52d Airlift Squadron

52d Airlift Squadron
Emblem of the 52d Airlift Squadron
Active	1942–2009
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Airlift

The 52d Airlift Squadron is a Regular Component United States Air Force unit. Its currently assigned to the 19th Airlift Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, but is based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. There, the squadron flies and maintains aircraft with the Air Force Reserve's 302d Airlift Wing.

History

Lineage

• Constituted as 52d Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942

Activated on 15 June 1942

Redesignated as 52d Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 July 1942

Disbanded on 14 April 1944

• Reconstituted, and redesignated 52d Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium, on 10 May 1949

Activated in the Reserve on 27 June 1949

Ordered to active service on 1 May 1951

Inactivated on 9 May 1951

• Redesignated 52d Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy, on 19 March 1953

Activated on 20 June 1953

Redesignated as: 52d Military Airlift Squadron on 8 January 1966

Inactivated on 8 February 1969

• Activated on 1 June 1988

Redesignated as 52d Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1992

Inactivated on 30 September 1992

• Activated on 1 May 1994

Inactivated on 27 September 1997

• Activated on 3 October 2009 as an active associate squadron with the Air Force Reserve's 302d Airlift Wing

Assignments

• 63d Transport (later, 63d Troop Carrier) Group, 15 June 1942 – 14 April 1944
• 63d Troop Carrier Group, 27 June 1949 – 9 May 1951
• 63d Troop Carrier Group, 20 June 1953

Attached for operational control to 322d Air Division, c. 29 January-c. 1 August 1960 and c. January 1962

• 63d Troop Carrier (later, 63d Military Airlift) Wing, 18 January 1963

Remained under operational control of 322d Air Division

• 436th Military Airlift Wing, 8 January 1967 – 8 February 1969

Remained under operational control of 322d Air Division, to 8 February 1969

• 63d Military Airlift Wing, 1 June 1988

63d Operations Group, 1 January-30 September 1992

• 347th Operations Group, 1 May 1994 – 1 April 1997
• 19th Operations Group, 3 October 2009–present

Stations

Camp Williams, Wisconsin, 15 June 1942 Dodd AAF, Texas, 17 September 1942 Stuttgart AAF, Arkansas, 18 November 1942 Victorville AAF, California, 25 December 1942 Lawson AAF, Georgia, 5 May 1943 Grenada AAF, Mississippi, 3 June 1943 Sedalia AAF, Missouri, c. 19 January- 14 April 1944 Floyd Bennett NAS, New York, 27 June 1949 – 9 May 1951 Altus AFB, Oklahoma, 20 June 1953

Donaldson AFB, South Carolina, 15 October 1953 Operated from Rhein-Main AB, West Germany, 29 January-c. 1 August 1960 and c. January 1962– Hunter AFB, Georgia, 30 June 1963 Continued to operate from Rhein-Main AB, West Germany Dover AFB, Delaware, 8 January 1967 – 8 February 1969 Continued to operate from Rhein-Main AB, West Germany, to 8 February 1969 Norton AFB, California, 1 June 1988 – 30 September 1992 Moody AFB, Georgia, 1 May 1994 – 1 April 1997 Peterson AFB, Colorado, 3 October 2009–present

Aircraft

• Douglas DC-3, 1942
• C-39, 1942
• C-53, 1942–1943
• C-47, 1942–1944; 1949–1951
• T-6, 1949–1950
• T-7, 1949–1951
• T-11, 1949–1951
• C-124, 1953–1969
• C-141, 1988–1992
• C-130E, 1994–1997
• C-130H3, 2009–present

Operations

Replacement training, 1943–1944. Worldwide Airlift, 1953–1969. Supported Project Deep Freeze in the Antarctic, 1956–1958. Worldwide airlift, 1988–1992, including airdrop of troops and equipment in Operation JUST CAUSE in Panama on 20 December 1989. Tactical Airlift, 1994–1997. Organization re-activated to duty on 3 October 2009 as an active associate airlift squadron dually-assigned to the Air Force Reserve's 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson AFB, Colo. Participated in Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, Afghanistan 23 Aug 2010 – present.

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• 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.