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

Lineage

Activated on 15 Jun 1942
Re-designated as: 45th Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 Jul 1942
Inactivated on 26 Dec 1945
Activated on 1 May 1993
Inactivated on 1 Oct 1993
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

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

Stations

Aircraft

Operations

References

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

    External links

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