433d Airlift Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=433rd Airlift Wing


caption=
dates= 22 January 1943 — present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=Air Force
type=Airlift
role=
size=3,400
command_structure=Air Force Reserve Command
current_commander=Brigadier General [http://www.433aw.afrc.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=8276 John Fobian]
garrison=Lackland Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=Alamo Wing
patron=
motto=
colors=
identification_symbol=
march=
mascot=
battles=
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
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The 433rd Airlift Wing (433 AW) is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) wing of the United States Air Force, operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command (AFRC), and based out of the Kelly Field Annex (former Kelly AFB) of Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Mission

The 433 AW provides managerial, administrative, and operational requirements necessary to operate 16 C-5A Galaxy strategic airlift aircraft and ensures the wartime readiness of Air Force Reserve personnel assigned to 26 units.

History

The 433rd trained to tow gliders and to transport and drop supplies and paratroops from February-July 1943. The training was followed by the group's deployment to New Guinea, via Hawaii, the Fiji Islands, and Australia beginning in August-September 1943, and began operations with the Fifth Air Force. The ground support echelon sailed from the West Coast on 25 September 1943, arriving in Australia on 10 October 1943. By early November 1943, the two echelons had rejoined at Nadzab, New Guinea. It transported troops and carried cargo, such as gasoline, ammunition, medicine, food, equipment, and construction materials; and evacuated wounded personnel. From November 1943 to February 1945, the group was assigned six troop carrier squadrons, rather than the more normal four. It lost operational control of two squadrons, July-November 1944. The group moved, October 1944-January 1945, to Biak Island, and January-February 1945 to the Philippines. Operations in the Philippines included delivering ammunition, food, and other items to Filipino guerrilla forces; evacuating former allied prisoners of war and civilian internees; transporting combat units from New Guinea, the Dutch East Indies, and the Solomon Islands. The 433rd flew its single combat glider tow mission on 23 June 1945 to Aparri, Luzon. Afterward it transported troops to Okinawa, June-August 1945 and occupation forces to Japan after V-J Day.

The 433rd activated as a reserve organization in Ohio on 6 July 1947. It was ordered to active service and moved to North Carolina in October 1950; receiving C-119 Flying Boxcar aircraft the following month. The wing began tactical training in March 1951. It airlifted personnel and supplies to Army units in the field. Airdropped personnel and equipment during army exercises. The 433rd moved to Germany and participated with U.S., British, and French units in field training until inactivated.

After 1955, the wing flew airlift missions and participated in numerous training exercises, sometimes with special forces. By the mid-1960s, the wing was flying global airlift missions. It conducted the USAF's C-130A model pilot and flight engineer school. Between 1971 and 1985, the wing trained for tactical airlift missions, participating in joint training exercises. It provided airlift of Department of Defense personnel, supplies, and equipment worldwide. The 433rd assisted the U.S. Forest Service by use of the Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS). It airlifted other units overseas for deployments and conducted humanitarian airlift operations. Between 1977 and 1985, the wing rotated personnel and aircraft periodically to Howard AFB in the Panama Canal Zone. In 1985, it became the first Air Force Reserve wing to fly the C-5A Galaxy, the largest USAF operational aircraft, and changed from tactical to strategic airlift missions. It also began training for aerial refueling. It tested a C-5A modified to transport space vehicles and in 1989 airlifted the Hubble Space Telescope from California to Florida. The wing's personnel and aircraft took part in Operation Just Cause in 1989-1990, flying medical supplies, rations, and tanks to Panama. The wing airlifted men and materiel from the United States to Europe, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, 1990-1991. In 1995 the wing transported United Nations personnel and equipment to the Balkans for peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the 1990s, it flew channel, contingency, and humanitarian airlift operations and trained for such missions. In 2001, it began operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and in 2003 it commenced operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Operations

*World War II
*Operation Just Cause
*Operation Desert Shield
*Operation Enduring Freedom
*Operation Iraqi Freedom

Previous designations

*433rd Transport Group (1943 – 1949)
*433rd Troop Carrier Wing (1949 – 1967)
*433rd Tactical Airlift Wing (1967 – 1969)
*433rd Military Airlift Wing (1969 – 1971)
*433rd Tactical Airlift Wing (1971 – 1985)
*433rd Military Airlift Wing (1985 – 1992)
*433rd Airlift Wing (1992 – Present)

Assignments

Major command

*Tactical Air Command {TAC-gained}(1950 – 1975)
*Military Airlift Command {MAC-gained} (1975 - 1992)
*Air Mobility Command {AMC-gained} (1992 - Present)
*Air Force Reserve {AFRES} (1947 - 1992}
*Air Force Reserve Command {AFRC} (1992 – Present)

Numbered Air Force

*5th Air Force (1943 – 1947)
*11th Air Force (1947 – 1949)
*9th Air Force (1949 – 1950)
*1st Air Force (1950 – 1951)
*18th Air Force (1951)
*12th Air Force (1951 – 1952)
*14th Air Force (1955 – 1958)
*10th Air Force (1958 – 1960)
*4th Air Force (1976 – Present)

ubordinate organizations

433rd Operations Group (433 OG)
*68th Airlift Squadron (68 AS)
*356th Airlift Squadron (356 AS)
*433rd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron (433 AES)
*433rd Operations Support Squadron (433 OSS)
*433rd Airlift Control Flight (433 ACF)

433d Maintenance Group (433 MXG)
*433d Maintenance Squadron (433 MXS)
*433d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (433 AMXS)
*433d Maintenance Operations Squadron (433 MOS)

433rd Mission Support Group (433 MSG)
*26th Aerial Port Squadron (26 APS)
*74th Aerial Port Squadron (74 APS)
*433rd Training Squadron (433 TRS)
*433rd Security Forces Squadron (433 SFS)
*433rd Logistics Readiness Squadron (433 LRS)
*433rd Mission Support Squadron (433 MSS)
*433rd Civil Engineering Squadron (433 CES)
*433rd Communications Flight (433 CF)
*433rd Services Flight (433 SVF)
*433rd Airman and Family Readiness Flight (433 AFRF)

433rd Medical Group (433 MDG)
*433rd Medical Squadron (433 MDS)
*433rd Aerospace Medicine Squadron (433 AMDS)
*433rd Aeromedical Staging Squadron (433 AMDSS)

Bases stationed

*Florence Army Airfield, South Carolina (1943)
*Sedalia Army Airfield, Missouri (1943)
*Laurinburg-Maxton Army Airfield, North Carolina (1943)
*Baer Field, Indiana (1943)
*Port Moresby, New Guinea (1943 – 1944)
*Biak Island (1944 – 1945)
*Tanauan, Leyte (1945)
*Clark Field, Luzon (1945)
*Tachikawa, Japan (1945 – 1946)
*Akron, Ohio (1947)
*Cleveland Municipal Airport, Ohio (1949 – 1950)
*Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina (1950 – 1951)
*Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany (1951 – 1952)
*Brooks Air Force Base, Texas (1955 – 1960)
*Kelly Air Force Base, Texas (1960 – 2001)
*Lackland Air Force Base, Texas (2001 – Present)

Aircraft operated

*C-53 Skytrooper (1943)
*C-47 Skytrain (1943 – 1945)
*B-17 Flying Fortress (1944)
*C-46 Commando (1944 – 1945, 1949 – 1950)
*T-6 Texan (1948 – 1950)
*T-11 (1948 – 1951)
*T-7 (1949 – 1950)
*C-119 Flying Boxcar (1950 – 1952, 1957 – 1971)
*T-28 Trojan (1955)
*C-45 Expeditor (1955 – 1956)
*C-124 Globemaster II (1963, 1966 – 1972)
*C-130 Hercules (1971 – 1985)
*C-5 Galaxy (1985 – Present)

References

External links

* [http://www.433aw.afrc.af.mil/ 433 AW Home Page]