438th Air Expeditionary Group

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 438th Air Expeditionary Group


caption=
dates= 2001 – present
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type= Air Expeditionary Group
role=
size=
command_structure=
current_commander= Colonel Patrick C. Malackowski
garrison= Southwest Asia
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=The United States Air Force's 438th Air Expeditionary Group is a 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

* Activated as 438th Troop Carrier Group on 1 Jun 1943, Inactivated on 15 Nov 1945
* Established as 438th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on 10 May 1949
** Activated in the Reserve on 27 Jun 1949
** Ordered to Active Service on 10 Mar 1951
** Inactivated on 14 Mar 1951
*Redesignated 438th Fighter-Bomber Wing on 26 May 1952
** Activated in the Reserve on 15 Jun 1952
** Inactivated on 16 Nov 1957
*Redesignated 438th Military Airlift Wing, and activated, on 27 Dec 1965
** Organized on 8 Jan 1966
** Redesignated 438 Airlift Wing on 1 Nov 1991
** Inactivated on 1 Oct 1994
*Redesignated 438th Air Expeditionary Wing, and converted to provisional status, on 4 Dec 2001.

tations Assigned

* Baer Field, IN 1 Jun 1943
* Sedalia AAF, MO c. 11 Jun 1943
* Laurinburg-Maxton AAB, NC Oct 1943
* Baer Field, IN c. 15-c. 28 Jan 1944
* RAF Langar, England Feb 1944 474
* RAF Greenham Common, England Mar 1944 486
* Prosnes, France Feb 1945
* Amiens/Glisy, France May-c. 3 Aug 1945
* Baer Field, IN c. 16 Sep 1945
* Lawson Field, GA c. 1 Oct-15 Nov 1945
* Offutt AFB, NE, 27 Jun 1949-14 Mar 1951
* General Billy Mitchell Field, WI, 15 Jun 1952
* Milwaukee, WI, 5 Jan 1953-16 Nov 1957
* McGuire AFB, NJ, 8 Jan 1966-1 Oct 1994.
* Southwest Asia, 2001 - Present

Major Weapons Systems

* Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1943-1945, 1949-1951

* North American T-6, T-7, T-11 Texan, 1949-1951, 1952-1954
* Beechcraft C-45, 1949-1951
* Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1949-1951, 1953

* North American F-51 Mustang, 1953-1954
* Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, 1954-1957
* Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star, 1954-1957
* North Americn F-86 Sabre, 1957

* Lockheed C-130 Hercules, 1966-1968
* Boeing C-135 Stratolifter, 1966-1967
* Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, 1967-1994.

* Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt II, Present

Operational History

World War II

Constituted as 438th Troop Carrier Group on 14 May 1943. Activated on 1 Jun 1943. Trained with C-47's. Moved to RAF Langar, England in Feb 1944 and assigned to Ninth Air Force. At Langar, the group was assigned to the 53rd Troop Carrier Wing, however after a month the group was moved south to a new station at RAF Greenham Common. The 438th had the following Troop Carrier squadrons and fuselage codes:

* 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X)
* 88th Troop Carrier Squadron (M2)
* 89th Troop Carrier Squadron (4U)
* 90th Troop Carrier Squadron (Q7)

The squadrons had 18 airplanes apiece, mostly C-47s but also a few C-53s. At Greenham Common the 438th TCG trained for and participated in airborne operations, flew resupply and reinforcement missions to combat zones, evacuated casualties, and hauled freight.

D-Day Operations

For its superior flying skills exhibited in extensive daylight and night training, the 438th TCG was selected to lead the IX Troop Carrier Command force in the American airborne landings in Normandy. Prior to the launch, both General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lt Gen Lewis H. Brereton, Ninth Air Force Commanding General, visited Greenham Common to watch preparations and speak with the troops of the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment.

Eighty-one aircraft, divided into two serials of 36 and 45 aircraft and led by the 87th Troop Carrier Squadron (3X), took off from the main runway in 15 minutes, commencing at 23:48 hours on 5 June. Despite radio black-out, overloaded aircraft, low cloud cover and lack of marked drop zones, they carried 1,430 men of the US 101st Airborne Division's 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, who were dropped soon after midnight in the area northwest of Carentan. Glider-borne reinforcement missions followed, and for its determined and successful work the group received a Distinguished Unit Citation.

Losses amounted to one C-47 and a C-53, both lost to flak on 7 June.

Operation Dragoon

On 20 July the air echelons of the 87th, 88th and 89th Troop Carrier Squadrons departed for Canino airbase in Italy in preparation for the August invasion of Southern France, Operation Dragoon. In the invasion, the squadrons dropped paratroops and towed gliders that carried reinforcements. The group also hauled freight in Italy.

The 90th TCS stayed in the UK and operated from RAF Welford until the rest of the groups aircraft returned from Italy on 24 August.

Operation Market-Garden

In September the 368th group helped to supply the Third Army in its push across France, and transported troops and supplies when the Allies launched the airborne operation in Holland.

As part of Operation Mar ket Garden90 aircraft from the 438th dropped 101st Airborne paratroopers near Eindhoven without loss on 17 September. The next day, 80 aircraft towed gliders again without loss of aircraft, although two gliders aborted and 11 C-47s suffered flak damage. However, when 40 C-47s towing 40 CG-4A Horsa Gliders left Greenham Common on 19 September, things did not go so well in adverse weather. Only half of the gliders were released in the landing zone area, and one C-47 was shot down and several gliders were lost.

A further glider mission by a similar number of aircraft fared no better and another C-47 was lost. Re-supply missions were flown on 20 September and on the 21st to Overasselt and on the 21st to Son.

During the Battle of the Bulge (Dec 1944 - Jan 1945), the group, again headed by the 87th Troop Carrier Squadron, flew air supply missions to battle areas, including the first two flights into beleaguered Bastogne. In February 1945 the groups of the 53d TCW were moved to France, the 438th going to A-79 Advanced Landing Ground at Pronses.

On the continent, the 438th TCG used the following Advanced Landing Grounds:

* A-79 Pronses, France Feb 1945
* B-48 Amiens/Glisy, France May - 3 Aug 1945

The group evacuated Allied prisoners of war after V-E Day. It returned to Baer AAF Indiana on 16 September 1945.

Cold War

The 438th Troop Carrier Wing (Medium) was established on 10 May 1949, at Offut AFB, Nebraska. It was activated in the USAF reserve on 27 June 1949. The wing flew C-45, C-46 and C-47 aircraft. It was ordered to active service on 10 March 1951. It was inactivated on 14 March 1951.

The 438th Fighter-Bomber Wing was activated at General Billy Mitchell Field, Wisconsin in the reserves flying F-80 Shooting Stars and later F-86 Sabres on 15 June 1952. It was inactivated 16 November 1957.

The 438th Military Airlift Wing replaced the 1611th Air Transport Wing at McGuire AFB, New Jersey in June 1966, equipped with Lockheed C-141 Starlifters. Operational airlift squadrons were:

* 45th MAS 3 Jul 1967 - 31 Aug 1968
* 30th MAS 8 Apr 1967 - 1 Oct 1993
* 6th MAS 8 Apr 1974 - 1 Oct 1994 "Bully Beef Express"

For the next 30 years, the 438th MAW and transported military cargo, mail and passengers worldwide, particularly in the Eastern United States, Atlantic, European and Mediterranean areas, with frequent special missions to the Arctic, the Antarctic, South America, the Far East, and to Southeast Asia combat areas during the Vietnam War.

On 1 December 1991, the wing was redesignated as the 438th Airlift Wing and implemented objective wing. On 1 June 1992, it was assigned to the new Air Mobility Command.

Post Cold War

On 1 October 1993, the 30th MAS was moved w/o/p/e to the 374th Operations Group, Yokota AB, Japan, replacing the 20th AAS as part of the Air Force illustrious units realignment. It was replaced by the 13th Airlift Squadron at McGuire which was transferred w/o/p/e from the 18th Operations Group, Kadena AB, Okinawa. The 13th AS was inactivated on 31 March 2000 as the C-141 force was drawn down and retired.

A KC-10 air refueling squadron, the 2d ARS, was assigned to the wing from the former 2d Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana as part of a major Air Force realignment on 1 October 1994 to have KC-10 bases with two squadrons of 10 aircraft each.

The 6th AS retired the USAF's last C-141, 64-0633 on 15 September 2004. It received C-17 Globemaster III 03-3125 on 24 September 2004, formally commencing the squadron's conversion to the C-17.

On 1 October 2004, the 438th Airlift Wing was inactivated, being replaced at McGuire by the 305th Air Mobility Wing which was transferred from Grissom AFB, Indiana when Grissom was realigned to the Air Force Reserve.

Global War On Terrorism

The 438th Air Expeditionary Group was activated as part of the Global War On Terror in 2001.

Components

*Groups
**438 Troop Carrier (later, 438 Fighter-Bomber, 438 Military Airlift, 438 Operations): 27 Jun 1949-14 Mar 1951; 15 Jun 1952-16 Nov 1957; 15 Sep 1978-1 Jun 1980; 1 Nov 1991-1 Oct 1994
**458 Operations: 1 Apr-1 Oct 1994
*Squadrons
**6: 8 Apr 1970-1 Oct 1978; 1 Jun 1980-1 Nov 1991
**18: 8 Jan-15 Jun 1966; 1 Aug 1968-1 Oct 1978; 1 Jun 1980-1 Nov 1991
**29: 8 Jan 1966-31 Aug 1968
**30: 8 Apr 1967-1 Oct 1978; 1 Jun 1980-1 Nov 1991
**40: 8 Jan 1966-4 Mar 1968
**45: 3 Jul 1967-31 Aug 1968
**Military Airlift Squadron Provisional, 1645: attached 15 Mar-3 Jul 1967
**Naval Air Transport Squadron VR-3: attached 1 Feb 1966-1 Jul 1967

Commanders

*Col Robert E. Flesher, 27 Jun 1949-14 Mar 1951
*Col Robert E. Haynes, 15 Jun 1952
*Lt Col Joseph J. Lingle, 19 Sep 1956-c. Nov 1957
*None (not manned), 27 Dec 1965-7 Jan 1966
*Brig Gen Roland J. Barnick, 8 Jan 1966
*Col Gilbert G. Smith, Jr., 25 Jul 1967 (acting), 1 Aug 1967 (permanent)
*Brig Gen John H. Herring Jr., 1 Aug 1968
*Col Gilbert G. Smith Jr., 14 Jun 1969
*Brig Gen John W. Harrell Jr., 11 Aug 1969
*Brig Gen Keith L. Christensen, 30 Sep 1970
*Brig Gen George M. Wentsch, 15 Jun 1972
*Brig Gen Emil N. Block Jr., 28 Jan 1974
*Col James L. Gardner Jr., 1 May 1976
*Col Dwayne H. Erickson, 16 Feb 1978
*Col Allen G. Myers III, 26 Feb 1979
*Col. Larry D. Wright, 9 Feb 1981
*Col John T. Lawell, 7 Feb 1983
*Col James E. LeCleir, 22 Jun 1983
*Col Jerold L. Weiss, 13 Aug 1985
*Col Frank M. Pearce, 12 Jun 1987
*Col William B. Morrison III, 13 Jul 1989
*Col Kirby A. Woehst, 19 Jul 1990
*Brig Gen Frank Cardile, 17 Sep 1991
*Brig Gen George A. Gray III, 28 Aug 1992-1 Oct 1994.

treamers and Decorations

*Campaign Streamers
**World War II
***Rome-Arno
***Normandy
***Northern France
***Southern France
***Rhineland
***Ardennes-Alsace
***Central Europe
**Southwest Asia
***Defense of Saudi Arabia
***Liberation and Defense of Kuwait.
*Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers
**Grenada, 1983
**Panama, 1989-1990
*Decorations
**Distinguished Unit Citation: France, 6-7 Jun 1944
**Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards
***1 Jun 1966-30 Apr 1968
***1 Jul 1982-30 Jun 1984
**Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr-31 Oct 1968

See also

* Ninth Air Force
* Military Airlift Command

References

* 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.
* Rogers, Brian (2005). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978. Hinkley, England: Midland Publications. ISBN 1-85780-197-0.

External links