The 384th Air Expeditionary Group (384 AEG) is a provisional

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 ...

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 ...

. The 384 AEG may be activated or inactivated at any time. Its last assignment was with to the

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 ...

, being stationed at Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain. It was inactivated on 3 September 2003. During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 384th Bombardment Group was a

VIII Bomber Command 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

unit in England. Assigned to

RAF Grafton Underwood Royal Air Force Grafton Underwood or more simply RAF Grafton Underwood is a former Royal Air Force station located northeast of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. Royal Air Force use The airfield at Grafton Underwood was opened in 1941 a ...

in early 1943, the group dropped the last

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 ...

bombs of the war on 25 April 1945.

History

: ''For additional history and lineage, see

384th Air Expeditionary Wing The 384th Air Expeditionary Wing is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the United States Central Command Air Forces, being stationed at Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain. It was inactivated in 2004. The win ...

World War II

Activated 1 December 1942 at Gowen Field, Idaho. Began training at Wendover, Utah on 2 January 1943 to 1 April 1943. Unit moved to Sioux City AAB, Iowa for final training. The ground unit left for Camp Kilmer on 9 May 1943, sailing on the Queen Elizabeth on 27 May 1943 and arrived in Greenock on 2 June 1943. The aircraft left Sioux City for Kearney, Nebraska on 3 May 1943, and then to the United Kingdom via Bangor, Goose Bay, and then Gander. One B-17 ditched in the Atlantic but the crew was rescued. The first aircraft arrived into England on 25 May 1943, being stationed at

. The 384th was assigned to the

41st Combat Bombardment Wing The 41st Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force, based at RAF Molesworth, England. It was inactivated on 18 June 1945. History The wing was a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy ...

of the 1st Bombardment Division. Its tail code was Triangle-P. The Group's targets included aerodromes at

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Bricy, and Nancy; motor works at

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

; a coking plant at

Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; ) is the List of cities in Germany by population, 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, Emscher River (a tribu ...

; an aircraft component parts factory at

Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...

; weapons manufacturers at

Solingen Solingen (; ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, 25 km east of Düsseldorf along the northern edge of the Bergisches Land, south of the Ruhr. After Wuppertal, it is the second-largest city in the Bergisches Land, and a member of ...

; steel works at

Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...

; and ball-bearing plants at

Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a town#Germany, city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding Schweinfurt (district), district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultur ...

. The Group made a damaging raid on aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 January 1944 and received 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 the action. The 384th took part in the campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during

Big Week Operation Argument, after the war dubbed Big Week, 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 Combined Bomber Offensive against Nazi Germany. The objective o ...

, 20–25 February 1944. Received another DUC for the mission of 24 April 1944 when the group, although crippled by heavy losses of men and planes, led the 41st Bomb Wing through almost overwhelming opposition to attack an aircraft factory and airfield at

Oberpfaffenhofen Oberpfaffenhofen is a village that is part of the municipality of Weßling in the district of Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is located about from the city center of Munich. Village The village is home to the Oberpfaffenhofen Airport and a ...

. The group also bombed ports, communications centers, oil facilities, and cities, attacking such targets as oil storage plants in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

and Berlin, ports at

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and

Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...

, and marshalling yards at Duren and

Mannheim Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...

. At times the Group flew interdictory and support missions. Attacked installations along the coast of

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

prior to and during the

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

in June 1944 and then bombed airfields and communications beyond the beachhead. Supported ground troops during the breakthrough at

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.Eindhoven Eindhoven ( ; ) is a city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, located in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant, of which it is the largest municipality, and is also locat ...

to assist the airborne assault on the Netherlands in September. Struck enemy communications and fortifications 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 ...

, December 1944 – January 1945. Aided the Allied assault across the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

in March 1945 by attacking marshalling yards, railway junctions, and bridges to cut off enemy supplies. For the 1945 film ''

The Way to the Stars ''The Way to the Stars'' is a 1945 Anglo-American black-and-white Second World War drama film made by Two Cities Films. The film was produced by Anatole de Grunwald, directed by Anthony Asquith, and stars Michael Redgrave, John Mills, Rosamu ...

'', footage of B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 384th landing and taking off was filmed at

in April and May 1945. One of the USAAF aircrew involved recorded in his diary seeing B-17s of the 384th and ground scenes being filmed at

. Scheduled for occupational air forces and moved to Istres, France in June 1945 to participate in Green Project—which was to move troops to staging areas. Also moved displaced persons and Greek military. In 1946 the remaining aircraft and personnel were absorbed into the 306th Bomb Group and the unit was inactivated at Istres on 28 February 1946. Briefly was activated as an Air Force Reserve B-29 Superfortress unit, 1947–1949

Modern era

On 1 September 1991, the 384th Operations Group was activated as a result of the 384th Wing implementing the USAF objective wing organization. Upon activation, the 384 OG was bestowed the lineage and history of the 384th Bombardment Group. The 384 OG was assigned control of the 28th Bomb Squadron (B-1B) and the 384th Air Refueling Squadron (KC-135R) as its operational units. 384th Wing was inactivated on 1 January 1994, and 384 OG redesignated as 384th Bomb Group, being assigned to

22d Air Refueling Wing The 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell. Its primary missi ...

without personnel or equipment. Inactivated on 1 October 1994. Reactivated as Air Expeditionary Group as part of Global War on Terrorism, 2003.

Lineage

* Constituted as 384th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 25 November 1942 : Activated on 1 December 1942 : Inactivated on 28 February 1946 * Redesignated 384th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) : Activated on 16 July 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 * Redesignated 384th Operations Group on 1 September 1991 and activated : Redesignated 384th Bomb Group, 1 January 1994 : Inactivated on 1 October 1994 * Redesignated 384th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status on 1 June 2003 : Activated on 4 June 2003 : Inactivated on 3 September 2003

Assignments

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

, 1 December 1942 – 9 May 1943 *

1st Bombardment Wing The 1st Bombardment Wing is a disbanded United States Army Air Force unit. It was initially formed in France in 1918 during World War I as a command and control organization for the Pursuit Groups of the First Army Air Service. Demobilized afte ...

, June 1943 : Assigned to: 103d Provisional Combat Bombardment Wing, June 1943-13 September 1943 *

, 13 September 1943 * European Air Materiel Command, 16 June 1945 – 28 February 1946 *

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswel ...

, 16 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 384th Wing, 1 September 1991 *

, 1 January – 1 October 1994 *

to activate or inactivate at any time after 1 June 2003

Components

28th Bomb Squadron The 28th Bomb Squadron is a squadron 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 o ...

, 1 September 1991 – 1 January 1994 * 338th Bombardment Squadron, 8 October 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

339th Bombardment Squadron The 339th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 96th Bombardment Wing at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 15 March 1963. The squadron (aviation), squadron was firs ...

, 8 October 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

384th Air Refueling Squadron The 384th Air Refueling Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, where it is assigned to the 92d Operations Group and operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting air ...

, 1 September 1991 – 1 January 1994 *

544th Bombardment Squadron The 544th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 384th Bombardment Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, where it was inactivated on 1 September 1964. The squadron was first activ ...

(SU), 1 December 1942 – 25 February 1946; 16 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 * 545th Bombardment Squadron (JD), 1 December 1942 – 25 February 1946; 16 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

546th Bombardment Squadron The 546th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 384th Bombardment Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, where it was inactivated on 1 September 1964. The squadron (aviation), squa ...

(BK), 1 December 1942 – 25 February 1946 *

547th Bombardment Squadron The 547th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was first activated during World War II as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress unit. After training in the United States, it deployed to the European Theater of Operation ...

(SO), 1 December 1942 – 25 February 1946

Stations

Gowen Field Boise Airport (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field) is a joint civil-military airport in the western United States in Idaho, south of downtown Boise in Ada County. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation, overseen ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, 1 December 1942 *

Wendover Field Wendover is a town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road along t ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 2 January 1943 *

Sioux City Army Air Base The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translation: ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, c. 3 April – 9 May 1943 *

(USAAF Station 106), England, June 1943 *

Istres Air Base Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture. Location ...

, France, C. June 1945-28 February 1946 *

Nashville Municipal Airport Nashville International Airport is a public/military airport in the southeastern section of Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Established in 1937, its original name was Berry Field, from which its ICAO and IATA identifiers are derived. The ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

, 16 July 1947 – 27 June 1949 *

McConnell AFB McConnell Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located four miles (6 km) southeast of the central business district of Wichita, a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States., effective 2007-12-20 The airbase was named in ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, 1 September 1991 – 1 October 1994 * Shaikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain, 4 June – 3 September 2003

Aircraft assigned

, 1942–1946 *

B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to ...

, 1947–1949 *

B-1B Lancer The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable-sweep wing, heavy bomber used by the United States Air Force. It has been nicknamed the "Bone" (from "B-One"). , it is one of the United States Air Force's three strategic bombers, along with t ...

, 1991–1994 *

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 ...

, 1991–1994

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Beese, Arthur P. ''"Crusaders": 384th—50th, 1942–1992''. Rahway, New York: 384th Bomb Group, 1993. * Feider, Leo J. ''38 Missions with the 384th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, Camp Underwood, Kettering, Northamps, England, A Memoir''. St. Paul, Minnesota: 1987. * * * Owens, Walter E. ''As Briefed by Walter H. Owens, a Family History of the 384th Bombardment Group''. New York: Edward Stern & Co., 1946 (2nd edition 1980, addendum to 1st edition published 1974). * Rogers, Brian. ''United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978''. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publications, 2005. . * Smith, Dale O. ''Screaming Eagle: Memoir of a B-17 Group Commander''. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1990.

External links

*
384th Bomb Group, Inc.
a history-preservation organization of the group's World War II veterans (and, more recently, their descendants) {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II Military units and formations established in 1942

384 __NOTOC__ Year 384 (Roman numerals, CCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Richomeres, Ricomer and Clearchus (consul), Clearchus (or, less frequently, ye ...