387th Bombardment Group

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 and 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 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 1943–1944. 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. Bombed along the invasion coast on 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).

The group ended combat operations in April 1945. On 24 May 1945, the group 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

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 around 1,300. A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft were assigned to the 131st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from the 131 FS, 104 FW (Massachusetts ANG), Barnes MAP (11 aircraft) and 118 FS, 103 FW (Connecticut ANG), Bradley ANGB (7 Aircraft).^{[ expand abbreviation ]}

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 CSAR sorties, with the rescue of an aircraft crew and numerous medical evacuations.

Assignments

• III Bomber Command, 1 December 1942 – 10 June 1943
• 3d Bombardment Wing, 25 June 1943
• IX Bomber Command, 16 October 1943
• 98th Combat Bombardment Wing (later 98th Bombardment Wing), 5 December 1943 – November 1945
• Army Service Forces, Port of Embarkation (for inactivation), 14–17 November 1945
• Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate any time after 1 January 2003

Attached to United States Air Forces Central Command, 2003 – unknown

387th Air Expeditionary Wing, unknown – present

Components

• 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 ^[10]
• 387th Expeditionary Support Squadron ^[11]
• 387th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron ^[11]

Stations

Notes

Explanatory notes

Citations

Bibliography

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

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• Freeman, Roger A. (1994) UK Airfields of the Ninth: Then and Now 1994. After the Battle ISBN   0-900913-80-0
• Freeman, Roger A. (1996) The Ninth Air Force in Colour: UK and the Continent-World War Two. After the Battle ISBN   1-85409-272-3
• Johnson, 1st Lt. David C. (1988). U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 September 2016.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN   0-912799-02-1. LCCN   61060979.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN   0-405-12194-6. LCCN   70605402. OCLC   72556. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2016.
• A-10 Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom – Part II