709th Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 709th Airlift Squadron (709 AS) is part of the 512th Airlift Wing
at Dover Air Force Base
, Delaware
.
in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during November 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Third Air Force
for possible re-equipping with B-29 Superfortress
es and deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to inactivation in November 1945.
Activated in the postwar reserve as a B-29 squadron. Trained for proficiency as part of Strategic Air Command
reserve forces. Activated as a result of Korean War
in 1951, squadron's aircraft and personnel reassigned to Far East Air Force Bomber Command, inactivated as a paper unit.
Reactivated as Military Airlift Command
reserve C-5 Galaxy
squadron in 1973 and became associate squadron of 436th Military Airlift Wing. Since 1973 the 709th has trained for and flown airlift missions, participating in exercises
and global humanitarian
and contingency operations.
512th Airlift Wing
The 512th Airlift Wing, an associate C-5 Galaxy Air Force Reserve unit is located at Dover AFB, Delaware. The 512 AW helps maintain, repair and flies the same aircraft as its active duty counterparts...
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...
.
History
Activated in mid 1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron, trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to EnglandEngland
England 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...
in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during November 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
for possible re-equipping with B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
es and deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to inactivation in November 1945.
Activated in the postwar reserve as a B-29 squadron. Trained for proficiency as part of Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
reserve forces. Activated as a result of 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...
in 1951, squadron's aircraft and personnel reassigned to Far East Air Force Bomber Command, inactivated as a paper unit.
Reactivated as 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...
reserve C-5 Galaxy
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
squadron in 1973 and became associate squadron of 436th Military Airlift Wing. Since 1973 the 709th has trained for and flown airlift missions, participating in exercises
Military exercise
A military exercise is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat...
and global humanitarian
Humanitarian aid
Humanitarian aid is material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, typically in response to humanitarian crises including natural disaster and man-made disaster. The primary objective of humanitarian aid is to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity...
and contingency operations.
Lineage
- Constituted 709th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 April 1943
- Activated on 1 May 1943
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Redesignated 709th Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) on 24 October 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 10 November 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949
- Redesignated 709 Military Airlift Squadron (Associate) on 19 June 1973
- Activated in the Reserve on 1 October 1973
- Redesignated: 709th Airlift Squadron (Associate) on 1 February 1992
- Redesignated: 709th Airlift Squadron on 1 October 1994.
Assignments
- 447th Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943-7 November 1945; 10 November 1947-27 June 1949
- ETO Fuselage Code: IE
- 512th Military Airlift (later, 512 Airlift) Wing512th Airlift WingThe 512th Airlift Wing, an associate C-5 Galaxy Air Force Reserve unit is located at Dover AFB, Delaware. The 512 AW helps maintain, repair and flies the same aircraft as its active duty counterparts...
, 1 October 1973 - 512th Operations Group512th Operations GroupThe 512th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the 512th Airlift Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Reserve...
, 1 August 1992–present
- 512th Military Airlift (later, 512 Airlift) Wing
Stations
- Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 1 May 1943
- Rapid City Army Air Base, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 13 June 1943 - Harvard Army AirfieldHarvard Army AirfieldHarvard State Airport , also known as Harvard State Airfield, is a public use airport located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Harvard, a city in Clay County, Nebraska, United States. It is owned by the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 1 August-11 November 1943 - RAF RattlesdenRAF RattlesdenRAF Rattlesden is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 9 miles SE of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.-USAAF use:Rattlesden airfield was built in 1942 as a Class A bomber airfield. The airfield had three intersecting concrete runways, perimeter track and, for USAAF use,...
(AAF-126), 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...
, 1 December 1943-c. 3 August 1945
- Drew Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 18 August-7 November 1945 - Bergstrom Field (later, AFB), 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...
, 10 November 1947-27 June 1949 - Dover AFB, DelawareDelawareDelaware 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...
, 1 October 1973–present
Aircraft
- B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1945
- B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
, 1947-1949. - C-5 GalaxyC-5 GalaxyThe Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
, 1973-Present