89th Airlift Squadron

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89th Airlift Squadron
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
89th Airlift Squadron emblem (Approved 15 August 1985)[1]
World War II Fuselage Code4U

The 89th Airlift Squadron is a

United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 445th Operations Group, stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
, Ohio.

The

VE Day
. the unit returned to the United States, where it was inactivated.

The squadron was activated in the

Air Force Reserve in June 1949. It trained in troop carrier operations at Offutt Air Force Base until March 1951, when it was called to active duty and its personnel used as fillers for other units. It was activated again in the reserves as a fighter-bomber
unit the following year and served until 1957, when reserve fighter units were replaced by troop carrier units. It was again activated in the reserve in 1972 as the 89th Tactical Fighter Squadron'. It returned to the airlift mission in 1994.

Overview

It operates

C-17 Globemaster III aircraft providing strategic
, tactical and global airlift.

History

World War II

438th Troop Carrier Group C-47As tow gliders over Normandy in June 1944

The squadron was first activated as the 89th Troop Carrier Squadron in June 1943 by I Troop Carrier Command and equipped with Douglas C-47 Skytrains. It trained in various parts of the eastern United States until the end of 1943. The squadron deployed to England, where it became part of IX Troop Carrier Command.

The squadron prepared for

502d Parachute Infantry Regiment, who were dropped soon after midnight in the area northwest of Carentan. Glider-borne reinforcement missions followed, carrying weapons, ammunition
, rations, and other supplies.

On 20 July 1944 the 89th departed for Italy in preparation for the August invasion of Southern France, Operation Dragoon. In that invasion, it dropped paratroops and towed gliders that carried reinforcements.

Returning to England, during Operation Market Garden in September 1944, the group released gliders carrying troops and equipment for the airborne attack in the occupied Netherlands. Resupply missions were flown on 20 September and on the 21st to Overasselt and on the 21st to Son.

During the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 – January 1945), the squadron flew air supply missions to battle areas, including the first two flights into beleaguered Bastogne, resupplying the 101st Airborne Division.

After moving to France in February 1945, the squadron flew combat operations from rough resupply and evacuation airfields carrying supplies and ammunition to front line forces and evacuating wounded personnel to rear-zone hospitals. The unit released gliders in support of an American crossing of the

Rhine River called Operation Varsity
in March 1945.

After

prisoners of war
and displaced persons to relocation centers. It returned to the United States in August 1945, where it was inactivated in September 1945.

Air Force Reserve

C-46D of the AF Reserve

In 1949

wing.[1][3] The squadron's manning, however, was limited to 25% of active duty organization authorizations.[4] The squadron trained under the 2473d Air Force Reserve Training Center for troop carrier operations with the C-46, but also flew the North American T-6 Texan trainer.[2][5]

All combat units of the Air Force Reserve were ordered to active service for the Korean War.[6] The 89th was called up in the second wave of mobilizations on 10 March 1951. Its personnel were used to man other organizations, primarily those of Strategic Air Command, and it was inactivated on 14 March 1951.[1][7] Its aircraft were distributed to other organizations as well.[8]

F-80 as flown by the group in the Reserves

Little more than a year later the squadron was redesignated the 89th Fighter-Bomber Squadron and activated at

air defense role.[10]

In 1957 the squadron began to upgrade to the North American F-86 Sabre. However, its time with this plane would be short. By 1956, the Joint Chiefs of Staff were pressuring the Air Force to provide more wartime airlift. At the same time, about 150 Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars became available from the active force. Consequently, in November 1956 the Air Force directed Continental Air Command to convert three fighter bomber wings to the troop carrier mission by September 1957.[11] The squadron was inactivated 16 November 1957.[2][12]

In 1982 the squadron was again activated as the 89th Tactical Fighter Squadron and trained on fighter operations until 1994.[1]

Since 1994 the 89th has trained for and flown strategic airlift missions worldwide, taking part in contingency operations as needed.[1] The wing was fully equipped with the C-17 in February 2012.[13]

Lineage

  • Constituted as the 89th Troop Carrier Squadron on 14 May 1943
Activated on 1 June 1943
Inactivated on 22 September 1945
  • Redesignated 89th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 10 May 1949
Activated in the reserve on 27 June 1949
Ordered to active service on 10 March 1951
Inactivated on 14 March 1951
  • Redesignated 89th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 26 May 1952
Activated in the reserve on 15 June 1952
Inactivated on 16 November 1957.
  • Redesignated 89th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 20 January 1982
Activated in the reserve on 1 July 1982
  • Redesignated 89th Fighter Squadron on 1 February 1992
  • Redesignated 89th Airlift Squadron on 1 October 1994[1]

Assignments

  • 438th Troop Carrier Group
    , 1 June 1943 – 22 September 1945
  • 438th Troop Carrier Group, 27 June 1949 – 14 March 1951
  • 438th Fighter-Bomber Group, 15 June 1952 – 16 November 1957
  • 906th Tactical Fighter Group
    (later 906th Fighter Group), 1 July 1982
  • 445th Operations Group, 1 October 1994 – present[1]

Stations

  • Baer Field
    , Indiana, 1 June 1943
  • Sedalia Army Air Field
    , Missouri, 11 June 1943
  • Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base
    , North Carolina, 30 October 1943
  • Baer Field, Indiana, c. 15 January – c. 28 January 1944
  • RAF Langar (AAF-490),[14] England, February 1944
  • RAF Greenham Common (AAF-486),[14] England, Mar 1944
Operated from Montalto Di Castro Airfield, Italy, 20 July – 23 August 1944

Aircraft

  • Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1943–1945, 1949–1951)
  • Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor
    (1949–1951)
  • Curtiss C-46 Commando (1949–1951)
  • North American F-51 Mustang
    (1953–1954)
  • Lockheed T-33 T-Bird
    (1954–1957)
  • Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star
    (1955–1957)
  • McDonnell F-4 Phantom II
    (1982–1989)
  • General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon (1989–1994)
  • Lockheed C-141 Starlifter (1994–2006)[1]
  • Lockheed C-5 Galaxy (2005–2011)
  • McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III
    (2011–present)

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Haulman, Daniel L. (26 December 2007). "Factsheet 89 Airlift Squadron (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Ravenstein, pp. 234–236
  3. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 268–269
  4. ^ Cantwell, p. 74
  5. ^ See Mueller, p. 457. 2473d Center at Offutt from 1946–1951.
  6. ^ Cantwell, p. 87
  7. ^ Cantwell, pp. 96–97
  8. ^ Cantwell, p. 137
  9. ^ Cantwell, p. 139
  10. ^ See Cantwell, p. 152 (all reserve fighter bomber wings initially have an air defense role and later a tactical fighter role.)
  11. ^ Cantwell, p. 168
  12. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 237–238
  13. ^ "Fact Sheet 445th Airlift Wing". 445th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 23 August 2016. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  14. ^ a b Station number in Anderson
  15. ^ a b Station number in Johnson

Bibliography

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

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