474th Air Expeditionary Group The 474th Air Expeditionary Group ( 474 AEG ) is a provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command . It may be activated or inactivated at any time . Currently , it is believed that the 474 AEG is stationed at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona , and is deployed to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Cuba . Its current mission and operational components are undetermined , however it appears to be primarily a Civil Engineering organization . Its World War II predecessor unit , the 474th Fighter Group , was a Ninth Air Force combat unit which fought in the European Theater . First deployed to England , it provided tactical air support in support of U . S . First Army until V - E Day . History . The 474th Fighter Group was activated on 1 August 1943 at Glendale , California on 26 May 1943 . For the next several months the group trained for combat with P - 38 ' s . Moved to England , February – March 1944 where it was assigned to Ninth Air Force . The grass airfield and sandy soil at RAF Warmwell was considered suitable to support the 80 aircraft of a fighter group without metal tracking support . The personnel of the 474th Fighter Group arrived on 12 March from Oxnard Flight Strip , California flying Lockheed P - 38 " Lightnings " . The 474th was a group of Ninth Air Force ' s 70th Fighter Wing , IX Tactical Air Command . Probably because they detrained at Moreton railway station , the group often referred to RAF Warmwell as Moreton . Squadron markings on the vertical tail surfaces were a square for the 428th , a triangle for the 429th and it circle for the 430th . The 474th FG was the only one of the three Ninth Air Force groups equipped with the P - 38 in England that had trained with the type in the United States . The 474th carried out its first mission on 25 April with a sweep along the French coast . The P - 38 ' s ability to carry two 1 , 000 lb bombs with ease , and its heavy nose - mounted armament , made it an excellent ground attack aircraft , although it appeared to he far more vulnerable to light anti - aircraft and small arms fire than the redoubtable P - 47 . During 15 weeks of operations from Warmwell , 27 P - 38s were missing in action , all but five known or suspected lost due to ground fire . Three of these were lost to a ' bounce ' by FW 190Ds while escorting B - 26s on 7 May . On the night of 5 / 6 June , the group flew patrols over the invasion fleet and the two aircraft lost are believed to have collided . On the credit side , during an armed reconnaissance on 18 July , a 474th formation led by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Darling surprised a force of bomb - carrying Focke - Wulf Fw 190 s and shot down 10 Luftwaffe aircraft with the loss of only one P - 38 . The 474th FG was the last of the Ninth Air Force ' s 18 fighter groups to move to an Advanced Landing Ground ( ALG ) in France , departing from Warmwell for St . Lambert , France ( ALG A - 11 ) during the first week of August 1944 , the main body of aircraft departing on 6 August . The last mission from Warmwell , the group ' s 108th , was flown on the previous day . The group continued operations on the continent providing tactical air support in support of U . S . First Army until V - E Day , being stationed at Bad Langensalza , Germany ( ALG R - 2 ) at the end of hostilities . The 474th FG returned to Camp Kilmer , New Jersey during November 1945 and was inactivated on 8 December 1945 . Cold War . The 474th FBW was reactivated at Misawa AB , Japan , taking over the personnel and Republic F - 84G Thunderjet s of the Air National Guard 116th Fighter - Bomber Wing in July 1952 when the ANG was returned to state control . The wing was immediately ordered to Kunsan Air Base ( K - 8 ) . From Kunsan the wing entered combat in August 1952 and bombed and strafed bridges , bunkers , troop concentrations , artillery positions , and a host of other targets . On 16 March 1953 FEAF put into effect a new concept of a fighter - bomber wing ( reinforced ) to ease maintenance and support problems . In April 1953 , the 49th FBW was relocated to K - 8 ( Kunsan ) – in name only — for two of its squadrons . The 428 Kunsan became the 7th FBS ; and the 429th became the 8th FBS . Its 9th FBS was relocated to Misawa Air Base , Japan . The 430th of Kunsan was physically relocated with all personnel , equipment and aircraft to Taegu to replace the 9th . In the end , the 474th at Taegu had three squadrons , while the 49th at Kunsan had two squadrons . The 474th exchanged aircraft and personnel with the 49th Fighter Bomber Wing . In early summer 1953 , these two wings were combined into the 58th Fighter bomber Wing ( Reinforced ) and the 474th and 49th Wings were placed on inactive status . The 58th FB Wing then relocated to Tageu AB ( K - 2 ) South Korea . For its actions in the Korean War , the 474th Fighter Bomber Group received the Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation . Moved to the US , November – December 1954 , and became operational training unit for F - 100 aircraft for the 312th Fighter - Bobmer Wing at Clovis AFB , New Mexico . It was inactivated in 1958 when the group was elevated to wing status as the 474th Fighter - Bomber Wing . Discontinued as part of Air Force Tri - Deputate organization . Post Cold War . Activated as 474th Air Expeditionary Group by Air Combat Command at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona . Mission and units undetermined .