710th Airlift Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 710th Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 349th Operations Group
, stationed at Travis Air Force Base
, California
. It was inactivated on 1 January 1998.
in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during November 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Third Air Force
for possible re-equipping with B-29 Superfortress
es and deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to inactivation in November 1945.
Reactivated as Military Airlift Command
reserve strategic airlift squadron in 1973. Assigned to Travis AFB and became associate squadron of 60th Military Airlift Wing. equipped with C-141 Starlifter
in 1973 and continued worldwide transport mission. Inactivated in 1996 as part of phaseout of C-141s.
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 was assigned to the 349th Operations Group
349th Operations Group
The 349th Operations Group is a United States Air Force Reserve unit assigned to the 349th Air Mobility Wing. The unit is stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California.The 349 OG controls all operational flying squadrons of the 349 AW....
, stationed at Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It was inactivated on 1 January 1998.
History
Activated in mid 1943 as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomb squadron, trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the European Theater of Operations (ETO) during November 1943, assigned to VIII Bomber Command
VIII Bomber Command
The 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...
as a strategic bombardment squadron. Participated in the air offensive over Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe until German capitulation in May 1945. Personnel demobilized in England and returned to the United States; squadron reassigned to Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
for possible re-equipping with B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The 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...
es and deployment to Pacific Theater. Japanese capitulation led to inactivation in November 1945.
Reactivated as Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
reserve strategic airlift squadron in 1973. Assigned to Travis AFB and became associate squadron of 60th Military Airlift Wing. equipped with C-141 Starlifter
C-141 Starlifter
The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter in service with the Air Mobility Command of the United States Air Force...
in 1973 and continued worldwide transport mission. Inactivated in 1996 as part of phaseout of C-141s.
Lineage
- Constituted 710th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 April 1943
- Activated on 1 May 1943
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945
- Redesignated as 710th Military Airlift Squadron, and activated in the reserve, 1 July 1973
- Redesignated 710th Military Airlift Squadron (Associate) on 1 October 1994
- Redesignated 710th Airlift Squadron (Associate) on 1 February 1992 on 1 October 1994
- Redesignated 710th Airlift Squadron on 1 October 1994
- Inactivated on 15 November 1997
Assignments
- 447th Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943-7 November 1945
- ETO Fuselage Code: IJ
- 349th Military Airlift Wing (Associate), 1 July 1973
- 349th Operations Group349th Operations GroupThe 349th Operations Group is a United States Air Force Reserve unit assigned to the 349th Air Mobility Wing. The unit is stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California.The 349 OG controls all operational flying squadrons of the 349 AW....
, 1 August 1992-30 September 1996
Stations
- Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 1 May 1943
- Rapid City Army Air Base, 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...
, 13 June 1943 - Harvard Army AirfieldHarvard Army AirfieldHarvard State Airport , also known as Harvard State Airfield, is a public use airport located two nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Harvard, a city in Clay County, Nebraska, United States. It is owned by the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics...
, 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....
, 1 August-11 November 1943
- RAF RattlesdenRAF RattlesdenRAF Rattlesden is a former World War II airfield in England. The field is located 9 miles SE of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk.-USAAF use:Rattlesden airfield was built in 1942 as a Class A bomber airfield. The airfield had three intersecting concrete runways, perimeter track and, for USAAF use,...
(AAF-126), EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 1 December 1943-c. 1 August 1945 - Drew Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, 14 August-7 November 1945 - Travis AFB, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 1 July 1973-15 November 1997