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53d Troop Carrier Wing (World War II)
Encyclopedia
The 53d Troop Carrier Wing is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the IX Troop Carrier Command
, based at Camp Shanks
, New York. It was inactivated on 12 August 1945.
The wing was formed a World War II command and control organization for newly organized troop carrier groups and glider units being trained for overseas deployment to combat theaters. Deployed to England in 1944 and units subsequently engaged in combat operations, carrying Army parachutists and towing gliders during Operation Overlord
, Operation Market Garden
and Operation Varsity
. The 53d was also engaged in aerial resupply and casualty evacuation of wounded personnel as well as theater troop transport operations. It operated until V-E Day, then supported occupation units in Germany until fall 1945.
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...
unit. Its last assignment was with the IX Troop Carrier Command
IX Troop Carrier Command
The IX Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946...
, based at Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks, named after Major General David Carey Shanks was a United States Army installation in and around Orangeburg in the Town of Orangetown, New York. Situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River, it served as a point of embarkation for troops departing overseas...
, New York. It was inactivated on 12 August 1945.
The wing was formed a World War II command and control organization for newly organized troop carrier groups and glider units being trained for overseas deployment to combat theaters. Deployed to England in 1944 and units subsequently engaged in combat operations, carrying Army parachutists and towing gliders during Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
, Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden
Operation Market Garden was an unsuccessful Allied military operation, fought in the Netherlands and Germany in the Second World War. It was the largest airborne operation up to that time....
and Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity
Operation Varsity was a successful joint American–British airborne operation that took place toward the end of World War II...
. The 53d was also engaged in aerial resupply and casualty evacuation of wounded personnel as well as theater troop transport operations. It operated until V-E Day, then supported occupation units in Germany until fall 1945.
Lineage
- Constituted as 53d Troop Carrier Wing On 27 July 1942
- Activated on 1 August 1942
- Inactivated on 11 October 1945.
Assignments
- I Troop Carrier CommandI Troop Carrier CommandThe I Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the First Air Force, based at Stout Army Air Field, Indiana.Its primary mission was theater troop and logistics transport training...
, 1 August 1942 - IX Troop Carrier CommandIX Troop Carrier CommandThe IX Troop Carrier Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force, based at Greenville Army Air Base, South Carolina. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946...
, 11 March 1944 – 12 August 1945
Components
- 61st Troop Carrier Group: 3 November 1942 – 15 February 1943
- 63rd Troop Carrier Group: April 1942– July 1943
- 89th Troop Carrier Group89th Operations GroupThe 89th Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 89th Airlift Wing. It is stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland....
: 1942 - 313th Troop Carrier Group313th Troop Carrier GroupThe 313th Tactical Airlift Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 322d Airlift Division at RAF Mildenhall, England. It was inactivated on 1 February 1992....
: 2 March 1942 – 24 April 1943 - 314th Troop Carrier314th Airlift WingThe 314th Airlift Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of Little Rock Air Force Base in Little Rock, Arkansas.-World War 2 and aftermath:...
: 30 August – 3 November 1942 - 316th Troop Carrier Group316th Operations GroupThe 316th Operations Group is the flying component of the Air Force District of Washington 316th Wing, stationed at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland....
: 14 February – 12 November 1942 - 433rd Troop Carrier Group: 15 April – 2 June 1943
- 434th Troop Carrier Group: 15 April −16 October 1943, 3 March 1944 – July 1945
- 435th Troop Carrier Group: 3 November 1943 – 5 August 1945
- 436th Troop Carrier Group: 15 April – 19 July 1943, 3 March 1944 – August 1945
- 437th Troop Carrier Group: 17 February 1944 – 10 July 1945
- 438th Troop Carrier Group438th Air Expeditionary GroupThe United States Air Force's 438th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group is assigned to the 438th Air Expeditionary Wing of USAFCENT and is stationed at Kabul, Afghanistan....
: February 1944-18 July 1945 - 440th Troop Carrier Group: July 1943
Stations
- General Billy Mitchell FieldGeneral Mitchell International AirportGeneral Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States....
, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, 1 August 1942 - Pope Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 26 August 1942 - Fort Sam HoustonFort Sam HoustonFort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
, Texas, 15 September 1942 - Bergstrom AAF, Texas, 5 November 1942
- Sedalia AAFWhiteman Air Force BaseWhiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south of Knob Noster, Missouri; east-southeast of Kansas City, Missouri....
, MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, 15 April 1943 - Alliance AAFAlliance Municipal Airport-Top Destinations:-See also:* Troop Carrier Command* Nebraska World War II Army Airfields* List of airports in Nebraska-Other sources:* * Maurer, Maurer . Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.-External links:*...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, 25 July 1943
- Laurinburg-Maxton AABLaurinburg-Maxton AirportLaurinburg-Maxton Airport is a public airport located three miles north of the central business district of Maxton and east of Laurinburg. Maxton is located primarily in Robeson County, North Carolina, USA while Laurinburg is in Scotland County, North Carolina, USA as is the airport proper. This...
, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 19 September 1943 - Pope Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, 20 December 1943 – 19 January 1944 - RAF Greenham CommonRAF Greenham CommonRAF Station Greenham Common is a former military airfield in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of Thatcham; about west of London....
(AAF-486), England, 11 March 1944 - VoisenonVoisenonVoisenon is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.Little village, located 39 kilometres south-east from the center of Paris, Voisenon was mainly known for its 12th century abbey, and then for its renowned local figure, Claude-Henri de Fusée...
, France, 20 February–October 1945 - Camp ShanksCamp ShanksCamp Shanks, named after Major General David Carey Shanks was a United States Army installation in and around Orangeburg in the Town of Orangetown, New York. Situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River, it served as a point of embarkation for troops departing overseas...
, New York, 10–11 October 1945.