355th Tactical Airlift Squadron

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355th Tactical Airlift Squadron
Fairchild C-123K Provider '54-612 - IE' (26668384993).jpg
C-123 Provided flown by the squadron [note 1]
Active1942–1944; 1944–1946; 1949–1951; 1952–1982
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
BranchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Role Airlift
Motto(s)You Call, We Haul (1961-1982 [1]
Decorations Distinguished Unit Citation [1]
Insignia
Patch with 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron emblem (approved 7 July 1961) [1] 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron - Emblem.png
355 Bombardment Sq emblem 355 Bombardment Sq emblem.png

The 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 906th Tactical Airlift Group stationed at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio. It was inactivated on 1 July 1982.

Contents

History

Activated in early 1942 as a B-24 Liberator Operational Training Unit (OTU), later becoming a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for deployed combat units, assigned to II Bomber Command. Inactivated in April 1944 when heavy bomber training ended.

Re-dgesignated as a B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment Squadron under Second Air Force 1 April 1944 at Dalhart Army Airfield, Texas. Initially equipped with B-17 Flying Fortresses for training, due to shortage of B-29 Superfortresses. Moved to Harvard Army Airfield, Nebraska, in August 1944 and equipped with B-29B limited production aircraft.

After completion of training deployed to Central Pacific Area (CPA), assigned to XXI Bomber Command, Northwest Field (Guam) for operational missions. B-29Bs were standard production aircraft stripped of most defensive guns to increase speed and bomb load, The tail gun was aimed and fired automatically by the new AN/APG-15B radar fire control system that detected the approaching enemy plane and made all the necessary calculations.

Mission of the squadron was the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands. Dntered combat on 16 June 1945 with a bombing raid against an airfield on Moen. Flew first mission against the Japanese home islands on 26 June 1945 and afterwards operated principally against the enemy's petroleum industry. Flew primarily low-level, fast attacks at night using a mixture of high-explosive and incendiary bombs to attack targets.

Flew last combat mission on 15 August 1945, later flew in "Show of Force" mission on 2 September 1945 over Tokyo Bay during formal Japanese Surrender. Inactivated on Guam 15 April 1946, personnel returned to the United States and aircraft sent to storage in Southwest United States.

It trained for C-54 airlift operations from 1949 to 1950 and for troop carrier missions from 1952 to 1959. Reactivated in 1963 to organize, recruit and train Air Force Reserve personnel to provide tactical airlift of airborne forces, their equipment and supplies and delivery of these forces and materials by airdrop, landing or cargo extraction systems. Initially equipped with C-119 Flying Boxcars for Tactical Air Command airlift operations.

Replaced C-119s with C-123 Provider assault transport in 1967, began training with special operations forces when parent 302d Tactical Airlift Wing was redesignated as a Special Operations Wing in 1970. Inactivated in 1975 as part of post-Vietnam War drawdown.

Reactivated in 1981 as a UC-123K Provider reserve squadron at Rickenbacker ANGB, Ohio for aerial spraying operations. Inactivated in 1982 when host unit was realigned into a fighter group at Wright-Patterson AFB.

Operations

Lineage

Activated on 1 June 1942
Inactivated on 10 April 1944
Activated on 7 July 1944
Inactivated on 15 April 1946
Activated in the reserve on 27 June 1949
Redesignated 355th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 28 January 1950
Ordered to active service on 1 June 1951
Inactivated on 8 June 1951
Activated in the reserve on 14 June 1952
Ordered to active duty on 28 October 1962
Released from active duty on 28 November 1962 [2]
Redesignated 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 July 1967
Redesignated 355th Special Operations Squadron on 25 January 1970
Redesignated 355th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 25 July 1971
Inactivated on 1 July 1982

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft

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References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. ↑ Aircraft is Fairchild C-123K Provider, serial 54-612. Originally constructed as a C-123B. This aircraft is on display at the March AFB Museum. Its last assignment was with the 355th.
Citations
  1. 1 2 3 Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 440-41
  2. 1 2 3 4 Lineage information, including aircraft, assignments and stations, through March 1963 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 440-41

Bibliography

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

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