62d Operations Group
Encyclopedia
The 62d Operations Group (62 OG) is a United States Air Force
unit assigned to the 62d Airlift Wing
. It is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
, Washington.
Established prior to World War II
, its predecessor unit, the 62nd Transport (later Troop Carrier) Group engaged in combat operations, first with the Eighth Air Force
and primarily with Twelfth Air Force during the war.
, with "McChord" in white on a green tail flash. They are among the oldest airlift squadrons in the Air Force.
Redesignated 62nd Troop Carrier Group in July 1942. After intensive training for the Atlantic crossing, the redesignated 62nd Troop Carrier Group (TCG), now composed of the 4th, 7th, 8th, and 51st Troop Carrier Squadrons, arrived at its new home, Keevil, England, on 3 October 1942 (their support personnel followed, arriving in country via the luxury ocean liner Queen Elizabeth) and assigned to VIII Air Support Command
.
Assigned to Twelfth Air Force and moved to North Africa to take part in the battle for Tunisia
. After resupplying troops for a couple of weeks, the 62nd got its first taste of combat when, on 29 November 1942, it joined the 64th Troop Carrier Group for a combat airdrop of 530 British airborne troops on enemy held airfields at Depienne, Pont-du-Fahs, and Oudena, Tunisia.
Trained with gliders for several months, then towed gliders to Syracuse and also dropped paratroops behind enemy lines at Catania during the Allied invasion of Sicily. On the night of 9 July 1943, a total of 51 C-47s and C-53s towed the first of these gliders into combat over Sicily. Their key objective was to capture a bridge south of Syracuse, and keep it open for use by allied forces. It took the huge formation 40 minutes to take off. They flew 500 feet above the Mediterranean Sea, at 120 miles per hour. An unforeseen headwind sent some Group planes off course, whereby some gliders were released up to 30 minutes late. Battling against bad weather, darkness, friendly naval fire, flak, and inexperience, the 62nd crews did their best to keep their gliders on target. In the end, 36 gliders went down at sea, 12 made land, 2 were unaccounted for, and 2 never cast off over their landing zones.
Operated from bases in Sicily and Italy from September 1943 until after the war. Dropped paratroops in northern Italy in June 1944 to harass the retreating enemy and to prevent the Germans from destroying bridges over which their forces had withdrawn. Flew two missions in connection with the invasion of Southern France in August 1944, releasing gliders and paratroops in the battle area. Transported paratroops and towed gliders to Greece during the Allied assault in October 1944. In addition to the airborne operations, the group transported men and supplies in the Mediterranean theater and to the front lines during the campaigns for Tunisia, Italy, and southern France. Also evacuated wounded personnel and flew missions behind enemy lines in Italy and the Balkans to haul guns, ammunition, food, clothing, medical supplies, and other materials to the partisans and to drop propaganda leaflets. Aided in the redeployment of personnel after the war and also hauled freight and mail.
After the end of the war in Europe, in May 1945, the 62nd shuttled troops, supplies, wounded, and prisoners in the Mediterranean area. Inactivated in Italy on 14 November 1945.
On 16 June 1947, the Group moved to McChord Field, Washington. Headquarters Army Air Forces directed each Army Air Force have a tactical group assigned to establish a Wing headquarters. Thus, the 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (TCW), constituted on 28 July 1947, and activated at McChord Field on 15 August, was assigned to 12th Air Force, Tactical Air Command, while the 62nd Troop Carrier Group became one of the Wing's subordinate units; its flying arm.
After overcoming shortages of personnel and aircraft parts, the 62nd began flying in earnest in January 1948 during Project Yukon. One infantry company with full field equipment was airlifted from McChord to Big Delta, Alaska. From Big Delta, the 62nd's C-82s flew to Elmendorf Field, Alaska, for the return of another Army unit to McChord. A relatively simple task today, such deployments and redeployments were quite a feat then, as the piston-engine-powered C-82s required numerous stops for refueling.
During the first half of 1948, the 62nd flew flood relief supplies to several locations in Washington and Oregon. McChord crews flew 100 tons of burlap bags, later to be filled with sand, to flood workers. By Fall, 62nd TCW assets were tapped to support the now famous Berlin Airlift. More than 100 men, primarily mechanics, aerial engineers, and truck drivers were identified for a 90-day temporary tour of duty in Europe, to bolster airlift resources.
In the unusually cruel winter of '48 -'49, the 62nd attracted national attention as it airdropped tons of hay to livestock stranded by extreme blizzards in several western States. Operation Hayride brought all available 62nd assets to Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nevada. From there the 62nd reached cattle in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska. With the operation well under way, President Truman called in additional C-82s from other units to assist in the endeavor. In the end, as much as 80 percent of the livestock in these states were saved as a result of the airdrop.
On 6 October 1949, the 62nd received its first four-engine Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport. By Thanksgiving of that same year, the Wing was equipped entirely with C-54s, and its designation was changed from 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (Medium), to (Heavy). On 1 June 1950, the Wing was inactivated. The Group, together with the 7th and 8th Troop Carrier Squadrons, moved for a short time to Kelly Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, while the 4th TCS was temporarily transferred to Japan. On 17 September 1951, the Wing was once again activated at McChord AFB. Shortly thereafter, the Group and its three flying squadrons, the 4th, 7th, and 8th, again assigned to the Wing, returned to McChord. Not two years had passed, however, before the Wing was once again on the move. Now flying the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, which the 62nd had just proven as a viable platform for live paratroop drops, the Wing took command of Larson AFB, at Moses Lake, in central Washington, on 1 April 1952.
On 20 December 1952, one of the 62nd's C-124s took off from Larson on a routine airlift mission. Immediately after takeoff, about one half mile from the runway, the Globemaster II crashed and burned, killing 87, including servicemen on leave, going home for the holidays. At the time, it was the worst air disaster in history.
During 1952 and 1953, the 62nd airlifted troops, blood plasma, aircraft parts, ammunition, medical supplies, and much more, to the Far East, in support of the war in Korea. In May 1953, the 7th TCS, using only 11 C-124s, set a new standard in airdrop, delivering simultaneously 1,008 men, and equipment of the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
In April 1954, the 62nd transported a replacement French garrison to Dien Bien Phu, French Indochina. Operation Bali Hai saw the Globemasters fly around the world in a period of 8 to 10 days. The C-124s departed the desert of Moses Lake for Germany and France, where French troops were onloaded for a flight through Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Thailand, and, finally, Vietnam, where the French joined their comrades in the defense of Dien Bien Phu. Not longer after the second and final wave of Globemasters had delivered their French troops, the aircrews learned Dien Bien Phu had fallen to the communists. The mission of the 62nd, however, was complete, and they flew eastward, through the Philippines, Japan, Guam, Kwajelein, Hawaii, and California, before reaching Larson again.
By 1955 the Cold War was well under way, and the North American Defense Command (NORAD) set out to build a chain of radar stations on the northernmost reaches of the continent. This chain of radars, known as the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, was to detect incoming Soviet missiles and bombers, and give the U.S forces enough warning to launch a counter attack, and get the National Command Authorities to safety. Between 1955 and 1957, the 62nd began to fly missions to the Alaskan arctic regions, carrying 13 million pounds of supplies and equipment to build the DEW Line. The resupply of the DEW Line stations kept the Wing occupied until 1969.
The 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (Heavy) joined the Continental Division of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) on 1 July 1957. On 31 December 1959, the Wing relinquished command of Larson AFB and MATS turned that base over toStrategic Air Command (SAC). Meanwhile, the Air Force reorganized the structure of its wings, and the 62nd Troop Carrier Group, was inactivated 8 January 1960 when squadrons were assigned directly to the wing as part of the Air Force tri-deputate reorganization.
By the time Operation Iraqi Freedom was launched in mid-March 2003, nearly 1,000 McChord Airmen were heavily involved in defending America. At the end of March, McChord's C-17s and aircrews made history when they nighttime airdropped 1,000 "Sky Soldiers" from the 173rd Airborne Brigade behind enemy lines into Northern Iraq. It was the largest combat airdrop since the invasion of Panama in December 1989 and a first for the C-17.
In 2005, McChord Airmen assisted in bringing relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. McChord brought over 135,000 pounds of food and water into the region and brought more than 1,000 residents of the area out to safety.
Aircrew from the 62nd also participated in the largest noncombatant evacuation operation since Vietnam. In July 2006, they moved 12,703 U.S. citizens from Cyprus and Turkey where they had previously fled to escape fighting in Lebanon. In addition to aiding in the evacuation of people, McChord's Airmen delivered food, water and equipment to Cyprus to support stranded citizens awaiting evacuation.
In December 2006, a C-17 from McChord made its debut airdrop to the South Pole, Antarctica, showcasing the aircraft's reliability and versatility.
Finally, on 18 December 2007, the Air Force marked the 104th anniversary of powered flight with the first transcontinental flight of an aircraft using a blend of regular aviation and synthetic fuel. The transcontinental flight followed other successful synthetic fuel tests in C-17s and paved the way to certify the fuel blend for all C-17s.
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 assigned to the 62d Airlift Wing
62d Airlift Wing
The 62d Airlift Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. It is assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force of Air Mobility Command and is active duty host wing on McChord. The wing is composed of more than 7,200 active duty military and civilian...
. It is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Joint Base Lewis-McChord
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
, Washington.
Established prior to 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...
, its predecessor unit, the 62nd Transport (later Troop Carrier) Group engaged in combat operations, first with the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
and primarily with Twelfth Air Force during the war.
Overview
The 62d Operations Group is the flying component of the 62 AW. The group provides a large part of Air Mobility Command's Global Reach airlift capability. This adaptable and reactive air mobility promotes stability in regions by keeping America's competency and character highly visible. The group's tasking requirements range from supplying humanitarian airlift relief to victims of disasters, to airdropping troops into the heart of contingency operations in hostile areas.Components
The flying squadrons of the 62d Operations Group all fly the C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
, with "McChord" in white on a green tail flash. They are among the oldest airlift squadrons in the Air Force.
- 4th Airlift Squadron4th Airlift SquadronThe 4th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-Mission:...
, "Fighting Fourth", Established 1 March 1935 - 7th Airlift Squadron7th Airlift SquadronThe 7th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing as McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
, "Willing and Able", Established 1 October 1933 - 8th Airlift Squadron8th Airlift SquadronThe 8th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing as McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
, "Soaring Stallions", Established 1 October 1933 - 10th Airlift Squadron10th Airlift SquadronThe 10th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing as McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
, "Pathfinders", Established 1 January 1938 - 62d Operations Support Squadron
World War II
First constituted as the 62nd Transport Group on 20 November 1940, the Group activated on 11 December at McClellan Field, California, bringing together three of the oldest, most experienced airlift squadrons in history. The 7th and 8th Transport Squadrons, constituted on 1 October 1933, and the 4th Transport Squadron on 1 March 1935 existed only on paper until the 4th was activated on 8 July 1935, the 7th on 14 October 1939, and the 8th on 1 February 1940.Redesignated 62nd Troop Carrier Group in July 1942. After intensive training for the Atlantic crossing, the redesignated 62nd Troop Carrier Group (TCG), now composed of the 4th, 7th, 8th, and 51st Troop Carrier Squadrons, arrived at its new home, Keevil, England, on 3 October 1942 (their support personnel followed, arriving in country via the luxury ocean liner Queen Elizabeth) and assigned to VIII Air Support Command
VIII Air Support Command
The VIII Air Support Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force, stationed at Sunninghill, Berkshire, England. It was inactivated on 1 December 1943....
.
Assigned to Twelfth Air Force and moved to North Africa to take part in the battle for Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. After resupplying troops for a couple of weeks, the 62nd got its first taste of combat when, on 29 November 1942, it joined the 64th Troop Carrier Group for a combat airdrop of 530 British airborne troops on enemy held airfields at Depienne, Pont-du-Fahs, and Oudena, Tunisia.
Trained with gliders for several months, then towed gliders to Syracuse and also dropped paratroops behind enemy lines at Catania during the Allied invasion of Sicily. On the night of 9 July 1943, a total of 51 C-47s and C-53s towed the first of these gliders into combat over Sicily. Their key objective was to capture a bridge south of Syracuse, and keep it open for use by allied forces. It took the huge formation 40 minutes to take off. They flew 500 feet above the Mediterranean Sea, at 120 miles per hour. An unforeseen headwind sent some Group planes off course, whereby some gliders were released up to 30 minutes late. Battling against bad weather, darkness, friendly naval fire, flak, and inexperience, the 62nd crews did their best to keep their gliders on target. In the end, 36 gliders went down at sea, 12 made land, 2 were unaccounted for, and 2 never cast off over their landing zones.
Operated from bases in Sicily and Italy from September 1943 until after the war. Dropped paratroops in northern Italy in June 1944 to harass the retreating enemy and to prevent the Germans from destroying bridges over which their forces had withdrawn. Flew two missions in connection with the invasion of Southern France in August 1944, releasing gliders and paratroops in the battle area. Transported paratroops and towed gliders to Greece during the Allied assault in October 1944. In addition to the airborne operations, the group transported men and supplies in the Mediterranean theater and to the front lines during the campaigns for Tunisia, Italy, and southern France. Also evacuated wounded personnel and flew missions behind enemy lines in Italy and the Balkans to haul guns, ammunition, food, clothing, medical supplies, and other materials to the partisans and to drop propaganda leaflets. Aided in the redeployment of personnel after the war and also hauled freight and mail.
After the end of the war in Europe, in May 1945, the 62nd shuttled troops, supplies, wounded, and prisoners in the Mediterranean area. Inactivated in Italy on 14 November 1945.
Cold War
On 7 September 1946, Congress activated the 62nd, minus the 51st TCS, at Bergstrom Field, Texas. The Group now flew the C-46 Commando, quickly replaced by the C-82 Boxcar. In April 1947, in what would be the first of many humanitarian and disaster relief missions, the 62nd flew to aid victims of an explosion in Texas City, Texas.On 16 June 1947, the Group moved to McChord Field, Washington. Headquarters Army Air Forces directed each Army Air Force have a tactical group assigned to establish a Wing headquarters. Thus, the 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (TCW), constituted on 28 July 1947, and activated at McChord Field on 15 August, was assigned to 12th Air Force, Tactical Air Command, while the 62nd Troop Carrier Group became one of the Wing's subordinate units; its flying arm.
After overcoming shortages of personnel and aircraft parts, the 62nd began flying in earnest in January 1948 during Project Yukon. One infantry company with full field equipment was airlifted from McChord to Big Delta, Alaska. From Big Delta, the 62nd's C-82s flew to Elmendorf Field, Alaska, for the return of another Army unit to McChord. A relatively simple task today, such deployments and redeployments were quite a feat then, as the piston-engine-powered C-82s required numerous stops for refueling.
During the first half of 1948, the 62nd flew flood relief supplies to several locations in Washington and Oregon. McChord crews flew 100 tons of burlap bags, later to be filled with sand, to flood workers. By Fall, 62nd TCW assets were tapped to support the now famous Berlin Airlift. More than 100 men, primarily mechanics, aerial engineers, and truck drivers were identified for a 90-day temporary tour of duty in Europe, to bolster airlift resources.
In the unusually cruel winter of '48 -'49, the 62nd attracted national attention as it airdropped tons of hay to livestock stranded by extreme blizzards in several western States. Operation Hayride brought all available 62nd assets to Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nevada. From there the 62nd reached cattle in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska. With the operation well under way, President Truman called in additional C-82s from other units to assist in the endeavor. In the end, as much as 80 percent of the livestock in these states were saved as a result of the airdrop.
On 6 October 1949, the 62nd received its first four-engine Douglas C-54 Skymaster transport. By Thanksgiving of that same year, the Wing was equipped entirely with C-54s, and its designation was changed from 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (Medium), to (Heavy). On 1 June 1950, the Wing was inactivated. The Group, together with the 7th and 8th Troop Carrier Squadrons, moved for a short time to Kelly Air Force Base (AFB), Texas, while the 4th TCS was temporarily transferred to Japan. On 17 September 1951, the Wing was once again activated at McChord AFB. Shortly thereafter, the Group and its three flying squadrons, the 4th, 7th, and 8th, again assigned to the Wing, returned to McChord. Not two years had passed, however, before the Wing was once again on the move. Now flying the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, which the 62nd had just proven as a viable platform for live paratroop drops, the Wing took command of Larson AFB, at Moses Lake, in central Washington, on 1 April 1952.
On 20 December 1952, one of the 62nd's C-124s took off from Larson on a routine airlift mission. Immediately after takeoff, about one half mile from the runway, the Globemaster II crashed and burned, killing 87, including servicemen on leave, going home for the holidays. At the time, it was the worst air disaster in history.
During 1952 and 1953, the 62nd airlifted troops, blood plasma, aircraft parts, ammunition, medical supplies, and much more, to the Far East, in support of the war in Korea. In May 1953, the 7th TCS, using only 11 C-124s, set a new standard in airdrop, delivering simultaneously 1,008 men, and equipment of the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
In April 1954, the 62nd transported a replacement French garrison to Dien Bien Phu, French Indochina. Operation Bali Hai saw the Globemasters fly around the world in a period of 8 to 10 days. The C-124s departed the desert of Moses Lake for Germany and France, where French troops were onloaded for a flight through Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Thailand, and, finally, Vietnam, where the French joined their comrades in the defense of Dien Bien Phu. Not longer after the second and final wave of Globemasters had delivered their French troops, the aircrews learned Dien Bien Phu had fallen to the communists. The mission of the 62nd, however, was complete, and they flew eastward, through the Philippines, Japan, Guam, Kwajelein, Hawaii, and California, before reaching Larson again.
By 1955 the Cold War was well under way, and the North American Defense Command (NORAD) set out to build a chain of radar stations on the northernmost reaches of the continent. This chain of radars, known as the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, was to detect incoming Soviet missiles and bombers, and give the U.S forces enough warning to launch a counter attack, and get the National Command Authorities to safety. Between 1955 and 1957, the 62nd began to fly missions to the Alaskan arctic regions, carrying 13 million pounds of supplies and equipment to build the DEW Line. The resupply of the DEW Line stations kept the Wing occupied until 1969.
The 62nd Troop Carrier Wing (Heavy) joined the Continental Division of the Military Air Transport Service (MATS) on 1 July 1957. On 31 December 1959, the Wing relinquished command of Larson AFB and MATS turned that base over toStrategic Air Command (SAC). Meanwhile, the Air Force reorganized the structure of its wings, and the 62nd Troop Carrier Group, was inactivated 8 January 1960 when squadrons were assigned directly to the wing as part of the Air Force tri-deputate reorganization.
Modern era
From 1991, its squadrons flew a variety of exercises and training missions and provided airlift for worldwide contingencies and humanitarian relief efforts. Flew resupply missions for Operation Deep Freeze, Antarctica, 1997–. Group elements conducted aerial delivery of rations to Afghan towns and villages during Global War on Terrorism contingency operations in 2001.By the time Operation Iraqi Freedom was launched in mid-March 2003, nearly 1,000 McChord Airmen were heavily involved in defending America. At the end of March, McChord's C-17s and aircrews made history when they nighttime airdropped 1,000 "Sky Soldiers" from the 173rd Airborne Brigade behind enemy lines into Northern Iraq. It was the largest combat airdrop since the invasion of Panama in December 1989 and a first for the C-17.
In 2005, McChord Airmen assisted in bringing relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. McChord brought over 135,000 pounds of food and water into the region and brought more than 1,000 residents of the area out to safety.
Aircrew from the 62nd also participated in the largest noncombatant evacuation operation since Vietnam. In July 2006, they moved 12,703 U.S. citizens from Cyprus and Turkey where they had previously fled to escape fighting in Lebanon. In addition to aiding in the evacuation of people, McChord's Airmen delivered food, water and equipment to Cyprus to support stranded citizens awaiting evacuation.
In December 2006, a C-17 from McChord made its debut airdrop to the South Pole, Antarctica, showcasing the aircraft's reliability and versatility.
Finally, on 18 December 2007, the Air Force marked the 104th anniversary of powered flight with the first transcontinental flight of an aircraft using a blend of regular aviation and synthetic fuel. The transcontinental flight followed other successful synthetic fuel tests in C-17s and paved the way to certify the fuel blend for all C-17s.
Lineage
- Established as 62nd Transport Group on 20 November 1940
- Activated on 11 December 1940
- Redesignated 62nd Troop Carrier Group on 4 July 1942
- Inactivated on 14 November 1945
- Activated on 7 September 1946
- Redesignated: 62nd Troop Carrier Group, Medium on 23 June 1948
- Redesignated: 62nd Troop Carrier Group, Heavy on 12 October 1949
- Inactivated on 15 January 1960
- Redesignated: 62nd Military Airlift Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
- Redesignated: 62d Operations Group on 1 December 1991
- Activated on 1 December 1991
- Designated 62nd Air Expeditionary Group in September 2001 when group elements deployed to combat areas
Assignments
- Air Transport CommandI Troop Carrier CommandThe I Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Stout Army Air Field, Indiana.Its primary mission was theater troop and logistics transport training...
, 11 December 1940 - 50th Transport Wing, 14 January 1941
- 51st Troop Carrier Wing, 1 June 1942
- Mediterranean Air Transport Service, 4 June-14 November 1945
- Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 7 September 1946 - Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, 1 November 1946 - Twelfth Air Force, 5 August 1947
- 62d Troop Carrier Wing, 15 August 1947
- Fourth Air ForceFourth Air ForceThe Fourth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve . It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California....
, 1 June 1950 - 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....
, 1 July 1950 - Continental Division, MATS, 17 July 1950
- 1705 Air Transport Wing, 24 August 1950
- 62nd Troop Carrier Wing, 1 October 1951 – 15 January 1960
- 62d Airlift Wing62d Airlift WingThe 62d Airlift Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. It is assigned to the Eighteenth Air Force of Air Mobility Command and is active duty host wing on McChord. The wing is composed of more than 7,200 active duty military and civilian...
, 1 December 1991–present - Air Mobility CommandAir Mobility CommandAir Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
when group elements deployed to combat areas any time after 11 September 2001.
Components
- 4 Transport (later, 4 Troop Carrier, 4 Airlift) Squadron4th Airlift SquadronThe 4th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-Mission:...
: 11 December 1940 – 14 November 1945; 7 September 1946-15 January 1960; 1 December 1991–present - 7 Transport (later, 7 Troop Carrier, 7 Airlift) Squadron7th Airlift SquadronThe 7th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing as McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
: 11 December 1940 – 14 November 1945; 7 September 1946-15 January 1960; 1 October 1993–present - 8 Transport (later, 8 Troop Carrier, 8 Airlift) Squadron8th Airlift SquadronThe 8th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing as McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
: 11 December 1940 – 14 November 1945; 7 September 1946-15 January 1960; 1 December 1991–present - 10th Airlift Squadron10th Airlift SquadronThe 10th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing as McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
, 1 October 2003–present - 36th Airlift Squadron36th Airlift SquadronThe 36th Airlift Squadron is the only forward-based tactical airlift squadron in the Pacific Area of Responsibility. Formerly an Air Mobility Command unit, and a Military Airlift Command and a Tactical Air Command unit before that, the squadron is now part of Pacific Air Forces...
: 1 December 1991 – 1 October 1993 - 51 Transport (later, 51 Troop Carrier) Squadron: 1 June 1942 – 14 November 1945
Stations
- McClellan Field, California, 11 December 1940
- Kellogg Field, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 30 May 1942 - Florence Army Airfield, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, 1 July-14 August 1942 - RAF KeevilRAF KeevilRAF Keevil is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 4 miles east of Trowbridge, Wiltshire.The airfield was built on a site previously ear-marked for the purpose in the mid 1930s...
(USAAF Station 471), England, 25 September 1942 - Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria, 15 November 1942
- Nouvion AirfieldNouvion AirfieldNouvion Airfield was a pre-war airport and World War II military airfield in Algeria, located about 5 km west of Camp Militaire d' El Ghomri in Mascara province; about 76 km east of Oran.-History:...
, Algeria, 24 December 1942 - Matemore Airfield, Algeria, 16 May 1943
- TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, July 1943 - Ponte Olivo AirfieldPonte Olivo AirfieldPonte Olivo Airfield is an abandoned pre-World War II airport and later wartime military airfield in Sicily, 3 km north of Gela. Its last known use was by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force in 1944 during the Italian Campaign.-History:...
, Sicily, 6 September 1943 - Brindisi Airfield, Italy, February 1944
- Ponte Olivo AirfieldPonte Olivo AirfieldPonte Olivo Airfield is an abandoned pre-World War II airport and later wartime military airfield in Sicily, 3 km north of Gela. Its last known use was by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force in 1944 during the Italian Campaign.-History:...
, Sicily, 20 March 1944 - Gaudo AirfieldGaudo AirfieldGaudo Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Southern Italy, approximately 3 km north of Paestum, where the neolithic necropolis belonging to the Gaudo Culture was discovered, about 70 km southeast of Naples. It was a temporary airfield built by the United States...
, Italy, 8 May 1944
- Galera AirfieldGalera AirfieldGalera Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in the Umbria region of central Italy, 5.3 km South-Southwest of Umbertide.Its last known use was by the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air Force in 1943 during the Italian Campaign. Today the site of the airfield is indistinguishable...
, Italy, 30 June 1944 - Malignano Airfield, Italy, 30 September 1944
- Tarquinia AirfieldTarquinia AirfieldTarquinia Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in the Lazio region of central Italy, about 6 km South-Southwest of Tarquinia....
, Italy, 8 January 1945 - Rosignano AirfieldRosignano AirfieldRosignano Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, located near the comune of Rosignano Marittimo in the Province of Livorno in Tuscany....
, Italy, 25 May 1945 - Capodichino Airport, Naples, Italy, c.17 September-14 November 1945
- Bergstrom Field, Texas, 7 September 1946
- McChord Field, Washington, August 1947
- Kelly AFB, Texas, 9 May 1950
- McChord AFB, Washington, 27 July 1950
- Larson AFB, Washington, 9 May 1952 – 15 January 1960
- McChord AFB, Washington, 1 December 1991–present
Aircraft
- Douglas C-39, 1941–1942
- 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...
, 1942–1945 - C-53 Skytrooper, 1940–1945
- 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...
, 1946–1947 - C-82 PacketC-82 PacketThe C-82 Packet was a twin-engine, twin-boom cargo aircraft designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy following World War II.-Design and development:...
, 1947–1949
- 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...
, 1949–1951 - C-124 Globemaster IIC-124 Globemaster IIThe Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
, 1951–1960 - C-141 StarlifterC-141 StarlifterThe Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
, 1991–2002 - C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster IIIThe Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
, 1999–present