483d Composite Wing

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= 483d Composite Wing


caption= 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing Insignia
dates= 1943 - 1972
country= United States
allegiance=
branch= United States Air Force
type=
role= Composite transport/special ops.
size=
command_structure= Pacific Air Forces
current_commander=
garrison=
ceremonial_chief=
colonel_of_the_regiment=
nickname=
patron=
motto=
colors=
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mascot=
battles=


* World War II: European Campaign (1945-1945)
* Korean Service (1953)
* Vietnam Service (1966-1972)
anniversaries=The 483d Composite Wing was a tactical airlift and composite wing assigned to Pacific Air Forces during the Vietnam War. It was the host organization at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base South Vietnam from 1970 - 1972.

History

The units history can be traced back to the World War II 483d Bombardment Group, which was a United States Army Air Forces combat organization. It served primarily in the Mediterranean, African, and The Middle East Theatres of World War II.

During the Korean War, the 483d Troop Carrier Group was an airlift organization assigned to Tactical Air Command but attached to Far East Air Forces for duty.

Lineage

* Constituted as 483rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943: Activated on 20 Sep 1943: Inactivated 25 Sep 1945
* Established as 483d Troop Carrier Wing, Medium, on 15 Nov 1952: Activated on 1 Jan 1953: Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jun 1960
* Redesignated 483d Troop Carrier Wing, and activated, on 12 Oct 1966. : Organized on 15 Oct 1966: Redesignated 483d Tactical Airlift Wing on 1 Aug 1967: Redesignated 483d Composite Wing, 1 Jan 1971: Inactivated on 31 May 1972.

Assignments

* Fourth Air Force, 20 Sep - 7 Nov 1943
* Third Air Force, 7 Nov 1943-2 Mar 1944
* Fifteenth Air Force: 5th Bombardment Wing, 17 Mar 1944-25 Sep 1945
* Tactical Air Command: Attached to: 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo), 1 Jan 1953 - 30 Jun 1954
* Pacific Air Forces: 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo), 1 Jul 1954 - 25 Jun 1960
* Pacific Air Forces, 12 Oct 1966: 834th Air Division, 15 Oct 1966: Seventh Air Force, 1 Dec 1971 - 31 May 1972

Components

World War II

* 815th Bombardment Squadron 1943-1945
* 816th Bombardment Squadron 1943-1945
* 817th Bombardment Squadron 1943-1945
* 840th Bombardment Squadron 1943-1945

Korean War

* 815th Troop Carrier Squadron 1953-1960
* 816th Troop Carrier Squadron 1953-1960

Vietnam War

* C-7B Squadrons
** 457th Tactical Airlift (Cam Ranh) (Tail Code: KA)
** 458th Tactical Airlift (Cam Ranh) (Tail Code: KC)
** 459th Tactical Airlift (Phu Cat) (Tail Code: KE)
** 537th Tactical Airlift (Phu Cat) (Tail Code: KN)
** 535th Tactical Airlift (Vung Tau) (Tail Code: KH)
** 536th Tactical Airlift (Vung Tau) (Tail Code: KL)
** Royal Australian Air Force, Transport Flight Vietnam / 35 Tactical Airlift (Vung Tau)
* C-130B Squadrons (TDY from the 463d Tactical Airlift Wing Clark AB Philippines)
** 29th Tactical Airlift (Tail Code: QB)
** 772d Tactical Airlift (Tail Code: QF)
** 773d Tactical Airlift (Tail Code: QG)
** 774th Tactical Airlift (Tail Code: QW)
* 90th Special Operations 1 January 1971 (A-37B Tail Code: CG)
* 360th Tactical Electronic Warfare 31 August 1971 (EC-47N/P/Q Tail Code: AJ)
* 361st Tactical Electronic Warfare 31 August 1971 (EC-47N/P/Q Tail Code: AL)
* 362d Tactical Electronic Warfare 31 August 1971 (EC-47N/P/Q C-47H Tail Code: AN)

Stations

* Ephrata AAB, Washington 20 Sep 1943
* MacDill Field, Florida 7 Nov 1943-2 Mar 1944
* Tortorella, Italy 30 Mar 1944
* Sterparone, Italy 22 Apr 1944
* Pisa, Italy 15 May-25 Sep 1945
* Ashiya AB, Japan, 1 Jan 1953-25 Jun 1960.
* Cam Ranh Bay AB, South Vietnam, 15 Oct 1966-31 May 1972.

Aircraft Flown

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 1943-1945
* Fairchild C-119 "Flying Boxcar", 1951-1959
* Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1953-1959, 1970-1971 (EC-47, 1971-1972)
* Lockheed C-130 Hercules, 1958-1960, 1971-1972
* DeHavilland C-7 Caribu, 1967-1972
* Bell UH-1 "Huey", 1971-1972.

Operational History

World War II

Constituted as 483rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 Sep 1943 and activated on 20 Sep. Trained with B-17's. Moved to Italy, Mar-Apr 1944, and assigned to Fifteenth Air Force.

Began operations in Apr 1944 and served in combat until late in Apr 1945, hitting such targets as factories, oil refineries, marshalling yards, storage areas, airdromes, bridges, gun positions, and troop concentrations in Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Yugoslavia, and Greece.

Received a Distinguished Unit Citation for action on 18 Jul 1944 when, without fighter escort, the group engaged numerous enemy aircraft in the target area and also bombed the objective, an airdrome and installations at Memmingen.

Assisting the strategic bombardment of enemy industry the group received another DUC for braving fighter assaults and antiaircraft fire to bomb tank factories at Berlin on 24 May 1945. Struck targets in southern France in preparation for the invasion in Aug 1944. Operated in support of ground force in northern Italy during the Allied offensive in Apr 1945.

After V-E Day, transported personnel from Italy to North Africa for movement to the US. Inactivated in Italy on 25 Sep 1945.

Korean War

Activated at Ashiya AB, Japan as the 483d Troop Carrier Wing on 1 Jan 1953 and replaced 403d Troop Carrier Wing, Medium. Assigned to Tactical Air Command but attached to the Far East Air Forces 315th Air Division for duty in the Korean War.

Performed troop carrier and air trans-port operations in the Far East, including landing of troops and cargo in for-ward areas of the combat zone, air transportation of airborne troops and equipment, and air evacuation of casualties. In Jun 1953, as the Korean war neared an armistice, all wing C-119s airlifted the entire 187th Regimental Combat Team (Airborne) from Japan to Seoul and Chunch'on, South Korea, to preclude enemy breakthroughs. This was the largest mass movement of personnel in the history of combat cargo to that time.

Between Apr 1953 and Sep 1954, the wing aided the French Air Force in Indochina by training air-crews, evacuating wounded, and maintaining aircraft. Returned to Ashiya AB, and performed theter transport duties until inactivated in Japan on 23 June 1960.

Vietnam War

The 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing was activated on 15 October 1966. With the deactivation of the 12th Tactical Fighter wing, the 483d became the host wing at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base South Vietnam on 31 March 1970. The wing was established to receive ex-Army CV-2B "Caribou" light transports. Upon transfer to the USAF, the aircraft was redesignated as a C-7B. The 483d TAW mission was to provide cargo and logistical support to U.S. Army and allied ground forces throughout South Vietnam.

In April 1971 the aerial port at Cam Ranh Air Base moved 80,522 passengers and 10,425 tons of cargo. Also handled were 712 tons of mail and 10,939 Vietnamese travelers.

The unique capabilities of the C-7 for short landing and takeoff made Caribou transports absolutely vital to the war effort. On many occasions the C-7s flew emergency airlift missions to airstrips and combat areas that no other aircraft could reach. Most notable were those in support of special forces camps in the central highlands.

In June 1968 the wing flew a record 2,420 combat troops in three days between Dak Pek, Ben Het and Dak To.

In August 1968 pinpoint night airdrops were accomplished at Duc Lap, Ha Thanh and Tonle Cham Special Forces camps. Ammunition and medical supplies were parachuted into 75-foot-square drop zones while the camps were under attack.

In June 1969 during the siege of Ben Het more than 200 tons of ammunition, POL, rations, water and medical supplies were airdropped into a 100 x 200-foot zone with every load on target and 100 per cent recovered.

Again in April 1970, the 483rd helped break the siege of Dak Seang. The wing flew 100 air-drop sorties under heavy hostile fire in ten days delivering some 400,000 pounds of vital supplies.

During their five years' flying for the 483rd, the C-7 Caribous carried more than 4.7 million passengers, averaging more than one million a year during 1967, 68 and 69. At the same time the wing averaged more than 100,000 tons of cargo each year.

In 1971 several squadrons from other deactivating units were assigned to Cam Ranh. The 483d was renamed as the 483d Composite Wing.

The 483d Composite Wing was inactivated on 31 May 1972. For its service in Vietnam, the 483rd was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.

See also

* Fifteenth Air Force
* Seventh Air Force
* Fifth Air Force
* USAF Organizations in the Korean War
* United States Air Force In South Vietnam
* 315th Air Division
* 5th Air Division

References

* Futrell, Robert Frank (1983) The United States Air Force In Korea, 1950-1953, Maxwell AFB, Alabama Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0912799714
* 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]

External links