501st Combat Support Wing
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The 501st Combat Support Wing (501 CSW) is a United States Air Force unit at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the administration and operation of the various smaller Air Force units scattered across the UK that are considered geographically separated from the main Air Force bases at RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath.
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[edit] History
The 501 CSW was first constituted as the 501 Bombardment Group, Very Heavy, on 25 May 1944 and became active on 1 Jun 1944 at Dalhart Army Air Field (AAF), Texas. Over the next two years the group moved several times: Harvard AAF, Nebraska (22 August 1944), Fort Lawton, Washington (10-17 March 1945), Territory of Hawaii (25-30 March 1945) and Northwest Field, Guam (14 April 1945). During this time the group flew Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers.
The group would operate from Guam until deactivating on 10 June 1946. It would remain inactive until 11 Jan 1982 when it was consolidated with another inactive unit, the 701 Tactical Missile Wing, and redesignated the 501 Tactical Missile Wing (501 TMW). The 501 TMW was activated on 1 July 1982 at RAF Greenham Common, United Kingdom. The wing remained at its UK base until its second deactivation on 31 May 1991. During this time the group operated BGM-109 missiles, also known as the Tomahawk cruise missile.
The 501 TMW was redesignated the 501 Combat Support Wing on 22 March 2005 and reactived at RAF Mildenhall on 12 May 2005. Its new role of administering the various geographically seperated units in the UK had previously been the mission of the 38th Combat Support Wing based at Sembach Air Base, Germany.
[edit] Components
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| ACTIVE BASES: | RAF Alconbury (USAFE) • RAF Croughton (USAFE) • RAF Fairford (USAFE) • RAF Feltwell (USAFE) • RAF Lakenheath (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Menwith Hill (USAFE) • RAF Mildenhall (SAC/USAFE/AMC) • RAF Molesworth (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Upwood (USAFE) • RAF Welford (USAFE) |
| INACTIVE BASES: | RAF Bentwaters (USAFE) • RAF Burtonwood (AFMC) • RAF Chelveston (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Chicksands (USAFSS) • RAF Greenham Common (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Manston (USAFE) • RAF Sculthorpe (SAC) • RAF Shepherds Grove (USAFE) • RAF Upper Heyford (SAC/USAFE) • RAF Wethersfield (USAFE) • RAF Woodbridge (USAFE) |
| ACTIVE ORGANIZATIONS: | United States Air Forces in Europe • HQ Air Command Europe • 48th Fighter Wing (USAFE) • 100th Air Refueling Wing (USAFE) • 501st Combat Support Wing (USAFE) |
| PAST ORGANIZATIONS: | Third Air Force • Sixteenth Air Force |
