The 439th Operations Group is an active United States Air Force Reserve unit. It is the flying component of the

Twenty-Second Air Force Twenty-Second Air Force (22 AF) is a Numbered Air Force component of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It was activated on 1 July 1993 and is headquartered at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia. In the event of mobilization, some of the Twenty ...

439th Airlift Wing, stationed at Westover Air Reserve Base,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. The unit's

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 ...

predecessor unit, the 439th Troop Carrier Group was a

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 ...

transport unit assigned to

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 ...

in Western Europe. During

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 ...

, two serials of aircraft, one of 45 and the other of 36 from the 439th TCG were dispatched late in the evening of 5 June to drop the

506th Parachute Infantry Regiment The 506th Infantry Regiment, originally designated the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment (506th PIR) during World War II, is an airborne light infantry regiment of the United States Army. Currently a parent regiment under the U.S. Army Regi ...

during the first hour of the invasion behind

Utah Beach Utah, commonly known as Utah Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 (D-Day), during World War II. The westernmost of the five code-named la ...

. Difficult weather conditions and heavy anti-aircraft fire were encountered and three aircraft failed to return. A reinforcement mission with gliders was flown on the following day, with 50 C-47s towing 30

Horsa Hengist and Horsa are Germanic brothers said to have led the Angles, Saxons and Jutes in their invasion of Britain in the 5th century. Tradition lists Hengist as the first of the Jutish kings of Kent. Most modern scholarly consensus now r ...

and 20 CG-4 Wacos. The 439th later 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 ...

for its work during these two days.

Overview

The group operates 8 C-5M Super Galaxys, flown by the 337th Airlift Squadron. The peacetime mission includes recruiting, training and supervision of personnel to assure mission readiness. The 439th Operations Group is capable of providing worldwide air movement of troops, supplies, equipment and medical patients. Airlift also involves airdrop and combat offloading operations.

Units

The 439th Operations Group consists of the following units: *

337th Airlift Squadron The 337th Airlift Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, part of the 439th Airlift Wing at Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. It operates C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach ...

C-5M Super Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-rang ...

* 439th Aerospace Medicine Squadron * 439th Aeromedical Staging Squadron * 439th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron * 439th Operations Support Squadron * 439th Airlift Control Flight

History

: ''For additional lineage and history, see 439th Airlift Wing''

World War II

Trained in the U.S. with C-47s, 1943-Jan1944. Moved to England, February–March 1944, for duty with Ninth Air Force. The group began operations 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 Wor ...

s 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 operati ...

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 ...

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 ...

(6 June 1944) and releasing gliders with reinforcements on the following day. The group received a

and a French citation for these missions. After the Normandy invasion the group ferried supplies in the United Kingdom until the air echelon was sent to

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 ...

in July to transport cargo to Rome and evacuate wounded personnel. The detachment dropped paratroops of the

517th Parachute Infantry Regiment The 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment (517th PIR) was an airborne infantry regiment of the United States Army, formed during World War II. At times the regiment was attached to the 17th Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division and later, the ...

along the

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two area ...

in support of the invasion of Southern France on 15 August, and later towed gliders to provide reinforcements; for these missions the group earned another citation from the French government. After the air echelon returned to England on 25 August the group resumed its cargo missions. After moving to France in September, the group dropped paratroops of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

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 airborne attack on the Netherlands. In December, it participated 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 releasing gliders with supplies for the 101st Airborne Division 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: Bastog ...

. When the

Allies 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 ...

made the air assault across the

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

in March 1945, each aircraft of the 439th towed two gliders with troops of the 17th Airborne Division and released them near

Wesel Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district. Geography Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine. Division of the city Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrigho ...

. The group also hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear zone hospitals. It converted from C-47s to C-46s and the 439th used the new aircraft to transport displaced persons from Germany to France and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

after

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 ...

. The group returned to the U.S. during the period July–September 1945, and trained with C-46 aircraft until inactivated on 10 Jun 1946.

Air Force Reserve

From June 1949, the group trained in troop carrier operations until mobilized in April 1951, its personnel being used as fillers for USAF organizations worldwide during 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:{ ...

. Activated in the Reserve on 15 June 1952, the group trained in fighter-bomber operations until phased out in September 1957 when the wing adopted the Tri-Deputate organization. On 8 January 1966 the 439th replaced the 1602d Air Transport Group at Rhein-Main AB, Germany. The group controlled assigned and attached Military Airlift Command airlift units at Rhein-Main, provided air transport and air evacuation services within and occasionally outside Europe. Earned an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for May–June 1967 support during the Middle East crisis. Since 1 August 1992 the group has trained for and flown global airlift operations, transporting personnel, equipment, and supplies and participating in numerous exercises. The group received its first

on June 2, 2017. Marking the first of eight for the unit. On September 7, 2017 the unit's last C-5A left Westover for Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona for retirement.

Lineage

* Established as 439th Troop Carrier Group on 14 May 1943 : Activated on 1 June 1943 : Inactivated on 10 June 1946 * Redesignated 439th Troop Carrier Group, Medium on 19 May 1949 : Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949 : Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951 : Inactivated on 3 April 1951 * Redesignated 439th Fighter-Bomber Group on 26 May 1952 : Activated in the Reserve on 15 June 1952 : Inactivated on 16 November 1957 * Redesignated 439th Military Airlift Group and activated on 27 December 1965 (not organized) : Organized on 8 January 1966 : Inactivated on 24 December 1968 * Redesignated 439th Operations Group and activated in the Reserve, on 1 August 1992.

Assignments

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 ...

, 1 June 1943 *

, c. 10 March 1944 * IX Troop Carrier Command, 26 August 1944 * I Troop Carrier Command, September 1945 * IX Troop Carrier Command, c. December 1945 * Tactical Air Command, 21 March 1946 *

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 ...

, unknown 1946-10 June 1946 * 439th Troop Carrier Wing, 27 June 1949 – 3 April 1951 * 439th Fighter-Bomber Wing, 15 June 1952 – 16 November 1957 *

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 ...

, 27 December 1965 (not organized) *

322d Air Division The 322d Airlift Division (322d AD) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-First Air Force, being stationed at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It was inactivate ...

, 8 January 1966 – 24 December 1968 * 439th Airlift Wing, 1 August 1992–present

Components

Group * 52d Military Airlift Group: attached 8 January 1966 – 24 December 1968 Squadrons * 55th Military Airlift Squadron: 8 January 1966 – 24 December 1968 * 58th Aerial Port Squadron: 1 August 1992 – 1 October 2002 * 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron: 1 August 1992 – 1 October 1994 * 85th Aerial Port Squadron: 1 August 1992 – 1 January 1995 * 91st Troop Carrier (later Fighter-Bomber) Squadron (L4): 1 June 1943 – 10 June 1946; 27 June 1949 – 3 April 1951; 15 June 1952 – 1 April 1954 * 92d Troop Carrier (later Fighter-Bomber) Squadron (J8): 1 June 1943 – 10 June 1946; 27 June 1949 – 3 April 1951; 15 June 1952 – 1 April 1954 * 93d Troop Carrier Squadron (3B): 1 June 1943 – 10 June 1946; 27 June 1949 – 3 April 1951; 15 June 1952 – 16 November 1957 * 94th Troop Carrier Squadron (D8): 1 June 1943 – 10 June 1946; 27 June 1949 – 3 April 1951 *

: 1 August 1992–present * 439th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron: 1 October 1994 – present * 439th Air Terminal Squadron (later 439th Aerial Port Squadron): 8 January 1966 – 24 December 1968 * 439th Materiel Squadron: 8 January 1966 – 24 December 1968 * 471st Fighter-Bomber Squadron: 1 April 1954 – 1 July 1957 * 472d Fighter-Bomber Squadron: 1 April 1954 – 16 November 1957

Stations

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, 1 June 1943 *

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 ...

, Missouri, 15 June 1943 *

, Nebraska, 2 August 1943 * Laurinburg-Maxton Army Air Base, North Carolina 16 December 1943 *

Baer Field Baer (or Bär, from german: bear, links=no) or Van Baer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: Baer * Alan Baer, American tuba player * Arthur "Bugs" Baer (1886–1969), American journalist and humorist * Buddy Baer (1915–1986) ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, 2–14 February 1944 * RAF Balderton (AAF-482), England, 10 March 1944 *

RAF Upottery RAF Upottery (also known as Smeatharpe) is a former World War II airfield in East Devon, England. The airfield is located near the village of Upottery, approximately north-northeast of the town of Honiton. Opened in 1944, it was used by the ...

(AAF-462), England, 26 April 1944 * Juvincourt Airfield (A-68), France, 8 September 1944 * Lonray Airfield (A-45), France, 28 September 1944 * Chateaudun Airfield (A-39), France, 4 November 1944 – 7 September 1945 * Baer Field, Indiana, 22 September 1945 * Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 7 October 1945 – 10 June 1946 *

Selfridge Air Force Base Selfridge Air National Guard Base or Selfridge ANGB is an Air National Guard installation located in Harrison Township, Michigan, near Mount Clemens. Selfridge Field was one of thirty-two Air Service training camps established after the Unit ...

, Michigan, 27 June 1949 – 3 April 1951; 15 June 1952 – 16 November 1957 *

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 ...

, West Germany, 8 January 1966 – 24 December 1968 * Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts, 1 August 1992 – present

Aircraft

, 1943–1945 *

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 ...

, 1945–1946, 1952–1955 * TC-46 Commando, 1949–1951 *

F-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...

, 1953–1954 *

T-33 Shooting Star The Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star (or T-Bird) is an American subsonic jet trainer. It was produced by Lockheed and made its first flight in 1948. The T-33 was developed from the Lockheed P-80/F-80 starting as TP-80C/TF-80C in development, then d ...

, 1953–1954 *

F-80 Shooting Star The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during World War II. Designed and built by Lockheed in 1943 and delivered just 143 days from the start of design, prod ...

, 1953–1956 *

F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thun ...

, 1956–1957 *

F-86 Sabre The North American F-86 Sabre, sometimes called the Sabrejet, is a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as the United States' first swept-wing fighter that could counter the swept-wing Sov ...

, 1957 * TC-47 Skytrain, 1957 *

C-119 Flying Boxcar The Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (Navy and Marine Corps designation R4Q) was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechan ...

, 1957 *

C-118 Liftmaster The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with ...

, 1966–1968 * C-124 Globemaster II, 1966–1968 * C-131 Samaritan, 1966–1968 *

C-5 Galaxy The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed, and now maintained and upgraded by its successor, Lockheed Martin. It provides the United States Air Force (USAF) with a heavy intercontinental-rang ...

, 1992–2017 *

, 2017–present

References

* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. * 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.
439th Operations Group

External links

{{Navboxes , list = {{Tactical Air Command {{USAAF 9th Air Force UK {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II Operations groups of the United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1943