45th Airlift Squadron

45th Airlift Squadron
Patch of the 45th Airlift Squadron
Active	30 May 1942 - 26 December 1945 1 July 1994 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Airlift Training
Part of	Air Education and Training Command 19th Air Force 314th Airlift Wing 314th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	Keesler Air Force Base
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award

The 45th Airlift Squadron (45 AS) is part of the 314th Airlift Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. It operates C-21 aircraft training pilots for executive airlift.

History

Activated in June 1942 under First Air Force, being formed at Patterson Field, Ohio. Trained at various stationd in the southeast and Texas with C-47 Skytrain transports. Deployed to Egypt in November 1942 as part of President Roosevelt's decision to aid the Royal Air Force Western Desert Air Force, assigned to the newly established Ninth Air Force, headquartered in Cairo.

Transported supplies and evacuated casualties in support of the British Eighth Army, operating from desert airfields in Egypt and Libya. Reassigned in May 1943 to the USAAF Twelfth Air Force in Algeria, supporting Fifth Army forces in the Tunisian Campaign. Began training for the invasion of Sicily; dropped paratroops over the assault area on the night of 9 July. Carried reinforcements to Sicily on 11 July and received a DUC for carrying out that mission although severely attacked by ground and naval forces; dropped paratroops over the beachhead south of the Sele River on the night of 14 Sep 1943. Remained in the MTO until February 1944 until being reassigned back to Ninth Air Force in England, IX Troop Carrier Command to participate in the buildup of forces prior to the Allied landings in France during D-Day in June 1944.

Engaged in combat operations by dropping paratroops into Normandy near Ste-Mere-Eglise on D-Day (6 June 1944) and releasing gliders with reinforcements on the following day. The unit received a third Distinguished Unit Citation and a French citation for these missions.

After the Normandy invasion the squadron ferried supplies in the United Kingdom. The squadron also hauled food, clothing, medicine, gasoline, ordnance equipment, and other supplies to the front lines and evacuated patients to rear zone hospitals. It dropped paratroops near Nijmegen and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during the airborne attack on the Netherlands. In December, it participated in the Battle of the Bulge by releasing gliders with supplies for the 101st Airborne Division near Bastogne.

Returned to the United States in May, 1945, becoming a domestic troop carrier squadron for Continental Air Forces. Reassigned to Seventh Air Force in Hawaii in September 1945, operating until being inactivated at the end of the year.

Reactivating in 1993 under AETC it has trained pilots in operational support airlift missions for VIP personnel using Lear C-23 executive aircraft.

Operations and Decorations

Combat Operations. Included airborne assaults on Sicily, Normandy, the Netherlands, and Germany; aerial transportation of personnel (including casualties), supplies, and equipment in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) and European Theater of Operations (ETO), Nov 1942-Apr 1945.
Campaigns. World War II: Egypt-Libya; Tunisia; Sicily; Naples-Foggia; Rome-Arno; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Central Europe.
Decorations. Distinguished Unit Citations: Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Sicily, 25 Nov 1942-25 Aug 1943; Sicily, 11 Jul 1943; France, [6-7] Jun 1944. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 1 Jul 1996-30 Jun 1998; 1 Jul 1999-30 Jun 2001; 1 Jul 2001-30 Jun 2003; 1 Jul 2003-30 Jun 2004; 1 Jul 2005-30 Jun 2006; 1 Jul 2006-30 Jun 2007; 1 Jul 2008-30 Jun 2009.

Lineage

Constituted as 45th Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942

Activated on 15 Jun 1942

Re-designated as: 45th Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 Jul 1942

Inactivated on 26 Dec 1945

Re-designated as: 45th Airlift Flight on 1 Apr 1993

Activated on 1 May 1993

Inactivated on 1 Oct 1993

Re-designated as: 45th Airlift Squadron on 21 Mar 1994

Activated on 1 Jul 1994

Re-designated as: 45th Airlift Flight on 1 Oct 1999

Re-designated as: 45th Airlift Squadron on 9 Jul 2001

Assignments

316th Transport (later, 316th Troop Carrier) Group, 15 Jun 1942
I Troop Carrier Command, May-26 Dec 1945

Attached to VI Air Service Area Command, 9 Sep-c. 20 Dec 1945

2d Operations Group, 1 May-1 Oct 1993
81st Training Group, 1 Jul 1994
314th Operations Group, 1 Oct 1999–Present

Stations

Patterson Field, Ohio, 15 Jun 1942
Bowman Field, Kentucky, 20 Jun 1942
Lawson Field, Georgia, 9 Aug 1942
Del Valle Army Airbase, Texas, 29 Sep-10 Nov 1942
RAF Deversoir, Egypt, 23 Nov 1942
RAF El Adem, Egypt, 10 Dec 1942
RAF Fayid, Egypt, Jan 1943
Nouvion Airfield, Algeria, 24 May 1943
Guercif Airfield, French Morocco, 28 May 1943
Enfidaville Airfield, Tunisia, 21 Jun 1943

Mazzara Airfield, Sicily, 1 Sep 1943
Borizzo Airfield, Sicily, 18 Oct 1943-12 Feb 1944
RAF Cottesmore (AAF-489), England, 15 Feb 1944-May 1945
Pope Field, North Carolina, May 1945
Baer Field, Indiana, 20 Jun-15 Aug 1945
Kipapa Airfield, Hawaii Territory, 9 Sep 1945
Wheeler Field, Hawaii Territory, 29 Sep-20 Dec 1945
Camp Anza, California, 26 Dec 1945
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 1 May-1 Oct 1993
Keesler AFB, Mississippi, 1 Jul 1994–Present

Aircraft

C-47 Skytrain (1942–1945)
C-46 Commando (1945)
C-12 Huron (1994–1999)
C-21 (1994 – Present)

Operations

World War II

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
AFHRA 45th Airlift Squadron Factsheet

External links

United States Air Force

Leadership

Structure

Commands	Reserve Air National Guard Field Operating Agencies Installations

Direct Reporting Units	District of Washington Operational Test and Evaluation Center USAF Academy

Major Commands	Air Combat Air Education and Training Air Mobility Global Strike Materiel Reserve Space Special Operations Europe & Africa Pacific

Numbered Air Forces	First Second Third Fourth Fifth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-Second Twenty-Third Twenty-Fourth Twenty-Fifth

Wings (ANG) Groups (ANG) Squadrons (ANG) Civilian auxiliary: Civil Air Patrol

Personnel and
training

Uniforms and
equipment

History and
traditions

Category
Portal

Air Education and Training Command (AETC)

Air Forces	Second Nineteenth Air University

Bases	Altus Columbus Goodfellow Gunter Annex Keesler Lackland Laughlin Luke Maxwell Randolph Sheppard Tyndall Vance

Wings	12th Flying Training 14th Flying Training 17th Training 33d Fighter 37th Training 42d Air Base 47th Flying Training 56th Fighter 58th Special Operations 59th Medical 71st Flying Training 80th Flying Training 81st Training 82d Training 97th Air Mobility 314th Airlift 502d Air Base

Groups	336th Training Group 381st Training Group

USAAF Ninth Air Force in World War II

Stations

Palestine (Mand)	Lydda Muqueibile Ramat David St Jean

Egypt	Abu Sueir Ismailia El Amiriya Daba Deversoir Fayid Kabrit * Landing Ground 174 Payne Sidi Haneish

Libya	Baheira Belandah Benina Castel Benito Berca Darragh El Adem El Assa Gambut Hamraiet Lete Martuba Tmed El Chel Tobruk Tripoli Sidi Azeiz

Tunisia	Ben Gardane Bou Grara Chekira Hani Hazbub Hergla El Djem El Haouaria Kairouan Medenine Menzel Heurr Sfax Soltane

United Kingdom	Aldermaston Andover Andrews Field Ashford Balderton Barkston Heath Beaulieu Birch Bisterne Boreham Bottesford Boxted Charmy Down Chalgrove Chilbolton Chipping Ongar Christchurch Cottesmore Earls Colne Exeter Folkingham Fulbeck Gosfield Great Dunmow Greenham Common Grove High Halden Headcorn Holmsley South Hurn Ibsley Kingsnorth Langar Lashenden Little Walden Lymington Matching Membury Merryfield Middle Wallop North Witham Ramsbury Raydon Rivenhall Saltby Scorton Staplehurst Spanhoe Stansted Stoney Cross Thruxton Upottery Warmwell Welford Weston Zoyland Wethersfield Winkton Woodchurch Wormingford

Europe	Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in France, Belgium, Netherlands, and Germany too numerous.

Units

Commands

Wings

Bombardment	97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment

Fighter	8th Fighter 9th Fighter 70th Fighter 71st Fighter 84th Fighter 100th Fighter 303d Fighter

Troop carrier	50th Troop Carrier 52d Troop Carrier 53d Troop Carrier

Groups

Bombardment	12th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 376th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 416th Bombardment

Fighter	36th Fighter 48th Fighter 50th Fighter 57th Fighter 79th Fighter 324th Fighter 354th Fighter 358th Fighter 365th Fighter 362d Fighter 363d Fighter 366th Fighter 367th Fighter 368th Fighter 370th Fighter 371st Fighter 373d Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 406th Fighter 474th Fighter

Troop carrier	61st Troop Carrier 64th Troop Carrier 313th Troop Carrier 314th Troop Carrier 315th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier 349th Troop Carrier 434th Troop Carrier 435th Troop Carrier 436th Troop Carrier 437th Troop Carrier 438th Troop Carrier 439th Troop Carrier 440th Troop Carrier 441st Troop Carrier 442d Troop Carrier IX Troop Carrier Pathfinder (Provisional)

Reconnaissance	10th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance

Squadrons

Liaison	14th Liaison 47th Liaison

Night fighter	422d Night Fighter 425th Night Fighter

United States Army Air Forces

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