Squadron transferred to the 416th. The 4039th's maintenance and security

were replaced by ones with the 416th numerical designation of the newly established wing. Each of the new units assumed the personnel, equipment, and mission of its predecessor. Under the Dual Deputate organization, all components were directly assigned to the wing, no operational or maintenance group element was activated. The history, lineage and honors of the 416th Bombardment Group were temporarily bestowed upon the newly established wing upon activation. The 416th Bomb Wing continued to conduct strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations to meet operational commitments of

, including deployments to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

during the

with tankers and crews from December 1964 through December 1975 and with

crews from June 1968 through 1975. The 416th BW assumed host wing responsibility at Griffiss AFB, New York on 1 July 1970, when the base was transferred from

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

to SAC. In 1988, the wing began to prepare for a primarily conventional warfare role. In June 1990, the wing added a second air refueling squadron when the 509th Air Refueling Squadron moved to Griffiss from Pease AFB, New Hampshire and became part of the wing. Shortly afterward, in August, it began to deploy KC-135s to Seeb International Airport and B-52s to Spain, Diego Garcia, and England. From January to April 1991 the wing flew combat missions in Southwest Asia. In September 1991, the wing ended its support of worldwide

air refueling Aerial refueling (American English, en-us), or aerial refuelling (British English, en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from ...

operations. The wing was assigned to

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

Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...

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

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

Minot AFB Minot Air Force Base ( ; ) is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in Ward County, North Dakota, north of the city of Minot via U.S. Route 83. In the 2020 census, the base was counted as a CDP with a total population of 5 ...

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

Post Cold War era

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

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

as an

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

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

to combat forces in Afghanistan fighting

and

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

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

Lineage

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

Assignments

* III Air Support Command, 5 February 1943 *

III Bomber Command The III Bomber Command is a disbanded United States Air Force headquarters. It was established in September 1941, shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor to command bomber units assigned to 3rd Air Force. Following the entry of the United St ...

(attached to II Tactical Air Division 1 November 1943 – 22 November 1943), 6 August 1943 * IX Bomber Command ''ca''. 1 February 1944 *

97th Combat Bombardment Wing The 97th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with 9th Bombardment Division, at Camp Shanks, New York, where it was inactivated on 11 October 1945. History The wing was activated in late Nov ...

(later 97th Bombardment Wing) (under operational control of

99th Combat Bombardment Wing The 44th Air Division, Bombardment was redesignated as a division on 16 April 1948, when it was at Brooks Field (later, Brooks Air Force Base), Texas, under the 14th Air Force, then transferred to the 12th Air Force on 1 July 1948. History W ...

until 20 March 1944, IX Bomber Command, 11–18 September 1944, 99th Combat Bombardment Wing – 28 September 1944), 4 February 1944 * Assembly Area Command, c. 27 July 1945 – 24 October 1945 * Strategic Air Command, 15 November 1962 * 6th Air Division, 1 February 1963 * 57th Air Division, 2 July 1966 * 817th Air Division, 2 September 1966 *

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

, 2 July 1969 *

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

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

, 8 June 1988 – 30 September 1995 *

to activate or inactivate any time after September 2001 : Attached to:

United States Central Command Air Forces 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 f ...

, 2002–2005

Components

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

Otis AFB Otis Air National Guard Base is an Air National Guard installation located within Joint Base Cape Cod, a military training facility located on the western portion of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It was known ...

Massachusetts 2 Alert KC-135A's (Shared with Detachment), 99th Bombardment Wing from

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

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

380th Bombardment Wing 38 may refer to: *38 (number) *38 BC *AD 38 *1938 *2038 Science * Strontium, an alkaline earth metal in the periodic table * 38 Leda, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Other uses *.38, a caliber of firearms and cartridges ** .38 Special, a re ...

from

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

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

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

Stations

* Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 5 February 1943 *

Lake Charles Army Air Field A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

, Louisiana, 4 June 1943 *

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

, Mississippi, November 1943 – 1 January 1944 *

RAF Wethersfield MDP Wethersfield is a Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence facility in Essex, England, located north of the village of Wethersfield, Essex, Wethersfield, about north-west of the town of Braintree, Essex, Braintree. Original ...

(AAF-170),Station number from Anderson England, 1 February 1944 * Melun/Villaroche Airfield (A-55),Station number from Johnson France, 23 September 1944 *

Laon/Athies Airfield Laon-Athies Air Base is an abandoned military airfield, which is located near the city of Laon in the Aisne department of France. Its history begins before World War II, when it was originally a grass civil airdrome. During the German occupa ...

(A-69), France, ''ca''. 12 February 1945 * Cormeilles en Vexin Airfield (A-59), France, 24 May 1945 *

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...

, France, ''ca''. 15 July 1945 * Camp Chicago (near Laon), France, 27 July 1945 – September 1945 *

Camp Myles Standish Camp Myles Standish was a U.S. Army camp located in Taunton, Massachusetts, during World War II. It was the main staging area for the Boston Port of Embarkation, with about a million U.S. and Allied soldiers passing through the camp on their ...

, Massachusetts, 23 October 1945 – 24 October 1945 *

, New York, 15 November 1962 – 30 September 1995 *

(K2), Uzbekistan, 2002 – November 2005.

Aircraft

, 1943, 1944–1945 *

, 1944–1945 *

(B-52G, 1963–1991; B-52H, 1991–1995) *

(KC-135A, 1963–1990; KC-135R, 1990–1993) *

Cessna T-37 Tweet The Cessna T-37 Tweet (designated Model 318 by Cessna) is a small, economical twin-engine jet trainer aircraft. It was flown for decades as a primary trainer of the United States Air Force (USAF) as well as in the air forces of several other nati ...

History

World War II

Training in the United States

Combat in the European Theater

Cold War

4039th Strategic Wing

416th Bombardment Wing

Post Cold War era

Lineage

Assignments

Components

Stations

Aircraft

Awards and campaigns

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography