The 327th Airlift Squadron (327 AS) is a

United States Air Force Reserve The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

squadron, assigned to the

913th Airlift Group The 913th Airlift Group is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is assigned to 22d Air Force and is stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. It was activated 13 July 2014. Mission The 913th Airlift Group trains and equips Mil ...

Little Rock Air Force Base Little Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas. Little Rock AFB is the primary C-130 Hercules training base for the Department of Defense, training C-130 pilots, naviga ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. It operates C-130J aircraft supporting the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

global reach mission worldwide.

History

Origins

Constituted 2nd Combat Cargo Squadron on 11 Apr 1944. Activated on 15 Apr 1944. The 327th conducted aerial transportation in the China – Burma – India theater from, 28 August 1944 – c. 20 October 1945. Redesignated 327th Troop Carrier Squadron on 31 Oct 1945. Inactivated on 26 Dec 1945. Activated an air force reserve unit on 29 May 1947. Ordered to active service on 28 Oct 1962 until 28 Nov 1962. It performed troop carrier training from, 1947 – 1951. It has supported airborne forces and performed worldwide airlift since 1952. Redesignated the 327th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 Jul 1967. The squadron deployed to

Southwest Asia Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...

and performed airlift missions in support of the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

, January – April 1991. Redesignated the 327th Airlift Squadron on 1 Feb 1992. The squadron deployed again in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2005–2006. It was inactivated on 30 September 2007.

Modern era

The 327th was reactivated at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas on 13 July 2014, operating C-130H2 Hercules aircraft. In 2016, the squadron converted to a classic associate unit, operating the C-130J Super Hercules, and associated with the active duty 19th Airlift Wing. The 327th Airlift Squadron was declared fully operational capable on 2 December 2017 with the C-130J Super Hercules.

Lineage

* Constituted 2d Combat Cargo Squadron on 11 April 1944 : Activated on 15 April 1944 : Redesignated 327th Troop Carrier Squadron on 31 October 1945 : Inactivated on 26 December 1945 * Activated in the reserve on 29 May 1947 : Redesignated 327th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 2 September 1949 : Ordered to Active Service on 15 March 1951 : Inactivated on 1 April 1951 * Activated in the reserve on 14 June 1952 : Ordered to Active Service on 28 October 1962 : Relieved from Active Duty on 28 November 1962 : Redesignated: 327th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 July 1967 : Redesignated: 327th Airlift Squadron on 1 February 1992 : Inactivated on 30 September 2007 * Activated on 13 July 2014

Assignments

* 1st Combat Cargo Group, 15 April 1944 : Under operational control of

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies and ...

, 1 July – 9 September 1945 * Fourteenth Air Force, 10 September – 26 December 1945 *

514th Troop Carrier Group 514th may refer to: *514th Air Defense Group, disbanded United States Air Force (USAF) organization *514th Air Mobility Wing, wing of the United States Air Force based out of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey *514th Fighter-Interceptor S ...

, 29 May 1947 *

512th Troop Carrier Group 51 may refer to: * 51 (number) * The year ** 51 BC ** AD 51 ** 1951 ** 2051 * ''51'' (film), a 2011 American horror film directed by Jason Connery * "Fifty-One "Fifty-One" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the American television crim ...

, 2 September 1949 – 1 April 1951 *

, 14 June 1952; 14 April 1959 * 913th Troop Carrier (later, 913th Tactical Airlift; 913th Airlift) Group, 11 February 1963 * 913th Operations Group, 1 August 1992 – 30 September 2007 * 913th Airlift Group, 13 July 2014

Stations

* Bowman Field,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, 15 April – 3 August 1944 * Sylet Airfield, India, 27 August 1944 : Detachment operated from Yunnani Airfield, China, 11 – 18 September 1944 * Tulihal Airfield, India, 22 November 1944 * Tsuyung Airfield, China, 12 December 1944 * Dohazari Airfield, India, 1 February 1945 * Hathazari Airfield, India, 16 May 1945 * Bhamo Airfield,

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, 1 June 1945 *

Peishiyi Airfield Chongqing Baishiyi Airport (), or Baishiyi Air Base, is a People's Liberation Army Air Force base and formerly the main civil airport serving Chongqing, China, located about northwest of the city center. It reverted to military use after the op ...

, China, 10 September – 26 December 1945 * Marietta Army Airfield,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, 29 May 1947 * Reading Municipal Airport,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, 2 September 1949 *

New Castle County Airport Wilmington Airport (formerly known as New Castle Airport, New Castle County Airport, sometimes referred to as Wilmington-New Castle Airport, or to a lesser extent Wilmington/Philadelphia Regional Airport and Greater Wilmington Airport) is an a ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

, 1 May 1950 – 1 April 1951; 14 June 1952 * Willow Grove Air Reserve Facility (later, Station),

, 20 July 1958 – 30 September 2007 *

, 13 July 2014

Aircraft operated

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 in f ...

(1944–1945) *

C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a twin-engine transport aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurised high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company pub ...

(1949–1951, 1952–1957) *

AT-7 Navigator AT-7 may refer to: * AT-7 Saxhorn, a Soviet wire-guided Anti-tank missile system * Beechcraft Model 18, aka AT-7 Navigator, a World War II training aircraft * Hexachlorophene Hexachlorophene, also known as Nabac, is an organochlorine compound th ...

(1949–1951) * AT-11 Kansan (1949–1951) *

C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) 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 mechani ...

(1957–1969, 1970–1971) * C-130E Hercules (1970–2007) *

C-130H Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

(2014–2016) *

C-130J Hercules The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is the newest v ...

(2016–Present)

Patch (Aircraft Marking for the 2d Combat Cargo Squadron)

AIRCRAFT MARKING: On a medium blue disc, border yellow, a dexter hand holding five playing cards spread fanwise, all deuces of Spades, proper, as per record drawing. SIGNIFICANCE: The five deuces represent winners, while the "2's" indicate the Squadron's numerical design. The five cards symbolize the five flights of the squadron. Approved 17 July 1944 by Robert C. Jones, Colonel, Air Corps, Chief, Special Services Division, Office, Asst. Chief of Air Staff, Personnel. 327AS PNG

References

External links

{{USAAF 14th Air Force World War II Military units and formations in Pennsylvania 327