446th Operations Group
Encyclopedia
446th Airlift Wing
The 446th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. The wing is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. If ordered to Active Service, the unit would come under the Air Mobility Command 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force....
. It is stationed at McChord Air Force Base, Washington.
During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 446th Bombardment Group was a Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
unit in England. Assigned to RAF Bungay
RAF Bungay
RAF Bungay is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 2 miles SW of Bungay in Suffolk on the south bank of the Waveney River close to the B1062 Harleston to Bungay road....
in late 1943, the group led the Eighth Air Force and the 2d Bombardment Division on the first heavy bomber mission of D-Day. The group's 706th Bomb Squadron flew 62 consecutive missions and 707th Bomb Squadron had 68 missions without loss.
Overview
The 446th Operations Group manages the aircrew and flight operations of the 446th Airlift Wing. Col. David Pavey is the group commander.Units
The 446th Operations Group is made up of four squadrons- 446th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron
- 97th Airlift Squadron97th Airlift SquadronThe 97th Airlift Squadron is part of the 446th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
(C-17 Globemaster III) - 313th Airlift Squadron313th Airlift SquadronThe 313th Airlift Squadron is located at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It is part of the 446th Airlift Wing and operationally flies the C-17 Globemaster jet transport. The mission of the 313 AS consists of airlift, aerial delivery, and aerial refueling on a worldwide basis...
(C-17 Globemaster III) - 728th Airlift Squadron728th Airlift SquadronThe 728th Airlift Squadron is located at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It is part of the 446th Airlift Wing and operates the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. The mission of the 728th AS is to provide mission-ready aircrews for operational support for strategic and tactical airlift,...
(C-17 Globemaster III)
- 446th Operations Support Flight
- 446th Airlift Control Flight.
World War II
Alamogordo, New Mexico
Alamogordo is the county seat of Otero County and a city in south-central New Mexico, United States. A desert community lying in the Tularosa Basin, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains. It is the nearest city to Holloman Air Force Base. The population was 35,582 as of the 2000...
, New Mexico on 6 June 1943, but immediately moved again to Lowry AAB, Colorado, where the training was completed. The ground unit left on 18 October 1943 for Camp Shanks, New York and embarked on the Queen Mary on 25 October 1943. They sailed on 27 October 1943 and arrived in Clyde on 2 November 1943. The aircraft left Lowry AAB on 20 October 1943 for Lincoln AAB, Neb. The aircraft flew via the southern route from Florida, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Dakar, and Marrakash to England. One aircraft was lost on the Puerto Rico leg, and one aircraft was shot down when it strayed off course into France. Upon arrival in England, the 446th was assigned to the Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
20th Combat Bombardment Wing and the group tail code was a "Circle-H".
included U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
installations at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, the port at Bremen, a chemical plant at Ludwigshafen, ball-bearing works at Berlin, aero-engine plants at Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, aircraft factories at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, marshalling yards at Coblenz, motor works at Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
, and oil refineries at Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
Besides strategic missions, the group often carried out support and interdictory operations. It supported the Normandy invasion
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
in June 1944 by attacking strong points, bridges, airfields, transportation, and other targets in France. Aided ground forces at Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
and Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô is a commune in north-western France, the capital of the Manche department in Normandy.-History:Originally called Briovère , the town is built on and around ramparts. Originally it was a Gaul fortified settlement...
during July by hitting bridges, gun batteries, and enemy troops. Dropped supplies to Allied troops near Nijmegen during the airborne attack on Holland in September. Bombed marshalling yards, bridges, and road junctions during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, December 1944 – January 1945. Dropped supplies to airborne and ground troops near Wesel
Wesel
Wesel is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel district.-Division of the town:Suburbs of Wesel include Lackhausen, Obrighoven, Ginderich, Feldmark,Fusternberg, Büderich, Flüren and Blumenkamp.-History:...
during the Allied assault across the Rhine
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
in March 1945.
The 446th Bomb Group flew its last combat mission on 25 April, attacking a bridge near Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
.
Redeployed to the US June/July 1945. First of the aircraft departed the United Kingdom on mid-June 1945. One aircraft was lost over the Azores on the return flight to the US. The ground echelon sailed from Greenock on the Queen Mary on the sixth of July 1945, arriving in New York on 11 July 1945. Personnel to Camp Kilmer and had 30 days R and R. Some assembled at Sioux Falls AAFd, South Dakota where the Group was inactivated on 28 August 1945.
Cold War
Beginning March 1948, the group evidently conducted bombardment training with B-29 Superfortresses at Carswell AFB near Dallas as part of the Air Force Reserve. As a result of the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, the group was activated on 1 May 1951. Its personnel and aircraft were reassigned to units under Far East Air Force as replacements. It was inactivated on 25 June 1951 as a paper unit.
Reactivated in 1955 as a reserve medium troop carrier group at Ellington AFB near Houston. The unit trained for and flew various airlift missions until being inactivated in 1959 as a result of its parent unit, the 445th Troop Carrier Wing converting to the Air Force tri-deputate organization and all assigned units and personnel were assigned directly to the Wing.
Modern era
Activated as the 446th Operations Group at McChord AFB on 1 August 1992 under the "Objective Wing" concept adapted by the Air Force. The airlift squadrons of the renamed 446th Airlfit Wing were reassigned to the newly established group, along with the lineage, honors and history of the 446th Bombardment (Troop Carrier) Group.Since 1992, the group has flown channel, special assignment, and humanitarian airlift missions worldwide and taken part in joint and combined training exercises, both within the United States and abroad.
Lineage
- Established as 446 Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 20 March 1943
- Activated on 1 April 1943
- Redesignated: 446 Bombardment Group, Heavy on 20 August 1943
- Inactivated on 28 August 1945
- Redesignated 446 Bombardment Group, Very Heavy on 26 September 1947
- Activated in the Reserve on 26 March 1948
- Redesignated: 446 Bombardment Group, Heavy on 27 June 1949
- Ordered to Active Duty on 1 May 1951
- Inactivated on 25 June 1951
- Redesignated: 446 Troop Carrier Group, Medium on 11 April 1955
- Activated in the Reserve on 25 May 1955
- Inactivated on 14 April 1959
- Redesignated: 446 Military Airlift Group on 31 July 1985 (Remained inactive)
- Redesignated: 446 Operations Group on 1 August 1992
- Activated in the Reserve on 1 August 1992.
Assignments
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 1 April 1943 - II Bomber CommandII Bomber CommandThe II Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Fort George Wright, Washington. It was inactivated on 6 October 1943....
, April 1943 - Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 6 October 1943 - Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, c. 2 November 1943 - VIII Bomber CommandVIII Bomber CommandThe VIII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit that is better known as the later appellation Eighth Air Force, as was popularized in post-World War II filmsand is frequently called the First Eighth Air Force by its veterans and successors in the services.The command was...
, 5 November 1943 - 2d Bombardment Division, 9 November 1943
- 20th Combat Bombardment Wing, November 1943
- 96th Combat Bombardment Wing, 1 June 1945
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, 15 July-28 August 1945 - 309th Bombardment Wing (later, 309th Air Division)309th Air DivisionThe 309th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Continental Air Command, assigned to Twelfth Air Force, being stationed at Hensley AFB, Texas. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949....
, 26 March 1948 - Eighth Air ForceEighth Air ForceThe Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
, 27 June 1949 – 25 June 1951 - 446th Troop Carrier Wing, 25 May 1955 – 14 April 1959
- 446th Airlift Wing446th Airlift WingThe 446th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force Reserve unit. The wing is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. If ordered to Active Service, the unit would come under the Air Mobility Command 15th Expeditionary Mobility Task Force....
, 1 August 1992–present
Components
- 97th Airlift Squadron97th Airlift SquadronThe 97th Airlift Squadron is part of the 446th Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission world wide.-History:...
: 1 August 1992–present - 313th Airlift Squadron313th Airlift SquadronThe 313th Airlift Squadron is located at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It is part of the 446th Airlift Wing and operationally flies the C-17 Globemaster jet transport. The mission of the 313 AS consists of airlift, aerial delivery, and aerial refueling on a worldwide basis...
: 1 August 1992–present - 357th Bombardment Squadron: 25 March 1958 – 14 April 1959
- 704th Bombardment Squadron: 1 April 1943 – 28 August 1945; 26 March 1948-25 June 1951; 25 May 1955 – 14 April 1959
- 705th Bombardment Squadron: 1 April 1943 – 28 August 1945; 26 March 1948-25 June 1951; 25 May 1955 – 14 April 1959
- 706th Bombardment Squadron: 1 April 1943 – 28 August 1945; 26 March 1948-27 June 1949; 8 October 1955 – 16 November 1957; 7 February-14 April 1959
- 707th Bombardment Squadron707th Bombardment SquadronThe 707th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Twelfth Air Force, stationed at Lubbock Air Force Base, Texas. It was inactivated on 28 March 1950.-History:...
: 1 April 1943 – 28 August 1945; 22 April 1948-27 June 1949 - 728th Airlift Squadron728th Airlift SquadronThe 728th Airlift Squadron is located at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It is part of the 446th Airlift Wing and operates the C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft. The mission of the 728th AS is to provide mission-ready aircrews for operational support for strategic and tactical airlift,...
: 1 August 1992–present
Stations
- Davis-Monthan Field, ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, 1 April 1943 - Lowry Field, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 8 June-19 October 1943 - RAF BungayRAF BungayRAF Bungay is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 2 miles SW of Bungay in Suffolk on the south bank of the Waveney River close to the B1062 Harleston to Bungay road....
(USAAF Station 125), England, 2 November 1943 – 6 July 1945 - Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, 15 July-28 August 1945
- Carswell AFB, Texas, 26 March 1948 – 25 June 1951
- Ellington AFB, Texas, 25 May 1955 – 14 April 1959
- McChord AFB, Washington, 1 August 1992–present
Aircraft assigned
- B-24 LiberatorB-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
, 1943–1945 - B-29 SuperfortressB-29 SuperfortressThe B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
, 1948–1951 - C-45 Expeditor, 1955–1958
- 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...
, 1955–1958
- 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...
, 1958–1959 - C-141 StarlifterC-141 StarlifterThe Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
, 1992–2002 - C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster IIIThe Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. Developed for the United States Air Force from the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas, the C-17 is used for rapid strategic airlift of troops and cargo to main operating bases or forward operating bases throughout...
, 1999–present