310th Air Commando Squadron
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The 310th Special Operations Squadron (310 SOS) is an active
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 Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. It was most recently activated in 2021 as part of the
27th Special Operations Group The 27th Special Operations Group (27 SOG) is the flying component of the 27th Special Operations Wing, assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The group is stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The Group carr ...
, flying the U-28A for
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 ...
. The squadron was first activated during World War II as the 310th Troop Carrier Squadron. After training in the United States, the squadron deployed to the
European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It commanded Army Ground For ...
. It participated in combat and
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 ...
operations until V-E Day, earning a
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...
for its actions on
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
. Following the end of hostilities, it participated in the airlift of American troops back to the United States until inactivating in Trinidad in the summer of 1945. The 310th was activated again in the reserve in June 1949. It was mobilized for the Korean War and performed airlift missions until February 1953, when it was released from active duty and inactivated. From February 1955 to September 1956, the squadron served as a helicopter unit in a trial of the Air Force using rotary wing aircraft to support the Army It was activated again in 1963 in the early buildup of American forces for the Vietnam War It served under several designations until the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam in 1972, earning a number of decorations for its actions. In 1984, the squadron was activated as the 310th Military Airlift Squadron in the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
. It provided airlift throughout South and Central America, including participation in Operation Just Cause until inactivating with the withdrawal of United States forces from Panama in 1999.


History

It was established in early 1942 as a Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport squadron under
First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the Co ...
, and later trained under
I Troop Carrier Command The I Troop Carrier Command is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Forces, at Stout Field, Indiana, where it was disbanded in November 1945, and its resources transferred to IX Troop Carrier Com ...
in the eastern United States. It was deployed to England in December 1942, being assigned to
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
to provide transport and resupply support to the buildup of the heavy bomber force in England. The squadron was detached to Twelfth Air Force in Algeria in May 1943 to provide air resupply and transport during the North African Campaign in Algeria and Tunisia. It also performed combat casualty evacuation of wounded personnel to rear areas. It remained under jurisdiction of VIII ASC while in North Africa, providing transport between England and North Africa from its base in Algeria. It returned to England in early 1944 to participate in the buildup of forces prior to the Allied landings in France during D-Day in June 1944. The squadron engaged in combat
operations 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 ...
by dropping
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 ...
s into Normandy on
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...
(6 June 1944) and releasing gliders with reinforcements on the following day. The unit received a
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...
and a French citation for these missions. After the Normandy invasion the squadron ferried supplies in the United Kingdom. It also hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear zone hospitals. It dropped paratroops near
Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...
and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during the
Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...
. In December, it participated in the Battle of the Bulge by releasing gliders with supplies for the
101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...
near Bastogne. The squadron moved to Belgium in early 1945, and participated in the Western Allied invasion of Germany, participating in the air assault across the Rhine River in March 1945, each aircraft towed two gliders with troops of the
17th Airborne Division The 17th Airborne Division, "The Golden Talons", was an airborne infantry division of the United States Army during World War II, commanded by Major General William M. Miley. It was officially activated as an airborne division in April 1943 bu ...
and released them near Wesel. In late May 1945, after V-E Day, the squadron moved to Waller Field, Trinidad and attached to Air Transport Command. From Trinidad, the squadron ferried returning military personnel to Morrison Field, Florida, where they were sent on to other bases or prepared for separation after the war. It was inactivated at the end of July 1945. It was reactivated in 1949 as a reserve troop carrier squadron. It was equipped with
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. activated during the Korean War and became a training unit for crews flying Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar assault transports in South Korea. It was inactivated in 1953 after federalized activation period ended. The squadron was reactivated a year later operating variety of rotary wing helicopters. It provided helicopter support for atomic weapons tests on Bikini in the
Eniwetok Atoll Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...
, February–June 1956. It was inactivated when the helicopter mission was transferred to the United States Army. The squadron was reactivated again in 1963 as a Fairchild C-123 Provider combat resupply squadron, used in remote combat airfield resupply and casualty evacuation of ground forces. It was deployed to
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
after training and operated under
2d Air Division The 2nd Air Division (2nd AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-Third Air Force, being stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. It started operations on 7 N ...
, Pacific Air Forces to support advisory units, primarily in
Operation Mule Train 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 ...
combat cargo missions in South Vietnam to support special forces in the early stages of US Involvement in the Vietnam War. It was re-designated an Air Commando squadron in 1965 under Seventh Air Force, engaged in special operations and tactical airlift during 1965–1970 based at
Phan Rang Air Base Phan Rang Air Base (also called Thành Sơn Air Base) is a Vietnam People's Air Force (VPAF) ''(Khong Quan Nhan Dan Viet Nam)'' military airfield in Vietnam. It is located north-northwest of Phan Rang – Tháp Chàm in Ninh Thuận Provi ...
flying intratheater combat cargo and troop carrier missions. It took over
de Havilland Canada C-7 Caribou The de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou (designated by the United States military as the CV-2 and later C-7 Caribou) is a Canadian specialized cargo aircraft with short takeoff and landing ( STOL) capability. The Caribou was first flown in 1958 ...
remote outpost resupply mission in 1972. It moved from Phan Rang to
Tan Son Nhut Airport Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport ( vi, Sân bay quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất or Cảng hàng không quốc tế Tân Sơn Nhất) is the busiest airport in Vietnam with 32.5 million passengers in 2016 and 38.5 million passengers in 2018 ...
in 1972 after the base was turned over to South Vietnamese. It remained in the country supporting last combat forces in South Vietnam until it was inactivated in November 1972. The squadron flew airlift missions in South and Central America from 1985 to 1999, including support for Operation Just Cause, December 1989 to January 1990, until its inactivation in March 1999. In 2001, the squadron was reactivated as part of the redesignated
6th Air Mobility Wing The United States Air Force's 6th Air Refueling Wing is the host wing for MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is part of Air Mobility Command's (AMC) Eighteenth Air Force. The wing's 6th Operations Group is a successor organization of the 3d Ob ...
at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where it flew the C-37A Gulfstream V. In 2013, the unit received a United States Central Command deployment tasking to provide combat airlift to the Commander, International Security Assistance Force at Kabul International Airport. This tasking represented the DOD's first deployment of the C-37 to a combat zone. The 310th successfully completed two subsequent deployments that year. On 1 July 2019, the C-37As were reassigned to other bases and the squadron was inactivated a few months later on 30 September 2019.


Operations and decorations

* Combat operations. Airborne assaults on Normandy, the Netherlands, and Germany, as well as aerial transportation in ETO, during World War II. Awarded Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for service at Normandy, 5–6 June 1944. Helicopter support for atomic weapons tests (Operation RED WING) on the Bikini and Eniwetok atolls in the Marshall Islands, Feb–June 1956. Airdrop and airlift to combat forces in Southeast Asia, 1963–1972; also vegetation destruction and malaria control flights, August 1970 – June 1972. Awarded Presidential Unit Citations (PUCs) for service in Vietnam, 21 January-12 May 1968; 1 April-30 June 1970. Airlift in South and Central America, 1985–1999, including the invasion of Panama (Operation JUST CAUSE), December 1989 – January 1990. Airlifted combatant commanders, government and military official throughout the US and worldwide in support of Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), 2001 – present * Campaigns. World War II: Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Central Europe. Vietnam: Vietnam Advisory; Vietnam Defensive; Vietnam Air; Vietnam Air Offensive; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase II; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase III; Vietnam Air/Ground; Vietnam Air Offensive, Phase IV; TET 69/ Counteroffensive; Vietnam Summer/Fall, 1969; Vietnam Winter/Spring, 1970; Sanctuary Counteroffensive; Southwest Monsoon; Commando Hunt V; Commando Hunt VI; Commando Hunt VII; Vietnam Ceasefire. * Decorations.
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...
: Normandy, 5–6 June 1944. Presidential Unit Citations: Vietnam, 21 January-12 May 1968; 1 April-30 June 1970.
Navy Presidential Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...
: Khe Sanh, 20 January-31 March 1968. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards with Combat "V" Device: July1963-30 April 1965; 30 June-9 July 1965; 15 October 1966 – 30 April 1967; 10 June-31 December 1967; 15 July 1968 – 30 June 1969; 1 January 1971 – 26 January 1972; 27 January-15 November 1972. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 December 1984 – 30 June 1986; 1 July 1986 – 30 June 1988; 1 July 1988 – 30 June 1989; 20 December 1989 – 14 February 1991; 11 February 1992 – 31 July 1993; 1 June 1996 – 31 May 1998. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Crosses with Palm: 22 April 1966 – 1 January 1970; 1 January 1970 – 15 November 1972.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 310th Troop Carrier Squadron on 25 May 1943 : Activated on 1 October 1943 : Inactivated on 31 July 1945 * Redesignated 310th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 10 May 1949 : Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949 : Ordered to active service on 1 May 1951 : Inactivated on 1 February 1953 * Redesignated 310th Troop Carrier Squadron, Assault, Rotary Wing on 16 November 1954 : Activated on 8 February 1955 : Inactivated on 7 September 1956 * Redesignated: 310th Troop Carrier Squadron, Assault and activated on 24 May 1963 (not organized) : Organized on 8 July 1963 : Redesignated 310th Air Commando Squadron, Troop Carrier on 8 March 1965 : Redesignated 310th Air Commando Squadron, Tactical Airlift on 1 August 1967 : Redesignated 310th Special Operations Squadron on 1 August 1968 : Redesignated 310th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1970 : Inactivated on 15 November 1972 * Redesignated 310th Military Airlift Squadron and activated on 1 December 1984 : Redesignated 310th Airlift Squadron on 1 June 1992 : Inactivated on 31 March 1999 * Activated on 1 January 2001 : Inactivated on 30 September 2019 * Redesignated as 310th Special Operations Squadron on 16 Mar 2021 : Activated on 30 Apr 2021


Assignments

* 443d Troop Carrier Group, 1 October 1943 * I Troop Carrier Command, 15 February 1944 *
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
, 21 April 1944 * 315th Troop Carrier Group, 26 April 1944 – 31 July 1945 * 443d Troop Carrier Group, 27 June 1949 – 1 February 1953 * Eighteenth Air Force : Attached to 464th Troop Carrier Wing, 8 February 1955 – 7 September 1956 * Pacific Air Forces, 24 May 1963 * 315th Troop Carrier Group (later 315th Air Commando) Group), 8 July 1963 * 315th Air Commando Wing (later 315th Special Operations Wing, 315th Tactical Airlift Wing), 8 March 1966 *
377th Combat Support Group The 377th Air Base Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. The wing has been the host unit at Kirtland since January 1993. It was activated on 1 January 1993, when Air Force Materiel Command a ...
(later 377th Air Base Wing), 15 January – 15 November 1972 *
61st Military Airlift Group Space Base Delta 3 (SBD 3) is a United States Space Force unit assigned to the Space Systems Command. The unit is stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California. It is the successor to the 61st Air Base Group of the United States Air Force ...
, 1 December 1984 * 24th Operations Group, 1 June 1992 * Twenty-First Air Force, 1 October 1997 – 31 March 1999 * 6th Operations Group, 1 January 2001 – 30 September 2019 *
27th Special Operations Group The 27th Special Operations Group (27 SOG) is the flying component of the 27th Special Operations Wing, assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The group is stationed at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. The Group carr ...
, 30 April 2021 – present


Stations

* Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 1 October 1943 *
Alliance Army Air Field An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
, Nebraska, 19 January 1944 * Camp Mackall, North Carolina, 8 March-21 April 1944 *
RAF Spanhoe Royal Air Force Spanhoe or more simply RAF Spanhoe (also known as Harringworth or Wakerley) is a former Royal Air Force station near Uppingham in Northamptonshire, England. The airfield is located approximately east of Uppingham; about north ...
(AAF-493), England, 21 April 1944 * Amiens Airfield (B-48), France, 6 April–May 1945 * Waller Field, Trinidad, May-31 July 1945 *
Hensley Field The Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex or Grand Prairie AFRC (formerly Naval Air Station Dallas or Hensley Field) is a former United States Navy Naval Air Station located on Mountain Creek Lake in southwest Dallas. The installation was e ...
, Texas, 27 June 1949 * Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, 9 August 1951 – 1 February 1953 * Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina 8 February 1955 – 7 September 1956 * Tan Son Nhut Airport, South Vietnam, 8 July 1963 * Nha Trang Airport (later Nha Trang Air Base), South Vietnam, 29 June 1965 * Phan Rang Air Base, South Vietnam, 14 July 1967 * Tan Son Nhut Air Base, South Vietnam, 27 January-15 November 1972 * Howard Air Force Base, Panama, 1 December 1984 – 31 March 1999 * MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, 1 January 2001 – 30 September 2019 * Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico, 30 April 2021 – present


Aircraft

* Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1943–1945) * Curtiss C-46 Commando (1949–1952) * Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (1952–1953) * Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw (1955–1956) * Fairchild C-123B Provider (1963–1968) * Fairchild C-123K Provider (1967–1972) * Fairchild UC-123B Provider (1963–1978) * Fairchild UC-123K Provider (1968–1972) * de Havilland Canada C-7 Caribou (1972) *
Boeing C-22 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airpo ...
(1985–1991) * Lockheed C-130 Hercules (1984–1996) * Learjet C-21 (1989–1999) *
Alenia C-27A Spartan Alenia may refer to: Companies * Alenia Aermacchi, an Italian aeronautics company, founded in 2012 * Alenia Aeronautica, a former Italian aeronautics company, founded in 1990 and merged into Alenia Aermacchi * Alenia Marconi Systems Alenia Marc ...
(1991–1999) * Boeing CT-43 (1992–2001) * EC-135Y (2001–2003) * Gulfstream C-37 (2001–2019) * U-28A (2021–present)


Operations

* World War II * Vietnam War * Operation Just Cause


References


Notes


Bibliography

* * *


External links


6th Operations Group Fact Sheet
{{USAAF 9th Air Force UK 0310 Military units and formations in New Mexico