The 3rd Ferrying Group was a

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 ...

unit of the

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 ...

(AAF). It was activated in February 1942 as the Detroit Sector, Ferrying Command in February 1942, but soon changed its name. It ferried aircraft manufactured in the midwest until March 1944, when it was disbanded in a general reorganization of AAF units in the United States. It was replaced by the 553rd Army Air Forces Base Unit, which continued its mission until spring 1947. The group was reconstituted in 1985 as the 533rd Tactical Airlift Group, but has not been active since.

World War II

The group's origins can be traced to 3 January 1942, when Air Corps Ferrying Command, in the aftermath of the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

divided its Domestic Division into six sectors. The Detroit Sector was established at Wayne County Airport, Michigan and was responsible for ferrying aircraft from the Curtiss-Wright Corporation factory at

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, the

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factory in

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

(

Willow Run Willow Run, also known as Air Force Plant 31, was a manufacturing complex in Michigan, United States, located between Ypsilanti Township and Belleville, built by the Ford Motor Company to manufacture aircraft, especially the B-24 Liberator heav ...

), and the Bell Aircraft and Curtiss-Wright factories in

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. The bulk of this work consisted in flying new planes from the plants to modification centers in the US. On 18 February, this office was formally organized as a unit, the Detroit Sector, Ferrying Command and Ferrying Command's Domestic Division became the

Domestic Wing, Air Corps Ferrying Command Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes c ...

. In April 1942, the group was assigned its first operational unit, the 5th Air Corps Ferry Squadron. At this time, Ferrying Command had requested the AAF to reorganize its sectors as groups, with assigned squadrons. Accordingly, the sector became the 3rd Ferrying Group on 26 May 1942. Shortly thereafter, the 19th Squadron joined the group in June. The group expanded in 1943 with the addition of the 60th, 74th and 306th Ferrying Squadrons. The group was also one of the units selected to use

Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron The Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) (also Women's Army Service Pilots or Women's Auxiliary Service Pilots) was a civilian women pilots' organization, whose members were United States federal civil service employees. Members of WASP became t ...

pilots to ferry aircraft. Although initially intended to be limited to acting as copilots or flying small aircraft, these women pilots eventually flew essentially every plane in the AAF inventory.The Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron pilots should not be confused with the Women Airforce Service Pilots program. By 1944, the AAF was finding that standard military units like the 6th Group, whose manning was based on relatively inflexible

tables of organization A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of a unit as well as the un ...

were not well adapted to support missions. Accordingly, the AAF adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. As part of this reorganization the group was disbanded on 31 March 1944 along with its subordinate units and its resources were absorbed by the 553rd Army Air Forces Base Unit (3rd Ferrying Group) which was designated and organized on the same day. The base unit was redescribed as the 553rd AAF Base Unit (Ferrying Group) then discontinued after the end of

on 1 December 1946. The 3rd Ferrying Group was reconstituted and redesignated the 533rd Tactical Airlift Group on 31 July 1985, but remained inactive.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations

Lineage

* Constituted as the Detroit Sector, Ferrying Command on 14 February 1942 : Activated on 18 February 1942 : Redesignated Detroit Sector, Domestic Wing, Ferrying Command on 25 April 1942 : Redesignated 3rd Ferrying Group, Domestic Wing, Ferrying Command on 26 May 1942 : Redesignated 3rd Ferrying Group on 20 May 1943 : Disbanded on 31 March 1944 * Reconstituted and redesignated 533rd Tactical Airlift Group on 31 July 1985

Assignments

* Domestic Wing, Air Corps Ferrying Command (later Ferrying Division, Air Transport Command), 18 February 1942 – 31 March 1944

Components

* 5th Air Corps Ferry Squadron (later 5th Ferrying Squadron), 1 April 1942 – 31 March 1944 * 19th Air Corps Ferry Squadron (later 19th Ferrying Squadron), 4 June 1942 – 31 March 1944 * 60th Air Corps Ferry Squadron (later 60th Ferrying Squadron), 20 January 1943 – 31 March 1944 * 74th Air Corps Ferry Squadron (later 74th Ferrying Squadron), 1 February 1943 – 31 March 1944 * 306th Ferrying Squadron, 25 June 1943 – 31 March 1944 * 308th Materiel Squadron (later 308th Service Squadron), c. 18 February 1942 – c. 20 July 1943 * 345th Air Base Squadron (later 345th Base Headquarters & Air Base Squadron): 4 June 1942 – 31 March 1944 * 316th Sub Depot: c. 1 January – 31 March 44 * 885th Military Police Company, Aviation (later 885th Guard Squadron): 13 May 1942 – c. 31 March 1944 * 445th AAF Band (later 745th Army Band, 745th AF Band): 20 Apr 43 – 31 March 44

Stations

* Wayne County Airport (later Romulus Army Air Base), Michigan, 18 February 1942 – 31 March 1944

Campaign

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * {{cite web , url= https://www.afhra.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/1-50/AFD-090602-073.pdf , author=Historical Branch, Air Transport Command, title=Administrative History of the Ferrying Command, 29 May 1941-30 June 1942, USAF Historical Study No. 33, date=June 1945, publisher=Assistant Chief of Air Staff Intelligence, Historical Division , access-date=June 10, 2019 Groups of the United States Army Air Forces 3 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944