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{{more footnotes|date=May 2012}}
{{more footnotes|date=May 2012}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2011}}
{{Infobox military unit
{{Infobox military unit
|unit_name= 409th Air Expeditionary Operations Group
|unit_name= 409th Air Expeditionary Operations Group
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* Constituted as the '''409th Bombardment Group''' (Light) on 1 June 1943 and activated
* Constituted as the '''409th Bombardment Group''' (Light) on 1 June 1943 and activated
: Redesignated '''409th Bombardment Group''', Light c. 14 April 1944
: Redesignated '''409th Bombardment Group''', Light c. 14 April 1944
: Inactivated on 7 November 1945
: Inactivated on 7 November 1945<ref name=Maurer409BG2>Lineage, including stations and aircraft prior to 1945 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 294-295</ref>
* Converted to provisional status, redesignated '''409th Air Expeditionary Group''' and allotted to [[United States Air Forces Europe]] to activate or inactivate as needed.
* Converted to provisional status, redesignated '''409th Air Expeditionary Group''' and allotted to [[United States Air Forces Europe]] to activate or inactivate as needed.
:: Activated on 15 November 2001
:: Activated on 15 November 2001
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* 409th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Flight, c. 15 November 2001 - unknown
* 409th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Flight, c. 15 November 2001 - unknown


===Aircraft flown===
===Aircraft===
* [[Douglas A-20 Havoc]], 1943–1945
* [[Douglas A-20 Havoc]], 1943–1945<ref name=Maurer409BG2/>
* [[Douglas A-26 Invader]], 1945
* [[Douglas A-26 Invader]], 1945<ref name=Maurer409BG2/>
* [[McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender]], 2003
* [[McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender]], 2003


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* [[Woodward Army Air Field]], Oklahoma, October 1943
* [[Woodward Army Air Field]], Oklahoma, October 1943
* [[DeRidder Army Air Base]], Louisiana c. 10 December 1943 – 10 February 1944
* [[DeRidder Army Air Base]], Louisiana c. 10 December 1943 – 10 February 1944
* [[RAF Little Walden]] (AAF-165), England, 7 March 1944
* [[RAF Little Walden]] (AAF-165),<ref>Station number in Anderson</ref> England, 7 March 1944
* [[Bretigny Airfield]] (A-48), France, September 1944
* [[Bretigny Airfield]] (A-48),<ref name=Johnson>Station number in Johnson</ref> France, September 1944
* [[Laon-Couvron Airfield]] (A-70), France, February–June 1945
* [[Laon-Couvron Airfield]] (A-70),<ref name=Johnson/> France, February–June 1945
* [[Seymour Johnson Field]], North Carolina, August 1945
* [[Seymour Johnson Field]], North Carolina, August 1945
* [[Westover Field]], Massachusetts, ca. 6 October - 7 November 1945
* [[Westover Field]], Massachusetts, ca. 6 October - 7 November 1945<ref name=Maurer409BG2/>
* [[Camp Sarafovo]], Bulgaria, 15 November 2001 - unknown
* [[Camp Sarafovo]], Bulgaria, 15 November 2001 - unknown
* [[Vaziani Military Base]], Georgia, 5 September 2003 - 25 September 2003
* [[Vaziani Military Base]], Georgia, 5 September 2003 - 25 September 2003
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* [[Arba Minch]], Ethiopia, 1 January 2011 - unknown
* [[Arba Minch]], Ethiopia, 1 January 2011 - unknown


==References==
==See also==
{{Portal|United States Air Force|Military of the United States|World War II}}
{{Portal|United States Air Force|Military of the United States|World War II}}
* [[List of United States Air Force Groups]]
* [[List of A-20 Havoc operators]]
* [[List of A-26 Invader operators]]

==References==
===Notes===
⚫
{{Reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}
* {{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Capt. Barry|title= Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II|url=http://www.afhra.af.mil./shared/media/document/AFD-081010-027.pdf|accessdate=July 7, 2012|year=1985|publisher=Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center|location=Maxwell AFB, AL |page= }}
⚫
{{Reflist}}
⚫
* {{cite book|last=Johnson|first=1st Lt. David C.|title=U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day|url= http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-081010-026.pdf |accessdate= |year=1988|publisher=Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center|location=Maxwell AFB, AL|page= }}
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). ''Air Force Combat Units Of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
* {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Air Force Combat Units of World War II|origyear= 1961|url= http://newpreview.afnews.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100921-044.pdf |edition=reprint|year=1983|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-02-1|lccn=61060979|pages=}}
⚫
* Johnson, David C. (1988), ''U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day''; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
* {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|origyear=1969|url= http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101202-002.pdf|edition= reprint|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402|pages= }}


==External links==
==External links==
* [http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/9-million-from-sarafovo/id_7199/catid_68 409th Air Expeditionary Group]
* [http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/9-million-from-sarafovo/id_7199/catid_68 409th Air Expeditionary Group]


{{USAF Air Forces in Europe}}
{{USAAF 9th Air Force UK}}
{{USAAF 9th Air Force UK}}
{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II}}
{{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2011}}


[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States in World War II]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States in World War II]]
[[Category:Air expeditionary groups of the United States Air Force|Air Expeditionary 0409]]
[[Category:Air expeditionary groups of the United States Air Force]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1943]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1943]]

Revision as of 23:26, 31 December 2015

409th Air Expeditionary Operations Group
Active1943–1945; 2003
CountryUnited States United States
RoleAir Expeditionary Operations
EngagementsAir Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.
Spangdahlem F-16s fly observation formation off the wing of a KC-10. KC-10 Extenders from the 305th/514th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J., are deployed to Burgas Airport and nearby Camp Sarafovo, Bulgaria, to support tanker operations. Members from various Air Force units worldwide are currently deployed with the 409th AEG in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Airmen from the 409th Air Expeditionary Group, deployed to Camp Sarafovo, Bulgaria, palletize and load humanitarian cargo onto a C-17 Globemaster III. The C-17 landed a Burgas Airport on its way to deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Iraq. KC-10 Extenders from the 305th/514th Air Mobility Wing, McGuire AFB, N.J., are deployed to Burgas Airport and nearby Camp Sarafovo, Bulgaria, to support tanker operations. Camp Sarafovo is home to the 409th Air Expeditionary Group, which is currently conducting air refueling operations with KC-10 Extender aircraft that have deployed to Burgas Airport while support operations are conducted from nearby Camp Sarafovo. Members from various Air Force units worldwide are currently deployed with the 409th AEG in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 409th Air Expeditionary Operations Group (409 AEOG)[1] is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Mobility Command. It may be activated or inactivated at any time.

The 409 AEOG was assigned to Camp Sarafovo, Burgas, Bulgaria during March–June 2003 as a logistics support organization. It was also responsible for refueling operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom using six KC-10 Extender aircraft[1] deployed from McGuire AFB, New Jersey to help keep coalition aircraft fueled and flying on their air routes through Bulgaria and on to the theater of war.

"Air Force" magazine's annual now lists the 409 AEG as an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance unit operating in U.S. Africa Command.

Its World War II predecessor, the 409th Bombardment Group, was a Ninth Air Force unit flying A-20 Havoc light bombers in Western Europe during the 1944 Battle of Normandy and the 1945 Western Allied invasion of Germany.

History

World War II

Media related to 409th Bombardment Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons

Douglas A/B-26 Invader of the 640th Bomb Squadron.

Constituted as 409th Bombardment Group (Light) on 1 June 1943 and activated the same day. Used A-20's in preparing for duty overseas. The unit moved to RAF Little Walden England, February–March 1944, and was assigned to Ninth Air Force.[2]

The 409th flew the A-20 "Havoc" light bomber and Douglas A-26 "Invader" medium bomber and was originally trained in low-level attack missions. However, the group was busy flying medium-altitude bombing runs from 10,000 ft. Over 100 missions were flown by the group, attacking coastal defenses, V-weapon sites, aerodromes, and other targets in France in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. The group supported ground forces during the Battle of Normandy by hitting gun batteries, rail lines, bridges, communications, and other objectives. During July 1944, aided the Allied offensive at Caen and the breakthrough at Saint-Lô with attacks on enemy troops, flak positions, fortified villages, and supply dumps.

The group moved to their Advanced Landing Ground in at Bretigny, France (A-48) to support Third Army's advance toward Germany on 10 September. A total of ten aircraft were lost by the group flying from Little Walden.

In February 1945 the 409th moved to Laon-Couvron Air Base (A-70) France, remaining until June. The group returned to the United States and was inactivated at Seymour Johnson AAF North Carolina on 6 October 1945. It may be observed that that although the 409th was inactivated at Seymour-Johnson AFB, this would not be the last time "SJ" would claim them.

War on Terror

Media related to 409th Air Expeditionary Group (United States Air Force) at Wikimedia Commons

The 409th Air Expeditionary Group was activated in March 2003 as an aerial refueling unit at Sarafovo Air Base, Bulgaria as part of the War On Terror. The 409th Group was responsible for refueling operations in support of the US-led Operation Iraqi Freedom and the mission included the use of six Boeing KC-10 Extender aircraft, deployed from McGuire AFB New Jersey, to help keep coalition aircraft fueled and flying on their air routes through Bulgaria and on to the theatre of war. The 409th AEG was inactivated in June 2003.

The US originally purchased 60 KC-10(A) airframes; however, one was burned in a fire. At the time they were divided between Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina; and Barksdale AFB, Louisiana. Ultimately they were assigned to Travis AFB, California and McGuire AFB, New Jersey. The Camp Sarafavo planes included some of the aircraft originally assigned to Seymour-Johnson AFB. The New Jersey airmen joked casually upon arrival that the tail designator SJ (Seymour-Johnson) stood for South Jersey instead. Today there is an integration of both Seymour-Johnson and Barksdale airmen at both bases and the aerial refueling mission goes on across the generations and the globe.

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 409th Bombardment Group (Light) on 1 June 1943 and activated
Redesignated 409th Bombardment Group, Light c. 14 April 1944
Inactivated on 7 November 1945[3]
  • Converted to provisional status, redesignated 409th Air Expeditionary Group and allotted to United States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed.
Activated on 15 November 2001
Inactivated Unknown
Activated on 5 September 2003
Inactivated on 23 September 2003
Activated on 4 September 2004
Inactivated on 27 September 2005
Activated on 9 August 2007
Inactivated on 20 August 2007
Activated on 30 January 2008
Inactivated on 4 March 2007
Activated on 1 January 2011
Inactivated unknown

Assignments

16th Air Expeditionary Task Force, 15 November 2001- unknown
Attached to Sixteenth Air Force, 5 September 2003 - 23 September 2003
Attached to Sixteenth Air Force, 4 September 2004 -27 September 2005
Attached to 48th Fighter Wing, 9 August 2007 - 20 August 2007
Attached to Third Air Force, 30 January 2008 - 4 March 2008
Attached to Seventeenth Air Force, 1 January 2011
17th Air Expeditionary Force, 1 April 2012 - unknown

Components

Squadrons
  • 33d Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron, 1 January 2011 - unknown
  • 86th Expeditionary Medical Squadron, 5 September 2003 - 25 September 2003
  • 100th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, 5 September 2003 - 25 September 2003
  • 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, c. 15 November 2001 - unknown, 9 August 2007 - 20 August 2007
  • 409th Expeditionary Medical Support Squadron, 4 September 2004 - 27 September 2005
  • 409th Expeditionary Mission Support Squadron, 4 September 2004 - 27 September 2005
  • 493d Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 9 August 2007 - 20 August 2007
  • 640th Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 7 November 1945
  • 641st Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 7 November 1945
  • 642d Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 7 November 1945
  • 643d Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1943 – 7 November 1945
  • 722d Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, 30 January 2008 - 4 March 2008
  • 768th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron, 1 January 2011 - unknown
  • 871st Air Expeditionary Squadron, 30 January 2008 - 4 March 2008
Flight
  • 409th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Flight, c. 15 November 2001 - unknown

Aircraft

Stations

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom (Part Two)
  2. ^ Maurer 1983, p. 295.
  3. ^ a b c d Lineage, including stations and aircraft prior to 1945 in Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 294-295
  4. ^ Station number in Anderson
  5. ^ a b Station number in Johnson

Bibliography

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  • Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  • Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
  • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
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