376th Expeditionary Operations Group
A provisional United States Air Force expeditionary operations group that supported aerial refueling and airlift missions from Kyrgyzstan until 2014.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The 376th Expeditionary Operations Group was a provisional United States Air Force Air Combat Command unit associated with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing. It operated from the Transit Center at Manas International Airport in Kyrgyzstan from December 2001 until approximately June 2014, supporting coalition air operations connected with the war in Afghanistan. Its responsibilities centered on coordinating and supporting deployed air expeditionary forces, particularly aerial refueling and airlift activity. The group was identified as the lead Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aerial-refueling organization for Afghanistan operations, while Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and other transient coalition aircraft also used the broader Manas installation and its operating network. The organization carried a much older lineage. It was constituted in October 1942 as the 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and activated at the end of that month from personnel and equipment associated with the provisional Halverson Project, commonly called HALPRO. HALPRO had originally been assembled to support planned attacks against Japan, but the fall of its intended forward base in China redirected the force to the Middle East. From bases in Palestine, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and later Italy, the group flew Consolidated B-24 Liberators against Axis shipping, ports, airfields, rail facilities, oil installations and other military objectives. During World War II, the group served successively with the Ninth, Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces. It participated in the North African and Italian campaigns, the invasion of Sicily, operations supporting Anzio and Monte Cassino, the invasion of southern France, and attacks assisting Allied advances through Italy and the Balkans. The group received three Distinguished Unit Citations, including recognition for operations in North Africa and Sicily, the 1 August 1943 attack on the oil facilities around Ploiești, Romania, and the 16 June 1944 mission against Bratislava. The Ploiești operation became part of Operation Tidal Wave, a dangerous low-level raid against Romanian petroleum infrastructure. The wartime group flew 451 missions and received 15 campaign awards. Its aircraft and crews suffered heavy losses, while the unit claimed substantial aerial victories. One of its B-24Ds, the Lady Be Good of the 514th Bombardment Squadron, disappeared after a 1943 mission and was located in the Libyan Desert in 1959. The aircraft and the later discovery of the remains of most of its crew became one of the best-known missing-aircraft stories associated with the North African air war. After the European war ended, the group moved to Nebraska and began conversion training for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, but the Pacific war ended before the planned redeployment. It was inactivated in November 1945. The lineage was revived as the 376th Reconnaissance Group in 1947 for weather reconnaissance using B-29 derivatives, then inactivated in 1948. It returned briefly as a Strategic Air Command bombardment group in 1951–1952. In 2001, the designation was converted to provisional expeditionary status for the Manas mission. The expeditionary group was inactivated around 3 June 2014 after more than twelve years of support activity in Central Asia.
History
The 376th lineage began with the Halverson Project, a United States Army Air Forces force assembled after Pearl Harbor for long-range bombing operations. The 23 B-24D Liberators and associated personnel traveled from the United States to the Middle East in 1942, but the intended China-based mission became impossible when Japanese forces captured the necessary forward facilities. The force was therefore redirected to the Middle East, where it attacked Axis shipping and infrastructure supporting operations in North Africa. The provisional organization was formalized as the 376th Bombardment Group on 31 October 1942. Initially operating from Palestine and Egypt, and later from Libya and Tunisia, the group flew B-24 missions against ports, vessels, airfields and supply centers. It became known as the Liberandos. In 1943 it moved into the Mediterranean campaign, supporting the Allied campaign in Sicily and attacking targets in Italy. Its participation in Operation Tidal Wave at Ploiești on 1 August 1943 earned a Distinguished Unit Citation despite the mission’s severe opposition and navigational difficulties. A further citation recognized its broader North African and Sicilian operations. After reassignment to the Fifteenth Air Force, the group moved to San Pancrazio Salentino in Italy in late 1943. From there it conducted long-range bombing throughout Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the Balkans. Missions also supported Allied ground forces at Anzio and Monte Cassino, the invasion of southern France, the Soviet advance in the Balkans and the final campaign in northern Italy. The Bratislava oil-industry attack of June 1944 brought a third Distinguished Unit Citation. The group left Europe in May 1945 and began B-29 transition training in Nebraska, but Japan’s surrender ended the planned Pacific deployment. It was inactivated on 10 November 1945. In 1947 the lineage was reactivated as a weather reconnaissance group equipped with B-29 and weather-reconnaissance variants. That organization was inactivated in September 1948. A further activation under Strategic Air Command in 1951 lasted only until June 1952, when changes to the command’s organizational structure made the group unnecessary. The designation returned in provisional form during the Global War on Terrorism. Converted to the 376th Expeditionary Operations Group in December 2001 and activated at Manas in Kyrgyzstan on 21 December, it formed part of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing. The Manas installation supported an international coalition, including aerial tankers, airlifters, fighters and helicopters. The group’s principal modern function was to support the air bridge and aerial-refueling network serving Afghanistan. It was inactivated approximately 3 June 2014 when the Manas mission ended.
- 2014
Manas-era group inactivated
[1]The expeditionary group was inactivated approximately 3 June after the conclusion of its Manas-based mission.
- 2001
Expeditionary operations group activated at Manas
[1]The designation was converted to provisional status and activated on 21 December at the Transit Center at Manas in Kyrgyzstan.
- 1951
Strategic Air Command activation
[1]The organization was reactivated as a medium bombardment group under Strategic Air Command, but was inactivated the following year.
- 1947
Reactivated for weather reconnaissance
[1]The lineage returned as the 376th Reconnaissance Group, operating B-29-derived weather reconnaissance aircraft.
- 1945
World War II service ended
[1]After completing its European combat service, the group moved to Nebraska for B-29 training and was inactivated on 10 November.
- 1943
Operation Tidal Wave
[1]The group took part in the low-level Allied assault on oil facilities around Ploiești, Romania, on 1 August.
- 1942
HALPRO redirected to the Middle East
[1]A force originally assembled for projected operations against Japan was diverted to the Middle East after its intended China-based facilities became unavailable.
- 1942
376th Bombardment Group activated
[1]The 376th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was constituted on 19 October and activated on 31 October from the 1st Provisional Bombardment Group.
Products and positioning
A military operations organization rather than a commercial brand; its institutional role has been to generate, coordinate and support deployed United States and coalition airpower.
Heavy bomber · 1942
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The B-24 Liberator was the principal combat aircraft of the 376th Bombardment Group during World War II. The group used B-24Ds for long-range attacks from Middle Eastern and Italian bases against ports, shipping, oil facilities, airfields and transportation targets. The 514th Bombardment Squadron’s Lady Be Good was one of the group’s aircraft.
Heavy bomber · 1942
Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress
A small detachment of B-17D aircraft supported the group during its early formation in 1942. These aircraft included veterans of earlier Pacific operations, but the group was equipped fully with B-24s by the end of that year.
Strategic bomber and weather reconnaissance aircraft · 1945
Boeing B-29 Superfortress
The group began B-29 transition training in 1945 for a possible Pacific deployment. In its 1947 reconnaissance incarnation, it operated B-29 and weather-reconnaissance variants before that organization was inactivated in 1948.
Aerial refueling tanker · 2001
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
During the Manas period, the 376th Expeditionary Operations Group was associated with KC-135 aerial-refueling support for operations in Afghanistan. Its role was operational coordination and mission support rather than commercial production or ownership of the aircraft.
Strategic and tactical airlifter · 2001
Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
C-17 aircraft were among the air expeditionary assets supported through the Manas operating environment. They provided airlift capacity for personnel, equipment and sustainment associated with coalition operations.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/376th-expeditionary-operations-group · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled