156th Airlift Squadron

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156th Airlift Squadron
Charlotte Air National Guard Base, Charlotte, North Carolina
Tail CodeBlue tail stripe "Charlotte" in yellow letters
Insignia
156th Airlift Squadron emblem

The 156th Airlift Squadron (156 AS) is a unit of the

Charlotte Air National Guard Base, North Carolina and is equipped with the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
aircraft.

History

World War II

Organized and trained in the Northeast United States by First Air Force. During training was part of the air defense of the northeast, being attached to the New York and Boston Fighter Wings.

Deployed to England aboard the

P-51 Mustangs
in November 1944.

From October 1943 until January 1944, operated as escort for

B-24 Liberator
bombers that attacked such objectives as industrial areas, missile sites, airfields, and communications.

Fighters from the 461st engaged primarily in bombing and strafing missions after 3 January 1944, with its targets including U-boat installations, barges, shipyards, aerodromes, hangars, marshalling yards, locomotives, trucks, oil facilities,

P-51 Mustangs clashed with German Me 262
jet aircraft. The squadron flew its last combat mission, escorting B-17's dropping propaganda leaflets, on 7 May 1945.

Remained in the United Kingdom during the balance of 1945, most personnel were demobilized and returned to the United States, with aircraft being sent to storage facilities in the UK. The squadron was administratively inactivated at Camp Kilmer New Jersey on 10 November 1945 without personnel or equipment.

North Carolina Air National Guard

The unit designation was transferred to the North Carolina Air National Guard in May 1946, being re-designated as the 156th Fighter Squadron. It was organized at

F-47D Thunderbolts, it was activated on 15 March 1948 by the NC Air National Guard, its gaining organization being Fourteenth Air Force, Continental Air Command
.

The 156th performed normal peacetime training operations, was re-equipped with F-51 Mustangs in 1949. As a result of the

B-50 Superfortress
bombardment wings which operated from several USAF-controlled bases in the UK. In July 1952 the squadron returned to the United States and was returned to state control, leaving its aircraft and equipment in England.

Upon return to Charlotte, the 156th returned to operating propeller-driven F-51 Mustangs, operating them until their retirement in 1955, being operationally gained by

F-86L Sabre Interceptor
.

In February 1961, was reassigned to the

21st Air Force
when MATS was reorganized in 1966.

Was transferred back to

C-130B Hercules tactical airlifters, being given a theater airlift and troop carrier mission as part of Ninth Air Force
. Celebrated 25 years of service in 1973, winning 1st place in worldwide airlift competition.

In January 1974, transferred to Military Airlift Command, Twenty-First Air Force, later that year assisted in rescue of 10 lives of the Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 crash at Charlotte on 11 September. In 1985, the units mission was expanded by the addition of the Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) capability added to the C-130s for aerial firefighting. Other awards won were the 1986 Volant Rodeo competition as world's best airlift crew and plane and 1987 Spaatz Trophy for best flying unit in the Air National Guard.

During the 1991 Persian Gulf Conflict, the squadron's 56th Aeromedical Evacuation Flight was activated and deployed to Saudi Arabia, participating in

Operation Desert Storm
. The squadron also achieved 150,000 hours of safe flying.

Was reassigned to Air Mobility Command in 1992. and helped evacuate hospital patients in South Florida after Hurricane Andrew in late August. Upgraded to C-130H Hercules in 1993.

Celebrated 50th anniversary in 1998, received an Excellent" on Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI), and achieved 176,879 accident free flying hours. After Hurricane Floyd in 1999, the squadron flew 33,000 cases of food rations in 3 C-130s to flood victims and erected a tent city for 80 people near Wilmington's airport. Additional hurricane relief took place in 2005 when the 196th was the first airlift squadron on site in response to Hurricane Katrina Relief support.

In July 2012, four members of the squadron died as their C-130 firefighting plane crashed during firefighting efforts in South Dakota. They were: Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, 42, and Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, 36, both pilots; Maj. Ryan S. David, 35, a navigator; and Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50, a flight engineer.[1]

The squadron is scheduled to commence trading in its C-130H Hercules and receive the C-17A Globemaster III in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Lineage

Emblem of the World War II 360th Fighter Squadron
156th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron – Emblem
  • Constituted 360th Fighter Squadron on 8 December 1942
Activated on 12 December 1942
Inactivated on 11 November 1945
  • Re-designated: 156th Fighter Squadron and allocated to the North Carolina ANG on 24 May 1946
Extended federal recognition on 15 March 1948
Re-designated: 156th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 10 October 1950
Federalized and placed on active duty, 10 October 1950
Released from active duty and returned to North Carolina state control, 10 July 1952
Re-designated: 156th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron on 1 July 1955
Re-designated: 156th Aeromedical Transport Squadron on 1 February 1961
Re-designated: 156th Air Transport Squadron on 25 January 1964
Re-designated: 156th Military Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1966
Re-designated: 156th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 15 May 1971
Re-designated: 156th Airlift Squadron on 15 March 1992

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

Notes

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ National Guard Plane Crashes...; WBTV story

Further reading

  • Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
    OCLC 72556
    .
  • Rogers, B. (2006). United States Air Force Unit Designations Since 1978.
    ISBN 1-85780-197-0

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=156th_Airlift_Squadron&oldid=1211819408"