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387th Air Expeditionary Group

(Redirected from 387th Air Expeditionary Operations Group)

The 387th Air Expeditionary Group is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base (Cargo City) in Kuwait.[1] Since 2022, it has been a direct reporting unit to United States Air Forces Central Command. It was previously under the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait. As a provisional unit assigned to Air Combat Command (ACC), it may be activated or inactivated by ACC at any time. In 2016, the group's mission was to provide support for base operations, coordination with host-nation partners, and administration of the joint-expeditionary-tasked individual augmentees in the United States Central Command area of responsibility.[2]

387th Air Expeditionary Group
Emblem of the 387th Air Expeditionary Group
Active
  • 1942–1945
  • 2003–present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Part ofUnited States Air Forces Central Command
Garrison/HQAbdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, Kuwait
Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Rhett Brown
Airmen deployed to the 387th Air Expeditionary Group render a salute during a Memorial Day ceremony[a]
Airmen from the 387th Air Expeditionary Group greet Vice President-elect Joe Biden as he boards an aircraft headed to Iraq 12 January 2008.

During World War II, the group's predecessor unit, the 387th Bombardment Group, was a Martin B-26 Marauder bombardment group assigned to the Eighth and later Ninth Air Force in Western Europe.

Expeditionary operations

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The unit was activated in 2003 as a Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and was inactivated after the active conflict ended. It is currently an active tenant organization of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, stationed at both Abdullah Al-Mubarak Air Base, Kuwait, and Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, under Air Mobility Command.

The 387 AEG provides base operating support integration functions for Coalition forces and civilian contractors at one of the busiest United States Air Force Aerial Port of Debarkation worldwide. The Airmen of the 387th provide security, anti-terrorism and force protection, civil engineering, emergency management, personnel support, line-haul convoy operations, vehicle maintenance/fleet management, and base supply in support of the primary intra-theater airlift hub for all Joint and Coalition operations going into and out of Iraq and Afghanistan.[3]

Units in 2016:

Units in 2022:[6]

History

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387th Bombardment Group

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B-26B of the 558th Bomb Squadron[b]
B-26B of the 556th Bomb Squadron[c]

The 387th Bombardment Group (Medium) was constituted on 25 November 1942, and activated on 1 December 1942 at MacDill Field near Tampa, Florida. The group had four operational squadrons, the 556th, 557th, 558th, and 559th Bombardment Squadrons, and was equipped with the Martin B-26B/C Marauder. After training at several stateside airfields, the group was deployed to England in June 1943.[7]

In England, the 387th was assigned to the Eighth Air Force's 3rd Bomb Wing and stationed at RAF Chipping Ongar in Essex. The 387th was the fourth Marauder group to arrive in the UK. The group began combat on 15 August 1943 by joining with three other B-26 groups attacking coastal defenses on the French Coast near Boulogne in conditions of thick fog. While taking off, one of the B-26 Bombers crashed at the end of the main runway, killing all of the crew members except the tail gunner. The group concentrated its attacks on airfields during the first months of operations. In common with other Marauder units of the 3rd Bomb Wing, the 387th was transferred to Ninth Air Force on 16 October 1943.[8]

The group made tactical strikes on V-weapon sites in France in the winter of 1943 to 1944. The group hit airfields at Leeuwarden and Venlo during Big Week, 20–25 February 1944, the intensive campaign against the German Air Force and aircraft industry. The group helped to prepare for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, by attacking coastal batteries and bridges in France during May 1944. The 387th AEG bombed along the invasion coast on D-Day, 6 June 1944 and supported ground forces throughout the month by raiding railroads, bridges, road junctions, defended areas, and fuel dumps.[9]

The 387th Bomb Group moved to RAF Stoney Cross in Hampshire on 18 July 1944 when Ninth Air Force moved the 98th Bomb Wing's four Marauder groups into the New Forest area at the earliest opportunity to place them closer to the French Normandy invasion beaches. On 21 July 1944, the 387th became operational from Stoney Cross, bombing along the invasion coast and supporting ground forces by raiding railways, bridges, road junctions, defended areas, and fuel dumps.

By 1 September 1944, the group was able to move across the English Channel to its Advanced Landing Ground at a former Luftwaffe airfield at Maupertus, France (A-15).

In April 1945 the group ended combat operations, and then on 24 May 1945 was sent to Rosières-en-Santerre Air Base, France, for several months. The 387th Bomb Group returned to the US in November and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on 17 November 1945.

387th Air Expeditionary Group

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The 387th Air Expeditionary Group was activated by Air Combat Command as part of the Global War on Terror in 2003. The 387th was a blend of attack and reconnaissance forces, consisting of close to 500 103 FW and 104 FW personnel and totaling approximately 1,300 personnel. A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft were assigned to the 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from the 131st Fighter Squadron (104th Fighter Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard), Barnes Municipal Airport (11 aircraft), and the 118th Fighter Squadron (103rd Fighter Wing, Connecticut Air National Guard) from Bradley Air National Guard Base (seven Aircraft).

Together, the deployed A-10 pilots logged 1,119 sorties and 3,821 flying hours (3,100 combat hours during 900 sorties) with no combat losses or battle damage. The missions included 35 combat-search-and-rescue (CSAR) sorties, with the rescue of an aircraft crew and numerous medical evacuations.

In 2021, the 387th AEG assisted in the evacuation of over 124,000 Afghan personnel from Hamid Karzai International Airport in what was the largest humanitarian airlift in history.[6]

In 2024, members of the 387th AEG deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.[10]

Lineage

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  • Constituted as 387th Bombardment Group (Medium) on 25 November 1942
Redesignated 387th Bombardment Group, Medium
Activated on 1 December 1942
Inactivated on 17 November 1945
Redesignated 387th Bombardment Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
Redesignated 387th Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status 1 January 2003.
Activated in mid January 2003
Inactivated on 1 May 2003
Inactivated in 2024
Activated in 2024

Assignments

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Attached to United States Air Forces Central Command, 2003 – unknown
387th Air Expeditionary Wing, unknown – present

Components

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  • 556th Bombardment Squadron: 1 December 1942 – 17 November 1945
  • 557th Bombardment Squadron: 1 December 1942 – 17 November 1945
  • 558th Bombardment Squadron: 1 December 1942 – 17 November 1945
  • 559th Bombardment Squadron: 1 December 1942 – 17 November 1945
  • 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, 2003
  • 387th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, 2003 – 6 March 2012[11]
  • 387th Expeditionary Support Squadron[12]
  • 387th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron[12]

Stations

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See also

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References

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Notes

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Explanatory notes
  1. ↑ During the ceremony at an air base in the Persian Gulf Region, a 21-gun salute was conducted along with a laying of a wreath to honor the men and women who have died in military service.
  2. ↑ Aircraft is Martin B-26B-15-MA Marauder, serial 41-31665.
  3. ↑ Aircraft is Martin B-26B-50-MA Marauder, serial 42-95857.
Citations
  1. ↑ "Cargo City officially opens as new gateway in Kuwait". Defense Logistics Agency. Archived from the original on 30 April 2025. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  2. ↑ 387 AEG salutes new leader, Senior Airman Zachary Kee, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, 8 June 2016
  3. ↑ "386th Air Expeditionary Wing Units". 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Expeditionary wing brings the fight to the enemy". U.S. Air Force. 7 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Operation Inherent Resolve". DVIDS. 5 December 2016.
  6. 1 2 "387th Air Expeditionary Group receives new commander during assumption of command ceremony". U.S. Air Forces Central. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "387th Bombardment Group". Army Air Corps Library and Museum. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Rickard, J (7 January 2014). "387th Bombardment Group". History of War. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "387th Bombardment Group – Chronology". 387bg.com. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "OPERATION Inherent Resolve: The 'Air Force Blue Line'". DVIDS. Retrieved 29 April 2026.
  11. ↑ Combat truckers roll out for last time, 3 September 2012
  12. 1 2 Group effort brings new road to 387 AEG, Senior Airman Zachary Kee, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs, 21 September 2016

Bibliography

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to 387th Bombardment Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons

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