| 453rd Bombardment Group (later 453d Expeditionary Air Refueling Group) | |
|---|---|
 453rd Bomb GroupB-24 Liberators on a mission over enemy territory | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1992–1994 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | heavy bomber,air refueling |
| Mottos | Attack and Destroy |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| 453d Bombardment Group emblem[1] |  |
| Early 453d Bombardment Group tail marking[1] | Circle J |
| Later 453d Bombardment Group tail marking[1] | Black, diagonal white stripe |
The453rd Bombardment Group is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit that was first organized in June 1943, duringWorld War II, as aConsolidated B-24 Liberatorheavy bomber group. After training in the United States, it deployed to England in December 1943, and, starting in February 1944, participated in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany withEighth Air Force. Its733d Bombardment Squadron completed 82 consecutive missions without a loss, a record for Eighth Air Force bomber units.James Stewart, of film fame, was group operations officer from 31 March to 1 July 1944. The group was programmed for redeployment to the Pacific and returned to the United States in May 1945 for training, however theJapanese surrender cancelled these plans and the group was inactivated in September 1945.
Thegroup was redesignated the453rd Operations Group and activated atFairchild Air Force Base in June 1992 to commandAir Mobility Command (AMC)'sair refueling units atFairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated in July 1994, when the92nd Bomb Wing at Fairchild became an air refueling unit and transferred fromAir Combat Command to AMC.
It was converted to provisional status as the453d Expeditionary Air Refueling Group in 2002.
The453rd Bombardment Group was activated atWendover Field, Utah on 1 June 1943 with the732nd,[2]733rd,734th and735th Bombardment Squadrons[3] assigned as its original elements. It then moved toPocatello Army Air Field, Idaho, where it was brought up to strength and trained withConsolidated B-24 Liberators. Thegroup completed its training atMarch Field, California, in December before departing for theEuropean Theater of Operations, with the ground echelon embarking on 2 December.[4][5]
The ground echelon arrived at the group's combat station,RAF Old Buckenham, on 23 December 1943. By January 1944, it was fully established at Old Buckenham with the arrival of the air echelon. The 453rd flew its first mission against anairfield atTours on 4 February 1944. It then participated primarily in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany. Toward the end of February, the squadron took part inBig Week, the concentrated attack on the German aircraft manufacturing industry. Other targets in Germany included a rail viaduct atAltenbeken, a fuel storage facility atDulmen,oil refineries atGelsenkirchen, anordnance depot atGlinde, an aircraft assembly plant atGotha, a rail center atHamm, a chemical factory atLeverkusen, a commercial canal atMinden, an airfield atNeumunster andmarshalling yards atPaderborn.[4]
The group also engaged inair support andair interdiction missions. It bombedV-1 flying bomb andV-2 rocket launch sites, airfields andcoastal defense guns to prepare forOperation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. OnD-Day, it struck coastal fortifications betweenLe Havre andCherbourg Naval Base and enemy positions inland from the landing area. It made attacks on enemy troops to supportOperation Cobra, the breakout atSaint Lo in July 1944. It bombed Germanlines of communication during theBattle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945.[4]
On two occasions, the squadron carried outairlift missions. In September 1944, it flew rations, gasoline and blankets to advancing troops in France. DuringOperation Varsity, the airborne assault across theRhine nearWesel, it dropped medical supplies, food and ammunition to troops at the bridgehead. The squadron flew its last mission on 12 April 1945, and was withdrawn from combat to prepare for possible redeployment to the Pacific.[4][5]
James "Jimmy" Stewart, the Hollywood movie star, was group operations officer at Old Buckenham during the spring of 1944.[5] The actorWalter Matthau also served in the group as a radioman-gunner, rising to the rank ofstaff sergeant.[6] The group's 733rd Bombardment Squadron flew 82 consecutive missions without a loss, which was a record for Eighth Air Force bomber units. The group flew 259 combat missions, during which it lost 58 Liberators, against the claim of 42 enemy aircraft destroyed.[5]
The 453rd Group was withdrawn from combat operations on 12 April 1945 to prepare for possible redeployment to the Pacific Theate. Personnel departed Old Buckenham for the port of embarkation on 9 May 1945, apparently leaving their aircraft behind. The squadron assembled atNew Castle Army Air Field, Delaware in late May, but soon moved toFort Dix Army Air Base, New Jersey. Initial plans to convert the unit to a very heavy bomber squadron were canceled following theJapanese surrender in August 1945, after which the unit was inactivated on 12 September.[4][5]
WhenStrategic Air Command was disestablished on 1 June 1992, its92nd Wing atFairchild Air Force Base, Washington was transferred to the newAir Combat Command and redesignated the 92d Bomb Wing as it lost its refueling elements.[7] Its92d Air Refueling Squadron and itsBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers were transferred toAir Mobility Command (AMC).[8] The 453rd was redesignated the453rd Operations Group and activated the same day as the headquarters for the92d Air Refueling Squadron, which was assigned to it, along with the 453rd Operations Support Squadron.[8]
However, with the drawdown of the manned bomber force, it was decided that Fairchild would become an AMC tanker base. In anticipation of the increase of the refueling mission at Fairchild, the97th Air Refueling Squadron moved to Fairchild fromMalmstrom Air Force Base, Montana on 1 April 1994,[9] and the96th and98th Air Refueling Squadrons were activated and assigned to the group the same day.[10][11] The transition was completed on 1 July 1994, when the 92nd Wing became the 92nd Air Refueling Wing[7] as its325th Bomb Squadron inactivated.[12] The four refueling squadrons of the 453d transferred to the92nd Operations Group[8][10][9][11] and the 453d Group[13] and its support squadron inactivated.
In February 2001, the group was converted to provisional status as the453rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Group and assigned toUnited States Air Forces in Europe to activate or inactivate as needed for contingency operations.[13]
In February 2015, it was announced that Old Buckenham Airport the modern civilian name for RAF Old Buckenham applied for permission to build a museum dedicated to the 453rd at their former base in England. The plans are for the erection of twoNissen huts, one of which will house an items described as having the potential to be the largest collection of 453rd Bomb Group memorabilia in existence.[14]
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 23 December 1943 – 5 June 1944 | 453rd Bombardment Group[4] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 453rd Bombardment Group[4] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 453rd Bombardment Group[4] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 453rd Bombardment Group[4] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 453rd Bombardment Group[4] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 453rd Bombardment Group[4] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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