485th Air Expeditionary Wing | |
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 A row ofC-130 Hercules from 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 |
The485th Air Expeditionary Wing is a provisionalUnited States Air Force unit 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 Freedom in 2003 atTabuk Regional Airport, Saudi Arabia, in 2003.[3]
The wing was first activated as the485th Bombardment Group, aConsolidated B-24 Liberator heavybombardment group that served withFifteenth Air Force during World War II. The group was awarded theDistinguished Unit Citation for 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 missiles from 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 Treaty in 1989. In 2003 the wing was converted to provisional status as the485th Air Expeditionary Wing and allotted to Air Combat Command.
When activated in 2003, the 485 AEW was a composite wing of 24McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eaglefighter aircraft and 46Lockheed C-130H Herculesairlift aircraft 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 Freedom and 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 rate greater 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]
Thewing was 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 Squadron atGowen Field, Idaho.[7] The 831st was an experiencedConsolidated B-24 Liberator squadron that had been performinganti-submarine warfare missions as the 11th Antisubmarine Squadron.[7] The group deployed to Gowen, where it derived its initialcadre from the29th Bombardment Group[8] and was assigned toSecond Air Force for 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 Force in 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 Citation for 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 communications and other targets during March and April 1945 to support the advance ofBritish Eighth Army in 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 Superfortress very 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 Force for 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 Forces becameStrategic Air Command and Second Air Force was replaced by Fifteenth Air Force as the group's intermediate headquarters. Simultaneously, the506th Bombardment Squadron was assigned to the group from the44th Bombardment Group.[12] In August 1946 the personnel and equipment of the 485th were reassigned to the97th Bombardment Group and the 485th was inactivated.[6][13]
In 1954 USAF began deployingTM-61 Matadorcruise missiles to Germany. By 1956, three squadrons were in place and USAFE organized the701st Tactical Missile Wing with a subordinate group at each of the main bases where Matadors were stationed.[14] The585th Tactical Missile Group was activated atBitburg Air Base, Germany in September 1956 to command the1st Tactical Missile Squadron and 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 Wing in 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 onboardradar to 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]
The485th Tactical Missile Wing was activated atFlorennes Air Base, Belgium in August 1984. The firstGryphon missile arrived on 28 August[20] and the wing began operating the Gryphon from 1985 until the implementation of theIntermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 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]
485th Bombardment Group
585th Tactical Missile Group
485th Air Expeditionary Wing
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Tactical Squadrons
Support Squadrons
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| 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] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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