416th Air Expeditionary Wing The 416th Air Expeditionary Wing ( AEW ) is a provisional unit assigned to the Air Combat Command of the United States Air Force to activate or inactivate as needed . The wing began life in World War II as the 416th Bombardment Group ( BG ) . The group was a Douglas A - 20 Havoc light bomb group assigned to Ninth Air Force in Western Europe . It was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its actions in France when , in spite of intense resistance , the group bombed bridges , railways , rolling stock , and a radar station to disrupt the German retreat through the Falaise - Argentan gap . It converted to Douglas A - 26 Invader s while engaged in combat and continued to support ground forces through the end of the war . The group ' s heritage was continued by the 416th Bombardment Wing ( BW ) , a Strategic Air Command B - 52 Stratofortress wing that conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations on a global scale based at Griffiss Air Force Base in New York . 416th BW crews and aircraft deployed to the Pacific during the Vietnam War era to support SAC operations during the conflict . In 1984 , the wing and group were consolidated and became a single unit . In 1991 , wing crews and aircraft participated in the war in Southwest Asia . The 416th was inactivated as part of the Post - Cold War drawdown of United States strategic forces in 1995 ( BRAC 1993 ) and the closure of Griffiss AFB . In 2002 the wing was converted to provisional status as the 416th Air Expeditionary Group It served as the host unit at Karshi - Khanabad Air Base ( K2 ) , in Qarshi , Uzbekistan , from 2002 – 2005 , where it supported operations against the Taliban and al - Qaeda in Afghanistan . It was redesignated as the 416th Air Expeditionary Wing in 2010 , but the current status of this unit is not publicly known . History . World War II . Training in the United States . The wing was first activated on 5 February 1943 without personnel , at Will Rogers Field , Oklahoma as the 416th Bombardment Group ( Light ) ( BG ) . The original squadrons of the group were the 668th , 669th , 670th , and 671st Bombardment Squadron s Fifty - one officers and two hundred and forty - one ( 241 ) enlisted men were transferred to the group on 15 February 1943 . The source of the cadre was the 46th Bombardment Group and units from Will Rogers Field ; Blythe AAF , California ; Barksdale Field , Louisiana and a number of men with considerable overseas experience from the Third Air Force Replacement Center , Plant Park , Florida . On that date , the 46th BG moved to the North side of Will Rogers Field , leaving the South side to the 416th BG . The group originally operated as an Operational Training Unit under the III Air Support Command , providing a portion of the initial cadre of the 417th Bombardment Group . The group fell back on the 46th BG for assistance with its training . Pilots were attached to the 46th BG for transition flying during the first three months of its existence . On 11 May , the first eight ( 8 ) planes were assigned to the 416th Group . One North American B - 25C Mitchell and one Douglas A - 20B Havoc was given to each of the 668th and 669th Squadrons . Two A - 20B ' s were assigned to each of the 670th and 671st Squadrons . Classes in all the military occupational specialties were conducted by the 46th until 1 June 1943 . The Pilots attended Ground School , for five hours a day , in the following subjects : code , link trainer , aircraft recognition , operation and maintenance of the A - 20 and B - 25 , air navigation , radio , instrument procedure , etc . The Intelligence personnel attended classes for one hour a day . Combat in the European Theater . The bombardment group moved to England in January to February 1944 , and was assigned to Ninth Air Force . It entered combat in March 1944 , and during the next several weeks directed most of its attacks against V - 1 and V - 2 sites in France . In addition to the assigned code markings assigned to each of its squadrons , the 416th ' s aircraft were marked with a " white diagonal stripe emanating outwards from the [ trailing ] edge of the . . . rudder . " The 416th flew a number of missions against airfields and coastal defenses to help prepare for the invasion of Normandy . It supported the invasion in June 1944 by striking road junctions , marshalling yard , bridges , and railway overpasses . The group assisted ground forces at Caen and Saint - Lô in July and at Brest later in the summer , by hitting transportation facilities , supply dumps , radar installations , and other targets . In spite of intense resistance , the group bombed bridges , railways , rolling stock , and a radar station to disrupt the enemy ' s retreat through the Falaise gap , 6 – 9 August 1944 , and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the missions . The group assisted the airborne attack on Holland in September . It also supported the assault on the Siegfried Line by pounding transportation , warehouses , supply dumps , and defended villages in Germany . in November , the group converted to Douglas A - 26 Invader aircraft . With its new aircraft it attacked transportation facilities , strong points , communications centers , and troop concentrations during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945 . It aided the Allied thrust into Germany by continuing its strikes against transportation , communications , airfields , storage depots , and other objectives , February — May 1945 . It also bombed flak positions in support of the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945 . The group returned to the US between July and October 1945 and was inactivated at the Port of Embarkation on 24 October 1945 . Cold War . 4039th Strategic Wing . The origins of the 416th Bombardment Wing begin on 1 August 1958 when Strategic Air Command established the 4039th Strategic Wing at Griffiss AFB , New York as part of SAC ' s plan to disperse its B - 52 Stratofortress heavy bombers over a larger number of bases , thus making it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike . The wing remained a headquarters only until 5 January 1959 when the 41st Air Refueling Squadron , flying Boeing KC - 135 Stratotanker s and three maintenance squadrons were activated and assigned to the wing and the wing was transferred from Eighth Air Force to the 820th Air Division . In July , the 56th Aviation Depot Squadron was activated to oversee the wing ' s special weapons . It became fully organized on 15 October 1959 when the 75th Bombardment Squadron ( BS ) , consisting of 15 Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress es moved to Griffiss from Loring AFB , Maine where it had been one of the three squadrons of the 42d Bombardment Wing . Half of the wing ' s aircraft were maintained on fifteen minute alert , fully fueled , armed , and ready for combat . The 4039th ( and later the 416th ) continued to maintain an alert commitment until December 1991 . In 1962 , the wing bomber s began to be equipped with the GAM - 77 Hound Dog and the GAM - 72 Quail air - launched cruise missiles , The 4039th Airborne Missile Maintenance Squadron was activated in November to maintain these missiles . However , SAC Strategic Wings could not carry a permanent history or lineage and SAC looked for a way to make its Strategic Wings permanent . 416th Bombardment Wing . In 1962 , in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious World War II records , Headquarters SAC received authority from Headquarters USAF to discontinue its Major Command controlled ( MAJCON ) strategic wings that were equipped with combat aircraft and to activate Air Force controlled ( AFCON ) units , most of which were inactive at the time which could carry a lineage and history . The 4039th SW was replaced by the newly constituted 416th Bombardment Wing ( 416th BW ) on 1 February 1963 and was assigned to SAC ' s 6th Air Division . The 75th BS was also replaced by the 668th Bombardment Squadron , one of the unit ' s World War II historical bombardment squadrons . The 41st Air Refueling Squadron and 56th Munitions Maintenance Squadron transferred to the 416th . The 4039th ' s maintenance and security squadrons were replaced by ones with the 416th numerical designation of the newly - established wing . Each of the new units assumed the personnel , equipment , and mission of its predecessor . Under the Dual Deputate organization , all components were directly assigned to the wing , no operational or maintenance group element was activated . The history , lineage and honors of the 416th Bombardment Group were temporarily bestowed upon the newly established wing upon activation . The 416th Bomb Wing continued to conduct strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations to meet operational commitments of Strategic Air Command , including deployments to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War with tankers and crews from December 1964 through December 1975 and with bomber crews from June 1968 through 1975 . The 416th BW assumed host wing responsibility at Griffiss AFB , New York on 1 July 1970 , when the base was transferred from Air Force Systems Command to SAC . In 1988 , the wing began to prepare for a primarily conventional warfare role . In June 1990 , the wing added a second air refueling squadron when the 509th Air Refueling Squadron moved to Griffiss from Pease AFB , New Hampshire and became part of the wing . Shortly afterward , in August , it began to deploy KC - 135s to Seeb International Airport and B - 52s to Spain , Diego Garcia , and England . From January to April 1991 the wing flew combat missions in Southwest Asia . In September 1991 , the wing ended its support of world wide air refueling operations . The wing was assigned to Air Combat Command ( ACC ) after inactivation of SAC on 1 June 1992 and its refueling squadrons were assigned to the 380th Operations Group of Air Mobility Command . Wing aircraft carried ACC Tail Code " GR " . The wing was inactivated in 1995 due to closure of Griffiss AFB . The 416th transferred the last two of its B - 52Hs to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB , North Dakota on 15 November 1994 in preparation for inactivation in 1995 with the closure of Griffiss AFB . Post Cold War era . The wing became a provisional air expeditionary group as part of the Global War on Terrorism in 2002 . It was assigned to Uzbekistan as an Air Combat Command unit in early 2002 . There it operated the base , which was used for transshipments of cargo and supplies from United States , for onward tactical airlift to combat forces in Afghanistan fighting Taliban and Al - Qaeda forces . The group was inactivated in November 2005 after the Uzbek government requested the United States withdraw its forces from their territory . In 2010 , the group was upgraded to wing but is not known to have been active under that designation . Lineage . 416th Bombardment Group 416th Bombardment Wing Components . Groups Operational Squadrons Support Squadrons Detachments