The 2d Combat Cargo Group is an inactive
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
unit. The unit was organized at
Syracuse Army Air Base in New York. It operated during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
in the Southwest Pacific, transporting passengers and cargo. Its last duty station under this designation was
Yokota Air Base
, is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) and United States Air Force (USAF) base in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo.
It occupies portions of Akishima, Fussa, Hamura, Mizuho, Musashimurayama, and Tachikawa.
The base houses 14,000 perso ...
, Japan, where it was inactivated on 15 January 1946.
Although the group was disbanded in 1948, it was reconstituted in 1985 as the 362d Military Airlift Group. It was activated at
Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base (located at ) was a United States Air Force air base near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was a Military Airlift Command (MAC) and United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) installation, occupying the south side ...
, Germany in 1992 as the 362d Airlift Support Group. Inactivated in 1994, in 2002 it was converted to provisional status as the 362d Air Expeditionary Group
History
World War II
The 2d Combat Cargo Group was organized at
Syracuse Army Air Base, New York, and trained with
Curtiss C-46 Commando and
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained ...
aircraft. It moved to
Baer Field
Baer (or Bär, from german: bear, links=no) or Van Baer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Baer
* Alan Baer, American tuba player
* Arthur "Bugs" Baer (1886–1969), American journalist and humorist
* Buddy Baer (1915–198 ...
, Indiana
[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 28] for overseas processing. Its operational
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
s were the 5th,
6th, 7th, and
8th Combat Cargo Squadrons.
[Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 46–47][ The group moved to the Southwest Pacific, arriving in November 1944, and assigned to ]Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...
. It initially operated from Biak Island, Papua New Guinea to fly passengers and cargo to US bases in Australia, New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
, the Admiralties, and the Philippines.[ The group also dropped supplies to US and guerrilla forces in the Philippines.][ The group moved to ]Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
in May 1945.[ Maintaining its flights in the Southwest Pacific, it also transported personnel and supplies to the ]Ryukyus
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni ...
, and evacuated casualties on return flights.[ The 2d moved to ]Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
in August 1945.[ While there it transported personnel and equipment of the ]occupation forces
Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the
Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...
to Japan and ferried liberated prisoners of war back to the Philippines.[ The group moved to Japan in September 1945 and served with the occupation forces until it was inactivated on 15 January 1946.][ It was disbanded on 8 October 1948.][
]
Reconstitution
The group was reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated as the 362d Military Airlift Group,[Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations] It was not active under this designation, but was redesignated as the 362d Airlift Support Group and activated on 1 April 1992 at Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base (located at ) was a United States Air Force air base near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was a Military Airlift Command (MAC) and United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) installation, occupying the south side ...
, Germany. It was inactivated c. 1 July 1994. It has since been converted to provisional status as the 362d Air Expeditionary Group and assigned to Air Mobility Command to activate as needed.[DAF/XPM Letter 303s, 12 June 2002, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units]
Lineage
* Constituted as the 2d Combat Cargo Group on 25 April 1944
: Activated on 1 May 1944
: Inactivated on 15 January 1946
: Disbanded on 8 October 1948
* Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated as the 362d Military Airlift Group[
* Redesignated 362d Airlift Support Group
: Activated on 1 April 1992
: Inactivated c. 1 July 1994
* Redesignated 362d Air Expeditionary Group and converted to provisional status on 12 June 2002][
]
Assignments
* I Troop Carrier Command, 1 May 1944
* Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...
, November 1944
* 54th Troop Carrier Wing, 13 December 1944 – 5 January 1946
* Twenty-First Air Force
The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (21 EMTF) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. It was headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The 21 EMTF was a redesignation of Twenty-First Air ...
, 1 April 1992 – ''ca''. 1 July 1994
* Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed, 12 June 2002[
]
Stations
* Syracuse Army Air Base, New York, 1 May 1944
* Baer Field, Indiana, 9–27 October 1944
* Mokmer Airfield
Frans Kaisiepo International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Frans Kaisiepo) , is an airport in Biak, Papua, Indonesia. It is also known as Mokmer Airport. The airport is named after Frans Kaisiepo (1921–1979), the fourth Governor of ...
, Biak Island, Netherlands East Indies, November 1944
* Dulag Airfield
Dulag Airfield is a World War II airfield located near Dulag in the province of Leyte, Philippines. It was closed after the war.
History
The airfield was built by the Japanese during the Occupation of the Philippines in 1943. Seized by the Americ ...
, Leyte, Philippines, May 1945
* Bolo Airfield
Bolo Airfield (also known as Bolo Point Airfield) is a former World War II airfield at Naval Base Okinawa in Okinawa, at Bolo Point on the East China Sea coast. The airfield was inactivated after 1946 and returned to Japanese control in 1972. Cu ...
, Okinawa, c. 20 August 1945
* Yokota Airfield, Japan, c. 22 September 1945 – 15 January 1946
* Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, 1 April 1992 – ''ca''. 1 July 1994
Aircraft
* Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1944–1946
* Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1944, 1945
Awards
*
* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force d ...
, 1 April 1992 – 30 June 1993
*
* Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation
The Philippine Presidential Unit citation BadgeThe AFP Adjutant General, ''Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 65. is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States mil ...
*
* Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal
* Campaigns
: Air Offensive, Japan
: New Guinea
: Western Pacific
: Leyte
: Luzon
: Southern Philippines
: Ryukyus
*
* World War II Army of Occupation Medal[The award would carry the inscription "Japan", not that depicted in the image]
References
Notes
; Explanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
{{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II
Combat cargo groups of the United States Army Air Forces
1944 establishments in New York (state)
1946 disestablishments in Japan
Military units and formations established in 1944
Military units and formations disestablished in 1948