| 435th Operations Group | |
|---|---|
 435th WingC-130E Hercules atLuxembourg International Airport | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1947–1952; 1952–1959; 1975–1980; 1992–1995 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Airlift |
| Part of | United States Air Forces Europe |
| Mottos | Citus et CertusLatin Swift and Sure (after 1952) Saltat Sine Armis Vincere (Latin) He Jumps Without Arms to Conquer (World War II) |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 435th Operations Group emblem(approved 4 October 1976).[note 1] |  |
| 435th Troop Carrier Group emblem(approved 22 May 1952)[1] |  |
| Unofficial 435th Troop Carrier Group emblem(World War II)[2] |  |
The435th Operations Group is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the435th Airlift Wing atRhein-Main Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 1 April 1995.
The unit was first activated duringWorld War II as the435th Troop Carrier Group, aDouglas C-47 Skytrain transport unit that saw combat withIX Troop Carrier Command in Western Europe. Thegroup flewparatroopers on airborne assaults on Normandy (Operation Overlord); Southern France (Operation Dragoon); the Netherlands (Operation Market Garden), and Germany (Operation Varsity). It also flew combat resupply missions in the relief of Bastogne in 1945. The 435th was awarded aDistinguished Unit Citation for its actions during the Normandy invasion.
The group was activated in the reserve in 1947. It was called to active duty in March 1951 for theKorean War, serving at its home station,Miami International Airport. It returned to reserve duty in December 1952 and continued to serve in the reserves until November 1959, when it was inactivated and its squadrons assigned directly to the435th Troop Carrier Wing in a reorganization ofContinental Air Command reserve units.
The group was reactivated in England in July 1975 as the435th Tactical Airlift Group, a headquarters for airlift units deployed there. It moved toRhein-Main Air Base, Germany in October 1978 and was inactivated there in July 1980. When the 435th Wing reorganized under the Objective Wing organization, the group reactivated as the435th Operations Group. It was inactivated whenUnited States Air Forces Europe reduced its presence at Rhein-Main as it transferred its Europeanairlift operations toRamstein Air Base, Germany.
Media related to435th Troop Carrier Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons
Thegroup was first activated atBowman Field, Kentucky in February 1943, with the75th,76th,77th and78th Troop Carrier Squadrons assigned as its original components. The group usedDouglas C-47 Skytrains and Douglas C-53 Skytrooopers in preparing for duty overseas withNinth Air Force.[1][3][4][5][6]
The 435th left the United States in October 1943, arriving atRAF Langar, England, in early November. On arrival, it began training for participation in the airborne operation overNormandy. The group flew its first combat missions onD-Day by dropping paratroopers of101st Airborne Division nearCherbourg Naval Base. The unit towedWaco CG-4A andAirspeed Horsa gliders carrying reinforcements to the same location that afternoon and on the following morning. The group received aDistinguished Unit Citation for its part inOperation Overlord, the Normandy invasion.[1]
The group began transport services following the landings in France and intermittently engaged in missions of this type untilV-E Day In these operations the 435th hauled supplies such asserum,blood plasma,radar sets, clothing, rations, and ammunition. It also evacuated wounded personnel to Allied hospitals.[1]
The group interrupted these supply and evacuation missions to train for and participate in three major airborne assaults. It sent a detachment of three squadrons toTarquinia Airfield, Italy in July 1944 forOperation Dragoon, the invasion of Southern France.[7] The detachment dropped paratroopers over the assault area on 15 August and also released gliders carrying troops and equipment such asjeeps, guns, and ammunition. The following day it flew a resupply mission over France, then transported supplies to bases in Italy before returning to England at the end of the month.[1]
In September 1944 the group participated inOperation Market Garden the unsuccessful airborne operation intended to seize bridges across theMeuse River in the Netherlands, dropping paratroops of the82d and 101st Airborne Divisions and releasing gliders carrying reinforcements.[1] During theBattle of the Bulge, the group delivered supplies to isolated combat positions of the 101st Airborne and7th Armored Divisions inBastogne and Marcouray, Belgium.[8]
The unit moved toBretigny Airfield, France in February 1945 to prepare forOperation Varsity, the airborne assault across theRhine River. Each group aircraft participating in this operation towed two gliders transporting troops and equipment to the east bank of the Rhine nearWesel on 24 March. The group then flew resupply missions to Germany in support of ground forces.[1]
The group transported supplies tooccupation forces in Germany and evacuated Allied prisoners of war after V-E Day. The group returned to the United States in August and was inactivated on 15 November 1945.[1]
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The group was once again activated as a reserve unit underAir Defense Command at Morrison Field, Florida on 15 July 1947.[1] One of its flying squadrons was located atOrlando Air Force Base and another atMiami International Airport.[4][5] The group was nominally aCurtiss C-46 Commando unit, but it is not clear to what extent it was equipped with tactical aircraft while at Morrison.[1]
In June 1949,Continental Air Command, which had assumed the responsibility for training reserve units from Air Defense Command in 1948, reorganized its reserve units under thewing base organization system. As part of this reorganization and unit reductions required by PresidentTruman's reduced 1949 defense budget,[9] the 435th Group moved to Miami International Airport,[1] where it was assigned to the newly formed435th Troop Carrier Wing[10] and formed itscadre from the inactivating100th Bombardment Group.[11] Reserve flying operations at Morrison came to an end, with the exception of the 326th Troop Carrier Squadron, which remained there until September, when it moved to Pennsylvania and was assigned to another wing.[12] The group was manned at 25% of normal strength but was authorized four squadrons rather than the three of active duty units.[13]
At Miami, the group trained with C-46s under the supervision of the active duty 2585th Air Force Reserve Training Center.[14] The group was ordered into active service in March 1951 as a result of theKorean War. Along with other reserve units called to active duty, it formedTactical Air Command'sEighteenth Air Force. The group's initial function was to train C-46aircrews for service in Korea.[15] The group also trained withFairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars. Although it remained at Miami, the group deployed twice while on active duty: toLaurinburg-Maxton Airport, North Carolina from 21 July until 1 September 1951 and toGrenier Air Force Base, New Hampshire from 2 January to 3 March 1952.[16] It was relieved from active duty and inactivated on 1 December 1952 and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the regular456th Troop Carrier Wing, which was activated the same day.[17][18]
The group was activated as a reserve unit the same day at the same station, but with the personnel and equipment of the inactivating482d Troop Carrier Wing.[19] In the reserve, the group once again flew the Curtiss Commandos.[17] By 1956, the unit was flying overseas missions, particularly in the Caribbean area and in Central America. In addition, for the first time as a reserve unit, its flying was performed in unit tactical aircraft, rather than in trainers.[20]
During the first half of 1955, the Air Force began detaching reserve squadrons to separate locations. The dispersal of separate squadrons to smaller population centers was intended to facilitate recruiting and manning. One of the first three squadrons to move as this policy was implemented was the 78th Troop Carrier Squadron, which was activated atOrlando Air Force Base in April 1955 after having been inactivated at Miami the previous year.[6][21] In August 1956, the group's 77th Troop Carrier Squadron left Miami forPinellas County Airport, Florida. The squadron's stay in the Tampa Bay area was brief, however, for in November 1957 it moved again, this time toNew Orleans Naval Air Station, Louisiana.[5] Only the 76th Squadron remained with groupheadquarters in Miami.[4]
In 1957, the group once again received C-119s.[17] The unit was inactivated on 14 April 1959 when the 435th Wing adopted the Dual Deputy organization and the group's squadrons were assigned directly to the wing.[8][4][5][6]
The group was reactivated in 1975, whenMilitary Airlift Command (MAC) assumed responsibility for theater airlift in Europe. The 435th Military Airlift Support Wing atRhein-Main Air Base, Germany, which had been responsible for MAC operations in Europe, was redesignated the 435th Tactical Airlift Wing, and the group, redesignated the435th Tactical Airlift Group, was activated and assigned to it to manageLockheed C-130 Hercules squadrons deploying from bases in the United States toRAF Mildenhall, England. It assumed this mission fromUnited States Air Forces Europe's513th Tactical Airlift Wing.[22]
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In June 1978, MAC activated the322d Airlift Division as its headquarters for European operations, and the group was reassigned directly to thedivision.[23] This assignment was short-lived, for the reorganization of airlift in Europe included the establishment of a permanent C-130 squadron to replace the rotational units at Mildenhall. In the fall the group moved without personnel and equipment to Rhein-Main and was once again reassigned to the 435th Wing until the group inactivated in June 1980.[24]
The group was activated as 435th Operations Group as part of Objective Wing reorganization of 435th Airlift Wing at Rhein-Main on 1 April 1992.[25]
In January 1994, the 38th Airlift Squadron (Provisional) was organized and attached to the group to integrateAir National Guard andAir Force Reserve Command C-130 andLockheed C-141 Starlifters deployed from the United States to participate inOperation Provide Promise, the airlift of humanitarian relief to Bosnia and Herzegovina.[note 3] While continuing to support Provide Promise, the group supported Angola's first open elections in 16 years (Operation Provide Transition) andOperation Restore Hope, humanitarian relief to Somalia. This support continued until October 1994, when, in preparation for the reduction of US presence at Rhein-Main, the group's airlift squadron was transferred to the86th Operations Group atRamstein Air Base.[26] The group was inactivated along with the 435th Airlift Wing in 1995.[27]
The unit was redesignated as the435th Expeditionary Operations Group and converted to provisional status on 5 February 2001, however this action was reversed in 2003.[28]
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| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 6 June 1944–7 June 1944 | Normandy, 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 15 December 1978–31 May 1980 | 435th Tactical Airlift Group[43] |
| Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 April 1992–30 June 1993 | 435th Operations Group[43] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
| Rome-Arno | 22 January 1944 – 9 September 1944 | 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
| Southern France | 15 August 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 435th Troop Carrier Group[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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