The 39th Airlift Squadron is a

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...

unit based at

Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...

, Texas. The unit flies the

Lockheed C-130J Super 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 ...

. It is primarily tasked to transport cargo and personnel, and where circumstances require,

airdrop An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tro ...

them. It traces its history to 1942 and fought in the Pacific during the

Second World War 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 opposin ...

History

The 39th conducted

paratroop A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

drops on Noemfoor,

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

, as well as aerial transport in the

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

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 opposin ...

. The squadron participated in the

Berlin Airlift The Berlin Blockade (24 June 1948 – 12 May 1949) was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War. During the multinational occupation of post–World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road ...

in 1948. It was the squadron that provided disaster relief for the Peruvian earthquake in June 1970 conducting numerous missions to the people of Peru. It was part of airlift missions to

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

, in October 1983, to

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

, December 1989 – January 1990, and 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 Anat ...

, August 1990 – March 1991.

Operations

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

* Operation New Dawn *

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...

Lineage

* Constituted as the 39th Transport Squadron on 2 February 1942 : Activated on 22 February 1942 : Redesignated 39th Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942 : Redesignated 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy, on 21 May 1948 : Inactivated on 14 September 1949 * Redesignated 39th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 3 July 1952 : Activated on 14 July 1952 : Redesignated 39th Troop Carrier Squadron on 1 March 1966 : Redesignated 39th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 May 1967 : Inactivated on 31 July 1971 * Activated on 31 August 1971 : Redesignated 39th Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1992 : Inactivated on 1 June 1992 * Activated on 1 October 1993

Assignments

* 317th Transport Group (later 317th Troop Carrier Group), 22 February 1942 – 14 September 1949 * 317th Troop Carrier Group, 14 July 1952 * 465th Troop Carrier Wing, 12 March 1957 * 317th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 July 1957 *

322d Air Division The 322d Airlift Division (322d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-First Air Force, being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It was inactivate ...

, 25 September 1958 * 317 Troop Carrier Wing (later 317 Tactical Airlift Wing), 15 April 1963 – 31 July 1971 (attached to Detachment 1, 322d Air Division, February–May 1965;

513th Tactical Airlift Wing The 513th Air Control Group is an Air Reserve Component unit of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and is stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. The group's mission is to provi ...

, 13 May–18 July 1968; 7310th Tactical Airlift Wing (15 April–22 July 1969)) * 317th Tactical Airlift Wing, 31 August 1971 (attached to 322d Tactical Airlift Wing, 12 December 1973 – 17 February 1974; 513th Tactical Airlift Wing, 9 July–15 September 1974, 12 July – 14 September 1975;

435th Tactical Airlift Wing The 435th Air Ground Operations Wing is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The current commander is Colonel Bryan T. Callahan, who too ...

, 12 April–14 June 1976, 1 October–15 December 1977;

435th Tactical Airlift Group The 435th Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 435th Airlift Wing at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 1 April 1995. The unit was first activated during World War ...

, 4 January–4 March 1977) * 317th Tactical Airlift Group, 1 October 1978 (attached to 313th Tactical Airlift Group, 5 June–14 August 1979) * 317th Tactical Airlift Wing, 1 April 1980 (attached to 313th Tactical Airlift Group, 8 October–13 December 1980, 3 February–14 April 1982, 4 June–13 August 1983, 1 October–12 December 1984, 2 February–15 April 1986), 3 March–15 May 1987, 3 June–10 August 1988, May–11 July 1991) * 317 Operations Group, 1 January–1 June 1992 (attached to 313th Tactical Airlift Group, 3 April–31 May 1992) *

7th Operations Group The 7th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 7th Bomb Wing, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. The 7th Operations Group currently flies the B-1 Lancer. The 7th Operations Group is a direct s ...

, 1 October 1993 * 317th Airlift Group, 1 April 1997 – present

Stations

Duncan Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. I ...

, Texas, 22 February 1942 * Bowman Field, Kentucky, 9 October 1942 *

Lawson Field Lawson may refer to: Places Australia * Lawson, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Lawson, New South Wales, a town in the Blue Mountains Canada * Lawson, Saskatchewan * Lawson Island, Nunavut United States * Lawson, Arkansas ...

, Georgia, October 1942 * Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, North Carolina, 2–12 December 1942 *

Garbutt Field RAAF Base Townsville (formerly RAAF Base Garbutt) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air base located in , west of Townsville in Queensland, Australia. It is the headquarters for No. 1 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets and, along with L ...

, Queensland, Australia, 22 January 1942 *

Archerfield Airport Archerfield can refer to: * Archerfield, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane, Australia **Archerfield Airport **RAAF Station Archerfield, a former RAAF base at Archerfield Airport *Archerfield Estate and Links Archerfield and Archerfield Links are a ...

, Queensland, Australia, 22 February 1942 *

Port Moresby Airfield Complex The Port Moresby Airfield Complex was a World War II military airfield complex, built near Port Moresby in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. It was used during the Battle of New Guinea as a base of Allied air operations primarily in 1942 an ...

, New Guinea, 28 September 1943 *

Finschhafen Airfield Finschhafen Airport is a general aviation airport in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. . It is located on the south-east tip of Huon Peninsula at Finschafen. A half mile inland, parallel to Schneider Harbor, with Dregerhaffen to the south-east. ...

, New Guinea, 23 April 1944 *

Hollandia Airfield Dortheys Hiyo Eluay International Airport, also known as Sentani International Airport ( id, Bandar Udara Internasional Sentani) is an airport serving Jayapura,

, New Guinea, July 1944 *

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 ...

, Philippines, 19 November 1944 *

Clark Field Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

, Philippines, 28 March 1945 *

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 ...

, Ryuku Island, 19 August 1945 * Fukuoka Air Base, Japan, 11 November 1945 *

Tachikawa Air Base is an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service. History Origins Tach ...

, Japan, 15 January 1946 * Yamoto Air Base, Japan, 17 July 1946 * Carelus Army Air Field, Japan, 6 September 1946 *

, Japan, 16 October 1946 – 21 September 1948 *

Wiesbaden Air Base Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...

, Germany, 30 September 1948 *

RAF Celle Celle Air Base German: ''Heeresflugplatz Celle'' is a military airbase of the German Army. The airfield is situated southwest of the city of Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was opened in 1934 and has been in military use ever since. Today the a ...

, Germany, 23 December 1948 – 14 September 1949 *

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 o ...

, Germany, Germany, 14 July 1952 *

Neubiberg Air Base Neubiberg Air Base is a former German Air Force and United States Air Force airfield which was closed in 1991. It is located 9 km south of the city of Munich, Germany. Today the former base area holds the campus of Bundeswehr University of ...

, Germany, 23 March 1953 *

Évreux-Fauville Air Base Évreux-Fauville Air Base (''Base aérienne 105 Évreux'' or BA 105) is a French Air and Space Force base located about 2 miles (3 km) east of the town of Évreux in the Eure ''département'', on the north side of the Route nationale 13 ...

, France, 24 June 1956 – 20 June 1964 *

Lockbourne Air Force Base Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation located near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is the home of ...

, Ohio, 20 June 1964 – 31 July 1971 :: Deployed to Évreux-Fauville Air Base, France, February–May 1965;

RAF Mildenhall Royal Air Force Mildenhall or RAF Mildenhall is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. Despite its status as a Royal Air Force station, it primarily supports United States Air Force (USAF) operations, and ...

, England, 13 May-18 July 1968; Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (15 April-22 July 1969) *

Pope Air Force Base Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located 12 miles (19 km) northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 15 November 2012 ...

, North Carolina, 31 August 1971 – 1 June 1992 :: Deployed to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany , 12 December 1973 – 17 February 1974, 12 April–14 June 1976, 1 October–15 December 1977; RAF Mildenhall, England, 12 July–14 September 1975, 4 January–4 March 1977, 5 June–14 August 1979, 8 October–13 December 1980, 3 February–14 April 1982, 4 June–13 August 1983, 1 October–12 December 1984, 2 February–15 April 1986, 3 March–15 May 1987, 3 June–10 August 1988, May–11 July 1991, 3 April–31 May 1992) *

, Texas, 1 October 1993 – present

Aircraft

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 in ...

(1942–1946) *

Curtiss 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 ...

(1946–1948) *

Douglas C-54 Skymaster The Douglas C-54 Skymaster is a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces in World War II and the Korean War. Like the Douglas C-47 Skytrain derived from the DC-3, the C-54 Skymaster was derived from a civilian a ...

(1946–1949) *

Fairchild 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 ...

(1952–1958) *

Lockheed C-130 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 design ...

(1958–1971, 1971 – Present)

Notes

Bibliography

* * *

External links

{{US Air Force navbox Military units and formations in Texas

039 39 may refer to: * 39 (number), the natural number following 38 and preceding 40 * one of the years: ** 39 BC ** AD 39 ** 1939 ** 2039 * ''39'' (album), a 2000 studio album by Mikuni Shimokawa * "'39", a 1975 song by Queen * "Thirty Nine", a song ...