484th Air Expeditionary Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 484th Air Expeditionary Wing


caption= Combat Air Controllers of the 484 AEW
dates= Undetermined
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type= Air Expeditionary
role= Combat Support
size=
command_structure= Air Combat Command/US Central Command
current_commander=
garrison= Doha, Qatar
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=

battles=


* World War II: European Campaign (1943-1945)
* Global War on Terrorism: Iraq campaign (To Be Determined)
anniversaries=The 484th Air Expeditionary Wing (484 AEW) is a United States Air Force unit that was known to be active in the early 2000s. It may be stationed at Doha, Qatar.

Overview

Activated as part of the Global War on Terrorism the 484 AEW supported Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF) in 2003 providing combat enabling, contingency response, terminal attack and combat weather support to the coalition air forces and every special forces and Army maneuver unit on the battlefield.

The wing consisted of eight groups and about 3,400 personnel. Operations during OEF included a joint airborne assault with the 86th Contingency Response Group from Ramstein Air Base, Germany that included twenty airmen from the wing parachuting into northern Iraq with more than 1,000 soldiers of the Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade. Their skills helped prepare and open an airfield for C-17 Globemaster IIIs that delivered more than 1 million pounds of people and cargo every night into the operations area

Approximately 500 forward air controllers were provided by the wing's 3rd, 4th and 18th Expeditionary Air Support Operations Groups to Army ground forces during OEF, and airmen from the 484th accompanied U.S. forces when they entered the streets of Baghdad in March 2003.

It must be noted that the task of developing a comprehensive listing of AEW 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.

The current status of the 484th Air Expeditionary Wing is unavailable.

History

Lineage

* Constituted as 484th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943: Activated on 20 Sep: Inactivated on 25 Jul 1945
* Established as 484th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, and activated, on 15 Nov 1962: Organized on 1 Feb 1963: Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Mar 1967.
* Redesignated as 484th Air Expeditionary Wing: Activated (Undetermined)

Assignments

* Second Air Force, 20 Sep 1943-11 Mar 1944
* Fifteenth Air Force, 11 Mar 1944 - 25 May 1945: 49th Bombardment Wing, 6 April 1944 – 25 May 1945
* Air Transport Command, 25 May 1945 - 25 Jul 1945
* Strategic Air Command, 15 Nov 1962: Eighth Air Force:: 822d Air Division, 1 Feb 1963:: 823d Air Division, 2 Sep 1966-25 Mar 1967
* Air Combat Command: 9th Air Force/CENTAF (Dates Undetermined)

tations

* Harvard AAF, Nebraska, 20 Sep 1943-2 Mar 1944
* Torretto, Italy, Apr 1944
* Casablanca, French Morocco, c.25 May-25 Jul 1945
*Turner AFB, Georgia (1963-1967)
*Doha, Qatar (Dates Undetermined)

Components

Squadrons
* 824th Bombardment: 1943-1945; 1 Feb 1963-25 Jan 1967
* 825th Bombardment: 1943-1945
* 826th Bombardment: 1943-1945
* 827th Bombardment: 1943-1945
* 919th Air Refueling: 1 Feb 1963-25 Mar 1967

Aircraft

* B-24 Liberator 1943-1945
* B-52 Stratofortress (1963-1967)
* KC-135 Stratotanker (1963-1967)

Operational history

World War II

Constituted as 484th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943 and activated on 20 Sep. Trained for combat with B-24's.

Moved to Italy, Mar-Apr 1944. Assigned to Fifteenth AF. Redesignated 484th Bombardment Group (Pathfinder) in May 1944 but did not perform pathfinder functions. Redesignated 484th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in Nov 1944. Operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organization, Apr 1944- Apr 1945. Attacked such targets as oil refineries, oil storage plants, aircraft factories, heavy industry, and communications in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Rumania, and Yugoslavia.

On 13 Jun 1944 a heavy smoke screen prevented the group from bombing marshalling yards at Munich;however, in spite of severe damage from flak and interceptors, and despite heavy gunfire encountered at the alternate target, the group bombed marshalling yards at Innsbruck and received a DUC for its persistent action.

Received second DUC for performance on 21 Aug 1944 when, unescorted, the organization fought its waythrough intense opposition to attack underground oil storage installations in Vienna. In addition to strategic missions, the 484th participated in the drive toward Rome by bombing bridges, supply dumps, viaducts, and marshalling yards, Apr-Jun 1944; ferried gasoline and oil to Allied forces in southern France, Sep 1944; and supported the final advance through northern Italy, Apr 1945.

Moved to Casablanca in May 1945. Assigned to Air Transport Command.

Inactivated in French Morocco on 25 Jul 1945.

Cold War

The 484th Bombardment Wing, Heavy (484 BW(H)) was established and activated on 15 Nov 1962. [Mixer, Ronald E., Genealogy of the STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, Battermix Publishing Company, 1999 and Mixer, Ronald E., STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND, An Organizational History, Battermix Publishing Company, 2006.] It was organized on 1 February 1963 at Turner AFB, GA, replacing the 4137th Strategic Wing, and was assigned to the 822nd Air Division, Eighth Air Force. Equipped with B-52s, KC-135s, the wing provided strategic bomardment training and air refueling operations to meet the operational commitments of the Strategic Air Command. From 1 Apr 1966 to c. 29 Sep 1966, all wing aircraft, crews, all wing HQ personnel and most wing support personnel were deployed as part of the 3d Air Division for combat operations over Vietnam. It was reassigned back to the Eighth Air Force, 823rd Air Division on 2 September 1966, while it was returning from Guam. The wing was deactivated on 25 Mar 1967.

References

*Rarenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings: Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947-1977 (Washington: USGPO, 1984)
*Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. ISBN 1-85780-197-0
*World Airpower Journal. (1992). US Air Force Air Power Directory. Aerospace Publishing: London, UK. ISBN 1-880588-01-3

External links

* [http://cache.zoominfo.com/cachedpage/?archive_id=0&page_id=662021444&page_url=%2f%2fwww.carolinaflyer.com%2f08Aug%2f080103%2f080103_04.shtml&page_last_updated=7%2f21%2f2004+5%3a35%3a38+AM&firstName=Michael&lastName=Longoria "18th Air Support Operations Group gets new commander", Senior Airman Becky J. LaRaia, Carolina Flyer]
* [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_prfr/is_200304/ai_3999245111 "484th AEW brings airpower to battlefield", Charles Ramsey, US Air Force press release]