World War II The unit was established in late 1943 as the
497th Bombardment Group at
El Paso Army Air Base, Texas, a
Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment group. The unit's original operational squadrons were the
869th,
870th,
871st, and
872d Bombardment Squadrons. It was also assigned four bombardment maintenance squadrons (one paired with each of its operational squadrons) and a photographic laboratory. The
group's initial
cadre was drawn from the
491st Bombardment Group. In December the group moved on paper to
Clovis Army Air Field, New Mexico, although its ground personnel moved to
Pratt Army Air Field, Kansas, where they were attached to the
40th Bombardment Group to begin training. At Clovis, the group began to man its air echelon by January 1944. The 497th drew heavily on
aircrews of the
480th Antisubmarine Group who were returning to the United States from duty in England and Africa to fill out its flying squadrons. Aircrew training at Clovis was limited to ground training, although some flying in
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and
Consolidated B-24 Liberator aircraft assigned to the
73d Bombardment Wing was accomplished. Key personnel trained with the
Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics at
Orlando Army Air Base, Florida. In April 1944, the group air and ground echelons united at Pratt. Here the 497th finally received newly manufactured
Boeing B-29 Superfortresses the following month, although it continued to fly B-17s as well due to continuing engine problems with the B-29s. In May the
United States Army Air Forces reorganized its very heavy bombardment units. The 872d Bombardment Squadron and the bombardment maintenance squadrons were inactivated and their personnel absorbed into the remaining three squadrons. The 497th deployed to
Pacific Theater of Operations, with the ground echelon sailing on 30 July on the SS
Fairisle, passing through
Honolulu and
Eniwetok before arriving at
Saipan on 20 September. Upon arrival, the group's personnel were engaged in construction. By mid-October most personnel were able to move into
Quonset huts from the tents which they were assigned on arrival. The aircrews began departing Kansas on 6 October, ferrying their aircraft to Saipan via a 6500 nautical mile route, with the last B-29 arriving on 30 October. The headquarters and staff elements flew to Saipan aboard
Air Transport Command Douglas C-54 Skymaster aircraft. At Saipan, the group became part of the
XXI Bomber Command at
Isely Field. The group began operations on 28 October 1944, with a night attack against the
submarine pens at
Truk Island and attacks against
Iwo Jima in early November. The group took part in the first attack on Japan by AAF planes based in the
Marianas. During December four group aircraft were destroyed in Japanese bombing raids against Isely Field. The 497th flew missions against strategic objectives in Japan, originally in daylight and from high altitude. The group received a
Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for a mission on 27 January 1945. Although weather conditions prevented the group from bombing its primary objective, the unescorted B-29s withstood severe enemy attacks to strike an alternate target, the industrial area of
Hamamatsu. It was awarded a second DUC for attacking strategic centers in Japan during July and August 1945. The group assisted the
assault on Okinawa in April 1945 by bombing enemy airfields to cut down air attacks against the invasion force. Beginning on 19 March and continuing until the end of the war the group made incendiary raids against Japan, flying at night and at low altitudes to bomb area targets. continuing strategic bombing raids and incendiary attacks until the
Japanese surrender in August 1945. In November 1945 the unit returned to the United States It was assigned to the Eighth Air Force's
820th Air Division (later the 820th Strategic Aerospace Division). However, SAC Major Command controlled (MAJCON) could not carry a permanent history or lineage. and SAC looked for a way to make these wings permanent. In 1962, in order to perpetuate the lineage of many currently inactive bombardment units with illustrious
World War II records, SAC received authority from the USAF to discontinue its MAJCON 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. As a result, the 4108th was replaced by the newly constituted
497th Air Refueling Wing,
Provisional Unit In 1984 the
497th Bombardment Group and the
497th Air Refueling Wing were consolidated into a single unit, In 2000, the consolidated unit was converted to provisional status and assigned to
Pacific Air Forces to activate or inactivate as needed. It was redesignated as the
497th Air Expeditionary Group. Between 2000 and 2006 the group was periodically activated for Commando Sling
exercises, using the
497th Combat Training Squadron as its cadre, augmented by deployed personnel and equipment from Pacific Air Forces fighter squadrons. ==Lineage==