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494th Air Expeditionary Group
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494th Air Expeditionary Group
The 494th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force group assigned to Air Mobility Command (AMC) to activate or inactivate as needed. The group was activated in the events surrounding Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq. Now-Lieutenant General Stayce D. Harris is listed by the USAF as commanding the 494th AEG at Moron Air Base, Spain, from July to October 2003. In addition, a patch published at USAF Patches.com implies that the group was active in Spain during "Iraqi Freedom."
The group was originally activated in 1943 as the 494th Bombardment Group. It was the last B-24 Liberator group formed by the United States Army Air Forces. The unit served primarily in Western Pacific, taking part in numerous campaigns. It earned the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the liberation of the Philippines.
It was then active during the Cold War as the 494th Bombardment Wing a Strategic Air Command unit, flying Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas from 1962 1966.
The group was established in late 1943 as the 494th Bombardment Group, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment group, and activated on 1 December at Wendover Field, Utah. Its initial squadrons were the 864th, 865th, 866th, and 867th Bombardment Squadrons (BS). The 494th was the last of seven heavy bombardment Groups – 488th through 494th – activated in the autumn of 1943, as B-29 Superfortress production was beginning in large numbers. The 494th was subsequently the last heavy bomb group formed and trained by the Army Air Forces.[citation needed]
The group's origins begin when the 10th Antisubmarine Squadron moved to Gowen Field, Idaho to retrain as a heavy bombardment unit with B-24s. At Gowen, the unit was renamed the 867th BS and moved to Wendover Field, Utah where it was joined by the newly activated 864th, 865th and 866th BS. The headquarters element of the group was formed from the staff of the 10th Antisubmarine Squadron.[citation needed] The group trained at Wendover until April when the base was converted by Second Air Force for B-29 training. It moved to Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho to complete its final phase of training. At Mountain Home, the group received new very long range B-24J aircraft in early May.[citation needed]
The group was dispatched to the Pacific, initially to Barking Sands Army Airfield in Hawaii. It flew from Idaho to Hamilton Field, California before its overseas movement. In Hawaii, the group received additional training in long range ocean navigation while the ground echelon of the group moved by rail to Seattle, then by troop ship to Hawaii, arriving in mid-June. The unit remained in Hawaii throughout the summer of 1944 while its B-24s were modified at Hickam Field to meet the standards required by Seventh Air Force. Modifications were completed by 1 August, however the group was not deployed to the Southwest Pacific Area until mid-September as its planned airfield on Angaur in the Palau Islands was not yet constructed due to ongoing combat on the island.[citation needed]
Aircraft were deployed from Hawaii on 10 October 1944, departing for Johnston Island, Kwajalein and Saipan. At Saipan, the unit was delayed a further 10 days due to combat ongoing in the Pelelieus. On Saipan, the 494th flew their first combat mission with crews of the 30th Bombardment Group, stationed on Saipan. The first elements of the 494th arrived on Angaur on 16 October, being strafed by Japanese forces still on the island as the battle of Bloody-Nose Ridge was still ongoing. As the area was finally secured in late October, additional aircraft began arriving; with the group completely established by the end of the month.[citation needed] The combat on the island had not allowed the construction of buildings and other support facilities, so the personnel of the group were engaged in construction activities upon their arrival.
The 494th entered combat on 3 November 1944 with attacks against Japanese airfields on Yap and Koror. Subsequently, the group engaged in very long range strategic bombing raids on other bypassed Japanese installations in the Pacific and against the Japanese in the Philippines. Late in 1944 the unit hit gun emplacements, personnel areas, ant storage depots on Corregidor and Caballo at the entrance to Manila Bay. It bombed radio installations and power plants at Japanese bases in the Philippines and attacked enemy-held airfields, including Clark Field on Luzon. Early in 1945 it struck airfields on Mindanao and ammunition and supply dumps in the Davao Gulf and Illana Bay areas.
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494th Air Expeditionary Group
The 494th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force group assigned to Air Mobility Command (AMC) to activate or inactivate as needed. The group was activated in the events surrounding Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq. Now-Lieutenant General Stayce D. Harris is listed by the USAF as commanding the 494th AEG at Moron Air Base, Spain, from July to October 2003. In addition, a patch published at USAF Patches.com implies that the group was active in Spain during "Iraqi Freedom."
The group was originally activated in 1943 as the 494th Bombardment Group. It was the last B-24 Liberator group formed by the United States Army Air Forces. The unit served primarily in Western Pacific, taking part in numerous campaigns. It earned the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the liberation of the Philippines.
It was then active during the Cold War as the 494th Bombardment Wing a Strategic Air Command unit, flying Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas from 1962 1966.
The group was established in late 1943 as the 494th Bombardment Group, a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment group, and activated on 1 December at Wendover Field, Utah. Its initial squadrons were the 864th, 865th, 866th, and 867th Bombardment Squadrons (BS). The 494th was the last of seven heavy bombardment Groups – 488th through 494th – activated in the autumn of 1943, as B-29 Superfortress production was beginning in large numbers. The 494th was subsequently the last heavy bomb group formed and trained by the Army Air Forces.[citation needed]
The group's origins begin when the 10th Antisubmarine Squadron moved to Gowen Field, Idaho to retrain as a heavy bombardment unit with B-24s. At Gowen, the unit was renamed the 867th BS and moved to Wendover Field, Utah where it was joined by the newly activated 864th, 865th and 866th BS. The headquarters element of the group was formed from the staff of the 10th Antisubmarine Squadron.[citation needed] The group trained at Wendover until April when the base was converted by Second Air Force for B-29 training. It moved to Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho to complete its final phase of training. At Mountain Home, the group received new very long range B-24J aircraft in early May.[citation needed]
The group was dispatched to the Pacific, initially to Barking Sands Army Airfield in Hawaii. It flew from Idaho to Hamilton Field, California before its overseas movement. In Hawaii, the group received additional training in long range ocean navigation while the ground echelon of the group moved by rail to Seattle, then by troop ship to Hawaii, arriving in mid-June. The unit remained in Hawaii throughout the summer of 1944 while its B-24s were modified at Hickam Field to meet the standards required by Seventh Air Force. Modifications were completed by 1 August, however the group was not deployed to the Southwest Pacific Area until mid-September as its planned airfield on Angaur in the Palau Islands was not yet constructed due to ongoing combat on the island.[citation needed]
Aircraft were deployed from Hawaii on 10 October 1944, departing for Johnston Island, Kwajalein and Saipan. At Saipan, the unit was delayed a further 10 days due to combat ongoing in the Pelelieus. On Saipan, the 494th flew their first combat mission with crews of the 30th Bombardment Group, stationed on Saipan. The first elements of the 494th arrived on Angaur on 16 October, being strafed by Japanese forces still on the island as the battle of Bloody-Nose Ridge was still ongoing. As the area was finally secured in late October, additional aircraft began arriving; with the group completely established by the end of the month.[citation needed] The combat on the island had not allowed the construction of buildings and other support facilities, so the personnel of the group were engaged in construction activities upon their arrival.
The 494th entered combat on 3 November 1944 with attacks against Japanese airfields on Yap and Koror. Subsequently, the group engaged in very long range strategic bombing raids on other bypassed Japanese installations in the Pacific and against the Japanese in the Philippines. Late in 1944 the unit hit gun emplacements, personnel areas, ant storage depots on Corregidor and Caballo at the entrance to Manila Bay. It bombed radio installations and power plants at Japanese bases in the Philippines and attacked enemy-held airfields, including Clark Field on Luzon. Early in 1945 it struck airfields on Mindanao and ammunition and supply dumps in the Davao Gulf and Illana Bay areas.
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