USAF Patch Bomb b 20 EBS Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B 52 RAF Fairford a

USAF Patch Deployed 20 EBS Expeditionary Bomb Squadron Operation Allied Force Sqn Numbers On Bones B 52H RAF Fairford 1999 Fully embroidered merrowed edge 100mm by 88mm three and fifteen sixteenth inches by three and one half inches.

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History

20 EBS Expeditionary Bomb Squadron formed in February 1999 at RAF Fairford from elements of 2 BW Bomb Wings 11 20 and 96 BS Bomb Squadrons from Barksdale AFB and 23 Bomb Squadron from 5 Bomb Wing Minot AFB equipped with B 52H bombers assigned to 2 Air Expeditionary Group for Operation Noble Anvil USAFs commitment to Op Allied Force missions over the former Yugoslavia.  

The bombing campaign commenced on 24 March 1999 with B 52H aircraft armed with CALCM Conventional Air Launched Cruise Missiles and continued with daily missions. B 1B Lancer bombers arrived at RAF Fairford on 1 April 1999 forming 77 Expeditionary Bomb Squadron which carried out daily missions with Mk 82 bombs. 20 EBS switched to freefall bombing forming strike packages with B 1B Lancers attacking targets in Serbia and Kosovo. Further aircraft rotated through during the operation. The degradation of Serbian positions during the campaign resulted in Serbia signing a peace agreement with NATO on 9 June 1999. 

Once it became clear that Serbia had complied with the terms of the settlement and withdrawn from Kosovo the USAF units returned to CONUS with 20 Expeditionary Bomb Squadrons B 52H bombers departed RAF Fairford for the US on 23 June 1999.  

This patch dates from 1999.