437th Airlift Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name=437th Airlift Wing


caption=
dates= 15 April 1943 — present
country=United States
allegiance=
branch=Air Force
type=Airlift
role=
size=
command_structure=Air Mobility Command
current_commander=Colonel [http://public.charleston.amc.af.mil/library/biographies/bio.asp?id=9988 John Millander]
garrison=Charleston Air Force Base
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
identification_symbol=
march=
mascot=
battles=


* World War II: European Campaign (1944-1945)
* Korean Service (1950-1952)
notable_commanders=
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=

The 437th Airlift Wing (437 AW) is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina.

Mission

The mission of the 437 AW is to command assigned airlift and supporting units; provide for the airlift of troops and passengers, military equipment, cargo and aeromedical airlift and to participate in operations involving the airland or airdrop of troops, equipment and supplies when required.

History

From May-December 1943, the 437th Troop Carrier Group trained with cargo planes in Indiana, Missouri, and North Carolina. In January 1944, the group deployed to England, where it prepared for the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. During the Normandy campaign, the group released gliders over Cherbourg and carried troops, weapons, ammunition, rations, and other supplies for the 82nd Airborne Division in Operation Neptune. For these actions, the group received a Distinguished Unit Citation.

The air echelon deployed to Italy in July 1944 and participated in the Allied invasion of southern France in August 1944 dropping paratroops of the 1st Airborne Task Force. During Operation Market Garden in September 1944, the group released gliders carrying troops and equipment for the airborne attack in the occupied Netherlands. In December 1944, the group re-supplied the 101st Airborne Division in the Bastogne area of Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. After moving to France in February 1945, the unit released gliders in support of an American crossing of the Rhine River called Operation Varsity in March 1945. The 437th continued to supply the offensive forces in April, while also evacuating wounded personnel to rear-zone hospitals. After V-E Day, the group evacuated prisoners of war and displaced persons to relocation centers. The group then returned to the United States and was deactivated.

The 437th stood up as a wing and trained in the reserve from Jun 1949-August 1950 and June 1952-November 1957. After being called to active service and performing concentrated training in the United States, the 437th moved to Japan as part of the Far East Air Forces 315th Air Division and flew combat airlift missions from November 1950- June 1952. During the Korean War the 437th helped evacuate personnel from threatened airfields, hauled gasoline, napalm, and other explosives, dropped cargo and paratroops, flew spraying missions to rid areas of insects, and also flew routine courier missions until replaced by another wing in June 1952.

The 437th replaced the 1608th Air Transport Wing, in 1966, as the Military Airlift Command host wing at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. It has since flown joint training missions with Army forces, aeromedical evacuation missions, mercy and humanitarian missions as needed, and airlifted personnel, cargo, and mail worldwide, primarily to Europe, the Middle East and Africa, but also to South America. It has participated in numerous tactical operations and exercises, particularly those of NATO. Wing aircrews have been augmented by attached Reserve aircrews. From 1966 to the early 1970s, the wing also flew numerous missions to the Far East and Southeast Asia. It added Russia as a special mission destination in 1988 and conducted humanitarian relief operations in Russia in 1992. The wing deployed support personnel and provided airlift of personnel and equipment for operations in Grenada, 24 October-19 December 1983; Panama, 18-29 December 1989; and Southwest Asia, August 1990-December 1991. It flew humanitarian missions to Somalia and other regions of Africa from 1992-1994.

The 437th received its first C-17 in June 1993. It routinely supported humanitarian and contingency operations in the Balkans, 1993-1999. The wing has also conducted long range humanitarian air drops into Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom beginning in October 2001 and later regularly supported deployments to other Global War on Terrorism operations, as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom from March 2003.

Operations

* World War II
* Korean War
* Vietnam War
* Operation Urgent Fury
* Operation Just Cause
* Operation Desert Shield
* Operation Desert Storm
* Operation Enduring Freedom
* Operation Iraqi Freedom

Previous designations

* 437th Troop Carrier Group (1943 – 1949)
* 437th Troop Carrier Wing (1949 – 1965)
* 437th Military Airlift Wing (1965 – 1991)
* 437th Airlift Wing (1991 – Present)

Assignments

Major command

* Tactical Air Command (1950 – 1952)
* Air Force Reserve Command (1949 – 1950, 1952 – 1957)
* Military Airlift Command (1965 – 1991)
*Air Mobility Command (1991 – Present)

Numbered Air Force

*10th Air Force (1949 – 1950, 1952 – 1957)
*5th Air Force (1950 – 1952)
*22nd Air Force (1966 – 2003)
*18th Air Force (2003 – Present)

ubordinate organizations

437th Operations Group (437 OG)
*14th Airlift Squadron (14 AS)
*15th Airlift Squadron (15 AS)
*16th Airlift Squadron (16 AS)
*17th Airlift Squadron (17 AS)
*437th Operations Support Squadron (437 OSS)

437th Maintenance Group (437 MXG)
*437th Maintenance Squadron (437 MXS)
*437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (437 AMXS)
*437th Maintenance Operations Squadron (437 MOS)

437th Mission Support Group (437 MSG)
*437th Aerial Port Squadron (437 APS)
*437th Civil Engineering Squadron (437 CES)
*437th Communications Squadron (437 CS)
*437th Contracting Squadron (437 CONS)
*437th Mission Support Squadron (437 MSS)
*437th Security Forces Squadron (437 SFS)
*437th Services Squadron (437 SVS)
*437th Logistics Readiness Squadron (437 LRS)

437th Medical Group (437 MDG)
*437th Aeromedical Dental Squadron (437 ADS)
*437th Medical Operations Squadron (437 MDOS)
*437th Medical Support Squadron (437 MDSS)

Bases stationed

*Baer Field, Indiana (1943)
*Sedalia Army airfield, Missouri (1943)
*Pope Field, North Carolina (1943)
*RAF Balderton, England (1944)
*RAF Ramsbury, England (1944 – 1945)
**Air echelon deployed to:
**Montalto di Castro Air Base, Italy (1944)
**RAF Chilbolton, England (1944)
*Coulommiers-Voisins, France (1945)
*Baer Field, Indiana (1945)
*Marfa Army Airfield, Texas (1945)
*O'Hare International Airport, Illinois (1949 – 1950)
*Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina (1950)
*Brady Air Base, Japan (1950 – 1952)
*O'Hare International Airport, Illinois (1952 – 1957)
*Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina (1966 – Present)

Aircraft operated

*C-47 Skytrain (1943 – 1945, 1955 – 1957)
*C-53 Skytrooper (1943 – 1945)
*C-109 (1945)
*CG-4 Waco (1943 – 1945)
*Airspeed Horsa (1944)
*T-7 (1949 – 1950)
*T-11 (1949 – 1950)
*C-46 Commando (1949 – 1957)
*C-119 Flying Boxcar (1957)
*C-124 Globemaster II (1966 – 1969)
*C-130 Hercules (1966 – 1967)
*C-141 Starlifter (1965 – 2000)
*C-17 Globemaster III (1993 – Present)

Unit shields

See Also

* 315th Air Division
* Ninth Air Force
* United States Air Force In South Korea

References

External links

* [http://public.charleston.amc.af.mil/ Charleston AFB Home Page]