The485th Air Expeditionary Wingis a provisionalUnited States Air Forceunit assigned toAir Combat Command.As a provisional unit, the 485 AEW may be inactivated or activated at any time by Air Combat Command. The wing was last known to be active duringOperation Iraqi Freedomin 2003 atTabuk Regional Airport,Saudi Arabia, in 2003.[3]
485th Air Expeditionary Wing | |
|---|---|
 A row ofC-130 Herculesfrom the 485th Air Expeditionary Wing are parked at a forward-deployed location in Southwest Asia. Seven C-130 units combined to form the world's largest collection of the aircraft. | |
| Active | 1943–1946; 1956–1962; 1984–1989; 2003 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Type | Provisional Wing |
| Engagements | Mediterranean Theater of OperationsOperation Iraqi Freedom |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 485th Air Expeditionary Wing emblem[note 1][1] |  |
| Patch with 585th Tactical Missile Group emblem[note 2] |  |
| Patch with later unofficial 485th Bombardment Group emblem[2][note 3] |  |
| Early unofficial 485th Bombardment Group emblem[2] |  |
| World War II Tail Markings[2] | Top: Yellow with Black Square. Bottom: Black with Yellow X |
The wing was first activated as the485th Bombardment Group,aConsolidated B-24 Liberatorheavybombardment groupthat served withFifteenth Air Forceduring World War II. The group was awarded theDistinguished Unit Citationfor its action in a mission to Vienna, Austria in 1944. The 485th returned to the United States in May 1945, where it converted toBoeing B-29 Superfortresss,training withSecond Air Force.When the war ended in August 1945, the group remained at its training base and became one of the original ten bombardment groups assigned toStrategic Air Command(SAC). The group was inactivated in 1946 and its aircraft, personnel and equipment were transferred to the97th Bombardment Group.
The second forerunner of the wing was the585th Tactical Missile Group,which was stationed atBitburg Air Base,Germany from 1956 to 1962. The 585th operated forward deployedTM-61 Matadorcruise missilesfrom its home station. Later these missiles were replaced byTM-76 Mace(later MGM-13) missiles. It was inactivated in 1962 and its operational squadron transferred to the38th Tactical Missile Wing.
In 1983, the two groups were consolidated as the485th Tactical Missile Wing,aGround Launched Cruise Missile(GLCM) wing stationed atFlorennes Air Base,Belgium. The wing was inactivated as a result of theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treatyin 1989. In 2003 the wing was converted to provisional status as the485th Air Expeditionary Wingand allotted to Air Combat Command.
Overview
editWhen activated in 2003, the 485 AEW was a composite wing of 24McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eaglefighter aircraftand 46Lockheed C-130H Herculesairliftaircraft and more than 3500 personnel from 82 different locations. The C-130s represented one of the largest combat groupings of this aircraft ever.[4]
The wing was activated forOperation Iraqi Freedomand was composed of aircraft and regular Air Force personnel fromLangley AFB,Virginia andEglin AFB,Florida. It also included aircraft and guardsmen from theWest Virginia,[4]Tennessee,Missouri,Kentucky,Oklahoma,andDelaware Air National Guards,[5]and reservists fromNiagara Falls.
By 3 May 2003, the C-130 portion of the wing had flown 1199 missions, 3354 sorties, 7451 hours, hauled 9382 tons of cargo and 8800 passengers, and boasted amission capable rategreater than 90 percent. When the F-15s completed flight operations 17 April they had compiled 581 sorties, flown more than 4000 hours and maintained a mission capable rate greater than 83 percent.[citation needed]
The wing was inactivated in early May 2003 with the last members returning to the United States in September of that year.[citation needed]
History
editWorld War II
edit
Thewingwas originally constituted as the485th Bombardment Group(Heavy) and activated on 20 September 1943.[6]Its original squadrons were the newly activated828th,829th,and830th Bombardment Squadrons,which were joined a few days later by the831st Bombardment SquadronatGowen Field,Idaho.[7]The 831st was an experiencedConsolidated B-24 Liberatorsquadron that had been performinganti-submarine warfaremissions as the 11th Antisubmarine Squadron.[7]The group deployed to Gowen, where it derived its initialcadrefrom the29th Bombardment Group[8]and was assigned toSecond Air Forcefor training with B-24s at Gowen and atFairmont Army Air Field,Nebraska. The group deployed to theMediterranean Theater of Operations(MTO) in March and April 1944.[6]
Although the ground echelon had deployed to Southern Italy by April 1944, the air echelon was detained in Tunisia for further training. The group entered combat withFifteenth Air Forcein May 1944. The 485th engaged in very long range strategic bombing missions to enemy military, industrial and transportation targets in Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, and Yugoslavia, bombingmarshalling yards,oil refineries,airfields,heavy industry, and other strategic objectives.[6]
The group received aDistinguished Unit Citationfor combating intense fighter opposition and attacking an oil refinery at Vienna on 26 June 1944. The 485th also carried out some support and interdiction operations. It struck bridges,harbors,and troop concentrations in August 1944 to aidOperation Dragoon,the invasion of southern France, It hitlines of communicationsand other targets during March and April 1945 to support the advance ofBritish Eighth Armyin northern Italy.[6]It flew its 187th and last combat mission againstLinz,Austria before preparing to return to the United States and re-equip.[9]
The 485th returned to the United States in May 1945 and was programmed for deployment to thePacific Theater of Operations(PTO) as aBoeing B-29 Superfortressvery heavy bombardment group.[citation needed]Many combat veterans of MTO demobilized upon arrival in the United States, and a small cadre of personnel reformed at Sioux Falls Army Airfield, South Dakota at the end of May.[citation needed][10]The group was reassigned toSecond Air Forcefor training in Iowa. Because B-29 groups had only three combat squadrons, the 831st Bombardment Squadron was inactivated in August.[7]The group then moved on paper[11]toSmoky Hill Army Air Field,Kansas in September.[6]
The group remained on active duty after theJapanese surrender.In March 1946Continental Air ForcesbecameStrategic Air Commandand Second Air Force was replaced by Fifteenth Air Force as the group's intermediate headquarters. Simultaneously, the506th Bombardment Squadronwas assigned to the group from the44th Bombardment Group.[12]In August 1946 the personnel and equipment of the 485th were reassigned to the97th Bombardment Groupand the 485th was inactivated.[6][13]
Matador and Mace era
edit
In 1954 USAF began deployingTM-61 Matadorcruise missilesto Germany. By 1956, three squadrons were in place and USAFE organized the701st Tactical Missile Wingwith a subordinate group at each of the main bases where Matadors were stationed.[14]The585th Tactical Missile Groupwas activated atBitburg Air Base,Germany in September 1956 to command the1st Tactical Missile Squadronand two support squadrons.[15]
Shortly after activation the group began upgrading its TM-61A missiles to TM-61Cs.[16]The TM-61C was equipped with the Shannicle guidance system which generated a grid the missile could use to navigate, replacing the ground to air steering systems of the TM-61A. The group participated in periodic test launches of Matadors atWheelus AB,Libya.[17]
In 1958, USAFE replaced the 701st wing with the38th Tactical Missile Wingin an administrative move to keep on active duty units whose roots could be traced toWorld War II.[18]Simultaneously, the 1st squadron was replaced by the71st Tactical Missile Squadron,one of the historical elements of the WW II38th Bombardment Group.The Matador was growing obsolescent and the last Matador was taken off Victor (nuclear) Alert on 30 June 1962.[19]
The group replaced its Matadors withTM-76 Mace(later MGM-13) missiles.[citation needed]These missiles did not rely on ground signals for guidance, but used an onboardradarto match the terrain with a map stored on board the missile. In 1962 the 585th and its companion groups in Germany were inactivated and the missile squadrons assigned directly to the 38th Wing.[18]On the same day, the last Matador at Bitburg was decommissioned.[19]
Ground Launched Cruise Missile era
edit
The485th Tactical Missile Wingwas activated atFlorennes Air Base,Belgium in August 1984. The firstGryphon missilearrived on 28 August[20]and the wing began operating the Gryphon from 1985 until the implementation of theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treatyin 1988.[1]
The wing and its base were the target of periodic peace movement protests near the main gate.[21]In August 1988 a ten-man Soviet Inspection Team visited Florennes to insure treaty compliance.[22]The wing was inactivated in 1989 with the withdrawal of American forces from Florennes.[1]
Lineage
edit485th Bombardment Group
- Constituted as485th Bombardment Group(Heavy) on 14 September 1943
- Activated on 20 September 1943
- Redesignated485th Bombardment Group,Heavy on 25 January 1944
- Redesignated485th Bombardment Group,Very Heavy on 5 August 1945
- Inactivated on 4 August 1946[23]
585th Tactical Missile Group
- Constituted as585th Tactical Missile Groupon 3 August 1956
- Activated on 15 September 1956
- Inactivated on 25 September 1962[24]
485th Air Expeditionary Wing
- 485th Bombardment Groupand585th Tactical Missile Groupconsolidated on 19 December 1983 as the485th Tactical Missile Wing
- Activated on 1 August 1984
- Inactivated on 30 September 1989
- Redesignated485th Air Expeditionary Wingand converted to provisional status 30 January 2003[24]
- c. 4 March 2003 – c. May 2003[4]
Assignments
edit
|
|
Components
editGroups
edit- 485th Combat Support Group: 1 October 1984 – 30 April 1989
- 485th Security Police Group: 1 October 1984 – 30 April 1989
Squadrons
editTactical Squadrons
- 1st Tactical Missile Squadron:15 September 1956 – 18 June 1958[24]
- 71st Tactical Missile Squadron:18 June 1958 – 25 September 1962;[25]1 August 1984 – 30 April 1989[24]
- 506th Bombardment Squadron:7 March 1946 – 4 August 1946
- 828th Bombardment Squadron:20 September 1943 – 4 August 1946[7]
- 829th Bombardment Squadron:20 September 1943 – 4 August 1946[7]
- 830th Bombardment Squadron:20 September 1943 – 6 May 1946[7]
- 831st Bombardment Squadron:1 October 1943 – 20 August 1945[7]
Support Squadrons
- 585th Command and Guidance Squadron (Tactical Missile) (later 585th Missile Maintenance Squadron, 485th Tactical Missile Maintenance Squadron): 15 September 1956 – 25 September 1962; 1 August 1984 – 30 April 1989
- 585th Support Squadron (Tactical Missile): 15 September 1956 – 25 September 1962
- USAF Clinic, Florennes (later 485th USAF Clinic): 1 October 1984 – 30 April 1989
Stations
edit
|
|
Missile Sites
edit- Matador/Mace
- Site VII "B" Pad – 3.5 miles (5.6 km) NW ofBitburg AB(1st/71st TMS)49°59′05″N006°28′50″E/ 49.98472°N 6.48056°E[note 4]
- Site VIII "C" Pad – 4.5 miles (7.2 km) SSW ofBitburg AB(1st/71st TMS)49°53′21″N006°33′30″E/ 49.88917°N 6.55833°E[note 5]
- Missile Support Area – 2.6 miles (4.2 km) SSW ofBitburg AB49°58′11″N006°28′27″E/ 49.96972°N 6.47417°E
- GLCM
Aircraft and Missiles
edit- B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945
- Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1945–1946
- Martin Matador TM-61A, 1956–1957
- Martin Matador TM-61C, 1957–1962
- Martin Mace TM-76B,? –?
- General Dynamics BGM-109G Gryphon, 1985–1988
- McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, 2003
- Lockheed C-130 Hercules, 2003
- Lockheed C-5 Galaxy(2003)
Awards and campaigns
edit| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Distinguished Unit Citation | 26 June 1944 | Vienna, Austria – 485th Bombardment Group[6] |
 |
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 15 September 1956 – 30 April 1958 | 585th Tactical Missile Group[1] |
|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 April 1959 – 30 January 1961 | 585th Tactical Missile Group[27] |
|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 30 June 1986 – 30 June 1988 | 485th Tactical Missile Wing[1] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Air Offensive, Europe | [6] | |
|
Rome-Arno | [6] | |
|
Normandy | [6] | |
|
Northern France | [6] | |
|
Southern France | [6] | |
|
North Apennines | [6] | |
|
Rhineland | [6] | |
|
Central Europe | [6] | |
|
Po Valley | [6] | |
|
Air Combat, EAME Theater | [6] |
See also
edit- List of BGM-109G GLCM Units
- 519th Air Service GroupSupport Unit during World War II
References
edit- Explanatory notes
- ^Approved 8 August 1984.
- ^The group used its parent 38th Tactical Missile Wing emblem with the group designation on the scroll.
- ^Maurer indicates that neither emblem used by the group during World War II was officially approved. Maurer,Combat Units,p. 357.
- ^An underground concrete launch facility that was closed in 1962. Presently it is abandoned and largely overgrown.[citation needed]
- ^An underground concrete launch facility. After closure the site was transferred to theBundeswehrand converted into anMIM-104 Patriotmissile site. The site closed in 2001 and is now abandoned and overgrown.[citation needed]
- Citations
- ^abcdeBailey, Carl E. (3 March 2003)."Lineage and Honors History of the 485th Air Expeditionary Wing (ACC)"(PDF).Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 March 2016.Retrieved22 November2016.
- ^abcWatkins, pp. 120–121
- ^See"Library: Biographies: Colonel George L. Bondar".Air Reserve Personnel Center. May 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 22 July 2011.Retrieved11 December2016.(showing service with the 485th Air Expeditionary Wing from March to May 2003).
- ^abcLester, Capt. David P. (2010)."130th AW mobilizations at highest level since Desert Storm"(PDF).Mountaineer Defender-Magazine of the West Virginia National Guard. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 19 July 2011.Retrieved11 December2016.
- ^Lester, Capt. David P.; Welch, Deborah (June 2003)."166th AW part of Herculean gathering of C-130s in Operation Iraqi Freedom".DNG News. Archived fromthe originalon 16 May 2006.Retrieved11 December2016.
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqMaurer,Combat Units,pp. 356–357
- ^abcdefgMaurer,Combat Squadrons,pp. 772–774
- ^Abstract, History 485th Bomb Gp 20 Sep–Dec 1943(retrieved 7 July 2013)
- ^Abstract, History 485th Bomb Gp Apr–May 1945(retrieved 7 July 2013)
- ^"485th History".485thbg.org.Retrieved8 July2019.
- ^Abstract, History of 485th Bomb Gp 30 May-8 Sep 1945(retrieved 7 July 2013)
- ^Maurer,Combat Squadrons,p. 608
- ^Maurer,Combat Units,p. 167
- ^abRavenstein, p 291
- ^Fletcher, pp. 15–17
- ^Abstract, History of 701st Tactical Missile Wing Sep–Dec 1956(retrieved 6 July 2013)
- ^Abstract, History 701st Tactical Missile Wing, Jan–Jun 1957(retrieved 6 July 2013)
- ^abcRavenstein, pp. 66–67
- ^abMindling, Preface, p.x
- ^Abstract, History of 485th Tac Missile Wg March–Sep 1984(retrieved 7 July 2013)
- ^Abstract, 485th Tactical Missile Wg History Apr–Sep 1985(retrieved 7 July 2013)
- ^Abstract, 485th Tactical Missile Wing IMF Compliance Report(retrieved 7 July 2013)
- ^abLineage, tactical squadrons and aircraft of 485th Bombardment Group in Maurer,Combat Units,pp. 356–357
- ^abcdefLineage, assignments, tactical squadrons and aircraft of 585th Tactical Missile Group and 485th Tactical Missile Wing and assignments of 485th Bombardment Group in Lineage and Honors History of 485th AEW
- ^Maurer,Combat Squadrons,p. 261
- ^Fletcher, p. 17
- ^AF Pamphlet 900-2, p. 430
Bibliography
edit
This article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency
- Fletcher, Harry R (1993).Air Force Bases, Vol. II, Air Bases Outside the United States of America(PDF).Washington, DC: Center for Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-53-6.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961].Air Force Combat Units of World War II(PDF)(reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-02-1.LCCN61060979.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969].Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II(PDF)(reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-405-12194-6.LCCN70605402.OCLC72556.
- Mindling, George; Bolton, Robert (2008).U.S. Air Force Tactical Missiles, 1949–1969: The Pioneers.Lulu.ISBN978-0-557-00029-6.LCCN2008908364.[self-published source]
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984).Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977.Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN0-912799-12-9.
- Watkins, Robert A. (2009).Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force in World War II.Vol. IV, European-African-Middle Eastern Theater of Operations. Atglen,PA: Shiffer Publishing, Ltd.ISBN978-0-7643-3401-6.
- "AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits"(PDF).Washington, DC: Department of the Air Force. 15 June 1971. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 4 August 2015.Retrieved11 August2016.