41st Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 41st Airlift Squadron is part of the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base
, Arkansas
. It operates C-130J Super Hercules
aircraft.
drops on Nadzab
, Noemfoor
, Tagaytay
, Corregidor, and Aparri, as well as aerial transportation in South, Southwest, and Western Pacific
, during World War II
. The squadron also participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948, transported United Nations
troops to the Congo
in 1960, airlifted personnel and equipment to Southeast Asia
from Ryukyu Islands
from, 1965–1971, and supported airlift operations in Korea
during Pueblo crisis
in January 1968. It has supported U.S. Army training and performed rotational duty throughout Europe
, since 1971. The 41st airlifted personnel, special forces
and supplies during operations in Grenada in 1983, Panama from December 1989-January 1990, and in Southwest Asia
from, 11 August 1990-21 March 1991.
Little Rock Air Force Base
Little Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas.-Overview:...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. It operates C-130J Super Hercules
C-130J Super Hercules
The Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super" Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any...
aircraft.
History
The 41st participated in airborneAirborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
drops on Nadzab
Landing at Nadzab
The Landing at Nadzab was an airborne landing on 5 September 1943 during the New Guinea campaign of World War II that began with a parachute drop at Nadzab in conjunction with the Landing at Lae....
, Noemfoor
Battle of Noemfoor
The Battle of Noemfoor was a battle of World War II that took place on the island of Noemfoor, in Dutch New Guinea, between 2 July and 31 August 1944. United States and Australian forces attacked to capture Japanese bases on the island.-Background:...
, Tagaytay
Raid at Los Baños
The raid at Los Baños in the Philippines, early Friday morning on 23 February 1945, was executed by a combined U.S. Army Airborne and Filipino guerrilla task force, resulting in the liberation of 2,147 Allied civilian and military internees from an agricultural school campus turned Japanese...
, Corregidor, and Aparri, as well as aerial transportation in South, Southwest, and Western Pacific
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The squadron also participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948, transported United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
troops to the Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
in 1960, airlifted personnel and equipment to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
from Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
from, 1965–1971, and supported airlift operations in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
during Pueblo crisis
USS Pueblo (AGER-2)
USS Pueblo is an American ELINT and SIGINT Banner-class technical research ship which was boarded and captured by North Korean forces on January 23, 1968, in what is known as the Pueblo incident or alternatively as the Pueblo crisis or the Pueblo affair. Occurring less than a week after President...
in January 1968. It has supported U.S. Army training and performed rotational duty throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, since 1971. The 41st airlifted personnel, special forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
and supplies during operations in Grenada in 1983, Panama from December 1989-January 1990, and in Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
from, 11 August 1990-21 March 1991.
Lineage
- 41st Transport Squadron (1942)
- 41st Troop Carrier Squadron (1942–1948)
- 41st Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy (1948–1952)
- 41st Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1952–1965)
- 41st Troop Carrier Squadron (1965–1967)
- 41st Tactical Airlift Squadron (1967–1992)
- 41st Airlift Squadron (1992–Present)
Assignments
- San Antonio Air Depot (1942)
- 317th Troop Carrier Group317th Troop Carrier GroupThe 317th Troop Carrier Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 317th Tactical Airlift Wing, stationed at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina...
(1942–1949) - 317th Troop Carrier Wing (1952–1958)
- 322d Air Division (1958–1963)
- 317th Troop Carrier Wing (1963–1965)
- Attached: 322d Air Division (6 September-21 December 1964)
- 315th Air Division315th Air DivisionThe 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
(1965–1966) - 374th Tactical Airlift Wing (1966–1971)
- 317th Airlift Wing (1971–1993)
- Attached: 513th Tactical Airlift Wing (6 November 1971-12 January 1972)
- Attached: 322d Tactical Airlift Wing (4 June-16 August 1972, 5 February-14 April 1973)
- Attached: 322d Tactical Airlift Wing (9 August-15 October 1973)
- Attached: 513th Tactical Airlift Wing (11 March-16 May 1974, 11 November 1974-15 January 1975)
- Attached: 435th Tactical Airlift Wing (4 October-15 December 1975, 13 July-10 September 1976)
- Attached: 435th Tactical Airlift Wing (5 March-25 April 1977, 2 May-22 July 1978)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Wing313th Tactical Airlift WingThe 313th Tactical Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to the 834th Air Division, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas...
(5 December 1979-12 February 1980, 3 April-14 June 1981) - Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Wing (3 August-14 October 1982, 4 December 1983-15 February 1984)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Wing (10 February-10 April 1985, 25 May-13 August 1986)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Wing (1 August-14 October 1987, 3 December 1989-15 February 1992)
- Attached: Airlift Division Provisional, 1610 (1 November-16 December 1990)
- Attached: Tactical Airlift Wing Provisional, 1660 (17 December 1990-14 January 1991)
- Attached: Tactical Airlift Group Provisional, 1675 (15 January-21 March 1991)
- 23d Wing23d WingThe 23d Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.-Mission:The mission of the 23d Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready A-10, HC-130 and HH-60, as well as pararescuemen and force protection assets...
(1993–1997) - 43d Airlift Wing43d Airlift WingThe 43rd Airlift Group is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Pope Army Airfield, part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.The 43 AG performs en route operations support at Pope AAF to include mission command & control, aircrew management, aircraft maintenance, aircraft loading, aircraft fueling...
(1997–2007) - 463d Airlift Group463d Airlift GroupThe United States Air Force's 463d Airlift Group is a tactical airlift unit headquartered in Little Rock AFB, Arkansas.During World War II as the 463d Bombardment Unit, it was one of the last B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber groups deployed to Southern Italy as part of the Fifteenth Air Force in...
(2007–2008) - 19th Airlift Wing (2008–Present)
Bases stationed
- Duncan Field, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1942) - Bowman Field, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
(1942) - Maxton FieldLaurinburg-Maxton AirportLaurinburg-Maxton Airport is a public airport located three miles north of the central business district of Maxton and east of Laurinburg. Maxton is located primarily in Robeson County, North Carolina, USA while Laurinburg is in Scotland County, North Carolina, USA as is the airport proper. This...
, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(1942) - Garbutt Field, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(1943) - Port MoresbyPort MoresbyPort Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
, New GuineaNew GuineaNew Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
(1943–1944) - FinschhafenFinschhafenFinschhafen is a district on the northeast coast of the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the port of the same name.The port was discovered in 1884 by the German researcher Otto Finsch. In 1885 the German colony of German New Guinea created a town on the site and named it...
, New Guinea (1944) - HollandiaJayapuraJayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, New Guinea (1944) - LeyteLeyteLeyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region. Its capital is Tacloban City and occupies the northern three-quarters of the Leyte Island. Leyte is located west of Samar Island, north of Southern Leyte and south of Biliran...
(1944–1945) - Clark Field, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
(1945) - Okinawa (1945)
- Kimpo Air Base, South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
(1945–1946) - SeoulSeoulSeoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea (1946) - Tachikawa Air Base, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(1946–1947) - Nagoya, Japan (1947)
- Tachikawa Air Base, Japan (1947–1948)
- Wiesbaden Army AirfieldWiesbaden Army AirfieldWiesbaden Army Airfield or WAAF is located southeast of the city of Wiesbaden, Hessen, Germany. It was selected as the site for Headquarters, United States Air Forces in Europe on 28 September 1945, in large part due to its proximity to Frankfurt am Main, where the U.S. Seventh Army was...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(1948) - RAF CelleRAF CelleThe former Royal Air Force Station Celle , more commonly known as RAF Celle , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, in Germany, situated in the south-western suburbs of Celle, Lower Saxony...
, Germany (1948–1949) - Rhein-Main Air BaseRhein-Main Air BaseRhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
, Germany (1952–1953) - Neubiberg Air BaseNeubiberg Air BaseNeubiberg Air Base is a former German and United States Air Force airfield which was closed in 1991. It is located 9 km south of the city of Munich, Germany....
, Germany (1953–1957) - Évreux-Fauville Air BaseEvreux-Fauville Air BaseÉvreux-Fauville Air Base is a French Air Force base located about 2 miles east of the town of Évreux in the Eure département, on the north side of the Route nationale 13 Highway....
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1957–1964)
- Lockbourne Air Force Base, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
(1964–1965)- Deployed: Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France (6 September-21 December 1964)
- Naha Air BaseNaha Air BaseNaha Air Base is an airbase of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It was formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport, Okinawa, Japan....
, Ryukyu IslandsRyukyu IslandsThe , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
(1965–1971) - Pope Air Force BasePope Air Force BasePope Field is a United States Army facility located 12 miles northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.-Units:...
, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(1971–2007)- Deployed: RAF MildenhallRAF MildenhallRAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force station located at Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as an RAF station, it primarily supports United States Air Force operations and is currently the home of the 100th Air Refueling Wing...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(6 November 1971-12 January 1972) - Deployed: Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (4 June-16 August 1972, 5 February-14 April 1973)
- Deployed: Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (9 August-15 October 1973)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (11 March-16 May 1974, 11 November 1974-15 January 1975)
- Deployed: Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (4 October-15 December 1975)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (13 July-10 September 1976, 5 March-25 April 1977)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (2 May-22 July 1978, 5 December 1979-12 February 1980)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (3 April-14 June 1981, 3 August-14 October 1982)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (4 December 1983-15 February 1984, 10 February-10 April 1985)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (25 May-13 August 1986, 1 August-14 October 1987)
- Deployed: RAF SculthorpeRAF SculthorpeRAF Sculthorpe is a military training facility for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence, situated about west of Fakenham in Norfolk, England...
, England (2 October-15 December 1988) - Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (3 December 1989-15 February 1990, 2 December 1991-15 February 1992)
- Deployed: Thumrait Air Base, OmanOmanOman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
(11 August 1990-12 January 1991) - Deployed: King Fahd Air Base, Saudi ArabiaSaudi ArabiaThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
(13 January-21 March 1991)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall
- Little Rock Air Force BaseLittle Rock Air Force BaseLittle Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas.-Overview:...
, ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
(2007–Present)
Aircraft Operated
- C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
(1942–1946) - C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
(1946–1948) - C-54 SkymasterC-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
(1948–1949) - C-119 Flying BoxcarC-119 Flying BoxcarThe Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
(1952–1958) - C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
(1957–1971, 1971–2007) - C-130J Super HerculesC-130J Super HerculesThe Lockheed Martin C-130J "Super" Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the venerable Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The Hercules family has the longest continuous production run of any...
(2007–Present)