773d Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 773d Airlift Squadron is one of the oldest airlift squadrons in existence today. It historically calls itself the "Fleagles" and is assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing
(Air Force Reserve Command
), Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Vienna, Ohio
. The unit flies the C-130 H2 aircraft.
reactivated the 773d at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport
, joining the 910th Airlift Wing
and the 757th Airlift Squadron
. Since that time the 773d has flown numerous humanitarian missions from Europe
to the former Yugoslavia
. Delivering peacekeeping
forces, food, and medicines to aid the people of the region. The 773d also continues the rotational airlift requirement for Central and South America
, Southeast Asia
and the Far East
.
for training. Attached in late 1943 and early 1944 to Air University Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
. Deployed to Mediterranean Theater of Operations
(MTO) in February 1944, squadron taking the South Atlantic Transport Route though the Caribbean
and South America
; transiting the Atlantic Ocean
via Brazil
and Dakar
, French West Africa
, being assigned to Fifteenth Air Force
in March 1944 at several airfields in Southern Italy
.
Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment of enemy military, industrial and transport targets, including oil refineries and production oilfields in Italy; France
; Southern Germany
; Austria
and the Balkans
. Continued strategic bombardment until German capitulation in May 1945. Demobilized in place in Italy during the summer of 1945; inactivated in September 1945.
Reactivated as a Tactical Air Command
Troop Carrier squadron in June 1953, assigned C-119 Flying Boxcar
s. Engaged in transport of equipment and supplies; including support of Army Airborne parachute units throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Equipped with new C-130A Hercules in 1956.
Deployed to Pacific Air Forces in 1966, being stationed in the Philippines
. Engaged in airlift missions between the Philippines and South Vietnam
, airlifting supplies and equipment to airfields in the combat areas; evacuating wounded personnel to hospitals at Clark Air Base
. Remained in the Western Pacific until 1971 when inactivated as part of the drawdown of United States forces in the region.
Reactivated at Dyess AFB, Texas
as a theater airlift squadron in June 1972, initially under Tactical Air Command, later Military Airlift Command
and lastly Air Mobility Command
. Deployed frequently to Europe or the Pacific, performing intra-theater airlift missions with C-130s. Inactivated in October 1993 as part of the drawdown of the USAF after the end of the Cold War
.
Reactivated in 1995 in the Air Force Reserve.
910th Airlift Wing
The 910th Airlift Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station, Ohio. 910th Airlift Wing's mission is to ensure the organization and individual members can perform command authority directed taskings in support of national objectives by providing...
(Air Force Reserve Command
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
), Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Vienna, Ohio
Vienna Center, Ohio
Vienna Center is a census-designated place in Trumbull County, Ohio, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 994...
. The unit flies the C-130 H2 aircraft.
Mission
On 1 April 1995, with the Reserve Forces building, the Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
reactivated the 773d at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport
Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport
Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport is a public and military use airport in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. It is 10 nautical miles north of the central business district of Youngstown and east of Warren...
, joining the 910th Airlift Wing
910th Airlift Wing
The 910th Airlift Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station, Ohio. 910th Airlift Wing's mission is to ensure the organization and individual members can perform command authority directed taskings in support of national objectives by providing...
and the 757th Airlift Squadron
757th Airlift Squadron
The 757th Airlift Squadron was on a regular U.S. Air Force squadron from the 1940s to 1973. The unit was assigned to the USAF Reserve in 1973. The unit relocated in 1992 from 907 AW Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio to 910 AW at Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio...
. Since that time the 773d has flown numerous humanitarian missions from 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...
to the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. Delivering peacekeeping
Peacekeeping
Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....
forces, food, and medicines to aid the people of the region. The 773d also continues the rotational airlift requirement for Central and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, 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...
and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
.
History
Established in mid-1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment squadron; assigned to Second Air ForceSecond Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
for training. Attached in late 1943 and early 1944 to Air University Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
The Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics was a military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...
. Deployed to Mediterranean Theater of Operations
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army was originally called North African Theater of Operations and is an American term for the conflict that took place between the Allies and Axis Powers in North Africa and Italy during World War II...
(MTO) in February 1944, squadron taking the South Atlantic Transport Route though the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
; transiting the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
via Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
, being assigned to Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
in March 1944 at several airfields in Southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Engaged in long-range strategic bombardment of enemy military, industrial and transport targets, including oil refineries and production oilfields in Italy; France
France
The 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...
; Southern Germany
Germany
Germany , 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...
; Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. Continued strategic bombardment until German capitulation in May 1945. Demobilized in place in Italy during the summer of 1945; inactivated in September 1945.
Reactivated as a Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
Troop Carrier squadron in June 1953, assigned C-119 Flying Boxcar
C-119 Flying Boxcar
The 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...
s. Engaged in transport of equipment and supplies; including support of Army Airborne parachute units throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Equipped with new C-130A Hercules in 1956.
Deployed to Pacific Air Forces in 1966, being stationed in 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...
. Engaged in airlift missions between the Philippines and South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, airlifting supplies and equipment to airfields in the combat areas; evacuating wounded personnel to hospitals at Clark Air Base
Clark Air Base
Clark 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...
. Remained in the Western Pacific until 1971 when inactivated as part of the drawdown of United States forces in the region.
Reactivated at Dyess AFB, 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...
as a theater airlift squadron in June 1972, initially under Tactical Air Command, later 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...
and lastly Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
. Deployed frequently to Europe or the Pacific, performing intra-theater airlift missions with C-130s. Inactivated in October 1993 as part of the drawdown of the USAF after the end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Reactivated in 1995 in the Air Force Reserve.
Lineage
- Constituted 773d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943
- Activated on 1 August 1943
- Redesignated 773d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. 29 September 1944
- Inactivated on 25 September 1945
- Redesignated 773d Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 1 December 1952
- Activated on 16 January 1953
- Redesignated: 773d Troop Carrier Squadron, Assault on 18 December 1961
- Redesignated: 773d Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 15 May 1965
- Redesignated: 773d Troop Carrier Squadron on 1 January 1967
- Redesignated: 773d Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 August 1967
- Inactivated on 15 June 1971. Activated on 1 June 1972
- Redesignated 773d Airlift Squadron on 1 November 1991
- Inactivated on 1 October 1993
- Reactivated on 1 April 1995
Assignments
- 463d Bombardment Group, 1 August 1943 – 25 September 1945
- 463d Troop Carrier Group, 16 January 1953
- 463d Troop Carrier Wing, 25 September 1957
- 840th Air Division840th Air DivisionThe 840th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Ninth Air Force, being stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio. It was inactivated on 24 December 1969....
, 23 November 1965 - 463d Troop Carrier (later, 463f Tactical Airlift) Wing, 7 February 1966 – 15 June 1971
- 463d Tactical Airlift Wing, 1 June 1972
- Attached to: 513th Tactical Airlift Wing, 1 June – 14 July 1972; 28 August – 16 November 1972; 5 July – 5 September 1973; 5 May – 15 July 1974; 5 May – 14 July 1975
- Attached to: 374th Tactical Airlift Wing, 28 February-c. 10 May 1973
- 463d Operations Group, 1 November 1991 – 1 October 1993
- 910th Operations Group, 1 April 1995–present
Stations
- Geiger Field, Washington, 1 August 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...
, August 1943 - MacDill 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...
, 4 November 1943 - Lakeland Army Airfield, 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...
, 3 January 1944 - Hampton Roads (Camp Patrick Henry)Camp Patrick HenryCamp Patrick Henry is a decommissioned United States Army base which was located in Warwick County, Virginia. After World War II, the site was redeveloped as a commercial airport, and became part of City of Newport News in 1958 when the former City of Warwick and Newport News were politically...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
(ground echelon), 2–12 February 1944
- Air echelon operated from Hunter 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...
, 6–10 February 1944- Morrison 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...
, 11–14 February 1944
- Morrison Field, Florida
- Then staged through bases in South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and North AfricaNorth AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, 15 February – 13 March 1944- Naples, Italy (ground echelon), 10 March 1944
- Celone Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(ground echelon), 11 March 1944
- Air echelon operated from Amendola Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 14–27 March 1944, then joined ground echelon at Celone Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 28 March 1944- Pomigliano AirfieldPomigliano AirfieldPomigliano Airfield was a military airfield and base in Pomigliano d'Arco, southern Italy. It was attacked on several occasions by the United States Army Air Force...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 26 May 1945
- Pomigliano Airfield
- Celone Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 3–25 September 1945 - Memphis Municipal AirportMemphis International AirportMemphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States....
, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, 16 January 1953 - Ardmore AFB, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 17 August 1953 - Sewart AFB, TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, 15 November 1958 - Langley AFB, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 5 July 1963 – 7 February 1966 - Mactan Isle Airfield, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe 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...
, 12 February 1966 - Clark AB, PhilippinesPhilippinesThe 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...
, 15 July 1968 – 15 June 1971 - Dyess 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...
, 1 June 1972 – 1 October 1993
- Deployed at: 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...
, 1 June – 14 July 1972; 28 August – 16 November 1972 - Deployed at: Ching Chuan Kang Air BaseChing Chuan Kang Air BaseChing Chuan Kang Air Base is a Republic Of China Air Force base located on Taiwan. It is the home to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, with three squadrons of Ching-kou air-defense /attack fighters...
, TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, 28 February-c. 10 May 1973 - Deployed at: 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...
, 5 July – 5 September 1973; 5 May – 15 July 1974; 5 May – 14 July 1975- Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve StationYoungstown-Warren Air Reserve StationYoungstown-Warren Air Reserve Station is a military facility located in Vienna Center, Ohio, 11 miles north of Youngstown and 10 miles east of Warren, in Trumbull County, Ohio, in the United States. The installation is located at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport...
, 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...
, 1 April 1995–present
- Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station
Aircraft
- B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1945
- 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...
, 1953–1957 - 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...
, 1956–1971; 1972–1988; 1995–present