457th Air Expeditionary Group | |
|---|---|
 AB-52H Stratofortress takes off from the 457th Group's base in April 2003[note 1] | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1993–1994; 2003 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | expeditionary operations |
| Part of | United States Air Forces Europe |
| Nickname | The Fireball Outfit[1] |
| Motto | Fait AccompliFrench Mission Accomplished |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award wilthCombat "V" Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 457th Air Expeditionary Group emblem |  |
| 457th Bombardment Group emblem[1] |  |
| World War II Tail Code[1] | Triangle withU |
The United States Air Force's457th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisionalUnited States Air Force unit assigned toUnited States Air Forces in Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. It has been activated to supportOperation Iraqi Freedom, joint operations with theTanzania Air Force Command and forOperation Odyssey Dawn.
Thegroup was activated duringWorld War II as the457th Bombardment Group. It flewBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress from England, entering thestrategic bombing campaign duringBig Week. It flew 7,086 sorties before returning to the United States for inactivation in the summer of 1945. It was again active from 1993 to 1994 as the457th Operations Group, controllingAir Mobility Command'sair refueling operations atAltus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The 457th was converted to provisional status in 2001.
The457th Bombardment Group was activated atGeiger Field, Washington on 1 July 1943 with the748th,749th,750th and751st Bombardment Squadrons assigned.[2][3] It moved a week later toRapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, where it began training with theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber and completed the first two phases of its training there. It completed its training atEphrata Army Air Base, Washington, then moved toWendover Field, Utah for final preparation for overseas movement.[4] It departed for theEuropean Theater of Operations on New Years Day, 1944.[2]
Thegroup assembled at its combat station,RAF Glatton by the end of the month. The air echelon had begun arriving at Glatton on 21 January.[4] The group flew its first mission duringBig Week on 21 February 1944, asEighth Air Force concentrated its attacks on Germany's aircraft manufacturing industry. It engaged primarily in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany, attackingball bearing plants,oil refineries and aircraft factories until June 1944. In July 1944, the group returned to strategic targets, which remained its primary objectives through April 1945.[2] On 2 November 1944, the 457th and another group strayed from the main bomber stream and its fighter cover.Luftwaffe fighter controllers directed ageschwader ofinterceptors against the formation. Nine of the 457th Group's Flying Fortresses were lost to this attack.[5]
In June 1944, the group was diverted from its strategic mission to prepare forOperation Overlord, the invasion of France. OnD Day, it attackedcoastal defenses on theCherbourg Peninsula. For the remainder of the month it was engaged inair interdiction, strikingairfields, rail systems and roads and depots behind enemy lines. The group was also diverted to tactical targets for shorter periods. In July 1944, it supportedOperation Cobra the breakout of ground forces atSaint Lo. DuringOperation Market Garden, the attempt to secure bridgeheads across theRhine River in the Netherlands, it supported theBritish 1st Airborne Division. It provided similar support during theBattle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945, andOperation Varsity, the airborne assault across theRhine in March 1945.[2]
The group flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. In fourteen months in combat, the group had flown 7086 sorties. It claimed the destruction of 33 enemy aircraft, but lost 83 Flying Fortresses. FollowingV-E Day, it transportedprisoners of war from Austria to France.[2] The air echelon departed Glatton between 19 and 23 May, while the ground echelon sailed on theRMS Queen Elizabeth on 24 June, arriving at the New York Port of Emarkation five days later.[4] It assembled atSioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota in late July. It was inactivated there the following month.[2]
On Saturday, 28 July 1945, Lieutenant Colonel William F. Smith lost his way while ferrying a 457thNorth American B-25 Mitchell bomber fromBedford Army Air Base to Sioux Falls viaNewark Airport. Emerging from low cloud at about 900 feet (270 m) Smith found himself among the skyscrapers ofMidtown Manhattan. His aircraft crashed headlong into the 79th floor level of theEmpire State Building, killing Smith, two passengers and eleven office workers. The B-25 exploded on impact spraying burning fuel into34th Street below, one of the engines completely passing through the building and out the other side.[6]
On 1 July 1993,Air Mobility Command (AMC) transferred its crew training mission atAltus Air Force Base, Oklahoma toAir Education and Training Command (AETC). Although the97th Air Mobility Wing remained the host at Altus, it became an AETC wing. The two operationalair refueling squadrons at Altus, the11th and306th Air Refueling Squadrons, and theirBoeing KC-135R Stratotankers were transferred to the reactivated457th Operations Group.[7] The 457th's squadrons deployed personnel and aircraft toAviano Air Base, Italy, andIncirlik Air Base, Turkey to supportOperation Northern andOperation Southern Watch duties as the lead tanker unit. The 11th Squadron was inactivated in August 1994, while the group and the 306th Squadron remained active until 1 October 1994.[citation needed]
The group was converted to provisional status as the457th Air Expeditionary Group in February 2001 and assigned toUnited States Air Forces in Europe to activate or inactivate as needed.[8]
In the spring of 2003, the group was activated atRAF Fairford to support approximately a dozenBoeing B-52 Stratofortresses deployed fromMinot Air Force Base, North Dakota, bombingIraq War targets. While at Fairford, the bombers flew 120 sorties, both bombing and leaflet dropping.[9] On a sortie flown on 11 April 2003, a 457th crew deployed from the917th Wing atBarksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana used theLitening II precision targeting pod system, which uses alaser designator to "paint" targets. Although the system had been used by other platforms, this was its first use in combat by a B-52[10] The bombers returned to North Dakota on 24 April, but elements of the group remained behind to secure materiel, including unexpended munitions.[9]
The group was activated for three months in 2008 atDar es Salaam Tanzania. During this time, it had an air control squadron and an air base squadron assigned.[11][12]
In 2011, the group was briefly active atNaval Station Rota, Spain to supportOperation Odyssey Dawn, the enforcement of a no fly zone over Libya.[13]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award withCombat "V" Device | 1 February 2003–31 May 2003[20] | 457th Air Expeditionary Group |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1993-30 June 1994[20] | 457th Operations Group |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 28 January 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 457th Bombardment Group[2] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 457th Bombardment Group[2] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 457th Bombardment Group[2] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 457th Bombardment Group[2] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 457th Bombardment Group[2] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 457th Bombardment Group[2] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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