The 53d Airlift Squadron is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

unit, last part of the

19th Airlift Wing The 19th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The wing is also the host unit at Little Rock. The Wing provides the ...

Little Rock Air Force Base Little Rock Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Little Rock, Arkansas. The facility covers 6,217 acres (2,516 ha) with a resident population of over 3,300 and working population of approximate ...

, Arkansas. It operated

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...

aircraft for

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of Materiel, supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material lo ...

and

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 ...

operations. The squadron was first activated in June 1942 as the 53d Troop Carrier Squadron. After training in the United States, it 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 ...

, where it participated in the airborne assault on Sicily, for which it earned 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 e ...

(DUC). It moved to England, where it participated in the

D Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

airborne assault, for which it earned a second DUC, and in Operation Market Garden, the attempt to secure a bridgehead across the

Rhine River The Rhine ( ) is one of the major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Swiss-Austrian border. From Lake Cons ...

in the Netherlands. 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; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

, it participated in the movement of American troops back to the United States before inactivating in July 1945. The squadron was reactivated in France in 1946, moving to Germany, where it 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, roa ...

. It returned to the United States in 1950, but soon deployed to Japan, where it provided

during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. The squadron was inactivated in 1966, but reactivated as the 53d Military Airlift Squadron in 1972. Except for a brief period of inactivation in 1993, it has been a strategic airlift unit since then.

History

World War II

Constituted as 53 Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942 and activated on 1 June 1942 with

C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF 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. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

s at

Pope Field Pope Field is a U.S. military facility located northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville, in Spring Lake, North Carolina, Spring Lake, Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.. Federal A ...

, NC. 2 Lt Glen A. Myers was the unit's first commanding officer. Assigned to

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 C ...

as a troop carrier squadron, trained in the United States. Assigned to

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 U ...

and deployed North Africa during May 1943. The squadron's aircraft flew supplies to front-line units in Algeria and Tunisia during the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

as soon as suitable landing strips were available and evacuated casualties back to rear area field hospitals. Redesignated 53 Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942. Squadron engaged in combat operations, dropping airborne units into Sicily during the

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-Man ...

invasion and later into areas around

Anzio Anzio (, also ; ) is a town and ''comune'' on region of Italy, about south of Rome. Well known for its seaside resorts, it is a fishing port and a departure point for ferries and hydroplanes to the Pontine Islands of Ponza, Palmarola, and Ve ...

, Italy as part of

Operation Shingle The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign (World War II), Italian Campaign of World War II that commenced January 22, 1944. The battle began with the Allies of World War II, Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle, an ...

, the invasion of mainland Italy and the initiation of the Italian Campaign, January 1944. Moved north through Italy, in 1943 in support of Allied ground forces, evacuated wounded personnel and flew missions behind enemy lines in Italy and the Balkans to haul guns, ammunition, food, clothing, medical supplies, and other materials to the partisans and to drop propaganda leaflets. Was moved to England in February 1944, assigned to

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 ...

. Prepared for the

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

Nazi-occupied Europe German-occupied Europe, or Nazi-occupied Europe, refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly militarily occupied and civil-occupied, including puppet states, by the (armed forces) and the government of Nazi Germany at ...

. In June 1944, subordinate units dropped paratroops in

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, subsequently flying numerous missions to bring in reinforcements and needed supplies. During the airborne attack on The Netherlands ( Operation Market Garden, September 1944), the squadron 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 or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...

by towing gliders full of supplies near

Bastogne Bastogne (; ; ; ) 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, Longvilly, Noville, Villers-la-Bonne-Eau, and Wardi ...

on 27 December 1944. 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 an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

made the air assault across the

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

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

. The squadron also hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear zone hospitals. In late May 1945, after

, the squadron was moved to

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 7 km southeast of Downtown Arima south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and roughly 32 km from the ...

, Trinidad and attached to

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 a ...

. 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. Redesignated 53 Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 1 July 1948 and 53 Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy, on 15 Aug 1948.

Berlin airlift

The squadron participated in the

, 1948–1949.

Korean war

It conducted aerial transportation from the U.S. to Japan from August–December 1950, and between Japan and Korea from 13 December 1950 – November 1952.

Airlift operations

It conducted worldwide airlift operations from 1953 to 1966, including resupply to Antarctica from 1957 to 1958, and missions to Southeast Asia during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Redesignated 53 Military Airlift Squadron on 8 January 1966. Inactivated, on 8 July 1966. Reactivated on 8 January 1972 and converted to

C-141 Starlifter The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a retired military strategic airlifter that served with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), its successor organization the Military Airlift Command (MAC), and finally the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of t ...

s. The 53d again conducted worldwide airlift from 1972 to 1993 flying missions into

Grenada Grenada is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean Sea. The southernmost of the Windward Islands, Grenada is directly south of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and about north of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad and the So ...

, 23 October 1983 – 9 November 1983, during the

invasion of Panama The United States invaded Panama in mid-December 1989 during the presidency of George H. W. Bush. The purpose of the invasion was to depose the '' de facto'' ruler of Panama, General Manuel Noriega, who was wanted by U.S. authorities for racke ...

, 20 December 1989, and to Southwest Asia, August 1990 – June 1991. Redesignated 53 Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1992. Inactivated on 30 Apr 1993. Activated on 1 Oct 1993 with C-130 Hercules, as a training unit. The squadron was inactivated 11 January 2008 and detached from AETC. It was reactivated on 15 May 2008 as a part of the

Lineage

* Constituted as the 53d Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942 : Activated on 1 June 1942 : Redesignated 53d Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942 : Inactivated on 31 July 1945 * Activated on 30 September 1946 : Redesignated 53d Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 1 July 1948 : Redesignated 53d Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 15 August 1948 : Redesignated 53d Military Airlift Squadron on 8 January 1966 : Discontinued and inactivated on 8 July 1966 * Activated on 8 January 1972 : Redesignated 53d Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1992 : Inactivated on 30 April 1993 * Activated on 1 October 1993 : Inactivated on 11 January 2008 * Activated on 15 May 2008 : Inactivated 30 September 2016

Assignments

* 61st Transport Group (later 61st Troop Carrier Group), 1 June 1942 – 31 July 1945 * 61st Troop Carrier Group, 30 September 1946 (attached to Airlift Task Force, Provisional, August 1958 – February 1959, February–July 1960, and 5 January 1961 – April 1962) * 63d Troop Carrier Group, 8 October 1959 * 63d Troop Carrier Wing (later 63d Military Airlift Wing), 18 January 1963 – 8 July 1966 * 63d Military Airlift Wing, 8 January 1972 * 63d Military Airlift Group, 1 October 1978 * 63d Military Airlift Wing, 1 July 1980 * 63d Operations Group, 1 January 1992 – 30 April 1993 * 314th Operations Group, 1 October 1993 – 11 January 2008 * 463d Airlift Group, 15 May 2008 – 1 October 2008 *

19th Operations Group The 19th Operations Group (19 OG) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 19th Airlift Wing, stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. Equipped with the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, the group provides part of Ai ...

, 1 October 2008 – 30 September 2016

Stations

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, 23 October 1942 *

Lubbock Army Air Field Reese Technology Center is a research and business park located on the grounds of former Reese Air Force Base in western Lubbock, Texas, Lubbock at the unincorporated community of Reese Center, Texas, Reese Center. History In 1995, Reese Air For ...

, Texas, 15 November 1942 *

, North Carolina, 26 Feb-30 Apr 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 ...

, Algeria, 15 May 1943 *

Kairouan Airfield Kairouan Airfield is an abandoned military airfield in Tunisia, located approximately 11 km south-southeast of Kairouan, and126 km south of Tunis. It was a major Troop Carrier unit base of the United States Army Air Force Twelfth Air ...

, 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 pierc ...

, Sicily, 3 September 1943 * Sciacca Airfield, Sicily, 6 Oct 1943 – 12 Feb 1944 *

RAF Barkston Heath Royal Air Force Barkston Heath or RAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force Relief Landing Ground under the command of RAF Cranwell near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England. RAF Barkston Heath is the home of 57 Sqn's B Flight of No. 3 Flying Train ...

(AAF-483), England, 18 February 1944 * Abbeville/Drucat Airfield (B-92), France, 13 Mar-19 May 1945 * Waller Field, Trinidad, 29 May-31 Jul 1945 *

Orly Field Orly Air Base was a United States Air Force Facility during the early part of the Cold War, located at Orly Airport, Aéroport de Paris-Orly, south of Paris, France. The American Air Base was located on the north side of the airport, in an ar ...

, France, 30 September 1946 * AAF Station Eschborn, Germany, 14 December 1946 * AAF Station Frankfurt, Germany, 8 August 1947 * Tempelhof Air Base, Germany, 20 January 1948 *

Rhein-Main Air Base Rhein-Main Air Base 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 of Frankfurt ...

, Germany, 22 April 1948 – 21 July 1950 *

McChord Air Force Base McChord Field (formerly and still commonly known as McChord Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, ...

, Washington, 26 July–12 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 de ...

, Japan, 13 December 1950 *

Johnson Air Base is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) base located in the city of Sayama, Saitama, Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, north of western Tokyo, Japan. It was the airfield for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force Academy until 1945, when it became Joh ...

, Japan, 13 September–18 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 Donaldson Air Force Base is a former facility of the United States Air Force located south of Greenville, South Carolina. It was founded in 1942 as Greenville Army Air Base; it was deactivated in 1963 and converted into a civilian airport. It ...

, South Carolina, 21 August 1954 (deployed at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, August 1958 – February 1959, February–July 1960, and 5 January 1961 – April 1962) *

Hunter Air Force Base Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn ...

, Georgia, 1 April 1963 – 8 July 1966 *

Norton Air Force Base Norton Air Force Base (1942–1994) was a United States Air Force facility east of downtown San Bernardino in San Bernardino County, California. Overview For the majority of its operational lifetime, Norton was a logistics depot and heavy-l ...

, California, 8 January 1972 – 30 April 1993 *

, Arkansas, 1 October 1993 – 11 January 2008 * Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, 15 May 2008 – 30 September 2016

Aircraft

* Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1942–1945) *

Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company p ...

(1946–1948) *

Douglas 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 civilia ...

(1948–1952) *

Douglas C-124 Globemaster II The Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shaky", is a retired 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 Forc ...

(1952–1966) *

Lockheed C-141 Starlifter The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter is a retired military strategic airlifter that served with the Military Air Transport Service (MATS), its successor organization the Military Airlift Command (MAC), and finally the Air Mobility Command (AMC) of the ...

(1972–1993) *

(1993–2016)

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* * * *

External links

{{USAAF 12th Air Force World War II Military units and formations in Arkansas

053 53 may refer to: * 53 (number) * one of the years 53 BC, AD 53, 1953, 2053 * FiftyThree, an American privately held technology company that specializes in tools for mobile creation and visual thinking * 53rd Regiment Alabama Cavalry * 53rd Regiment ...