Description
Computer made/mounted on velcro 3.5inch/90mm
446th OPERATIONS GROUP
Lineage. Established as 446 Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 20 Mar 1943. Activated on 1 Apr 1943. Redesignated as 446 Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 20 Aug 1943. Inactivated on 28 Aug 1945. Redesignated as 446 Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 26 Sep 1947. Activated in the Reserve on 26 Mar 1948. Redesignated as 446 Bombardment Group, Heavy, on 27 Jun 1949. Ordered to Active Duty on 1 May 1951. Inactivated on 25 Jun 1951. Redesignated as 446 Troop Carrier Group, Medium, on 11 Apr 1955. Activated in the Reserve on 25 May 1955. Inactivated on 14 Apr 1959. Redesignated as: 446 Military Airlift Group on 31 Jul 1985; 446 Operations Group on 1 Aug 1992. Activated in the Reserve on 1 Aug 1992.
Assignments. Second Air Force, 1 Apr 1943; II Bomber Command, Apr 1943; Eighth Air Force, c. 2 Nov 1943; VIII Bomber Command, 5 Nov 1943; 2 Bombardment Division, 9 Nov 1943; 20 Combat Bombardment Wing, Nov 1943; 96 Combat Bombardment Wing, 1 Jun 1945; Second Air Force, 15 Jul-28 Aug 1945. 309 Bombardment Wing (later, 309 Air Division), 26 Mar 1948; Eighth Air Force, 27 Jun 1949-25 Jun 1951. 446 Troop Carrier Wing, 25 May 1955-14 Apr 1959. 446 Airlift Wing, 1 Aug 1992-.
Operational Components. Squadrons. 97 Airlift: 1 Aug 1992-. 313 Airlift: 1 Aug 1992-. 357 Troop Carrier: 25 Mar 1958-14 Apr 1959. 704 Bombardment (later, 704 Troop Carrier): 1 Apr 1943-28 Aug 1945; 26 Mar 1948-25 Jun 1951; 25 May 1955-14 Apr 1959. 705 Bombardment (later, 705 Troop Carrier): 1 Apr 1943-28 Aug 1945; 26 Mar 1948-25 Jun 1951; 25 May 1955-14 Apr 1959. 706 Bombardment (later, 706 Troop Carrier): 1 Apr 1943-28 Aug 1945; 26 Mar 1948-27 Jun 1949; 8 Oct 1955-16 Nov 1957; 7 Feb-14 Apr 1959. 707 Bombardment: 1 Apr 1943-28 Aug 1945; 22 Apr 1948-27 Jun 1949. 728 Airlift: 1 Aug 1992-.
Stations. Davis-Monthan Field, AZ, 1 Apr 1943; Lowry Field, CO, 8 Jun-19 Oct 1943; Flixton, England, c. 2 Nov 1943-6 Jul 1945; Sioux Falls AAFld, SD, 15 Jul-28 Aug 1945. Carswell AFB, TX, 26 Mar 1948-25 Jun 1951. Ellington AFB, TX, 25 May 1955-14 Apr 1959. McChord AFB (later, Joint Base Lewis-McChord), WA, 1 Aug 1992-.
Aircraft. B-24, 1943-1945. Unkn, 1948-1951. C-45, 1955-1958; C-46, 1955-1958; C-119, 1958-1959. C-141, 1992-2002; C-17, 1999-.
Operations. Trained in the US with B-24s before moving to England, Oct-Nov 1943. Assigned to the Eighth Air Force, the 446 Bombardment Group operated chiefly against strategic objectives on the European continent from Dec 1943 until Apr 1945. Targets included U-Boat installations at Kiel, the port at Bremen, a chemical plant at Ludwigshafen, ball-bearing works at Berlin, aero-engine plants at Rostock, aircraft factories at Munich, marshalling yards at Coblenz, motor works at Ulm, and oil refineries at Hamburg. Besides strategic missions, the group supported the Normandy invasion in Jun 1944 by attacking strong points, bridges, airfields, and other targets in France. The 446th aided ground forces at Caen and St Lo during July by hitting bridges, gun batteries, and enemy troops. The group dropped supplies to Allied troops near Nijmegen during the airborne attack on Holland in September, bombed marshalling yards, bridges, and road junctions during the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945, and dropped supplies to airborne and ground troops near Wesel during the Allied assault across the Rhine in Mar 1945. The 446th flew its last combat mission on 25 Apr, attacking a bridge near Salzburg. The group returned to the US, Jun-Jul, and inactivated on 28 Aug 1945. Activated in the Reserve on 26 Mar 1948, the group evidently trained as a bombardment group until inactivated on 25 Jun 1951. From 1955 to 1959, trained for and flew various airlift missions. Since activation in 1992, the group has flown channel, special assignment, and humanitarian airlift missions worldwide and taken part in joint and combined training exercises, both within the United States and abroad.
Service Streamers. None.
Campaign Streamers. World War II: Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe; Air Combat, EAME Theater.
Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers. None.
Decorations. Meritorious Unit Awards: 1 Oct 2005-30 Sep 2006; 1 Oct 2006-30 Sep 2007.
Emblem. Group will use the wing emblem with the group designation in the scroll.