816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron

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816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
Korean War

Afghanistan Campaign[
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron emblem[b][1]
Unofficial 816th Troop Carrier Squadron patch (Korean War era)[c]

The 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron was a provisional United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 385th Air Expeditionary Group, stationed at Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar. It was last engaged in combat operations in Southwest Asia.

During World War II as the 816th Bombardment Squadron, it was one of the last

Distinguished Unit Citations
in combat over Germany. After the war, it helped transport American soldiers returning to the United States until it was inactivated in Italy.

The squadron was activated as the 816th Troop Carrier Squadron in 1953 in Japan, when it replaced a reserve unit that had been activated for the Korean War. It airlifted troops and materiel in the Pacific until inactivating in 1956.

Mission

The 816th was equipped with

Operation Iraqi Freedom, and also operated in the Horn of Africa. The mission of the 816th was to provide global strategic airlift, airdrop, aeromedical evacuation and humanitarian relief, to create an air bridge for personnel, equipment and supplies throughout their assigned areas of responsibility.[citation needed
]

History

World War II

483d Bomb Group B-17G Flying Fortress[d]

The

MacDill Field, Florida, where it trained with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses under Third Air Force.[1][2]

The 816th deployed to the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations, where it became part of Fifteenth Air Force at Sterparone Airfield in Southern Italy.[1] The squadron's air element flew its Flying Fortresses to Sterparone via Tortorella Airfield, while the ground element moved to Sterparone via troop ship.[3] It began operations in April 1944 with an attack on a cement factory in Split, Yugoslavia.[4]

The squadron engaged in long-range strategic bombardment of enemy military, industrial and transport targets, including factories,

flak to bomb tank factories at Berlin on 24 March 1945.[2]

The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic attack on Germany. It struck targets in southern France in preparation for Operation Dragoon, the invasion of August 1944. The group also supported ground forces in northern Italy during the Allied offensive in April 1945.[2]

After

Port Lyautey Airfield, French Morocco for further movement them across the Atlantic.[citation needed] The squadron was inactivated in Italy in September 1945.[1]

Airlift in the Pacific Area

483d Group C-119G Flying Boxcar[e]

The Air Force was returning the

64th Troop Carrier Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated.[1][8]

In June 1953, the squadron, along with the other squadrons of the 483d Wing, airlifted the

374th Troop Carrier Group
at Tachikawa.

Expeditionary operations

A pilot from the 816th programs a Joint Precision Airdrop System bundle for precision airdrop from one of their C-17s

Reactivated in 2006 as a Boeing C-17 Globemaster III squadron after the United States invasion of Afghanistan. Provided intra-theater transport within Southwest Asia and other locations as directed in support of units engaged in combat operations. During a recent deployment of personnel. the aircrews flew about 3,000 sorties in the C-17 Globemaster III, logged more than 8,000 flying hours and airlifted more than 148 million pounds of cargo and more than 37,000 airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines and distinguished visitors throughout Southwest Asia.[citation needed]

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 816th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 14 September 1943
Activated on 20 September 1943
Redesignated 816th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy c. September 1944
Inactivated on 25 September 1945
  • Redesignated 816th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 15 November 1952

. Activated on 1 January 1953

Inactivated on 18 September 1956[9]
  • Redesignated 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and converted to provisional status on 12 June 2002[10]
Activated on 1 October 2006[citation needed]

Assignments

  • 483d Bombardment Group, 20 September 1943 – 25 September 1945
  • 483d Troop Carrier Group, 1 January 1953 – 18 September 1956[9]
  • Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate at any time after 12 June 2002[10]
385th Air Expeditionary Group, 1 October 2006
379th Expeditionary Operations Group, unknown–present

Stations

  • Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 20 September 1943
  • MacDill Field, Florida, 7 November 1943 – 2 March 1944
  • Sterparone Airfield, Italy, 9 April 1944
  • Pisa Airfield, Italy, 15 May-25 September 1945
  • Ashiya Air Base, Japan, 1 January 1953
  • Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, 17–18 September 1956[9]
  • Al Udeid Air Base, Doha, Qatar, 1 October 2006 – present[11]

Aircraft

  • Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943–1945
  • C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1953–1956[9]
  • C-17 Globemaster III, 2006–present
Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation
 18 July 1944 Germany, 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Distinguished Unit Citation 24 March 1945 Germany, 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
 6 May 1953-10 September 1954 816th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
 1 January 1953-28 July 1953 816th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Air Offensive, Europe 9 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Normandy 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Northern France 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Rome-Arno 22 January 1944 – 9 September 1944 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Southern France 15 August 1944 – 14 September 1944 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
North Apennines 10 September 1944 – 4 April 1945 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Po Valley 3 April 1945 – 8 May 1945 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Rhineland 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Central Europe 9 April 1944 – 21 May 1945 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Air Combat, EAME Theater 9 April 1944 – 11 May 1945 816th Bombardment Squadron[1]
Third Korean Winter 1 January 1953 – 30 April 1953 816th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Korea Summer-Fall 1953 1 May 1953 – 27 July 1953 816th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]

See also

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. M1A1 Abrams tank to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom
    on 28 November 2010.
  2. proper, in flight, winged light yellow orange, wearing a light red violet robe, and hurling a light turquoise blue aerial bomb, shaded medium blue, highlighted white, point toward center base
    , with upraised right hand, all behind small white cloud formations, outlined medium blue.
  3. ^ The "Packet" refers to the official name of the C-119, which was more commonly referred to as the "Flying Boxcar." The emblem was not officially approved. See Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 766–767 (World War II emblem still the official unit emblem in 1963.)
  4. Walnut Ridge Army Air Field and sold for scrap in September 1946. Baugher, Joe (23 June 2023). "1944 USAF Serial Numbers"
    . Joe Baugher. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  5. ^ Aircraft is Fairchild C-119G-FA Packet, serial 53-3156. This airplane was converted to AC-119K Stinger. It was destroyed on 19 February 1970 when it landed short of the runway at Da Nang Air Base due to fuel starvation. The crew escaped with minor injuries. Baugher, Joe (15 July 2023). "1953 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 766–767
  2. ^ a b c d e f Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 354–355
  3. ^ "Abstract, History 483 Bombardment Group March 1944". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Abstract, History 483 Bombardment Group April 1944". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Abstract, History 483 Bombardment Group June 1944". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 215–217
  7. ^ a b Ravenstein, pp. 268–279
  8. ^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 245
  9. ^ a b c d Lineage, including assignments, stations, and aircraft through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 766–767
  10. ^ a b DAF/XPM Letter 303s, 12 June 2002, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units
  11. ^ "816th EAS airmen fly, fight, win". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2014.

Bibliography

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

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