7th Airlift Squadron

The 7th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission worldwide.

Mission

Train and equip C-17 aircrews for global air-land and airdrop operations.

History

World War II

The squadron's origins begin on 1 October 1933 when it was constituted in the Regular Army Reserve as the 7th Transport Squadron, assigned to the 2d Transport Group in the Fourth Corps Area without personnel or equipment. It was activated on 14 October 1939 in the United States Army Air Corps and activated at the Sacramento Air Depot, California, assigned to the 10th Transport Group. It was equipped with Douglas C-33 transports, tasked with transporting supplies and equipment from the depots to field units at airfields in the Western United States.

After the Pearl Harbor Attack, the squadron was transferred to the 62d Troop Carrier Group and re-equipped with Douglas C-47 Skytrain transports. After being transferred to Selfridge Field, Michigan for training, the squadron trained for combat resupply and casualty evacuation mission at several airfields during the spring and summer of 1942. Was ordered deployed to England, assigned to Eighth Air Force in September 1942. Performed intra-theater transport flights of personnel, supply and equipment within England during summer and fall of 1942, reassigned to Twelfth Air Force after Operation Torch invasion of North Africa, initially stationed at Tafaraoui Airfield, Algeria.62d Airlift Wing office of history

In combat, performed resupply and evacuation missions across Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia during North African Campaign. In March 1943, the squadron was temporarily transferred to Royal Air Force control where it supported the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign by moving essential munitions, supplies and other equipment from Palestine and Egypt to the front lines in Libya. It returned to Twelfth Air Force control in Algeria at the end of May.

During June 1943, the unit began training with gliders in preparation for Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. It towed gliders to Syracuse, Sicily and dropped paratroopers at Catania during the operation. After moving to Sicily, the squadron airdropped supplies to escaped prisoners of war in Northern Italy in October. Operated from Sicily until December until moving to Italian mainland in December.

Supported the Italian Campaign during balance of 1944 supporting partisans in the Balkans. Its unarmed aircraft flew at night over uncharted territory, landing at small unprepared airfields to provide guns, ammunition, clothing, medical supplies, gasoline, and mail to the partisans. It even carried jeeps and mules as cargo. On return trips it evacuated wounded partisans, evadees and escaped prisoners. During the spring of 1944, the squadron was transferred to Tenth Air Force in India where it carried combat cargo during the Siege of Myitkyina, Burma. Returning to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations in July 1944, it carried paratroopers during Operation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France in August 1944. The squadron then returned to operations over Italy and in the Balkans until end of combat in Europe, May 1945. In all the 4th earned nine Campaign streamers during operations in both the European and China-Burma-India theaters in the Second World War.

Cold War

The squadron returned to the United States in September 1946, being assigned to the troop carrier squadron training school at Bergstrom Field