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71st Special Operations Squadron | |
|---|---|
 A 71st Special OperationsCV-22 Osprey refuels over New Mexico | |
| Active | 1943–1946 1947–1953; 1953–1973; 1987–1993; 2005–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Special Operations Training |
| Part of | Air Education and Training Command |
| Motto(s) | Strike Swiftly (2005-present)[1] Anywhere Anytime (1987-1993) |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Presidential Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award French Croix de Guerre with Palm French Fourragère Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm |
| Insignia | |
| 71st Special Operations Squadron emblem[note 1][1] |  |
| 71st Special Operations Squadron emblem (1987-1993) | .png) |
| 71st Air Commando Squadron emblem |  |
| 71st Troop Carrier Squadron emblem[note 2][2] |  |
The71st Special Operations Squadron is part of the58th Special Operations Wing atKirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operatesBell Boeing CV-22 Osprey conducting special operations flying training.
Provide Combat Ready CV-22 Aircrews toAir Force Special Operations Command.
Established in early 1943 as aDouglas C-47 Skytrain transport squadron underFirst Air Force, later trained underI Troop Carrier Command in the eastern United States. Deployed to England in late 1943, being assigned toIX 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 combatoperations by droppingparatroops intoNormandy onD-Day (6 June 1944) and releasinggliders with reinforcements on the following day. The unit received aDistinguished 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 nearNijmegen and towed gliders carrying reinforcements during theairborne attack on the Netherlands. In December, it participated in theBattle of the Bulge by releasing gliders with supplies for the 101st Airborne Division nearBastogne.
Moved to France in early 1945, and participated in the Western Allied invasion of Germany, participating in the air assault across theRhine River in March 1945, each aircraft towed two gliders with troops of the17th Airborne Division and released them nearWesel.
Returned to the United States in August 1945, becoming a domestic troop carrier squadron for Continental Air Forces, inactivated July 1946.[1] For its perseverance and bravery, the 71st received the Distinguished Unit Citation and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
It conductedReserve troop carrier training after the war. The 71st was called toactive duty status during theKorean War from, 1951–1953.
The squadron was again called to active duty during theCuban Missile Crisis in 1962. From June to December 1968, the squadron continued airlift support ofTactical Air Command andAir Force Logistics Command, while training in operations ofAC-119G gunships.[1]
On 15 June 1968, about a month after its parent930th Tactical Airlift Group had been mobilized atBakalar Air Force Base, with eighteen C-119Gs, the 71st Tactical Airlift Squadron moved toLockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, and converted to AC-119 gunship operations. On that same date, the 71st was redesignated as the 71st Air Commando Squadron, a name that lasted less than a month, as the unit became the 71st Special Operations Squadron on 8 July. Conversion from tactical airlift to gunship operations in the AC-119 brought significant changes. The crew composition increased from five to eight as the crew acquired a second navigator and two gunners while the loadmaster cross-trained as an illuminator operator. Also, a change in the ratio of crews to airplanes increased total crew requirements from 16 to 24.
By 21 November 1968, the crews had formed and were ready. The aircrews left forSouth Vietnam on 5 December; four days later, other elements of the squadron left viaLockheed C-141 Starlifters. The unit was reassigned to the14th Special Operations Wing on 20 December 1968. During its time in South Vietnam, the 71st got away cheaply for having flown more than 6,000 hours in six months in a combat zone. It lost no aircraft, and only six received any kind of battle damage in the air. The most serious incident involved an aircraft struck by about 26 rounds of 12.7-mm fire which put 19 holes in the aft part of the fuselage and caused minor lacerations in the neck and back of a gunner. This active force man was augmenting the basic reserve crew; nevertheless he became the first combat casualty aboard an Air Force reserve aircraft since the452d Bombardment Wing was relieved atPusan East (K-9) Air Base, South Korea, on 7 May 1952 during the Korean War.
The squadron was relieved from active service and returned to Bakalar Air Force Base on 18 June 1969. It was inactivated on 1 October 1973.
In 1987, the squadron was reactivated in the Air Force Reserve with HH-3E aircraft at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona as a geographically separated unit of the919th Special Operations Group atDuke Field, Florida. The squadron was mobilized to active duty status on 1 January 1991 and carried out combatsearch, rescue, visualreconnaissance and other special operations in Southwest Asia from, January–April 1991. The 71st was again relieved from active status on 21 April 1992 and returned to Reserve status. In 1993, it was transferred from the Air Force Reserve to the Air Education and Training Command and reassigned and relocated to the 58th Special Operations Wing at Kirtland AFB, New Mexico.[3]
The 71 SOS was reactivated on 20 May 2005 atKirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico to serve as the Air Force'sBell Boeing CV-22 Osprey training squadron. The unique capabilities of the CV-22 required the creation of a separate squadron from existingAir Education and Training Command training squadrons. Regular training operations began in early 2007.
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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