The50th Troop Carrier Wing is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. The wing was formed in 1941 as the50th Transport Wing, aheadquarters for air transport organizations of theAir Corps. In 1942, it became a training organization for troop carrier units deploying overseas. In 1943, it moved overseas, where its units participated in combat in theMediterranean andEuropean Theaters of Operations. FollowingV-E Day it remained in Europe until the fall of 1945. Its last assignment was withThird Air Force atPope Field, North Carolina, where it was inactivated on 31 July 1946. It was redesignated the50th Air Division in 1959, but was not activated.
Thewing was first established as the50th Transport Wing, then activated atWright Field, Ohio on 14 January 1941. Although initially assigned directly to theOffice, Chief of the Air Corps, it was shortly reassigned to Air Corps Maintenance Command.[1] The wing's mission was to control the air movement ofArmy materiel within the United States. Within a year, the wing was moving more air freight within the United States than all commercial airlines combined.[2] In March 1942, however, theArmy Air Forces directedAir Service Command to increase the use of contracts with airlines to move freight within the United States "in order to free the equipment of the 50th Transport wing for tactical operations with the parachute troops, airborne infantry, the airborne transportation of [government furnished equipment] and supplies, and depot-to-depot operations."[3]
Recognizing this mission change, in July 1942 the wing became the50th Troop Carrier Wing and formed the core forI Troop Carrier Command, acting as a major training organization until 1943, training subordinate units in the United States prior to overseas deployment.[1]
In October 1943, became a command organization forIX Troop Carrier Command, Ninth Air Force in England. "Subordinate units began training for the invasion of continental Europe. This training involved airdropping paratroops and towing gliders."[1]
"In June 1944, subordinate units dropped paratroops of the101st Airborne Division inNormandy, subsequently flying numerous missions to bring in reinforcements and needed supplies. During the airborne attack onThe Netherlands (Operation Market Garden, September 1944), the 50th dropped paratroops, towed gliders, and flew resupply missions. Several of its subordinate units also participated in the invasion of southern France in August 1944. The 50th supported the 101st Airborne Division in theBattle of the Bulge by towing gliders full of supplies nearBastogne on 27 December 1944. In addition, its units participated in the air assault across the Rhine River in early 1945 and later flew numerous freight missions to carry gasoline, food, medicine, and other supplies to allied ground forces pushing across Germany."[1]
The wing returned to the United States in September 1945. In 1946 it became a subordinate organization of newTactical Air Command[1] with responsibility for the theater transport (Troop Carrier) mission. It was inactivated on 31 July 1946.[1]
On 1 September 1959, the USAF redesignated the wing as the 50th Air Division; however, the division was never activated.
^On 4 November 1945, I Troop Carrier Command was inactivated atStout Field, Indiana and its personnel and equipment were transferred to IX Troop Carrier Command, which had transferred to Stout from England without personnel or equipment in September. Maurer,Combat Units, pp. 438, 448–449.
United States
United States Air Force
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.jpg)
.svg)