322d Air Expeditionary Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=322d Air Expeditionary Group


caption= Staff Sgt. Austin Layton marshals a C-130 Hercules aircraft. He is a flight manager assigned to the 322nd Air Expeditionary Group
dates= 200x-Present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role=
size=
command_structure=Air Combat Command/US Central Command
current_commander=
garrison= Southwest Asia
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto= RECTO FACIENDO NEMINEM TIMEO - "I fear none in doing right"
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=The United States Air Force's 322d Air Expeditionary Group (322 AEG) is an Air Expeditionary unit located in Southwest Asia.

The task of developing a comprehensive listing of Air Expeditionary units present in Southwest Asia and other combat areas is particularly difficult as the events of 11 September 2001 and the Global War on Terrorism has made such an effort significantly difficult. The USAF seeks to improve operational security (OPSEC) and to deceive potential enemies as to the extent of American operations, therefore a listing of which units deploying where and when is unavailable

History

Lineage

* Constituted as 322d Bombardment Group (Medium) on 19 Jun 1942: Inactivated on 15 Dec 1945.
* Activated as the 322d Bombardment Group (Light) on 9 August 1947 (USAFR): Inactivated on 27 June 1949
* Established as 322d Fighter-Day Wing on 1 July 1954: (322d Fighter-Day Group assigned to wing as subordinate unit): 322d Fighter-Day Group activated 1 July 1954: Redesignated as 322d Tactical Fighter Group 1956.: Inactivated on 1 January 1959.
* Activated as 322d Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 Jan 1970. : Inactivated on 30 Jun 1975.: Activated as 322d Air Expeditionary Group 2001 ?

Bases assigned

* MacDill Field, FL 17 Jul 1942
* Drane Field, FL 22 Sep-Nov 1942
* RAF Bury St Edmunds, England c. 1 Dec 1942
* RAF Andrews Field, England Jan 1943
* Beauvais/Tille, France Sep 1944
* Le Culot, Belgium Mar 1945
* Fritzlar, Germany Jun-Sep 1945
* Reading Army Airfield, Pennsylvania, 1947-1949
* Foster AFB, Texas, 1954-1959
* Rhein-Main AB, Germany (1970-1975)
* Southwest Asia 2001 - Present ?

Weapons systems

*C-130 (1970-1975; 2003-Present)
*VC-131 (1973-1974)
*UH-1 (1973)
*C-9 (1972-1975)
*C-135 (1972-1974)
*VC-118 (1971-1972)
*C-131 (1970-1975)
*VT-29 (1970-1975)
*VC-54 (1970)
*C-47 (1970-1972)
*KC-135 (1970-1974)
*C-118 (1970-1972)

Operational history

World War II

322d Bombardment Group (Medium)

Constituted as 322d Bombardment Group (Medium) on 19 Jun 1942. Activated on 17 Jul 1942. Trained with Martin B-26 Marauder aircraft. Part of the group moved overseas to RAF Bury St Edmunds, England, Nov-Dec 1942; planes and crews followed, Mar-Apr 1943. Initially assigned to the Eighth Air Force. The group was assigned to the 3d Bomb Wing. Operational squadrons of the 322d were:

* 449th Bombardment (PN)
* 450th Bombardment (ER)
* 451st Bombardment (SS) **(at RAF Rattlesden)
* 452d Bombardment (DR) **(at RAF Rattlesden)

Ongoing construction at Bury St. Edmunds forced two of the group's squadrons to locate at RAF Rattlesden, and the group's aircraft did not arrive until late in March 1943. Once operational, the 322d flew two low-level bombing operations from Bury St. Edmunds. The first, on 14 May when it dispatched 12 planes for a minimum-level attack on an electrical generating plant near Ijtnuiden. This was the first operational combat mission flown by B-26s.

The second was a disastrous mission to Holland on Monday, 17 May, when the group sent 11 aircraft on a similar operation from which none of the aircraft penetrating the enemy coast, returned. 60 crewmen were lost to flak and interceptors. Group morale was not improved when, on 29 May, a B-26 crashed onto the airfield killing the crew and damaging a hangar.

After these misisons, the group was re-equipped and trained for medium-altitude operations for several weeks before returning to combat operations. On 13 June, the 322d moved to RAF Andrews Field in Essex.

In common with other Marauder units of the 3d Bomb Wing, the 322d was transferred to Ninth Air Force on 16 October 1943. The group attacked enemy airfields in France, Belgium, and Holland attacking the principal targets but the group also attacked secondary targets such as power stations, shipyards, construction works, and marshalling yards.

On 11 December 1943 Andrews Field was attacked by the Luftwaffe but little damage was done and beginning in March 1944 the 322d bombed railway and highway bridges, oil tanks, and missile sites in preparation for the invasion of Normandy.

On 8 May 1944, one of the 322nd aircraft, nicknamed "Mild and Bitter" (serial 41-31819) became the first B-26 flying from England to complete 100 combat missions. Another B-26, "Flak Bait" (41-31773) survived to the end of hostilities with 202 missions to its credit, the only US bomber involved in combat over Europe to pass the 200 mark.

On D-Day, 6 June 1944 the 322d Bomb Group attacked coastal defences and gun batteries. Afterwards, during the Normandy campaign, the 322d pounded fuel and ammunition dumps, bridges, and road junctions, supporting the Allied offensive at Caen and the breakthrough at St Lo in July.

From Andrews Field the 322d received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the period 14 May 1943-24 July 1944. The group moved during September 1944, transferring to Beauvais (A-61) Airfield in northern France, and aiding the drive of Third Army across France. On the continent, the 322d BG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:

* A-61 Beauvais, France September 1944
* A-89 Le Culot, Belgium March 1945
* Y-86 Fritzlar, Germany June - November 1945

The 322d flew its last mission on 24 April 1945. After V-E Day, the group was assigned to occupation duty in Germany beginning in June 1945, engaging in inventorying and disassembling German Air Force equipment and facilities. Returned to the Camp Kilmer New Jersey in December 1945, and was inactivated on 15 December.

Cold War

322d Bombardment Group (Light)

During the Cold War, the 322d was redesignated the 322d Bombardment Group (Light) and assigned to the Air Force Reserve at Reading Army Airfield, Pennsylvania on 9 August 1947. The 322d was equipped with four squadrons (35th, 449th, 450th, 451st and 452d) Douglas A-20 Havocs. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.

322d Tactical Fighter Group

The United States Air Force reactivated the unit as the 322d Fighter-Day Group at Foster AFB, Texas on 1 July 1954. The 322d was assigned to Tactical Air Command as part of the 450th Fighter Day Group, initially as three squadron (450th, 451st, 452d) F-86 Sabre-equipped wing. In 1956, the group was upgraded to the North American F-100 Super Sabre and was redesignated as the 322d Tactical Fighter group. The 322d TFG was inactivated on January 1, 1959 along with the closure of Foster Air Force Base in a budgetary economy move.

322d Tactical Airlift Wing

The unit was again reactivated as the 322d Tactical Airlift Wing (322d TAW) on 1 January 1970 at Rhein-Main Air Base West Germany, replacing the 7310th TAW.

The 322d TAW used rotational Lockheed C-130 Hercules squadrons for tactical airlift in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. In addition, the wing used C-118s and C-131s for aeromedical airlift until late 1972, then shifted to C-9As for this work, continuing aeromedical airlift operations through Mar 1975.

The wing utilized KC-135 (VIP equipped) to provide transportation for CINCUSAFE until early 1973, followed by KC-135B until early 1974 and by C-135C thereafter. Used VT-29 aircraft to support AirForce North (AFNORTH), a NATO component.

In March 1973, the wing gained the 7th Special Operations Squadron, equipped with C-47,UH-1H, and C-130E aircraft, which was reassigned from the 26th TRW at Ramstein AB when the 26th was reassigned to Zweibrucken AB. All but the C-130s were transferred a few months later, to conduct unconventional warfare operations in Europe.

The wing was inactivated in June 1975 when it was replaced by the 435th Tactial Airlift Wing.

War On Terror

In 2001, the 322d Air Expeditionary Group was activated as part of the Global War on Terror.

References

* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0900913096
* Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35708-1
* Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now 1994. After the Battle ISBN 0900913800
* Freeman, Roger A. (1996) The Ninth Air Force in Colour: UK and the Continent-World War Two. After the Battle ISBN 1854092723
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.

External links

* [http://www.eucom.mil/english/FullStory.asp?art=118 "U.S. Air Forces in Europe airlift Nigerian troops to Sudan's Darfur region"] , 1st Lt. Jenny Lovett, 322nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs,
October 28, 2004