501st Combat Support Wing

501st Combat Support Wing
501st Combat Support Wing
	Airmen with the wing's 423rd Security Forces Squadron prepare to clear a building during an exercise at RAF Molesworth in 2020
Active	1944–1946; 1956–1958; 1982–1991; 2005–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Part of	United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa
Garrison/HQ	RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom
Motto(s)	Pathfinders "Light The Way"
Engagements	; World War II – Asia-Pacific Theater Air Offensive Japan; Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific;
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
501st Combat Support Wing emblem

The 501st Combat Support Wing is an administrative support

wing of the United States Air Force, based at RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom. It is one of three wings located in the United Kingdom as components of the Third Air Force and United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa

(USAFE).

Units

As of July 2022 [update] the 501st Combat Support Wing is made up of the following units:^[1]

422nd Air Base Group (RAF Croughton, United Kingdom)

420th Air Base Squadron (RAF Fairford, United Kingdom)

420th Munitions Squadron (RAF Welford, United Kingdom)

422nd Air Base Squadron

422nd Civil Engineer Squadron

422nd Communications Squadron

422nd Medical Squadron

422nd Security Forces Squadron

423rd Air Base Group (RAF Alconbury, United Kingdom)

421st Air Base Squadron (RAF Menwith Hill, United Kingdom)

423rd Civil Engineer Squadron

423rd Communications Squadron

423rd Force Support Squadron

423rd Medical Squadron

423rd Security Forces Squadron

426th Air Base Squadron (Sola Air Station, Norway)

History

510st Bombardment Group

The first predecessor of the 501st Wing was activated on 1 June 1944 as the 501st Bombardment Group at

Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska and began to equip with Superfortresses. The group completed its training and departed for the Pacific on 7 March 1945.^[3]

The group was equipped with the Bell Aircraft manufactured B-29B, which was designed to save weight by removing all of the guns and sighting equipment used on other B-29s, except the tail gun, allowing the B-29B to fly a little higher and a little further. The B-29B also had two new radar units installed, the AN/APQ-7 Eagle radar for bombing and navigation and the AN/APG-15 for aiming the tail gun. These two radar units gave the B-29B a distinctive shape as the APQ-7 antenna appeared as a small wing under the fuselage, between the two bomb bay doors and the APG-15 added a ball shaped antenna to the tail of the aircraft below the tail guns.^[4]

The group arrived at its combat station,

Distinguished Unit Citation.^[3]

Following

prisoners of war in Japan, Korea, Manchuria and China. It remained at Northwest Field until May 1946, when it became non-operational, and was inactivated there on 10 June 1946.^[3]^[2]

701st Tactical Missile Wing

The second predecessor of the wing is the 701st Tactical Missile Wing, which was activated on 15 September 1956 at

38th Tactical Missile Wing

.

501st Tactical Missile Wing

The 701st was redesignated as the 501st Tactical Missile Wing on 11 January 1982 and consolidated with the 501st Bombardment Group. It was activated on 1 July 1982, at

Ground Launched Cruise Missile (GLCM). The 501 TMW was inactivated on 31 May 1991 after ratification of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

resulted in decommissioning of the BGM-109G. The USAF's first GLCM wing when it stood up, it was the also the last GLCM wing to be inactivated.

501st Combat Support Wing

The unit was redesignated the 501st Combat Support Wing on 22 March 2005 and activated on 12 May 2005 at RAF Mildenhall, England, to manage and support geographically separated USAF units, installations and activities in the United Kingdom not directly supporting operations at RAF Mildenhall or RAF Lakenheath. Effective 1 May 2007, it relocated to RAF Alconbury.

The 501 CSW currently oversees and supports four Air Base Groups operating a total of eleven installations and operating locations in the U.K. and Norway; the

423d Air Base Group at RAF Alconbury, including RAF Molesworth, RAF Upwood and Sola Air Station

(what the USAF calls Stavanger Air Base) in Norway. The 501st CSW also serves as the administrative agent for NATO in the U.K.

RAF Fairford and RAF Welford house the 420th Air Base Group. Their mission is to receive, bed-down and sustain munitions to enable U.S. and NATO forces to conduct full-spectrum flying operations from USAFE's only bomber-forward operating location.

Boeing B-52

, the B-1 and the B-2 bomber aircraft. It also assists in U-2 aircraft deployment, deployed operations training and serves as an alternate landing site for the U.S. Space Shuttle. RAF Fairford annually hosts the world's largest military airshow called the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT); typically held in July.

RAF Welford comprises 806 acres and is bordered by a 31,680 foot fence-line. They are home to the U.S. Air Forces in Europe's second largest munitions hub. The installation currently maintains 15,000 bombs; over a $160 million stockpile.

UKUSA

intelligence network serving U.K., U.S. and their allied interests.

RAF Croughton houses the 422nd Air Base Group whose mission is to provide installation support, services, force protection, and worldwide communications across the entire spectrum of operations. The group is the premier global communication provider in the U.K. and supports NATO, U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, U.S. Department of State operations and Ministry of Defense operations. The group sustains more than 450 C2 circuits; and supports 25 percent of all European Theater to continental United States (CONUS) communications.

RAF Alconbury houses the 423rd Air Base Group whose mission is to provide mission support services to the Joint Intelligent Operations Center Europe (JIOCEUR) Analytic Center (commonly known as the Joint Analysis Center), NATO's Intelligence Fusion Center, and the RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth and RAF Upwood and Stavanger Air Base (Norway) communities. RAF Alconbury is also home to the 501st CSW headquarters staff and hosts a community of 6,000 individuals associated with more than 15 multi-service and multi-national units.

RAF Upwood houses the medical and dental facilities for the RAF Alconbury, RAF Molesworth, and RAF Upwood communities.

Joint Warfare Center

. The squadron also supports "Operating Location-A" in Oslo, Norway, shipping for $50 million war readiness material and $900 million U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy equipment.

In total, the 501st CSW has almost 2,600 U.S. military and civilian employees directly assigned, including non-appropriated fund employees. There are also 117 U.K. personnel who work directly for the wing in appropriated and non-appropriated positions and more than 180 U.K. Ministry of Defence Police, Defense Schools and our many tenant units along with family members and retirees who reside in the United Kingdom.

2007-08 leadership issues

The

423d Air Base Group commander, Col. Robert G. Steele, was dismissed from his position on 18 January 2008 by the 501 CSW commander after only 6 months in command. The reason Col. Kimberly Toney gave was "I lost confidence in Col. Steele's ability to lead the group." No criminal charges were filed against Col. Steele.^[5] The group commander of RAF Croughton, Col. John Jordan, was brought in to dually command the group at RAF Alconbury. The 501 CSW commander acknowledged the period was a "Painful challenge" and the 501 CSW commander (Col. Kimberly Toney) made a statement in an interview to the Stars and Stripes newspaper that indicated the members of the 423rd ABG "blame themselves" for the sacking of Steele.^[6]

Move to RAF Fairford

In December 2022, the wing's new headquarters at RAF Fairford was unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony. The first elements are due to relocate there during the summer of 2023.^[7]

Lineage

501st Bombardment Group

Established as the 501st Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 25 May 1944

Activated on 1 June 1944

Inactivated on 10 June 1946

Consolidated with the 701st Tactical Missile Wing as the 501st Tactical Missile Wing on 11 January 1982^[2]

501st Combat Support Wing

Established as the 701st Tactical Missile Wing on 3 August 1956

Activated on 15 September 1956

Inactivated on 18 June 1958

Redesignated 501st Tactical Missile Wing and consolidated with the 501st Bombardment Group on 11 January 1982

Activated on 1 July 1982

Inactivated on 31 May 1991

Redesignated 501st Combat Support Wing on 22 March 2005

Activated on 12 May 2005^[2]

Assignments

Second Air Force, 1 June 1944
315th Bombardment Wing
after 15 April 1945)
315th Bombardment Wing (later 315th Composite Wing), 19 June 1945
Twentieth Air Force, 15 May–10 June 1946
Twelfth Air Force, 15 Sep 1956
United States Air Forces in Europe
, 1 January–18 June 1958
Third Air Force, 1 July 1982 – 31 May 1991
Third Air Force, 12 May 2005
United States Air Forces in Europe, 1 November 2005
Air Command Europe
, 18 November 2005
Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe), 1 Dec 2006 – present^[2]

Components

Groups

422nd Air Base Group, 12 May 2005 – present
423rd Air Base Group, 12 May 2005 – present
501st Combat Support Group, 1 October 1982 – 31 May 1991
501st Security Police Group, 22 November 1983 – 8 April 1988
Bitburg Air Base, Germany), 15 September 1956 – 18 June 1958^[2]

586th Tactical Missile Group, 15 September 1956 – 18 June 1958^[2]

Sembach Air Base, Germany), 15 September 1956 – 18 June 1958^[2]

Squadrons

11th Tactical Missile Squadron

, 1 October 1982 – 31 May 1991

21st Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1944 – 10 June 1946 (not operational after c. 21 May 1946)^[2]

41st Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1944 – 10 June 1946 (not operational after c. 21 May 1946)^[2]

485th Bombardment Squadron, 1 June 1944 – 10 June 1946 (not operational after c. 21 May 1946)^[2]
501st Comptroller Squadron, c. 1987 – 31 May 1991
501st Tactical Missile Maintenance Squadron, 1 October 1982 – 31 May 1991

Stations

Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, 1 June 1944
Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska, 22 Aug 1944
Fort Lawton, Washington, 10–17 March 1945
Hawaii, 25–30 March 1945
Northwest Field, Guam, 14 April 1945 – 10 June 1946
Hahn Air Base, Germany, 15 September 1956 – 18 June 1958
RAF Greenham Common, England, 1 July 1982 – 31 May 1991
RAF Mildenhall, England, 12 May 2005
RAF Alconbury, England, 30 Sep 2007 – present^[2]

Commanders

Capt Harry L. Young, 27 Jun 1944
Lt Col Arch G. Campbell, Jr., 6 Jul 1944
Col Boyd Hubbard, Jr., 11 Aug 1944
Col Vincent M. Miles, Jr., 15 Apr – 20 May 1946
Not manned, 21 May – 10 Jun 1946
Lt Col Robert F. Zachmann 15 Sep 1956
Col Theodore H. Runyon 7 Jan 1957 – 18 Jun 1958
Col Robert M. Thompson, 1 Jul 1982
Col John Bacs, 25 Jan 1985
Col William E. Jones, 2 June 1987
Col Richard P. Riddick, 21 Jul 1988
Col Wendell S. Brande, 7 Jan – 31 May 1991
Col Blake F. Lindner, 12 May 2005
Col Kimberly K. Toney, 21 Jun 2007

Unit Decorations and Honors

Distinguished Unit Citation (Japan) 6 – 13 Jul 1945
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamers: Air Offensive, Japan Eastern Mandates, Western Pacific
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award: 15 Sep 1956 – 30 Apr 1958, 1 Jul 1982 – 30 Jun 1984, 1 Jul 1987 – 31 May 1989, 1 Jun 1989 – 31 May 1991