page_title: 401st Air Expeditionary Group
section_title: Torrejon Air Base
hierarchical_section_title: 401st Air Expeditionary Group / History / Cold War / United States Air Forces Europe / Torrejon Air Base
caption_attribution_description: English: F-4D Serial 66-7768 of the 614th TFS / 401st Tactical Fighter Wing, Torrejon Air Base, Spain. Comment&#160;: This is a F-4E .. I was stationed at Torrejon Air Base, Spain from Dec. 1969 until April 1973... I worked on them as a crew chief in the 307th.. they arrived in Jan. I believe and where still there when I left.. and before they arrived .. F100 was the aircraft stationed there ...
context_page_description: The 401st Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe to be activated or inactivated at any time as needed. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
  The group was first activated as the 401st Bombardment Group during World War II. The 401st entered combat with VIII Bomber Command, flying Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses from RAF Deenethorpe. The group earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for missions over Leipzig on 11 January and 20 February 1944. The 401st Bomb Group had the second best rating in bombing accuracy for Eighth Air Force.
  The group was activated briefly as an Air Force Reserve unit in 1947, but apparently was minimally manned. It was called to active duty in 1951 for the Korean War, but its personnel were used as fillers for other units and the group was soon inactivated.
  The group was again active in the 1950s as the 401st Fighter-Bomber Group at England AFB, Louisiana. It was inactivated in 1957 when Tactical Air Command replaced its groups reporting directly to TAC numbered air forces with like numbered wings and its squadrons were transferred to the 401st Fighter-Bomber Wing.
context_section_description: Prior to 1965, Torrejon AB hosted deployed squadrons of Boeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft rotating from CONUS Strategic Air Command (SAC) bases.  Although B-47 deployments ceased, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker deployments to support Operation Chrome Dome continued, but on a reduced basis, and the base was transferred to United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE). With the USAFE takeover of the base, the Air Force transferred the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing from England Air Force Base to USAFE on a permanent basis to Torrejon to perform host functions at the base and to support the rotational fighter deployments to Italy and Turkey for NATO alerts.  The 613th moved with the wing, where it was joined by the 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron from Homestead AFB, Florida, and the 353d Tactical Fighter Squadron from Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina.  The wing's 401st Combat Support Group took over the support functions, personnel, and equipment of SAC's 3970th Strategic Wing.
  In 1970 the 401st Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) upgraded to the McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II.  In September 1973, an equipment change to the F-4C model took place, then in 1978 to the F-4D.
  As a result of the withdrawal of USAF forces in South Vietnam, in 1972 the 307th and 353d fighter squadrons were returned to their home bases, and the 612th and 614th Tactical Fighter Squadrons (TFS) were assigned to Torrejon.  Also in 1972, squadron tail codes were eliminated and "TJ" became the tail code for all 401st TFW aircraft.
  In 1983 the 401st upgraded to the Block 15 F-16A/B Fighting Falcon.  The F-16s were upgraded to the Block 30 F-16C/D in July 1988.
  In January 1988 Spain and the United States announced jointly that agreement had been reached in principle on a new base agreement with an initial term of eight years.  The agreement essentially met conditions demanded by Spain that the USAF withdraw from a permanent presence on the base. The F-16 aircraft were to be removed from Torrejon by mid-1991. It was expected that this action would reduce the number of United States personnel in Spain by nearly one-half.
  Implementation of this agreement was delayed by the 1990/91 crisis in Southwest Asia, when the 401st TFW was one of the first American fighter wings to respond.  The 612th TFS deployed to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey as part of the 7440th Composite Wing(Provisional) and the 614th TFS deployed to Doha, Qatar where it became the core of the Tactical Fight Wing, 401st, Provisional, which was formed from the wing's support elements. However, after the 1991 cease-fire in Iraq, plans proceeded to close Torrejon Air Base.
caption: McDonnell F-4D Phantom II 66-8768 of the 307th Tactical Fighter Squadron. This aircraft is now on permanent display in front of VFW post in Bastrop, Texas.
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