387th Air Expeditionary Group The 387th Air Expeditionary Group ( 387 AEG ) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing at Ali Al Salem Air Base , Kuwait under USAFCENT . As a provisional unit , it may be activated or inactivated at any time . During World War II , the group ' s predecessor unit , the 387th Bombardment Group ( Medium ) was a B - 26 Marauder bombardment group assigned to the Eighth and later Ninth Air Force in Western Europe . Overview . Active in 2003 as an A - 10 Thunderbolt II unit as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom , it was inactivated after the active conflict ended . However , it currently appears to be an active tenant organization of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing , stationed at Ali Al Salem Air Base , Kuwait associated with Air Mobility Command . History . 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 , 556th ( FW ) , 557th ( KS ) , 558th ( KX ) , and 559th ( TQ ) 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 . In England , the 387th was assigned to the Eighth Air Force 3d 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 defences on the French Coast near Boulogne , and was mounted in 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 3d Bomb Wing , the 387th was transferred to Ninth Air Force on 16 October 1943 . The group made tactical strikes on V - weapon sites in France in the winter of 1943 – 1944 . Hit airfields at Leeuwarden and Venlo during Big Week , 20 – 25 February 1944 , the intensive campaign against the German Air Force and aircraft industry . Helped to prepare for 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 . The 387th Bomb Group moved to RAF Stoney Cross in Hampshire on 21 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 27 June 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 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 the group was sent to Rosieres - 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 387 AEG was a blend of attack and reconnaissance forces , consisting of close to 500 104 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 ( MA ) ( 11 aircraft ) and 118 FS , 103 FW ( Connecticut ANG ) , Bradley ANGB ( CT ) ( 7 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 CSAR sorties , with the rescue of an aircraft crew and numerous medical evacuations to the unit ' s credit . All 18 aircraft arrived as formation over Bradley IAP on 29 April 2003 . Diverting to the west of the air base , the formation split up . The 104 FW aircraft swung north , the 103rd FW aircraft went on to Hartford for a fly - by salute at the state Capitol before touching down one by one .