| 453rd Bombardment Group (later 453d Expeditionary Air Refueling Group) | |
|---|---|
 453rd Bomb Group B-24 Liberators on a mission over enemy territory | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1992–1994 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | heavy bomber, air refueling |
| Motto(s) | Attack and Destroy |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| 453d Bombardment Group emblem[1] |  |
| Early 453d Bombardment Group tail marking[1] | Circle J |
| Later 453d Bombardment Group tail marking[1] | Black, diagonal white stripe |
The 453rd Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit that was first organized in June 1943, during World War II, as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber group. After training in the United States, it deployed to England in December 1943, and, starting in February 1944, participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany with Eighth Air Force. Its 733d Bombardment Squadron completed 82 consecutive missions without a loss, a record for Eighth Air Force bomber units. James Stewart, of film fame, was group operations officer from 31 March to 1 July 1944. The group was programmed for redeployment to the Pacific and returned to the United States in May 1945 for training, however the Japanese surrender cancelled these plans and the group was inactivated in September 1945.
The group was redesignated the 453rd Operations Group and activated at Fairchild Air Force Base in June 1992 to command Air Mobility Command (AMC)'s air refueling units at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated in July 1994, when the 92nd Bomb Wing at Fairchild became an air refueling unit and transferred from Air Combat Command to AMC.
It was converted to provisional status as the 453d Expeditionary Air Refueling Group in 2002.