The 39th Military Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

 unit. Its last was assigned to the 436th Military Airlift Wing, Military Airlift Command

Military Airlift Command

The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...

, stationed at Dover Air Force Base

Dover Air Force Base

Dover Air Force Base or Dover AFB is a United States Air Force base located two miles southeast of the city of Dover, Delaware.-Units:...

, Delaware

Delaware

Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...

. It was inactivated on 31 March 1971.

History

Activated in 1942 to ferry newly-manufactured combat aircraft to combat units deployed overseas. Primarily flew B-25 and B-26 medium bombers to Southwest Pacific Area, however also ferried aircraft to Africa for units assigned to the North African Campaign

North African campaign

During the Second World War, the North African Campaign took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943. It included campaigns fought in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts and in Morocco and Algeria and Tunisia .The campaign was fought between the Allies and Axis powers, many of whom had...

 and European Theater of Operations

European Theater of Operations

The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...

. Inactivated in October 1943 during realignment of Ferrying Command to Air Transport Command

Air Transport Command

Air Transport Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the United States' military bases worldwide during World War II, using an air supply system to supplement surface transport...

.

Reactivated in 1954 under Military Air Transport Service

Military Air Transport Service

The Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...

 (MATS), operated C-124 Globemaster II aircraft on a worldwide scale from Dover AFB, Delaware. Upgraded to C-133A Cargomaster heavy-lift strategic transports in 1957, and continued global strategic airlift operations. Reassigned to Military Airlift Command

Military Airlift Command

The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...

 (MAC) in 1966 after inactivation of MATS, continued operations until retirement of C-133s in 1971 then inactivated.

Lineage

• Established as 39th Ferrying Squadron and activated on 9 July 1942

Redesignated as 39th Transport Squadron on 24 March 1943

Inactivated on 18 October 1943

Disbanded on 8 October 1948

• Reconstituted, and redesignated as 39th Transport Squadron on 4 November 1953

Redesignated as 39th Air Transport Squadron, Medium on 4 November 1953

Activated on 16 February 1954

Redesignated as 39th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy on 8 September 1957

Redesignated as 39th Military Airlift Squadron on 6 January 1966

Inactivated on 31 March 1971

Assignments

• 27th Army Air Forces Ferrying Wing, 19 Jun 1942
• Caribbean Wing, Air Transport Command, 1 Jul 1942-18 October 1943

Elements attached to Pacific Wing, Air Transport Command entire period

• 1607th Air Transport Group, 16 February 1954
• 1607th Air Transport Wing
  1607th Air Transport Wing
  The 1607th Air Transport Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the Eastern Transport Air Force, Military Air Transport Service, stationed at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware...
  
  , 18 January 1963
• 436th Military Airlift Wing, 6 January 1966-31 March 1971

Stations

• Morrision Field, Florida, 8 July 1942-18 October 1943
• Dover AFB, Delaware, 16 February 1954-31 March 1971

Aircraft

• Primarily ferrying B-25 Mitchell
  B-25 Mitchell
  The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
  
   and B-26 Marauder
  B-26 Marauder
  The Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
  
  , 1942-1943.
• C-124 Globemaster II
  C-124 Globemaster II
  The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
  
  , 1954-1957
• C-133 Cargomaster
  C-133 Cargomaster
  The Douglas C-133 Cargomaster was a large cargo aircraft built between 1956 and 1961 by the Douglas Aircraft Company for use with the United States Air Force. The C-133 was the USAF's only production turboprop-powered strategic airlifter, entering service shortly after Lockheed's better known C-130...
  
  , 1957-1971

Commanders (C-133)

• Maj J.B.L. Levesque, 1 July 1957-2 Sept 1957

• Maj Alvin Moore Jr., 3 Sept 1957-23 Mar 1958

• LtCol John K. Thompson, 24 Mar 1958-3 Jan 1960

• LtCol Walter F. Derck, 4 Jan 1960-16 Mar 1961

• Maj Henry J. Wurster, 17 Mar 1961-5 Nov 1961

• LtCol Alex H. Gay Jr, 6 Nov 1961-14 Mar 1962

• LtCol Henry J. Wurster, 15 Mar 1962-15 Aug 1967

• LtCol Rayvon Burleson, 16 Aug 1967-14 May 1968

• LtCol George M. Conner, 15 May 1968-15 Jan 1970

• LtCol Donald V. Flanders, 16 Jan 1970-31 Mar 1971