The 319th Special Operations Squadron was first activated in September 1944 as the 319th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando) and served in the

China-Burma-India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was officia ...

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 ...

. It provided

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material long distanc ...

support and conducted airborne drops and glider operations for Allied troops in

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 ...

, central China, and French Indochina in the last year of World War II. The squadron was activated in April 1962 at

Hurlburt Field Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force Sp ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and deployed planes and crews from Hurlburt for special air warfare and civic actions missions, then trained aircrews on

special operations Special operations (S.O.) are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment". Special operations may include ...

airlift at

England Air Force Base England Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base in Louisiana, located northwest of Alexandria and about northwest of New Orleans. Originally known as Alexandria Army Air Base, on 23 June 1955 the facility was renamed England Ai ...

, Louisiana until being inactivated as the 319th Special Operations Squadron in June 1972. On 1 October 2005, the squadron was again activated as part of an overall expansion of the

Air Force Special Operations Command Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, is the special operations component of the United States Air Force. An Air Force major command (MAJCOM), AFSOC is also the U.S. Air Force component command ...

. It operates the Pilatus U-28A Draco.

Mission

The 319th Special Operations Squadron mission is to provide intra-theater support for

forces and it is currently equipped with the U-28A Draco, a modified version of the

Pilatus PC-12 The Pilatus PC-12 is a pressurized, single-engined, turboprop aircraft, manufactured by Pilatus Aircraft of Stans, Switzerland, since 1991. It was designed as a high-performance utility aircraft that incorporates a large aft cargo door in ad ...

. The U-28A was selected for its versatile performance and ability to operate from short and unimproved runway surfaces.

History

World War II

The 319th was first activated in India as the 319th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando) in September 1944. The

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, ...

served in the

during

. It provided

support and flew aerial resupply missions in support of various

commando Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

units, such as

Merrill's Marauders Merrill’s Marauders (named after Frank Merrill) or Unit ''Galahad'', officially named the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), was a United States Army long range penetration special operations jungle warfare unit, which fought in the Southe ...

and the

Chindits The Chindits, officially as Long Range Penetration Groups, were special operations units of the British and Indian armies which saw action in 1943–1944 during the Burma Campaign of World War II. The British Army Brigadier Orde Wingate form ...

and conducted airborne drops and glider operations for Allied troops in Burma, central China, and French Indochina in the last year of World War II. After the end of the war, the squadron moved to China, where it continued operations until October 1945. In November 1945, the squadron returned on paper to India, but was not manned or equipped. It was inactivated there in December 1945.

Vietnam War

The squadron was redesignated the 319th Troop Carrier Squadron, Commando, and organized at

, Florida in April 1962. The squadron initially operated

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 ...

s, but also

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 ...

s, and

Helio U-10 Courier The Helio Courier is a cantilever high-wing light STOL utility aircraft designed in 1949. Around 500 of these aircraft were manufactured in Pittsburg, Kansas, from 1954 until 1974 by the Helio Aircraft Company. The design featured four leadin ...

, and

North American T-28 Trojan The North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a radial-engine military trainer aircraft manufactured by North American Aviation and used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s. Besides its use as a trainer, ...

s until moving to

, Louisiana in 1966. The squadron frequently deployed crews and airplanes to

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

for civic action and counterinsurgency missions. At England, the squadron concentrated on training United States and foreign

aircrew Aircrew, also called flight crew, are personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of a flight's crew depends on the type of aircraft, plus the flight's duration and purpose. Commercial aviation Flight deck positions ...

s with the

Fairchild C-123 Provider The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Re ...

. It continued this mission after returning to Hurlburt three years later. It was inactivated in 1972 as the Air Force reduced its size following United States withdrawal from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Present era

On 1 October 2005, the squadron was again activated as part of an overall expansion of the

. It was equipped with the U-28A Draco, a modified version of the Pilatus PC-12, able to operate from short and unimproved runway surfaces.Humphrey, Kelly, "'Angel of Death' takes command of 319th SOS", ''Hurlburt Warrior'', ''Northwest Florida Daily News'', Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Friday 8 May 2015, Volume 9, Number 19, page 3. The 319th provides airlift support to

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Special Forces, and provides intratheater support for special operations.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 319th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando) on 9 August 1944 : Activated on 1 September 1944 * Redesignated 319th Troop Carrier Squadron on 29 September 1945 : Inactivated on 27 December 1945 * Redesignated 319th Troop Carrier Squadron, Commando and activated on 18 April 1962 (not organized) : Organized on 27 April 1962 * Redesignated 319th Air Commando Squadron, Troop Carrier on 8 November 1964 * Redesignated 319th Air Commando Squadron, Tactical Airlift on 1 May 1967 * Redesignated 319th Special Operations Squadron on 8 July 1968 : Inactivated on 15 January 1972 : Activated on 1 October 2005

Assignments

1st Air Commando Group 001, O01, or OO1 may refer to: *1 (number), a number, a numeral *001, fictional British agent, see 00 Agent *001, former emergency telephone number for the Norwegian fire brigade (until 1986) *AM-RB 001, the code-name for the Aston Martin Valkyrie ...

, 1 September 1944 * 69th Composite Wing, 2 September 1945 *

Tenth Air Force The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswell AF ...

, c. 27 September 1945 – 27 December 1945 *

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

, 18 April 1962 (not organized) * 1st Air Commando Group (later 1st Air Commando Wing, 1st Special Operations Wing), 27 Apr 1962 * 4410th Combat Crew Training Wing, 15 July 1969 * 1st Special Operations Wing, 30 July 1969 – 15 January 1972 * 16th Special Operations Group (later 1st Special Operations Group), 1 October 2005 – present

Stations

Asansol Asansol is a (Tier-II) metropolitan city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the second largest and most populated city of West Bengal and the 33rd largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is the district headquarters of Paschim Bar ...

, India, 1 September 1944 (operated from various forward bases in Burma, 4 December 1944 – 17 May 1945) * Warazup, Burma, 27 May 1945 * Loping, China, 2 September 1945 * Hu Hsien, China, 7 October 1945 * India, c. 1 November 1945 – 27 December 1945 * Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field No. 9 (Hurlburt Field), Florida, 27 April 1962 * England Air Force Base, Louisiana, 15 January 1966 * Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field No. 9 (Hurlburt Field), Florida, 30 July 1969 – 15 January 1972 * Hurlburt Field, Florida, 1 October 2005 – present

Aircraft

* Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1944–1945, 1962–1966 *

Waco CG-4A Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

, 1944–1945 * Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1962–1964 * Helio U-10 Courier, 1963–1966 * Fairchild C-123 Provider, 1963–1972 * North American T-28 Trojan, 1965 * Pilatus U-28A, 2005–present

Awards and campaigns

References

; Notes

Bibliography

* *

External links

319TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS SQUADRON Factsheet
{{USAF Air Force Special Operations Command 319 Military units and formations established in 1944