445th Airlift Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 445th Airlift Wing


caption= 445th Airlift Wing emblem
dates= April 1, 1943
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role= Airlift
size=
command_structure= Air Force Reserve Command
Air Mobility Command
current_commander=
garrison= Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
march=
mascot=
battles=
anniversaries=
decorations= The 445th Airlift Wing is an operational wing of the United States Air Force Reserve. It is headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, Ohio. It flies the C-5 Galaxy.

If mobilized, the wing becomes part of Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Command structure

* Colonel Stephen D. Goeman - Wing Commander
* Colonel Steven D. Johnson - Vice Wing Commander
* Chief Master Sergeant Aaron D. Mouser - Wing Command Chief Master Sergeant

Mission

The wing's stated mission is "to attain and maintain operational readiness; provide strategic transport of personnel and equipment; provide aeromedical evacuation; and recruit and train toward these goals" [http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3395] .

Units

The 445th Airlift Wing is composed of

* 445th Operations Group ("Wright-Patterson" Tail Stripe)
** 89th Airlift Squadron ("Rhinos", 10 C-5A Galaxy aircraft)
** 445th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
** 445th Airlift Control Flight
** 445th Operations Support Squadron
* 445th Maintenance Group
* 445th Mission Support Group

Along with separate support units that report directly to the Wing Commander. The present unit strength is approximately 300 officers and 1,850 enlisted troops. Most 445th Airlift Wing members are traditional reservists who serve in the military on a part-time basis, taking time out from their families and civilian jobs to participate a minimum of one weekend a month as well as two-weeks of annual training each year. Augmenting the traditional reserve force is a team of approximately 350 members employed full-time as air reserve technicians in the unit.

History

Lineage

* Constituted as 445th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 20 Mar 1943. : Activated on 1 Apr 1943: Inactivated on 12 Sep 1945.
* Redesignated: 445th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy): Allotted to the reserve: Activated on 12 Jul 1947: Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949.
* Redesignated: 445th Fighter-Bomber Group : Allotted to the reserve. : Activated on 8 Jul 1952.
* Redesignated: 445th Troop Carrier Wing (Medium) on September 6, 1957
* Redesignated: 445th Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy on October 1, 1965
* Redesignated: 445th Air Transport Wing, Heavy on December 1, 1965
* Redesignated: 445th Military Airlift Wing on January 1, 1966: Inactivated June 29, 1971
* Redesignated: 445th Military Airlift Wing (Associate) on July 1, 1973: Activated July 1, 1973
* Redesignated: 445th Airlift Wing (Associate) on February 1, 1992: Inactivated May 1, 1994
* Redesignated 445th Airlift Wing on October 1, 1994: Activated October 1, 1994

Bases assigned

United States Army Air Forces
* Gowen Field, ID 1 Apr 1943 - 8 Jun 1943
* Wendover Field, UT 8 Jun 1943 - 8 Jul 1943
* Sioux City AAB, IA 8 Jul 1943 - 20 Oct 1943
* RAF Tibenham, England 4 Nov 1943-28 May 1945 (Station 124)
* Ft Dix AAB, NJ 9 Jun 1945 - 12 Sep 1945 United States Air Force Reserve
* McChord Field, WA 12 Jun 47 - 27 Jun 49
* Buffalo, NY. 24 June 1952 - 15 Jun 1955
* Niagra Falls Municipal Airport 15 Jun 1955 - 6 Sep 1957
* Dobbins AFB GA 6 Sep 1957 - 29 Jun 1971
* Norton AFB CA 1 Jul 1973 - 30 Mar 1994
* March AFB CA 30 Mar 1994 - 1 May 1994
* Wright-Patterson AFB OH 1 Oct 1994 - Present

Aircraft Assigned

* B-24 Liberator, 1943-1945
* F-51 Mustang, 1953-1954
* F-80 Shooting Star, 1953-1956
* F-84 Starfire, 1955-1957
* C-119 Flying Boxcar, 1957, 1957-1959, 1961-1962, 1965-1966
* C-123 Provider, 1958-1965
* C-124 Globemaster, 1965-1971
* C-41, 1973-1994
* C-130 Hercules, 1992-1993
* C-141 Starlifter, 1994-2005
* C-5 Galaxy 2005 - Present

Operational history

World War II

Constituted as 445th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 20 Mar 1943. Activated on 1 Apr 1943. Prepared for combat with B-24's. Moved to RAF Tibenham, England, Oct-Dec 1943, for service with the Eighth Air Force. The 445th was assigned to the 2nd Combat Bombardment Wing, and the group tail code was a "Circle-F". Its operational squadrons and fuselage codes were:

* 700th Bomb Squadron (IS)
* 701st Bomb Squadron (MK)
* 702d Bomb Squadron (WV)
* 703d Bomb Squadron (RN)

The 445th BF entered combat on 13 December 1943 by attacking U-boat installations at Kiel. The unit operated primarily as a strategic bombardment organization until the war ended, striking such targets as industries in Osnabruck, synthetic oil plants in Lutzendorf, chemical works in Ludwigshafen, marshalling yards at Hamm, an airfield at Munich, an ammunition plant at Duneberg, underground oil storage facilities at Ehmen, and factories at Munster.

The group participated in the Allied campaign against the German aircraft industry during Big Week, 20-25 Feb 1944, being awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for attacking an aircraft assembly plant at Gotha on 24 February. Occasionally flew interdictory and support missions. Helped to prepare for the invasion of Normandy by bombing airfields, V-weapon sites, and other targets. The unit attacked shore installations on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Supported ground forces at St Lo by striking enemy defenses in July 1944. Bombed German communications during the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945. Early on 24 March 1945 dropped food, medical supplies, and ammunition to troops that landed near Wesel during the airborne assault across the Rhine and that afternoon flew a bombing mission to the same area, hitting a landing ground at Stormede.

On occasion the unit dropped propaganda leaflets and hauled gasoline to France. Awarded the Croix de Guerre with Palm by the French government for operations in the theater from December 1943 to February 1945.

By far, the 445th's most notorious mission is the Kassel Mission (http://www.kasselmission.com) of 27 September 1944, when the group of 35 B-24 Liberator planes were diverted by a navigation error from the rest of the 2nd Air Division and proceeded to bomb a field near Gottingen, some convert|25|mi|km beyond Kassel. After the bomb run, the group was attacked from the rear by an estimated 150 Luftwaffe planes from a Sturmgruppen (strorm group), resulting in the most concentrated air battle in history. The heavily armed German Focke-Wulf Fw 190's flew surrounded by more lightly armed fighters whose job was to ward off any Americian P-51 Mustang fighters. The German pilots of the storm groups were the elite and pledged never to fire unless they were within convert|200|yd|m of an enemy bomber. [Tail-End Charlies - The Last Battles of the Bomber War 1944-45 - John Nichol and Tony Rennell] 29 German and 25 American planes went down in a convert|15|mi|km|sing=on radius. Only 4 445th planes made it back to the base - the largest loss by a single USAAF group on any single mission in the entire war. 25 of them were shot down within 3-5 minutes of each other in the initial battle. The 29 German losses were brought down by cannon fire from the bombers and by three groups of Mustang escort fighters who arrived when they heard radio news of the attack when the battle was virtually over and claimed 18 kills..

The 445th Bomb Group flew its last combat mission on 25 April 1945. It departed Tibenham and returned to Fort Dix AAF New Jersey on 28 May 1945. At Fort Dix the 445th was deactivated on 12 September 1945. The group personnel were demobilized and the B-24 aircraft sent to storage.

Cold War

Buffalo Municipal Airport

During the Cold War, the United States Air Force 445th Fighter-Bomber Wing was organized and activated on 24 June 1952 at Buffalo, New York as part of the USAF ready reserve. Manned and equipped with North American F-51D "Mustang" aircraft. The wing was bestowed the honors and history of the USAAF 445th Bombardment Group upon activation. The wing was activated to provide the USAF with a trained cadre of fighter pilots.

Dobbins AFB Georgia

Later in 1956 the 445th transitioned to the airlift role which has maintained to today. On September 6, 1957, the Wing became the 445th Troop Carrier Wing (Medium) and relocated to Dobbins AFB, GA, on November 16. The Air Force redesignated the Wing the 445th Troop Carrier Wing (Assault) on September 25, 1958. The Wing began its conversion to C-123B Providers. In February 1959, the squadrons began to participate in Operation Swift Lift in which Reserve crews flew productive active duty missions.

As a result of the Cuban Missile Crisis, on October 28, Headquarters Tactical Air Command initiated the 445th Troop Carrier Wing alert plan and by 9 a.m., there were thirty-six mission ready aircrews and enough support personnel activated to be operationally capable. They operated from Dobbins AFB and moved military personnel and their equipment to forward operating locations in the southeastern United States. Those activated were returned to Reserve status on November 28, 1962.

On February 11, 1963, the Air Force reorganized the 445th Troop Carrier Wing (as it did all Reserve units). Groups were imposed into the chain of command between the Wing and its squadrons. The 918th, 919th, and 920th Troop Carrier Groups received assignment of the 700th, 701st, and 702nd squadrons respectively. The 700th, with its group, carried on at Dobbins while the others continued at Memphis. On July 8, 1965, the 700th squadron at Dobbins started conversion to the C-124 Globemaster. As the year progressed, the detached units at Memphis were inactivated.

On October 1, the Wing was redesignated the 445th Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy; on December 1, it became the 445th Air Transport Wing, Heavy; and on January 1, 1966, the 445th Military Airlift Wing. In the meantime, back on December 1, 1965, the Wing received another detached assignment: the 915th Military Airlift Group with its 76th Military Airlift Squadron at Homestead AFB, FL.

In June 1966, the Wing flew its first C-124 overseas mission to Europe, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico.

The 445th was never activated to support U.S. efforts in the Vietnam War, but as the active duty started flying more missions into Southeast Asia, so did the tempo for the Reserve and the 445th which flew more stateside and overseas missions. By the end of 1966, the unit had flown five missions into Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Saigon, South Vietnam.

While the 445th Military Airlift Wing was never activated for the Vietnam War, it was when the U.S.S. Pueblo, an intelligence ship, was seized off the coast of North Korea. On January 26, 1968, the 445th was activated at Dobbins. The Wing remained activated in support of the Pueblo incident for seventeen months until released from active military service on June 2, 1969.

The 445th Military Airlift Wing inactivated on June 29, 1971.

Norton AFB California

On July 1, 1973, the 445th was redesignated the 445th Military Airlift Wing (Associate) and activated at Norton AFB, CA. It was an Air Force Reserve unit reporting to the Fourth Air Force which would, if activated, be part of the Military Airlift Command. It assumed the missions, squadrons, flights, and personnel of the 944th Military Airlift Group.

The 445th worked in partnership with the 63rd Military Airlift Wing. Among the units of the 445th were three flying squadrons: the 728th, 729th, and 730th Military Airlift Squadrons. The 68th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and the 944th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron also transferred to the 445th.

By the end of 1973, the Arab-Israeli war drew additional requirements for more missions to the Middle East. For the 445th, this meant not only flying some of those taskings but taking on additional channel missions since the active duty were flying most of the Mid-East runs.

During the spring and summer of 1975, the 445th Military Airlift Wing participated in Operation New Life, an airlift mission to transport Vietnamese refugees and orphans from Vietnam to the South Pacific islands and to the United States, in which the aircrews of the 445th flew 126 sorties. Augmenting the crews of the 63rd Military Airlift Squadron, they participated in another 209 sorties. The 68th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron monitored patients on 43 sorties.

During the first week of February 1978, three 445th Military Airlift Wing crews flew in support of "Snow Blow II." One week earlier, a blizzard struck the eastern region of the United States with exceptional force, causing extreme hardships. Operation Snow Blow II provided assistance. The three crews staged out of Robert Grey Army Airfield, TX, and flew relief supplies into Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

During 1983, the Wing airlifted elements of a strategic reconnaissance wing from March AFB, CA, to Offutt AFB, NE. It transported civil engineers from Kirtland AFB, NM, to Eglin AFB, FL. The Wing supported the other services, too. Marines were shifted around in the Pacific from Japan to the Philippines. Crews moved U.S. Army helicopters from Texas to Hawaii. An Army tank battalion deployed to Indiana. Reserve and Guard paratroopers were airdropped at a drop zone in Wisconsin.

The 445th transported water jugs, generators and special power tools to Mexico City after it was devastated by an earthquake. The 445th took part in the 1985 North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Exercise Display Determination. The airdrop mission started at Pope AFB, NC, in a 12-plane formation, four with heavy equipment, and eight with paratroopers. The planes flew for 14½ hours with one airborne refueling and arrived at Istanbul, Turkey. The first attempt to airdrop was canceled due to high winds. Crews recovered at Incirlik AB, Turkey, for 24 hours and made a second, this time successful, attempt.

In December 1989, during Operation Just Cause, 40 crewmembers from the Wing joined airlift missions to Panama that ousted General Manuel A. Noriega. Many reservists volunteered to be activated and augmented active duty crews. Members of the 730th MAS constituted an all-Reserve crew and flew Army equipment and personnel into Panama. They remained on the ground for about two hours. In January, a 729th MAS crew provided a second airlift of another 50 soldiers from Fort Ord, CA. On January 13, another 730th crew had control of one C-141 in a 20 plane airdrop formation returning 1,924 paratroopers to Fort Bragg, NC, by air.

To support Operations Desert Shield/Storm, the Wing flew over 2,500 hours in January and peaked in February with almost 3,700 hours. Following the cessation of hostilities, the wing's flying squadrons continued to fly support missions stateside and to the Middle East, but they also flew many missions to redeploy troops back to the states. From August 8, 1990, to June 11, 1991, aircrews flew 441 missions for a total of 21,393.7 hours in direct support of Desert Storm and Desert Shield. The Wing deployed over 200 personnel from the 68th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron to form medical crews consisting of two nurses and five technicians. These crews were deployed to several bases throughout England and Germany.

Occasionally, the squadrons flew missions to the Middle East supporting Operation Southern Watch, the operation which patrols the southern half of Iraq to enforce the no-fly zone.

During the winter of 1990, the Wing participated in two humanitarian missions. The first mission was when a normal line mission was diverted to transport over 30,000 pounds of survival equipment to hurricane-ravaged western Samoa. The second was a routine medical evacuation from Wake Island. After Desert Storm and Desert Shield, they flew more humanitarian relief missions into eastern Europe, Africa, and the Persian Gulf.

In June 1991, the Wing joined others in Operation Fiery Vigil – the evacuation of those fleeing the eruption of Mount Pinatubo near Clark AB, Philippines.

On July 22, 1991, the 730th Squadron flew the first relief shipment of humanitarian supplies into Mongolia. Leaving from Kadena Air Base, Japan, the convert|2000|mi|km|sing=on flight took the crew over the Great Wall of China and the Gobi Desert. They landed at Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia.

For the last three weeks of July, 1991, the 729th Squadron sent 14 aircrews and four C-141s to stage out of Yokota AB, Japan, and the 730th sent the same amount to stage out of Kadena AB, Japan. Both squadrons flew missions into Diego Garcia, Singapore, Thailand, Korea, the Middle East, Iwo Jima, Jakarta, Bangkok, Oman, and Mongolia.

On December 12, 1991, another 730th crew deviated from their normal mission to carry emergency supplies to Mactan International Airport, Philippines, in the wake of a typhoon that struck there two weeks earlier.

The 729th Military Airlift Squadron flew the first C-141 from Rhein-Main AB, Germany to the former Soviet Union with humanitarian supplies. On February 10, 1992, they landed at Minsk, Russia, with emergency medical supplies and relief aid. The same crew made a second trip with food and landed at Kishinev, Moldava. On February 14, a crew from the 730th Squadron transported more emergency relief supplies into Moscow. They made two additional trips into Ulan-Ude and Moldava.

Post-Cold War

The post-Cold War drawdown of military forces affected the 445th Military Airlift Wing.

On January 1, 1992, the 728th Squadron was reassigned to 446th Military Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, WA.

On February 1, 1992, the 445th Military Airlift Wing (Associate) was redesignated the 445th Airlift Wing (Associate). The 729th and 730th were also redesignated without the "Military" in their names. The 54th and the 61st Aerial Port Squadrons were inactivated with the personnel absorbed into the 50th and 56th Aerial Ports.

Also on February 1, 1992, the Air Force Reserve ordered the assignment of the 943rd Airlift Group to the 445th Airlift Wing. The 943rd remained at March AFB, CA, about fifteen miles (24 km) from Norton. This was a temporary assignment as the 943rd was scheduled to inactivate on September 30, 1993.

On June 1, 1992, the Military Airlift Command became the Air Mobility Command. Many support units of the Wing were inactivated. Those units were the 445th Communications Flight, the 445th Component Repair Squadron, the 445th Mission Support Squadron, the 445th Civil Engineering Squadron, the 445th Medical Group, and the 943rd Airlift Group.

Throughout the reorganization, the C-141s kept flying. Aircrews from the 303rd Airlift Squadron, a C-130 unit assigned to the 943rd Airlift Group, flew fire runs. One of their missions was to airdrop chemicals to smother forest fires. The 303rd flew 92 missions from August 21 to 25, 1992 for the U.S. Forest Service to fight a massive fire over central California.

On August 24, two 730th aircrews provided two aircraft to transport personnel and supplies to Florida after Hurricane Andrew plowed through there. The first flew to Andrews AFB, MD and transported a White House Advance Planning Team to Miami. The other went to Minot AFB, ND, and picked up two trucks, a water tank, and a generator bound for Florida. On September 11, the 729th flew nine missions hauling food, medical equipment and crews, and Army troops to Hawaii after it was ravaged by Hurricane Iniki.

The 445th Airlift Wing was the first associate Wing to become unit-equipped. In other words, the Air Force assigned a fleet of C-141s to the 445th Airlift Wing, a Reserve unit which had previously flown co-located active-duty planes. The "Associate" designation was removed from its name. The Wing took possession of six C-141B Starlifters on March 30, 1993. The unit received 10 more C-141s from active duty inactivations by July. After taking receiving its aircraft, the Air Force ordered the 445th Airlift Wing to relocate their facilities to March AFB, just convert|15|mi|km down the road.

March AFB California

On October 5, 1993, the 730th Airlift Squadron flew the remains of 12 U.S. servicemen from Noi Boi Airport, Hanoi, Vietnam to Hickam AFB, HI. On its trip to Hanoi, the crew carried humanitarian relief supplies and more than 2,400 pounds of university textbooks bound for Vietnam.

March AFB was home to two Reserve Wings: the 445th Airlift Wing and the 452nd Air Refueling Wing. On May 1, 1994, the 452nd Wing was redesignated the 452nd Air Mobility Wing. The 729th and 730th AS were assigned to the 452nd. The 50th and 56th Aerial Ports and the 68th AES were all assigned to the 452nd. The 445th Airlift Wing and all of its units not reassigned were inactivated.

Wright-Patterson AFB Ohio

The 445th Airlift Wing was activated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, October 1, 1994 and flew the C-141 Starlifter. It is composed primarily of personnel from two former units: the 906th Fighter Group from Wright-Patterson AFB and the 907th Tactical Airlift Group from Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, which were deactivated Sept. 30, 1994.

From its new location, the Wing provided support to Operations Southern Watch and Deny Flight. It then began to support Operations Able Manner and Able Vigil.

Since reactivating at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the 445th has been active in providing airlift of troops and supplies around the globe and has provided operational support to almost every contingency the Air Force has undertaken. One of the wing' s operations was the resupply of the scientific teams located at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in conjunction with the 452nd Air Mobility Wing, March Air Reserve Base, Calif.

From July to September 1995 and in support of the active duty, both flying squadrons participated in the Air Mobility Command’s Atlantic and Pacific Expresses. These missions were patterned after the many flown during Desert Storm and incorporated the flying of mission essential supply parts on an expedited basis. The Atlantic Express flew out of Dover AFB, DE, through the Azores and into the Middle East theater. The Pacific Express started at Travis AFB, CA, and flew through Elmendorf AFB, AL, to Yokota AB, Japan. However, both express routes were canceled from the wing's list of taskings due to the extra day needed and the middle of the morning launches as it was hard for reservists to integrate their civilian schedules with the flight plans. Shortly after the express missions were canceled, the Wing picked up another shorter overseas mission which it flew regularly. It was the Thule mission. After spending the night at Dover AFB, the crew flew to Thule, Greenland and back to either Wright-Patterson through either Dover AFB or McGuire AFB.

In September 1995, the Wing supported four relief supply efforts. The first was six pallets of food, water, emergency supplies, and two search-and-rescue dogs delivered to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Marilyn devastated the island. On the second, fresh bottled water, several generators, and miscellaneous relief supplies were taken from Pope AFB to Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands. The third and fourth supported efforts in Haiti and Moncton, New Brunswick.

The 445th Airlift Wing was involved in testing the Light Detection and Ranging device or LIDAR. The LIDAR would later be mounted in another type of aircraft but the 89th Airlift Squadron flew with the device mounted in its cargo compartment. The squadron flew three sorties from July 10 to 15, 1995 to participate in the test with the 93rd Bomb Squadron. For test purposes, the crew flew low figure-eight patterns around the test field, and the LIDAR shot a laser up through the atmosphere to determine wind values at all atmospheric levels. A computer would then compute the correct airborne drop coordinates to counter the different wind speeds and directions at the various altitudes. In November, the 89th participated in two more sorties to assist in calibrating the LIDAR.

Global War On Terror

The wing has been active in the wake of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 by providing emergency airlift of supplies, medical teams and FEMA personnel to McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., to assist with operations involving the World Trade Center collapse. The wing was also an active participant in Operation Enduring Freedom by being the first wing to fly Taliban and al-Qaeda detainees to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Since the initial detainee flights, the 445th Airlift Wing delivered roughly half of the detainees housed at the Guantanamo Bay facility. The wing also served in the honorable mission of evacuating wounded personnel from the battlefield to regional treatment facilities and bringing our fallen service members home for burial.

The 445th has continued to provide an active role for Operation Iraqi Freedom. The C-141 staging point for all Air Force Reserve C-141s was established at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, flying to the European Theater transporting troops and equipment, then into the Central Command area of operations with volunteers.

The wing was later called to active duty in February, 2003. At the peak of the 445th's activation, approximately 630 reservists from the wing were called to active duty. To date, the wing has over 100 reservists still on active duty status. Even though the staging point has stepped down for Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 445th operations tempo was still very high for the wing. Through 30 Sep 2005, flights continued to cycle from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to Ramstein Air Base, Germany then into Balad Air Base, Iraq to transport wounded soldiers and Iraqi injured children who were severely sick or injured beyond hospital capabilities in Iraq, under the Coalition Provisional Authority. The injured were transported by a C-141 to Germany for medical treatment. After returning from Balad, then to Germany, the C-141 continued to the states while another C-141 took off from Wright-Patt to continue the cycle. Most members of the 445th maintenance squadrons and flying squadrons are currently de-mobilized, but are keeping the C-141s in the air with volunteer tours of duty. The aeromedical crews from the aeromedical evacuation squadron continue to be mobilized.

The wing was the last unit in the U.S. Air Force to operate the C-141. One of these, the "Hanoi Taxi" (serial number 66-0177), is famous for being the first aircraft to land in North Vietnam, in 1973, to repatriate American POWs at the end of the Vietnam War. On May 6, 2006, the "Hanoi Taxi" touched down for the last time and was received in a formal retirement ceremony at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, also at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (at the southern airfield, as opposed to the northern airfield where the 445th operates).

On October 3, 2005, the 445th received its first of ten C-5 Galaxy aircraft. The 445th is poised to continue its history of excellence while it transitions to the C-5 Galaxy from 2005 through 2007.

Historical Components

*Groups
** 445th Fighter-Bomber Group (later, 445th Troop Carrier; 445th Operations): 8 Jul 1952-25 Sep 1958; 1 Aug 1992-1 May 1994; 1 Oct 1994-.
** 904th Airlift Group: 26 Jan 1968-1 Jun 1969. 915: 1 Dec 1965-26 Jan 1968;1 Sep 1969-21 Apr 1971 (detached 1-21 Apr 1971).
** 918th Airlift Group: 11 Feb 1963-21 Apr 1971 (detached 1-21 Apr 1971).
** 919th Airlift Group: 11 Feb 1963-15 Dec 1965.
** 920th Airlift Group: 11 Feb 1963-15 Dec 1965. 943: 1 Feb 1992-30 Jun 1993.

*Squadrons
** 76th Airlift Squadron: 1 Oct 1961-27 Aug 1962.
** 336th Airlift Squadron: attached 15 Aug 1968-1 Jun 1969.
** 700th Airlift Squadron: attached 16 Nov 1957-24 Sep 1958, assigned 25 Sep 1958-11 Feb 1963; attached 15 Aug 1968-1 Jun 1969.
** 701st Airlift Squadron: 25 Sep 1958-11 Feb 1963 (detached).
** 702d Airlift Squadron: 25 Sep 1958-11 Feb 1963 (detached).
** 728th Airlift Squadron: 1 Jul 1973-1 Jan 1992.
** 729th Airlift Squadron: 1 Jul 1973-1 Aug 1992.
** 730th Airlift Squadron: 1 Jul 1973-1 Aug 1992.

See also

* Air Force Reserve Command

References

Much of this text in an early version of this article was taken from pages on the [http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil 445th Airlift Wing website] , which as a work of the U.S. Government is presumed to be a public domain resource. That information was supplemented by:
* Freeman, Roger A. (1978) Airfields of the Eighth: Then and Now. After the Battle ISBN 0900913096
* Freeman, Roger A. (1991) The Mighty Eighth The Colour Record. Cassell & Co. ISBN 0-304-35708-1
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
* Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947-1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0912799129.
* [http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/usafserials.html USAAS-USAAC-USAAF-USAF Aircraft Serial Numbers--1908 to present]
* [http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil/units 445th Airlift Wing Units Page]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/445aw.htm 445th Airlift Wing @ GlobalSecurity.Com]

External links

* [http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil/ 445th Airlift Wing home page]
** [http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123014163 News release about C-5 transition]
** [http://www.445aw.afrc.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3395 Wing Factsheet]
* [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/usaf/445aw.htm GlobalSecurity article on the 445 AW]
* [http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/rso/wings_groups_pages/0445aw.asp AFHRA 445 AW]