54th Tactical Fighter Wing
Encyclopedia
The 54th Tactical Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force
, being stationed at Kunsan Air Base
, South Korea. It was inactivated on 31 October 1970.
During World War II
, the 54th Troop Carrier Wing was a United States Army Air Force Fifth Air Force
transport wing that exercised command and control over five combat cargo and troop carrier groups in the South West Pacific theatre
.
In the early postwar years, the 54th Fighter Wing commanded 56 units of the Air National Guard
throughout the Southeastern United States.
on 26 May 1943. advancing as battle lines permitted.
The wing employed C-47s almost exclusively, but during late 1943 and much of 1944 also used 13 converted B-17Es for armed transport missions in enemy-held territory. The 54th supported every major advance made by the allies in the Southwest Pacific Theater
, operating from primitive airstrips carved from jungles and air-dropping cargo where airstrips unavailable.
The unit took part in the airborne invasion of Nadzab, New Guinea
, in September 1943 by dropping paratroopers of the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment as well as Australian engineers and heavy equipment. In July 1944, the wing dropped 1,418 paratroopers on Noemfoor Island to aid the allied invasion forces. Then assumed the task of handling all freight and personnel moving in troop carrier aircraft in the Southwest Pacific, in addition to scheduled and unscheduled air movement of cargo and troops, and air evacuation of wounded personnel.
Some C-46s began operating within the wing in late 1944, and during 1945 large numbers of C-46s were used in addition to C-47s. By late 1944 and during the early months of 1945, most wing missions were flown to the Philippines
. In February 1945, the wing flew three more airborne operations, all in the Philippines, to help encircle Japanese concentrations. Wing C-47s dropped napalm
on Carabao Island
, in Manila Bay
, in March 1945.
When hostilities ended, the wing moved the entire 11th Airborne Division (11,300 personnel) from the Philippines to Okinawa on short notice, and then began transporting occupation forces into Japan. During September 1945, the wing also evacuated over 17,000 former prisoners of war from Japan to the Philippines.
The wing served as part of the occupation forces in Japan from 25 September 1945 to about 26 January 1946, while con-tinuing routine air transport operations and a scheduled courier service. Beginning in December 1945 and continuing into mid-1946, most of the wing's components were reassigned to other units or inactivated, and on 15 January 1946 the wing became a component of the Far East (soon, Pacific) Air Service Command.
Moving to the Philippines, the wing gained new components and flew scheduled routes between Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands
. Replaced by the 403d Troop Carrier Group
on 31 May 1946 and was inactivated.
The unit was allocated to the Georgia Air National Guard
as the 54th Fighter Wing, from July 1946 to October 1950, being assigned to the new Air Defense Command. The 54th FW acted as a host unit at Dobbins Field when the airfield was reactivated on 31 May. The wing supported a Air Force Reserve troop carrier group (514th TCG
), and a reserve light bombardment group (94th BG
), each with two operational squadrons. Was relieved of support of the 94th when the group was elevated to wing status on 26 June 1949 and was reassigned to Continental Air Command
. As a result of the Korean War
, the 54th FW was ordered to active duty status on 10 October 1950 and inactivated the following day, with its personnel used as fillers in other USAF units.
In June 1970, as the 54th Tactical Fighter Wing, was activated and replaced the 354th TFW
at Kunsan AB, South Korea, assuming control of personnel and attached F-4C Phantom II squadrons. Was inactivated on 31 October 1970 when the deployed F-4 squadrons returned to the United States and the base was placed in a non-flying status. Base operations personnel were absorbed by the 6175th Air Base Group.
Squadrons
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 assignment was with the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
, being stationed at Kunsan Air Base
Kunsan Air Base
Kunsan Air Base , is a United States Air Force base located on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is at the town of Gunsan about 150 miles south of Seoul. The town can be romanized as both Gunsan and Kunsan...
, South Korea. It was inactivated on 31 October 1970.
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 54th Troop Carrier Wing was a United States Army Air Force Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
transport wing that exercised command and control over five combat cargo and troop carrier groups in the South West Pacific theatre
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
.
In the early postwar years, the 54th Fighter Wing commanded 56 units of the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
throughout the Southeastern United States.
History
The 54th Troop Carrier Wing commenced air transport and medical air evacuation operations in support of Fifth Air ForceFifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
on 26 May 1943. advancing as battle lines permitted.
The wing employed C-47s almost exclusively, but during late 1943 and much of 1944 also used 13 converted B-17Es for armed transport missions in enemy-held territory. The 54th supported every major advance made by the allies in the Southwest Pacific Theater
South West Pacific theatre of World War II
The South West Pacific Theatre, technically the South West Pacific Area, between 1942 and 1945, was one of two designated area commands and war theatres enumerated by the Combined Chiefs of Staff of World War II in the Pacific region....
, operating from primitive airstrips carved from jungles and air-dropping cargo where airstrips unavailable.
The unit took part in the airborne invasion of Nadzab, New Guinea
New Guinea
New 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...
, in September 1943 by dropping paratroopers of the 503d Parachute Infantry Regiment as well as Australian engineers and heavy equipment. In July 1944, the wing dropped 1,418 paratroopers on Noemfoor Island to aid the allied invasion forces. Then assumed the task of handling all freight and personnel moving in troop carrier aircraft in the Southwest Pacific, in addition to scheduled and unscheduled air movement of cargo and troops, and air evacuation of wounded personnel.
Some C-46s began operating within the wing in late 1944, and during 1945 large numbers of C-46s were used in addition to C-47s. By late 1944 and during the early months of 1945, most wing missions were flown to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In February 1945, the wing flew three more airborne operations, all in the Philippines, to help encircle Japanese concentrations. Wing C-47s dropped napalm
Napalm
Napalm is a thickening/gelling agent generally mixed with gasoline or a similar fuel for use in an incendiary device, primarily as an anti-personnel weapon...
on Carabao Island
Carabao Island
Carabao Island can refer to two islands in the Philippines:* Carabao Island, the former name of San Jose, the southernmost island in the province of Romblon* Carabao Island, an island in the province of Cavite...
, in Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
, in March 1945.
When hostilities ended, the wing moved the entire 11th Airborne Division (11,300 personnel) from the Philippines to Okinawa on short notice, and then began transporting occupation forces into Japan. During September 1945, the wing also evacuated over 17,000 former prisoners of war from Japan to the Philippines.
The wing served as part of the occupation forces in Japan from 25 September 1945 to about 26 January 1946, while con-tinuing routine air transport operations and a scheduled courier service. Beginning in December 1945 and continuing into mid-1946, most of the wing's components were reassigned to other units or inactivated, and on 15 January 1946 the wing became a component of the Far East (soon, Pacific) Air Service Command.
Moving to the Philippines, the wing gained new components and flew scheduled routes between Japan, the Philippines, Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. Replaced by the 403d Troop Carrier Group
403d Wing
403d Wing is a unit of the United States Air Force assigned to the Air Force Reserve Command. It is located at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, and employs a military manning authorization of more than 1,400 reservists, including some 250 full-time air reserve technicians.403d Wing performs...
on 31 May 1946 and was inactivated.
The unit was allocated to the Georgia Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
as the 54th Fighter Wing, from July 1946 to October 1950, being assigned to the new Air Defense Command. The 54th FW acted as a host unit at Dobbins Field when the airfield was reactivated on 31 May. The wing supported a Air Force Reserve troop carrier group (514th TCG
514th Air Mobility Wing
The 514th Air Mobility Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.-History:...
), and a reserve light bombardment group (94th BG
94th Airlift Wing
The United States Air Force's 94th Airlift Wing is an Air Force Reserve Command Twenty-Second Air Force organization stationed at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia....
), each with two operational squadrons. Was relieved of support of the 94th when the group was elevated to wing status on 26 June 1949 and was reassigned to Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command
Continental Air Command was a Major Command of the United States Air Force responsible primarily for administering the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve.-Lineage:...
. As a result of the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the 54th FW was ordered to active duty status on 10 October 1950 and inactivated the following day, with its personnel used as fillers in other USAF units.
In June 1970, as the 54th Tactical Fighter Wing, was activated and replaced the 354th TFW
354th Fighter Wing
The 354th Fighter Wing is a United States Air Force wing that is part of Pacific Air Forces . It is the host wing at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, and is assigned to the Eleventh Air Force .-Overview:...
at Kunsan AB, South Korea, assuming control of personnel and attached F-4C Phantom II squadrons. Was inactivated on 31 October 1970 when the deployed F-4 squadrons returned to the United States and the base was placed in a non-flying status. Base operations personnel were absorbed by the 6175th Air Base Group.
Lineage
- Constituted as 54th Troop Carrier Wing on 26 February 1943
- Activated 26 February 1943
- Inactivated 31 May 1946
- Redesignated 54th Fighter Wing on 1 June 1946
- Assigned to Georgia Air National Guard
- Extended Federal recognition on 2 October 1946
- Inactivated 11 October 1950
- Redesignated 54th Tactical Fighter Wing, 5 June 1970
- Activated 5 June 1970
- Inactivated 31 October 1970
Assignments
- Fifth Air ForceFifth Air ForceThe Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
, 13 March 1943 - Far East (later, Pacific) Air Service Command, 15 January – 31 May 1946
- Georgia Air National GuardGeorgia Air National GuardThe Georgia Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is, along with the Georgia Army National Guard, an element of the Georgia National Guard...
, 8 July 1946 - Fourteenth Air ForceFourteenth Air ForceThe Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
, 10–11 October 1950 - Fifth Air ForceFifth Air ForceThe Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
, 15 June – 31 October 1970
- Attached to Detachment 1, Headquarters Fifth Air ForceFifth Air ForceThe Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
[5th ADVON], 15 July – 30 September 1970
Components
Groups- 2d Combat Cargo Group2d Combat Cargo GroupThe 2d Combat Cargo Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last duty station was at Yokota Air Base, Japan, where it was inactivated on 15 January 1946.-Lineage:...
, 13 December 1944 – 5 January 1946 - 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...
, 1 October 1943 – 15 January 1946 - 374th Troop Carrier Group, 26 May – 28 September 1943
- 375th Troop Carrier Group, 12 July 1943 – 15 January 1946
- 433d Troop Carrier Group, 4 October 1943 – 5 January 1946
Squadrons
- 1st Troop Carrier Squadron (Philippine Army), 26 January – 31 May 1946
- 9th Troop Carrier Squadron, 15 January – 15 February 1946
- 16th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 15 June – 7 September 1970
- 311th Troop Carrier Squadron, 15 February – 15 May 1946
- 316th Troop Carrier Squadron316th Troop Carrier SquadronThe 316th Troop Carrier Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with the 436th Troop Carrier Group, stationed at Godman Field, Kentucky. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.-Overview:...
, 15 February – 25 March 1946 - 478th Tactical Fighter Squadron478th Tactical Fighter SquadronThe 478th Tactical Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 31st Tactical Fighter Wing and stationed at Homestead AFB, Florida.-History:...
, 15 June – 2 September 1970
Stations
- Archerfield Airport (Brisbane)Archerfield AirportArcherfield Airport is a small airport located 7 1/2 miles at Archerfield in the south west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. For some time it was the primary airport in Brisbane. During World War II it was used as a Royal Australian Air Force station. Airport traffic peaked in the 1980s...
, Australia, 13 March 1943 - Wards Airfield (5 Mile Drome)Wards AirfieldWards Airfield is a former World War II airfield near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. The airfield was abandoned after the war and was developed into the Waigani area of Port Moresby....
, 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...
, 3 May 1943 - Nadzab AirfieldLae Nadzab AirportLae Nadzab Airport is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.-Airlines and destinations:-History:...
, 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...
, 18 April 1944 - Mokmer AirfieldFrans Kaisiepo Airport-History:Mokmer Airfield was part of a complex of airfields built on Biak Island by the Japanese , of which Mokmer was the main USAAF facility after the island was taken by the United States after fierce fighting in late May and June 1944....
, Biak, Netherlands East Indies, 5 October 1944 - Bayug AirfieldBayug AirfieldBayug Airfield is a World War II airfield located in the east of Burauen, Leyte, Philippines, and to the west of San Pablo Airfield, to the north of the Marabong River in the province of Leyte, Philippines. It was closed after the war.-History:...
, 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...
, Philippines, 14 February 1945
- Clark FieldClark Air BaseClark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
, 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...
, Philippines, June 1945 - Tachikawa AirfieldTachikawa Airfieldis an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service.-Operations:...
, Japan, September 1945 - ManilaManilaManila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Luzon, 26 January – 31 May 1946 - Marietta AAB (Later Dobbins AFB), Georgia 8 July 1946 – 11 October 1950
- Kunsan Air BaseKunsan Air BaseKunsan Air Base , is a United States Air Force base located on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is at the town of Gunsan about 150 miles south of Seoul. The town can be romanized as both Gunsan and Kunsan...
, South Korea, 15 June – 31 October 1970
See also
- United States Army Air Forces in AustraliaUnited States Army Air Forces in AustraliaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy...