Space Base Delta 3 (SBD 3) is a

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

unit assigned to the

Space Systems Command Space Systems Command (SSC) is the United States Space Force's space development, acquisition, launch, and logistics field command. It is headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California and manages the United States' space launc ...

. 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 and the Los Angeles Garrison, which existed through the first two years of the Space Force. The garrison operates Los Angeles Air Force Base and supports Space Systems Command. The origins date to

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

where the 61st Troop Carrier Group was a

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 ...

transport unit assigned to both Twelfth and

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

s in North Africa, Italy and Western Europe. The 61 TCG was highly decorated for its combat parachute infantry drops during the Invasion of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

(

Operation Husky 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-Ma ...

); Invasion of

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

( Operation Avalanche); Invasion of France (

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

); the airborne invasion of the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

(

Operation Market-Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

); and the airborne crossing of the

Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

, (

Operation Varsity Operation Varsity (24 March 1945) was a successful airborne forces operation launched by Allied troops that took place toward the end of World War II. Involving more than 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft, it was the largest ai ...

History

: ''For additional history and lineage, see

61st Air Base Wing The 61st Air Base Wing is an inactive wing of the United States Air Force, last stationed at Los Angeles Air Force Base, El Segundo, California. The 61st was the host unit at Los Angeles Air Force Base, and commanded all the Air Force support g ...

'' The group was established before 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 ...

, in December 1940, with

transport aircraft. It initially 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 Co ...

in the southeast United States. Trained in paratroop missions and glider towing, it was deployed to the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...

(MTO) and flew combat missions in the North African and Tunisian Campaigns under

Twelfth Air Force The Twelfth Air Force (12 AF; Air Forces Southern, (AFSOUTH)) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The command is the air component to ...

. It flew

airborne Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...

assault and resupply

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 tr ...

missions during the

invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing ...

s of

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and

in 1943 and transported cargo and personnel throughout the North African and

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

theaters Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

. Reassigned to

and was moved to England in 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 ...

(ETO). Flew airborne assault missions during the

Normandy invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norm ...

and later supported

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

in the Netherlands. In 1945 it participated in the airborne assault across the

Rhine ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

. Also provided transport services in the European theater, hauling gasoline, ammunition, food, medicine, and other supplies, and evacuating wounded personnel. Moved to Trinidad in May 1945. Assigned to Air Transport Command. Used C-47's to transport troops returning to the US. Inactivated in Trinidad on 31 July 1945

Cold War

It was reactivated in Germany on 30 September 1946. Assigned to

United States Air Forces in Europe United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

. Redesignated 61st Troop Carrier Group (Medium) in July 1948, and 61st Troop Carrier Group (Heavy) in August 1948. In Germany, the group 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, ro ...

, from June 1948 to May 1949, the group's C-54 aircraft ferried coal, flour, and other cargo into Berlin. In 1950, the group moved to the United States shortly after the outbreak of the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

for duty with

Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NA ...

. Attached to

Far East Air Forces Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force and is also the air component command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). PACAF is headquartered at Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam (fo ...

, it flew airlift missions on the Northern Pacific Route from the United States to Japan in support of UN forces in

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

before moving to Japan and conducting airlift missions from Japan to Korea from 1950–1952. Returned to the US in November 1952 to join

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 Ju ...

, to which the group had been assigned in October 1951. Converted from C-54 to C-124 aircraft and carried out worldwide

strategic Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...

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 distan ...

operations from 1952–1959. Inactivated on 8 October 1959. The 61st Military Airlift Group was reactivated at

Howard Air Force Base Howard Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Panama. It discontinued military operations on 1 November 1999 as a result of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, which specified that US military facilities in the former ...

, Panama on 1 December 1984. At Howard, the group was the parent unit for the 310th Military Airlift Squadron (310th MAS) with a diverse array of aircraft (C-21A, CT-43A, C-130E/H, C-27A). The C-21 and CT-43 provided VIP airlift support for the Commander-In-Chief, U.S. Southern Command (CINCSOUTH). The C-130s and C-27s flew tactical airlift operations in

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

and South America from 1984–1992. The unit was inactivated and its assets absorbed by the 24th Wing when the 310th's mission was transferred to

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

on 1 June 1992.

Base support

The 61st Air Base Group operated Los Angeles Air Force Base and supported the Space and Missile Systems Center since 1994, the now-Space Base Delta 3 continues to do the same for the successor to SSC,

Lineage

* Established as 61st Transport Group on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 1 December 1940 : Redesignated 61st Troop Carrier Group on 4 July 1942 : Inactivated on 31 July 1945 * Activated on 30 September 1946 : Redesignated: 61st Troop Carrier Group, Medium, on 1 July 1948 : Redesignated: 61st Troop Carrier Group, Heavy, on 15 August 1948 : Inactivated on 8 October 1959 * Redesignated 61st Military Airlift Group, and activated, on 1 December 1984 : Inactivated on 1 June 1992 * Redesignated 61st Air Base Group on 16 September 1994 : Activated on 1 October 1994 * Redesignated 61st Mission Support Group on 1 August 2006 * Redesignated 61st Air Base Group on 30 July 2010 * Redesignated Space Base Delta 3 on 14 July 2022

Assignments

* Unknown, 1 December 1940 – 31 March 1942 *

50th Transport Wing The 50th Troop Carrier Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The wing was formed in 1941 as the 50th Transport Wing, a headquarters fpr air transport organizations of the Air Corps. In 1942, it became a training organization for tr ...

, 31 March 1942 * 51st Transport Wing (later 51st Troop Carrier Wing), 1 June 1942 * 52d Troop Carrier Wing, 6 August 1942 * 50th Troop Carrier Wing, 12 October 1942 * 53d Troop Carrier Wing, 3 November 1942 * 52d Troop Carrier Wing, 15 February 1943 *

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies ...

, 7 May 1945 * Attached to Caribbean Division, Air Transport Command, 29 May – 31 July 1945 * 51st Troop Carrier Wing (known as European Air Transport Service, Provisional), 30 September 1946 *

, 20 December 1947 * 61st Troop Carrier Wing, 1 July 1948 : Attached to: 1st Airlift Task Force, 5–26 November 1948 : Attached to: Airlift Wing rovisional 26 November 1948 – 20 January 1949 : Attached to: 7497th Airlift Wing, 20 January – 10 July 1949 : Attached to:

, 21–26 July 1950 : Attached to: North Pacific Air Transport Wing, Provisional, 26 July – 24 August 1950 : Attached to: 1705th Air Transport Wing, 24 August – 10 December 1950 : Attached to: Far East Air Force Combat Cargo Command, Provisional, 10 December 1950 – 1 January 1951 * 1705th Air Transport Wing, 1 January 1951 : Attached to: Far East Air Forces Combat Cargo Command, Provisional, 1–25 January 1951 : Attached to: 315th Air Division, 25 January – 1 October 1951 *

Eighteenth Air Force Eighteenth Air Force (Air Forces Transportation) (18 AF) is the only Numbered Air Force (NAF) in Air Mobility Command (AMC) and one of the largest NAFs in the United States Air Force. 18 AF was activated on 28 March 1951, inactivated on 1 Janu ...

, 1 October 1951 : Attached to: 315th Air Division, 1 October – 5 November 1951 : Attached to: 6122 Air Base Wing, 5 November 1951 – 26 March 1952 : Attached to: 374th Troop Carrier Wing, 26 March – 21 November 1952 : Attached to: 62d Troop Carrier Wing, 21 November 1952 – 25 August 1954 : Attached to: 63d Troop Carrier Wing, 25 August 1954 – 1 July 1957 * 63d Troop Carrier Wing, 1 July 1957 – 8 October 1959 *

Twenty-First Air Force The 21st Expeditionary Mobility Task Force (21 EMTF) was one of two EMTFs assigned to the Air Force's Air Mobility Command. It was headquartered at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey. The 21 EMTF was a redesignation of Twenty-First Air ...

, 1 December 1984 – 1 June 1992 *

Space and Missile Systems Center Space Systems Command (SSC) is the United States Space Force's space development, acquisition, launch, and logistics field command. It is headquartered at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California and manages the United States' space launch ...

, 1 October 1994 * 61st Air Base Wing, 1 August 2006 * Space and Missile Systems Center, 30 July 2010 – present

Components

4th Troop Carrier Squadron Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

: attached 10 December 1950 – 24 July 1951 *

12th Troop Carrier Squadron 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

: attached 30 September – 15 October 1946 * 13th Transport (later, 13th Troop Carrier) Squadron: 1 December 1940-c. 10 October 1942 * 14th Transport (later, 14th Troop Carrier) Squadron: 4 December 1940 – 31 July 1945; 30 September 1946 – 8 October 1959 (detached c. 5 December 1950 – 26 March 1952; 21 November – 1 December 1952; August 1956 – March 1957; August-8 October 1959) * 15th Transport (later, 15th Troop Carrier) Squadron: 4 December 1940 – 31 July 1945; 30 September 1946 – 8 October 1959 (detached February–August 1957) * 53d Transport (later, 53d Troop Carrier) Squadron: 1 June 1942 – 31 July 1945; 30 September 1946 – 8 October 1959 (detached 26 March – 14 September 1952; September 1958-c. March 1959) * 59th Troop Carrier Squadron: 23 October 1942 – 31 July 1945 * 310th Military Airlift Squadron: 1 December 1984 – 1 June 1992.

Stations

Olmsted Field Harrisburg Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, located at Harrisburg International Airport, Pennsylvania. It is located west-southwest of Middletown, Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Air National Guard facility is site ...

, Pennsylvania, 1 December 1940 *

Daniel Field Daniel Field is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) west of the central business district of Augusta, a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States. It is owned by the City of Augusta and operated by the General ...

, Georgia, 9 July 1941 *

Pope Field 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, 26 May 1942 * Lubbock Army Air Field, Texas, 23 September 1942 * Pope Field, North Carolina, 26 February 1943 – 4 May 1943 *

Lourmel Airfield Lourmel Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Algeria, located in the El Amria area. During World War II it was a civil airport seized by the United States Army during the Operation Torch landings in November 1942. After its capture ...

, Morocco, 15 May 1943 *

Kairouan Airfield Kairouan Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia, which is located approximately 11 km south-southeast of Kairouan, 126 km south of Tunis. It was a major Troop Carrier unit base of the United States Army Air Force Twel ...

, Tunisia, 21 June 1943 *

Licata Airfield Licata Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in Italy, located in the vicinity of Licata, Sicily. It was a temporary fighter airfield constructed in the immediate aftermath of Operation Husky by U.S. Army Engineers using pier ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, Italy, 1 September 1943 * Sciacca Airfield, Sicily, Italy, 6 October 1943 *

RAF Barkston Heath Royal Air Force Barkston Heath or RAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. RAF Barkston Heath has the Naval Element of No. 3 Flying Training School RAF (No. 3 FTS) which, for a period between app ...

(AAF-483), England, 18 February 1944 * Abbeville/Drucat Airfield (B-92), France, 13 March – 19 May 1945 *

Waller Field Waller Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force World War II air base located in northeastern Trinidad. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Valencia south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and roughly 32 km from t ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, 29 May – 31 July 1945 * Eschborn Airfield, Germany, 30 September 1946 *

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 ...

, Germany, 11 February 1947 – 21 July 1950 * McChord Air Force Base, Washington, 26 July – 5 December 1950 *

Ashiya Air Base is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. History Ashiya Airfield was established as a Japanese Army Air Force facility in 1944, and was used primarily as a ...

, Japan, 10 December 1950 * Tachikawa Air Base, Japan, 26 March – 15 November 1952 *

Larson Air Force Base Larson Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Moses Lake, in Grant County, Washington. After its closure in 1966, the airport facility became ...

, Washington, 21 November 1952 * Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, 25 August 1954 – 8 October 1959 * Howard Air Force Base, Panama, 1 December 1984 – 1 June 1992 * Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, 1 October 1994 – present

Aircraft

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 ...

, 1942–1945; 1946–1948 * CG-4 Waco (Glider), 1942–1945 *

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 ...

, 1948–1952 *

C-124 Globemaster The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is an American heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California. The C-124 was the primary heavy-lift transport for United States Air Force (USAF ...

, 1952–1959 *

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 desi ...

, 1984–1992. * C-22A (Boeing 727-30), 1985-1990

List of commanders

* Col Andrew Jasinski, 1 October 1994 – 8 September 199561st Air Base Group
, Historical Overview of the Space and Missile Systems Center, 1954-2003, History Office Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, California, 2004, p. 79. * Col Gilbert A. Engel, 8 September 1995 – 12 September 1997 * Col Dieter V. Barnes, 12 September 1997 – 18 June 1999 * Col David E. Price, 18 June 1999 – 26 September 2000 * Col Phil W. Parker, 26 September 2000 – 27 September 2002 * Col Brian E. Kistner, 27 September 2002 – 11 May 2004 * Col Carl E. Brazelton, 11 May 2004 – 21 July 2004 * Col Joseph M. Codispoti, 21 July 2004 – * Col Anita Latin * Col Frank W. Simcox, August 2010 * Col Sam McNiel, 29 June 2012 * Col Donna Turner

References

* * Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. {{Navboxes , list = {{USAAF 9th Air Force UK {{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II Air base groups of the United States Air Force Deltas of the United States Space Force Military units and formations established in 1994