313th Tactical Airlift Wing
Encyclopedia
The 313th Tactical Airlift Wing (313th TAW) is an inactive United States Air Force
organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command
, assigned to the 834th Air Division, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base
, Kansas
. It was deactivated on September 2, 1966.
Squadrons
on September 30, 1946. Assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe
and equipped with C-47 and C-54 aircraft.
Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the US on June 25, 1947
and assigned to Tactical Air Command
. Trained with gliders and C-82’s. Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Group, (Heavy) in July 1948.
Moved to Germany, October–November 1948, and joined United States Air Forces in Europe for participation in the Berlin airlift. Transported cargo such as coal, food, and medicine into West Berlin
from November 1948 to September 1949. Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Group (Special) in February 1949. Inactivated in Germany
on September 18, 1949.
Trained in troop carrier operations, 1953. Trained to become proficient and to maintain combat readiness in tactical airlift operations, 1964–1973. Frequently deployed tactical squadrons or segments thereof on a global basis to support airlift requirements of overseas commands. Participated in tactical exercises and disaster relief on a regular basis. Last C-130 transferred on August 6, 1973. Thereafter, until inactivation, the wing assisted in the closure of Forbes AFB.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, assigned to the 834th Air Division, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Field, previously Forbes Air Force Base, is a joint-use civil-military airport operated by the Topeka Airport Authority located approximately south of Topeka, Kansas....
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. It was deactivated on September 2, 1966.
Lineage
- Established as 313th Troop Carrier Wing on July 28, 1947
- Organized on August 15, 1947
- Discontinued on August 26, 1948
- Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Wing, Heavy and activated on August 23, 1948
- Inactivated on January 20, 1949
- Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Wing, Medium on November 26, 1952
- Activated on February 1, 1953
- Inactivated on August 25, 1953
- Activated on June 15, 1964
- Organized on October 1, 1964
- Redesignated 313th Tactical Airlift Wing on May 1, 1967
- Inactivated on September 30, 1973
Assignments
- Ninth Air ForceNinth Air ForceThe Ninth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command . It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina....
, 15 August 1947-26 August 1948; 23 August 1948 - Tactical Air CommandTactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, 25 October 1948 - United States Air Forces in EuropeUnited States Air Forces in EuropeThe United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
, 5 November 1948
- Attached to 1st Air Lift Task Force, 9-17 November 1948
- 1st Air Lift Task Force, 18 November 1948-20 January 1949
- Eighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air ForceEighteenth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force component of the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It was activated on 1 October 2003 and headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois...
, 1 February-25 August 1953
- Tactical Air CommandTactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, 15 June 1964 - 839th Air Division839th Air DivisionThe 839th Airlift Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Military Airlift Command, assigned to Twenty-First Air Force, being stationed at Sewart Air Force Base, Tennessee...
, 1 October 1964 - 838th Air Division838th Air DivisionThe 838th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Tactical Air Command, assigned to Twelfth Air Force, being stationed at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas. It was inactivated on December 24, 1969....
, 9 November 1964 - Twelfth Air Force, 24 December 1969
- 834th Air Division, 15 March 1972-30 September 1973.
Stations
- Bergstrom Field (later, AFB), TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, August 15, 1947 – October 22, 1948 - Fassberg RAF StationRAF FassbergThe former Royal Air Force Station Fassberg, more commonly known as RAF Fassberg, was a Royal Air Force airbase in Germany situated in the northern suburbs of Fassberg, Lower Saxony...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, November 9, 1948 – January 20, 1949 - Mitchel AFB, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, February 1 – August 25, 1953 - Forbes AFB, KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, October 1, 1964 – September 30, 1973.
Components
Group- 313th Tactical Airlift Group: 15 August 1947-26 August 1948; 23 August 1948-20 January 1949; 1 February-25 August 1953
Squadrons
- 29th Tactical Airlift Squadron: 1 October 1964-1 February 1966
- 38th Tactical Airlift Squadron: 1 July 1969-15 November 1971 (not operational, 1 July-31 December 1969; detached 4 November 1970-12 January 1971 and 9 September-15 November 1971)
- 47th Tactical Airlift Squadron: 1 October 1964-6 July 1973 (detached 26 July-19 November 1965, 25 January—c. 23 June 1966, 2 September— c. November 1966, c. January-25 March 1967, 27 September-4 December 1969, 16 February-19 March 1970, 5 June-11 August 1970, 3 May-12 July 1971, 6 December 1971-14 February 1972, 3 August-20 October 1972, 31 December 1972-11 February 1973)
- 48th Tactical Airlift Squadron: 1 January 1965-25 June 1967 (detached c. 17 November 1965—c. 28 January 1966, 23 June— September 1966, c. November 1966—c. January 1967); 15 November 1971-6 August 1973 (detached 3 April-28 June 1972 and 3 October-30 December 1972).
Aircraft
- C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
1947-1948 - C-54 SkymasterC-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
, 1948–1949 - C-82 PacketC-82 PacketThe C-82 Packet was a twin-engine, twin-boom cargo aircraft designed and built by Fairchild Aircraft. It was used briefly by the United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy following World War II.-Design and development:...
, 1947–1949 - C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
, 1953 - C-119 Flying BoxcarC-119 Flying BoxcarThe Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
, 1953 - C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
, 1964–1973
Operational history
Activated in AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
on September 30, 1946. Assigned to United States Air Forces in Europe
United States Air Forces in Europe
The United States Air Forces in Europe is the United States Air Force component of U.S. European Command, a Department of Defense unified command, and is one of two Air Force Major Commands outside of the continental United States, the other being the Pacific Air Forces...
and equipped with C-47 and C-54 aircraft.
Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to the US on June 25, 1947
and assigned to Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
. Trained with gliders and C-82’s. Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Group, (Heavy) in July 1948.
Moved to Germany, October–November 1948, and joined United States Air Forces in Europe for participation in the Berlin airlift. Transported cargo such as coal, food, and medicine into West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
from November 1948 to September 1949. Redesignated 313th Troop Carrier Group (Special) in February 1949. Inactivated in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on September 18, 1949.
Trained in troop carrier operations, 1953. Trained to become proficient and to maintain combat readiness in tactical airlift operations, 1964–1973. Frequently deployed tactical squadrons or segments thereof on a global basis to support airlift requirements of overseas commands. Participated in tactical exercises and disaster relief on a regular basis. Last C-130 transferred on August 6, 1973. Thereafter, until inactivation, the wing assisted in the closure of Forbes AFB.