39th Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 39th Airlift Squadron (39 AS) is a United States Air Force
unit based at Dyess Air Force Base
, Abilene
, Texas
. The unit flies the Lockheed
C-130 Hercules.
.
, Luzon
, as well as aerial transportation in the Pacific Theater of Operations
during World War II
. The squadron participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948. It was part of airlift missions to Grenada, in October 1983, to Panama, December 1989-January 1990, and to Southwest Asia
, August 1990-March 1991.
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 based at Dyess Air Force Base
Dyess Air Force Base
Dyess Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Abilene, Texas.The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force...
, Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, Texas
Texas
Texas 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...
. The unit flies the Lockheed
Lockheed Corporation
The Lockheed Corporation was an American aerospace company. Lockheed was founded in 1912 and later merged with Martin Marietta to form Lockheed Martin in 1995.-Origins:...
C-130 Hercules.
Mission
Provide services and support, which promote quality of life and project global power through combat-proven airlift and airdropAirdrop
An airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
.
History
The 39th conducted paratroop drops on NoemfoorNoemfoor
Numfor is one of the Biak Islands in Papua province, Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and was major airbase for both sides.-Geography:The island is situated just north of the large Cenderawasih Bay...
, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon 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...
, as well as aerial transportation in the Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Ocean theater of World War II
The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....
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 participated in the Berlin Airlift in 1948. It was part of airlift missions to Grenada, in October 1983, to Panama, December 1989-January 1990, and to 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...
, August 1990-March 1991.
Operations
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
- Operation Urgent Fury
- Operation Just Cause
- Operation Desert Storm
Lineage
- 39th Transport Squadron (1942)
- 39th Troop Carrier Squadron (1942–1948)
- 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy (1948–1952)
- 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1952–1966)
- 39th Troop Carrier Squadron (1966–1967)
- 39th Tactical Airlift Squadron (1967–1992)
- 39th Airlift Squadron (1992–Present)
Assignments
- 317th Troop Carrier Group (1942–1949, 1952–1957)
- 465th Troop Carrier Wing (1957)
- 317th Troop Carrier Wing (1957–1958)
- 322d Air Division (1958–1963)
- 317th Tactical Airlift Wing (1963–1971)
- Attached: Detachment 1, 322d Air Division (February – May 1965)
- Attached: 513th Tactical Airlift Wing (13 May – 18 July 1968)
- Attached: 7310th Tactical Airlift Wing (15 April – 22 July 1969)
- 317th Tactical Airlift Wing (1971–1997)
- Attached: 322d Tactical Airlift Wing (12 December 1973 – 17 February 1974)
- Attached: 513th Tactical Airlift Wing (9 July – 15 September 1974, 12 July – 14 September 1975)
- Attached: 435th Tactical Airlift Wing (12 April – 14 June 1976, 1 October – 15 December 1977)
- Attached: 435th Tactical Airlift Group (4 January – 4 March 1977)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Group (5 June – 14 August 1979, 8 October – 13 December 1980)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Group (3 February – 14 April 1982, 4 June – 13 August 1983)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Group (1 October – 12 December 1984, 2 February – 15 April 1986)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Group (3 March – 15 May 1987, 3 June – 10 August 1988)
- Attached: 313th Tactical Airlift Group (May – 11 July 1991, 3 April – 31 May 1992)
- 317th Airlift Group317th Airlift GroupThe 317th Airlift Group is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Assigned to Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force, the 317 AG operates as a tenant unit to the 7th Bomb Wing, Air Combat Command ....
(1997–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) - Lawson Field, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
(1942) - MaxtonMaxton, North CarolinaMaxton is a town in Robeson County and Scotland County Counties, North Carolina, in the United States. The population was 2,551 at the time of the 2000 U.S. Census.-History:...
, 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) - RAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base TownsvilleRAAF Base Townsville is, along with RAAF Base Tindal and RAAF Base Darwin, one of northern Australia's primary defence installations. It is also Headquarters for No...
, 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) - RAAF Station ArcherfieldRAAF Station ArcherfieldRAAF Station Archerfield was a permanent Royal Australian Air Force station at Archerfield Airport in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, from 1939 to 1956.- 1939 - 1945 :...
, Australia (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) - 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 (1943) - 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 (1943) - 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, 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...
(1945) - FukuokaFukuoka, Fukuokais the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan (1945–1946) - Tachikawa, Japan (1946)
- YamotoHigashimatsushima, Miyagiis a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.It was created on April 1, 2005, when the towns of Naruse and Yamoto, both formally of Monou District, merged to form the new city....
, Japan (1946) - Carelus Army Air Field, Japan (1946)
- Tachikawa, Japan (1946–1948)
- Wiesbaden Air Base, 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 (1953–1956) - 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...
(1956–1964) - Lockbourne Air Force BaseRickenbacker International AirportRickenbacker International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located 10 miles south of the central business district of Columbus, near the village of Lockbourne in extreme southern Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The southern end of the airport extends into northern Pickaway...
, 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...
(1964–1971)- Deployed: Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France (February - May 1965)
- 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...
(13 May - 18 July 1968) - Deployed: Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (15 April - 22 July 1969)
- 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 Carolina (1971–1992)- Deployed: Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (12 December 1973 – 17 February 1974)
- Deployed: Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (12 April – 14 June 1976, 1 October – 15 December 1977)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (12 July – 14 September 1975, 4 January – 4 March 1977)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England(5 June – 14 August 1979, 8 October – 13 December 1980)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (3 February – 14 April 1982, 4 June – 13 August 1983)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (1 October – 12 December 1984, 2 February – 15 April 1986)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (3 March – 15 May 1987, 3 June – 10 August 1988)
- Deployed: RAF Mildenhall, England (May – 11 July 1991, 3 April – 31 May 1992)
- Dyess Air Force BaseDyess Air Force BaseDyess Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately southwest of Abilene, Texas.The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force...
, Texas (1993–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...
(1946–1949) - 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...
(1958–1971, 1971 – Present)