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The 10th Air Base Wing ('''10 ABW''') is a United States Air Force unit that is the host Wing for the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado . COMPONENTS
HISTORY The 10th Reconnaissance Group and the 10th Air Base Wing are two very seperate units but with a common link. The 10 ABW is allowed to display the awards and honors of the 10 RG since they share a bond. 10th Reconnaissance Group The origin of the 10th Reconnaissance Group began August 21, 1941, when the War Department constituted the 73rd Observation Group, activating it Sept. 1, 1941, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania . Two months later, the group moved to Godman Field , Kentucky , to engage in training. It was redesignated as the '''73d Reconnaissance Group''' in April 1943, moving to Camp Campbell Army Airfield , Kentucky, in June. The group was redesignated again in August 1943 as the '''73d Tactical Reconnaissance Group''' and moved to Key Field , Mississippi in November of that year. One month later, it became the '''10th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance)'''. The 10th settled into for its pre-invasion efforts over the Normandy beaches May 6-20, 1944. At the end of the war, the 10th became part of the Army of Occupation, in Germany. The group flew damage assessment missions over much of eastern Europe. In June 1945, the group was redesignated the 10th Reconnaissance Group. In June 1947, the group returned to the United States without personnel or equipment. 10th Air Base Wing The Air Force started a “wing-base” service test in 1947. Under this program the 10th Reconnaissance Wing was organized Dec 3, 1947, at Pope Field , North Carolina. On August 25, 1948, the 10th Reconnaissance Group was redesignated the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (10 TRW). The Wing was then inactivated April 1, 1949. On July 10, 1952, the 10 TRW was re-activated in Germany, with many of its assigned units in France . The wing moved to Toul-Rosieres Air Base , France, in November, but construction delays forced the wing’s headquarters to return to Spangdahlem Air Base , Germany, in May 1953. Before transitioning to RB-66 And WB-66 Destroyers by the mid-1950s, the wing flew a variety of reconnaissance aircraft. In the late 1950s, France placed new limits on the number of American forces stationed on its soil. Two wings, including the 10 TRW, relocated to Great Britain. Although a few of its assigned units remained in France until the mid-1960s, the wing moved to RAF Alconbury on July 20, 1959. With its headquarters at RAF Alconbury, the 10 TRW operated its B-66 “Destroyers” from RAFs Alconbury, Bruntingthorpe , and Chelveston . In 1965, the 10 TRW received a new airplane, the RF-4C “Phantom II.” The wing’s mission changed slightly in 1976. It inactivated two of its three RF-4C squadrons. The 527th Tactical Fighter Training Aggressor Squadron , flying F-5E “Tiger IIs,” activated at RAF Alconbury. April 1, 1976, bringing a new mission to the wing. The squadron provided combat training to North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces by teaching and demonstrating soviet air tactics-under the title of Dissimilar Air Combat Tactics. The 527th flew the first “Aggressor” sortie from RAF Alconbury in May. In the late 1980s, the 10 TRW experienced more dramatic changes. After 34 years with the same mission, the 10 TRW received a new one. This 1st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron inactivated in June 1987 and its RF-4Cs left the base. On Aug. 20, 1987, the wing was designated as the 10th Tactical Fighter Wing. During 1988, two squadrons of A-10A Thunderbolt IIs , the 509th and 511th Tactical Fighter Squadron s, arrived from RAF Bentwaters / Woodbridge . As the A-10s arrived, the 527th Aggressor Squadron moved to RAF Bentwaters. Both A-10 flying squadrons, kept a strong close air support vigilance and remained ready to perform their mission in a contingency situation. The 511 TFS deployed to Saudi Arabia in support of Operations DESERT SHIELD / DESERT STORM from December 1990 to June 1991. The wing’s A-10s played an important part in the air phase of the Gulf War , attacking tanks, Scud missiles, and other ground positions. The 10 TFW again went through dramatic changes in the early 1990s. The wing drew down its A-10 mission, September 1991-March 1992. Without its aircraft, the 10 TFW continued to support the RAF Alconbury community. The wing was finally redesignated as the 10th Air Base Wing in March 1993, and inactivated October 1994. The 10th Air Base Wing was reactivated activated on Nov. 1, 1994 as the support wing for the United States Air Force Academy , Colorado. EXTERNAL LINKS
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