The 50th Troop Carrier Wing is an inactive

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 S ...

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 troop carrier units deploying overseas. In 1943, it moved overseas, where its units participated in combat in the

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 th ...

and European Theaters of Operations. Following

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easte ...

it remained in Europe until the fall of 1945. Its last assignment was with

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in E ...

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, where it was inactivated on 31 July 1946. It was redesignated the 50th Air Division in 1959, but was not activated.

History

The

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...

was first established as the 50th Transport Wing, then activated at

Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. Lo ...

, Ohio on 14 January 1941. Although initially assigned directly to the

Office, Chief of the Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

, it was shortly reassigned to Air Corps Maintenance Command. The wing's mission was to control the air movement of

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

materiel within the United States. Within a year, the wing was moving more air freight within the United States than all commercial airlines combined. In March 1942, however, the

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 ...

directed

Air Service Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

to increase the use of contracts with airlines to move freight within the United States "in order to free the equipment of the 50th Transport wing for tactical operations with the parachute troops, airborne infantry, the airborne transportation of overnment furnished equipmentand supplies, and depot-to-depot operations." Recognizing this mission change, in July 1942 the wing became the 50th Troop Carrier Wing and formed the core for

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 ...

, acting as a major training organization until 1943, training subordinate units in the United States prior to overseas deployment. In October 1943, became a command organization for

IX Troop Carrier Command The IX Troop Carrier Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. As a component command of the Ninth ...

, Ninth Air Force in England. "Subordinate units began training for the invasion of continental Europe. This training involved airdropping paratroops and towing gliders." "In June 1944, subordinate units dropped paratroops of 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 operat ...

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, subsequently flying numerous missions to bring in reinforcements and needed supplies. During the airborne attack on

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 Nether ...

(

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, ...

, September 1944), the 50th dropped paratroops, towed gliders, and flew resupply missions. Several of its subordinate units also participated in the invasion of southern France in August 1944. The 50th supported the 101st Airborne Division in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

by towing gliders full of supplies near

Bastogne Bastogne (; nl, Bastenaken, ; german: Bastnach/Bastenach; lb, Baaschtnech) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne ...

on 27 December 1944. In addition, its units participated in the air assault across the Rhine River in early 1945 and later flew numerous freight missions to carry gasoline, food, medicine, and other supplies to allied ground forces pushing across Germany." The wing returned to the United States in September 1945. In 1946 it became a subordinate organization of new

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 ...

with responsibility for the theater transport (Troop Carrier) mission. It was inactivated on 31 July 1946. On 1 September 1959, the USAF redesignated the wing as the 50th Air Division; however, the division was never activated.

Lineage

* Established as the 50th Transport Wing on 8 January 1941 : Activated on 14 January 1941 : Redesignated 50th Troop Carrier Wing on 4 July 1942 : Inactivated on 31 July 1946 : Redesignated 50th Air Division on 1 September 1959 (Remained inactive)

Assignments

* Office, Chief of the Air Corps, 14 January 1941 * Air Corps Maintenance Command (later

), 15 March 1941 * Air Transport Command (later

),Not to be confused with

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 and ...

(originally Air Corps Ferrying Command). 30 April 1942 *

Army Service Forces The Army Service Forces was one of the three autonomous components of the United States Army during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces, created on 9 March 1942. By dividing the Army into three large comm ...

, c. 9 – 15 October 1943 *

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 ...

, c. 15 October 1943 *

, 16 October 1943 *

, 29 September 1945 * IX Troop Carrier Command, 4 November 1945On 4 November 1945, I Troop Carrier Command was inactivated at

Stout Field Stout is a dark, top-fermented beer with a number of variations, including dry stout, oatmeal stout, milk stout, and imperial stout. The first known use of the word ''stout'' for beer, in a document dated 1677 found in the Egerton Manuscript ...

, Indiana and its personnel and equipment were transferred to IX Troop Carrier Command, which had transferred to Stout from England without personnel or equipment in September. Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 438, 448–449. *

, 21 March 1946 *

, 28 March – 31 July 1946

Components

Groups * 10th Transport Group (later

10th Troop Carrier Group 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. ...

): 14 January 1941 – 5 October 1942 * 60th Transport Group: 31 March – 15 June 1942 * 61st Transport Group (later 61st Troop Carrier Group): 31 March – 15 June 1942; 12 October – 3 November 1942 *

62d Transport Group The 62d Operations Group (62 OG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 62d Airlift Wing. It is stationed at McChord Air Force Base, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. The 62d Operations Group is the flying component of the 62 ...

: 14 January 1941 – 15 June 1942 * 63d Transport Group (later 63d Troop Carrier Group): 14 January 1941 – 15 June 1942; 4 May – c. 4 June 1943 * 64th Transport Group: 31 March – 15 June 1952 * 89th Transport Group (later 89th Troop Carrier Group): 1 May – 3 November 1942 * 313th Transport Group (later 313th Troop Carrier Group): 31 March – 15 June 1942; 20 May – 3 August 1945 * 314th Transport Group (later 314th Troop Carrier Group): 31 March – 15 June 1942; 3 November 1942 – c. 13 May 1943 * 315th Transport Group (later 315th Troop Carrier Group): 31 March – 15 June 1942; c. 15 October 1943 – 18 February 1944 * 316th Transport Group (later 316th Troop Carrier Group): 31 March – 12 October 1942; 9 October 1945 – 15 February 1946 *

317th Transport Group The 317th Operations Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit, last stationed at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina as part of Air Mobility Command. It was activated in 1992 during the Air Force's Objective Wing reorganization, and ina ...

: 31 March – 15 June 1942 * 349th Troop Carrier Group: 20 May – 28 August 1945; 9 October 1945 – 15 February 1946 *

375th Troop Carrier Group 375th may refer to: * 375th Air Mobility Wing, unit of the United States Air Force assigned to Eighteenth Air Forcestationed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois *375th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 375th Fighter Squadr ...

: c. 19 December 1942 – c. 15 June 1943 *

403d Troop Carrier Group 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest co ...

: c. 19 December 1942 – 28 June 1943 * 433d Troop Carrier Group: c. 14 March – 20 April 1943; 1 June – 1 August 1943 *

434th Troop Carrier Group 434th may refer to: *434th Air Refueling Wing, one of the key refueling units in the US Air Force Reserve *434th Bombardment Squadron, an inactive United States Air Force unit *434th Fighter Training Squadron (434 FTS), part of the 47th Flying Trai ...

: 9 February – 20 April 1943; c. 15 October 1943 – 3 March 1944 *

435th Troop Carrier Group 435th may refer to: *435th Air Ground Operations Wing The 435th Air Ground Operations Wing is an active unit of the United States Air Force, assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe. It is stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Th ...

: c. 22 March – 20 April 1943; c. 1 July – 13 August 1943; 4 November 1943 – 21 February 1944 *

436th Troop Carrier Group 436th may refer to: *436th Airlift Wing, an active United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force based at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware *436th Operations Group, an active United States Air Force unit, the f ...

: 3 March – 20 April 1943; 10–13 August 1943; c. 15 January – 13 March 1944 * 437th Troop Carrier Group: January – c. 26 August 1944; 10 – 18 July 1945 *

438th Troop Carrier Group 438th may refer to: *438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group (438 AEAG), assigned to the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing of USAFCENT, stationed at Kabul Airport, Afghanistan *438th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional unit assigned to United States Air ...

: c. 15 February – 15 March 1944; 10 July – 3 August 1945 * 439th Troop Carrier Group: 21 February 1944 – 15 July 1945 *

440th Troop Carrier Group 44 may refer to: * 44 (number) * one of the years 44 BC, AD 44, 1944, 2044 Military *44M Tas, a Hungarian medium/heavy tank design of World War II *44M Tas Rohamlöveg, a Hungarian tank destroyer design of World War II, derived from the 44M Tas t ...

: 11 March 1944 – c. 18 October 1945 *

441st Troop Carrier Group The 441st Troop Carrier Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was to the 441st Troop Carrier Wing, stationed at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Illinois, where it was inactivated on 14 March 1951. ...

: 17 March 1944 – 9 August 1945 *

442d Troop Carrier Group 44 may refer to: * 44 (number) * one of the years 44 BC, AD 44, 1944, 2044 Military *44M Tas, a Hungarian medium/heavy tank design of World War II *44M Tas Rohamlöveg, a Hungarian tank destroyer design of World War II, derived from the 44M Tas t ...

: 30 March 1944 – 20 May 1945 Squadrons * 1st Troop Carrier Pathfinder Squadron (Provisional): 19 – 26 May 1945 * 2d Troop Carrier Pathfinder Squadron (Provisional): 13 April – 26 May 1945 * 19th Air Cargo Resupply Squadron: 8 October – 15 November 1945 *

29th Troop Carrier Squadron 029 may refer to: * IBM 029, a keypunch machine * 029, the telephone area code of Xi'an and Xianyang * Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It form ...

: attached 20 May – 12 September 1945 * 806th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 17 November 1943 – 1 February 1945 * 810th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 22 December 1943 – 22 July 1944 * 811th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: unknown – 1 March 1944 * 813th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 1 February – 29 August 1944; 11 September 1944 – 15 September 1945 * 814th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 14 February – 7 April 1944 * 815th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 1 February – 8 April 1945 * 816th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 13 October 1944 – 8 April 1945; 1 July – 3 August 1945 * 817th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 1 October 1944 – 17 May 1945; 1 – 27 July 1945 * 818th Medical Air Evacuation Transport Squadron: 22 January – 8 April 1945; 12 May – 3 August 194550th Air Division Factsheet, except as noted.

Stations

* Wright Field, Ohio, 14 January 1941 *

Camp Williams Camp W. G. Williams, commonly known as Camp Williams, also known as Army Garrison Camp Williams, is a National Guard training site operated by the Utah National Guard. It is located south of Bluffdale, west of Lehi, and north of Saratoga Sprin ...

, Wisconsin, 25 May 1942 *

Sedalia Army Air Field Sedalia is the name of several places: Canada * Sedalia, Alberta, a hamlet in Alberta, Canada United States *Sedalia, Colorado *Sedalia, Indiana *Sedalia, Kentucky *Sedalia, Missouri, the largest US city named Sedalia *Sedalia, North Carolina *Sed ...

, Missouri, 9 September 1942 *

Camp Mackall Camp Mackall is an active U.S. Army training facility located in eastern Richmond County and northern Scotland County, North Carolina, south of the town of Southern Pines. The facility is in close proximity to and is a sub-installation of Fort B ...

, North Carolina, 27 April 1943 *

, North Carolina, 28 July 1943 – 29 September 1943 *

RAF Cottesmore Royal Air Force Station Cottesmore or more simply RAF Cottesmore is a former Royal Air Force station in Rutland, England, situated between Cottesmore and Market Overton. On 15 December 2009, Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth announced that th ...

(AAF-489),Station numbers in Anderson England, 17 October 1943 *

RAF Bottesford Royal Air Force Bottesford or more simply RAF Bottesford is a former Royal Air Force station located on the Leicestershire- Lincolnshire county border, north west of Grantham, Lincolnshire and south of Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire and a ...

(AAF-481), England, 18 November 1943 *

RAF Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

(AAF-463), England, 26 April 1944 *

Le Mans Airfield Le Mans Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the City of Le Mans in the Pays de la Loire region of northern France. History Le Mans was an industrial target for the Allies due to the Renault manufacturing ...

(A-35),Station numbers in Johnson France, 1 October 1944 *

Chartres Airfield Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as de ...

(A-40), France, 3 November 1944 * Pope Field, North Carolina, 29 September 1945 – 31 July 1946

Aircraft

Bellanca C-27 Airbus The Bellanca Aircruiser and Airbus were high-wing, single-engine aircraft built by Bellanca Aircraft Corporation of New Castle, Delaware. The aircraft was built as a "workhorse" intended for use as a passenger or cargo aircraft. It was availab ...

, 1941–1942 *

Douglas C-33 The Douglas DC-2 is a 14-passenger, twin-engined airliner that was produced by the American company Douglas Aircraft Company starting in 1934. It competed with the Boeing 247. In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the DC-3, which bec ...

, 1941–1942 * Douglas C-34, 1941–1942 *

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 remain ...

, 1941–1945 *

Douglas C-50 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper versi ...

, 1941–1942 * Douglas C-53 Skytrooper, 1941–1945 *

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 ...

, 1944–1946

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

* (URL is for text of booklet only) {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II 1941 establishments in North Carolina 1946 disestablishments in North Carolina Troop carrier wings of the United States Army Air Forces Military units and formations established in 1941