| 733d Military Airlift Squadron | |
|---|---|
_during_Vietnam_War.jpg) Air Force ReserveC-124 Globemaster | |
| Active | 1942–1945; 1947–1951; 1952–1955; 1957–1973 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Airlift |
| Motto | The Only Way to Fly[1] |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations[1] |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 733d Troop Carrier Squadron emblem[a][1] |  |
| 333d Bombardment Squadron emblemWorld War II[2] |  |
| World War II Fuselage code[2] | TS |
The733rd Military Airlift Squadron, officially the 733d Military Airlift Squadron, is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was activated as the333rd Bombardment Squadron duringWorld War II. After training in the United States, it deployed to theEuropean Theater of Operations, where it participated in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany, earning twoDistinguished Unit Citations. It returned to the United States in December 1945 and was inactivated at the Port of Embarkation.
The squadron was reactivated atMarietta Army Air Field, Georgia in thereserves in 1947, but was not fully manned or equipped until 1949, when it began to receiveDouglas B-26 Invaders. It was inactivated on 20 March 1951 after beingcalled to active duty for theKorean War, with its personnel used as "fillers" to bring other units up to strength.
When the Air Force reserves revived their combat units in 1952, the squadron was activated as atactical reconnaissance unit. It briefly returned to thelight bomber role in 1955, but in 1957, became anairlift unit as the733rd Troop Carrier Squadron. It was again mobilized in 1962, and continued to serve as a reserveairlift unit until it was inactivated atHill Air Force Base, Utah on 1 January 1973.
Thesquadron was activated atMacDill Field, Florida, on 15 June 1942 as the333rd Bombardment Squadron, one of the original squadrons of the94th Bombardment Group. The AAF had decided to concentrate training ofheavy bomber units underSecond Air Force,[3] and the squadron moved toPendleton Field, Oregon, one of that command's bases, two weeks later to begin training with theBoeing B-17 Flying Fortress.[1][4]The squadroncadre received its initial training at Pendleton. It moved to different bases for Phase I (individual training) and Phase II (crew training), completing Phase III (unit training) atPueblo Army Air Base, Colorado.[1][5] The air echelon of the squadron began ferrying their aircraft to theEuropean Theater of Operations around the first of April 1943. The ground echelon left Pueblo on 18 April forCamp Kilmer, New Jersey and the New York Port of Embarkation on 18 April. They sailed aboard theRMS Queen Elizabeth on 5 May, arriving in Scotland on 13 May.[6]
The squadron began assembling atRAF Earls Colne in mid May, butEighth Air Force decided to transfer its newMartin B-26 Marauder units fromVIII Bomber Command toVIII Air Support Command and concentrate them on bases closer to the European continent. As a result, the323d Bombardment Group moved to Earls Colne on 14 June, forcing the 94th Group and its squadrons to relocate toRAF Bury St. Edmunds, which would be its combat station for the rest of the war.[7] It flew its first combat mission (and what would be its only mission from Earls Colne) on 13 June against the airfield atSaint-Omer, France. Until the end of the war, the squadron participated in thestrategic bombing campaign against Germany. It attacked port facilities atSaint Nazaire, shipyards atKiel, an aircraft plant atKassel, oil facilities atMerseburg and ball bearing facilities atEberhausen.[4]
During an attack on theMesserschmitt factory atRegensberg on 17 August 1943, the squadron was without escort after its escortingRepublic P-47 Thunderbolts reached the limit of their range. It withstood repeated attacks, first by enemyMesserschmitt Bf 109 andFocke-Wulf Fw 190interceptors, then byMesserschmitt Bf 110 andJunkers Ju 88 night fighters, to strike its target, earning its firstDistinguished Unit Citation (DUC). This was a "shuttle" mission, with the squadron recovering on bases in north Africa, rather than returning to England.[4][8]
On 11 January 1944, it attacked a Messerschmitt aircraft parts manufacturing plant atBrunswick/Waggum Airfield. Weather conditions deteriorated during the flight to the target, preventing part of the escorting fighters from reaching the bombers and resulting in the squadron's bombers being recalled. However, thewing leader was unable to authenticate the recall message and continued to the target. In contrast, fair weather to the east of the target permitted theLuftwaffe to concentrate its fighter defenses into one of its largest defensive formations since October 1943. Despite heavyflak in the target area, the squadron bombed accurately and earned its second DUC for this action.[4][9] The squadron participated inBig Week, the concentrated campaign against the German aircraft manufacturing industry from 20 to 25 February 1944. It bombed transportation, communication and petroleum industrial targets duringOperation Lumberjack the final push across theRhine and into Germany.[4]
The squadron flew its last mission on 21 April 1945.[6] FollowingV-E Day it dropped leaflets todisplaced persons and German civilians on what were called "Nickling" flights The squadron was scheduled to be part of theoccupation forces, but those plans were cancelled in September 1945. Starting in November, its planes were transferred to other units or flown back to the United States. Its remaining personnel sailed on the SSLake Champlain on 12 December 1945. Upon reaching the Port of Embarkation, the squadron was inactivated.[1][6][4]
The squadron was again activated underAir Defense Command (ADC) atMarietta Army Air Field, Georgia in May 1947 as aair reserve unit and again assigned to the 94th Bombardment Group. Although nominally a very heavy bomber unit, It is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped.[10] In 1948Continental Air Command (ConAC) assumed responsibility for managing reserve andAir National Guard units from ADC.[11]
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In June 1949, the squadron was redesignated as alight bomber unit.[1] Reserve wings were authorized four operational squadrons, rather than the three of active duty wings. However, the squadrons were manned at 25% of normal strength.[12] The squadron began to equip with theDouglas B-26 Invader. All reserve combat units weremobilized for theKorean War.[13] The 331st was called to active duty on 10 March 1951. Its personnel and equipment were used to bring other units up to strength, and the squadron was inactivated ten days later.[1][14][15]
The squadron was reactivated at Dobbins Air Force Base in June 1952 as the333rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and equipped with RB-26 Invader photographic reconnaissance aircraft when the94th Bombardment Wing replaced the 902d Reserve Training Wing at Dobbins.[1][16] The reserve mobilization for the Korean War had left the reserve without aircraft, and the squadron only began receiving aircraft in July.[17] In addition to its primary aircraft and obsolescentNorth American P-51 Mustangs, the squadron also operated a variety of trainers and transports.[15]
In the mid-1950s, the Air Force determined that all reserve units should be designed to augment the regular forces in the event of a national emergency. However, there were six reserve flying training wings, including the 8711th Pilot Training Wing atScott Air Force Base, Illinois,[18] that had no mobilization mission. On 18 May 1955, the 94th Wing moved to Scott to replace the 8711th.[15][19] The squadron did not move, but was inactivated as the 94th reorganized with only two tactical squadrons.[1][15]
The squadron was reactivated as the733rd Troop Carrier Squadron[d] in November 1957 atHill Air Force Base, Utah, where it assumed the mission, personnel andFairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars of the313th Troop Carrier Squadron, which simultaneously moved on paper toPortland International Airport.[1][20] At Hill, the squadron was assigned to the452d Troop Carrier Group, which was located atLong Beach Municipal Airport,[21] under the Dispersed Squadron Concept, under which ConAC dispersed some of its flying squadrons to separate bases in order to improve recruiting and avoid public objection to entire wings of aircraft being stationed near large population centers.[22]. The squadron used inactive duty training periods for Operation Swift Lift, transporting high priority cargo for the Air Force and Operation Ready Swap, transporting aircraft engines, betweenAir Materiel Command’s depots.[23] In 1959 ConAC reorganized its flying wings under the dual deputy organization. Under this plan the squadron reported to directly to the wing, the 452nd Group was inactivated, and the squadron was reassigned to the452nd Troop Carrier Wing.[1][24][25]
The squadron was called to active duty for a second time on 28 October 1962 for theCuban Missile Crisis. The 452nd Wing was not called up for this crisis, so while on active duty, the squadron was assigned to the349th Troop Carrier Wing. It was returned to the reserve on 28 November,[e] as tensions eased.[1] Mobilizing dispersed units was not a problem when the entire wing was called to active service, but mobilizing a single flying squadron and elements to support it, as was done with the 733rd, proved difficult. This weakness was demonstrated in the partial mobilization of reserve units during theBerlin Crisis of 1961. To resolve this, ConAC determined to reorganize its reserve wings by establishing groups with support elements for each of its troop carrier squadrons at the start of 1962. This reorganization would facilitate mobilization of elements of wings in various combinations when needed.[26] The mobilization of the squadron for the Cuban missile crisis delayed its reorganization until February 1963, when the945th Troop Carrier Group was activated as the command element for the squadron, along with support elements for the 733rd.[26]
In February 1966 ConAC determine to replace the C-119s of several of its troop carrier units, including the 733rd, with largerDouglas C-124 Globemaster IIstrategic airlifters. With this change in aircraft and mission, the squadron became the733rd Military Airlift Squadron in October 1966. The squadron performed strategic airlift, including transporting equipment and supplies from theOgden Air Materiel Area toMinuteman missile sites, and to Southeast Asia[citation needed] until it was inactivated in 1973 with the phaseout of the C-124.[27]
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Distinguished Unit Citation | 17 August 1943 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron, Germany[1] |
| Distinguished Unit Citation | 11 January 1944 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron, Germany[1] |
 | Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm | 1 January 1967-30 September 1972 | 733rd Military Airlift Squadron[33] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Offensive, Europe | 11 May 1943–5 June 1944 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Air Combat, EAME Theater | 11 May 1943–11 May 1945 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Normandy | 6 June 1944–24 July 1944 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Central Europe | 22 March 1944–21 May 1945 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Northern France | 25 July 1944–14 September 1944 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Rhineland | 15 September 1944–21 March 1945 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron[1] |
| Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944–25 January 1945 | 333rd Bombardment Squadron[1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency